The Mesh (Raura)

Chapter 29

Later that night, I was alone in my dorm room with Anna. We were talking about many things we've never actually talked about before. The real truth to that is that none of us ever felt like opening up to the other but this day, our friendship was deepened. 

Everything was peaceful. Peace was what I needed. Light of the setting sun crept in through the window as we shared our past and the dreams of future.

The cigarette in my hand has burned halfway down. While looking at the ignited sparkles, my mind wanders back to Ross. I can't stop wondering what's so important that Colton invited only him. I'm his cousin after all.

I guess two of them are closer than Colton and I. I drifted away from both of them through the years but I still remember how close all of us were back in our childhood days.

We all watched cartoons at Colton's place almost every day, we played hide and seek outside with the kids from Colton's neighborhood. There were times when Ross and I would both sleepover at Colton's house and the three of us were giggling, up until the morning, trying to hide the fact that we were awake from uncle Chris and aunt Sam.

Colton was Ross and I's connection. We never hung out at any other place but my cousin's. I don't really understand why. Once, when we were really small, I recall, three of us were in my house, Colton's parents taking care of Ross at the time. I don't get it why Diana never came when her own son was at her best friend's place.

Then, there's Ross' place that we never came to. At least I didn't. Colton was there regularly but nobody ever invited me.

"What's wrong, Laura?", Anna questions while heating her freezing hands on the small radiator.

I shake my head. There are some thing's I can't talk about after all.

"Nothing. "

I sent Ross a text message about three and a half hours ago. I'm worried because I haven't got my reply ever since.

"Is it Ross?"

I look at her horrified. "What? That idiot? No way. "

"Liar. "

"Me? "

"You like him. It's all over your face. I thought I was never gonna see this. " she happily says.

I pout. "No, I don't. He is not even at the corner of my mind. "

"Because he's at the center of it. "

"Go bug someone else, please ", I beg her.

She smiles to herself.

I keep quiet as I pull the smoke into my mouth. It swirls around when I let it out and the second time it makes a big perfectly shaped circle. Anna stares at it amazed.

"I didn't know you could make those circles. "

"I can make medusas too. Just make the same circle and blow through it. ", I show her my skills and she gasps.

"That's so pretty!"

"Yeah. "

Someone knocks at the door right after the smoke vanishes into the air. I turn my head towards it maybe too excitedly and jump to my feet to open it. My ass stuck to that floor for two hours anyway.

To my disappointment and surprise, it's not the blonde head that I encounter. I'm met with black silky long hair of Lexi's. Her eyes are swollen and she's heavily breathing.

"Hey guys. "

"What happened?", Anna asks Lexi when she sees her broken face and I just stand there, praying that the ground swallows me up so I don't see her suffering.