They’re fighting again.

It’s hard to explain the level of irritation bubbling from Jayden’s core as she rolls onto her side, eyeing the graduation robes she’d hastily thrown to the ground earlier in the evening in an attempt to escape the shitstorm currently going down in the living room. Not even a locked door and a hallway was enough to drown out the absolute bullshit coming from the front of the house.

"This isn’t a game, Michael!" Mum shouts, followed by the sound of a book thumping against the wall, "Jayden just needs one major injury - one - and we’re through! Do you know how they’d-? What they’d-?"

"I know, Victoria," Dad replies, tired, "But maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt? She hasn’t raised any red flags before-"

"She hasn’t left the city before!" Mum shreiks.

Jayden groans and buries her head under the nearest pillow, turning the rest of the argument into blissfully muffled background noise.

They’re supposed to be over this - Jayden joined the Military Faction four years ago for god’s sake, but no. No, sprinkle a little more achievment onto that mess and all of a sudden it’s back to World War Four - Parents Edition.

She pulls the pillow tighter around her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. What she wouldn’t give for parents who actually cared that she was awarded the valedictorian of her grade.

"-Michael-!" Bang!

...Maybe ’cared’s not the right word. Approved of, maybe.

Heaving a loud sigh, she takes a moment to collect herself before sitting up and discarding the pillow somewhere on the floor. She glances at the old clock above her desk and snorts at the time. Just past midnight. Figures.

Scratching the tip of her nose, Jayden stands, grabs her jacket from her desk chair and makes her way to the second story window. Maybe Kate’ll be up for sharing a puff or something.

#

Jayden runs a hair through her short, choppy black hair as she emerges from the alley behind her apartment complex - Level 4’s overhead lighting casting a dull blue glow over the area, like a bad mimickery of moonlight.

She tugs her jacket tighter around her chest and makes a sharp right towards the shopping district - nothing like living over 100m underground to remind you just how fucking cold it can be at night-

"Ah!" Someone - a boy - shouts as she collides with their chest, sending them both sprawling onto the ground, "Shit- sorry, Jayden."

"What-?" Jayden grunts, looking up to- "Oh. It’s you."

Hyland frowns, pulling himself to his feet and awkwardly offering Jayden a hand to stand. She snorts and pulls herself to her feet, unaided. He can shove his pale-ass hand up his arse as far as she’s concerned.

They hover around eachother for a moment. Jayden shuffles her foot, adjust into a more comfortable stance. Hyland stares at the ground, awkward - as per freaking usual.

She gives it another moment for grunting and moving to pass him, "Right, later."

"Wait," he says, startled.

She pauses, turns on her heel with a pinched expression. She frowns.

"What?"

"Uh," Hyland starts, eyes wide and darting everywhere but her face for a good minute before finally landing somewhere to the right, awkward, "Congrats, by the way."

"...What?"

"For getting valedictorian. It’s... you did good, so... yeah," he continues, brows doing some weird constipated dance accross his face, "Congrats."

Jayden blinks at him for a long moment, before shuffing on her feet and clearing her throat, fighting the urge to look away herself.

"Uh... thanks," she replies, cocking her brow, "You too, I guess."

"Huh?"

Hyland looks up, startled.

Jayden rolls her eyes, "For getting Free Choice. Must be nice to choose your own assignment. No idea what made you pick Glider though - always pegged you as more the Tactician type."

He looks away again, hunching his shoulders and biting his lip.

"Ah, yeah," he says after a moment, eyes on the ground, "I like flying more."

Silence.

Jayden grunts, partially turning on her heel and gesturing behind herm "Right, so I’ve got people to see, place to be-"

"At-" Hyland checks his watch, "A quarter past midnight?"

"Mm, yeah," Jayden snarks, waving her hands dismissively, "Living the nightlife and all that. See you at the launch pad tomorrow - we’re squad buddies now."

She turns and continues her treck towards the shopping district, lips downturned in a semi-permanent frown. That was probably the longest conversation they’ve ever had, awkward as it was.

Weird.

#

"You okay?" Kate asks, passing Jayden the puff as she breathes the artificial smoke into the air around them.

Jayden turns to her, back resting against the shoe shop’s alley wall and frowns. She takes the puff in hand and inhales at it’s base.

"Mm, yeah," she replies, eyes turning to the artificial cieling, "Did you know Hyland’s Level 4?"

"Rikard Hyland?"

"Yeah, him."

"Huh," Kate grunts, blinking in surprise, "Always pegged him as a Level 3 brat to be honest. He’s got that attitude."

"I know right," Jayden snorts, passing the puff back, "Looking forward to your first ride tomorrow?"

"Cute," Kate snarks, inhaling and blowing the smoke back in Jayden’s face, "Looking forward to getting thrown out of the sky? Oh, don’t worry - I’ll catch you."

Jayden barks out a laugh and steals the puff back, "My knight in shining rider boots - I’ll be sure to swoon on my way down."

"Oh, fuck you."

"Love you too, babe."

Next Chapter: Chapter Two; Launch Point