#Chapter 125: In the Treetop

Kadeem’s date was trying her damndest to get him to focus on her - sipping coquettishly from her straw in their shared cup of Coke, leaning in close, and running her hand suggestively up his thigh. He cast her a dismissive glance and grabbed her hand firmly so she'd stop rubbing it against his leg like a cat. He turned back to the flickering cinema screen, but his eyes weren't really on it. A few rows ahead, Ardal sat with her own date - an obnoxious jock Kadeem felt a seething hatred for. His arm was slung over her shoulders while they shared popcorn and smiles in the darkness. It made him sick. When Kadeem failed to laugh or give any reaction along with the audience at the latest comedic line, his date followed his gaze down to Ardal - now fifteen, and no longer just the sweet neighbor girl he'd managed to squash an embarrassing crush over years before. His date threw their popcorn box into his lap. Kadeem didn’t startle. Instead he merely glared at her as she hissed into