Under The Dark Clouds

6.2

April

No matter how much she increased her pace, the footsteps kept following her. April suppressed another shiver and kept her gaze firmly on the store at the corner of the street.

Nearly there. Almost safe.

"April! Hey, April, wait up!"

April stopped in her tracks and pivoted around at the sound of the familiar voice, her eyes scanning the dark for confirmation. "Josh? Is that you?" A sigh of relief escaped her. She hadn't been followed by a stranger. At the same time, dread set in. Only one year her senior, they'd practically grown up together when him and his dad had joined them on the road to chase. Josh would see right through her. He knew her past, and what she was trying to hide.

April bit her lip and squared her shoulders when his silhouette came into view. A streetlamp outlined his tall figure and the shoulder-length, black hair he always wore in a ponytail. The slight stubble on his brown skin told her he hadn't shaved in a few days.

"I thought it was you." Josh nodded at the store a little further down the street. "Off to get snacks?"

"Yeah." April gave him a small smile. "Gotta make sure I have an emergency kit. You know the drill."

"Nothing like a good snack when chasing," he agreed as they continued their way to the shop. "Complete bust today, huh? I saw your car at a gas station in Wichita Falls when I passed through."

"Yeah, real shame. But it wasn't the best setup and it's still early season. I'm sure we'll get a few good chase days." April shoved her hands into her pockets. Josh held the door open when they reached the shop, and she ducked inside.

Always the gentleman.

As they scoured the shelves for their favorite snacks, Josh gave her a sidelong glance. "When are you going to stop running?"

"I'm not running," she replied, picking up a bag of nuts.

Josh snorted. "Keep telling yourself that, April."

"Hey," April hissed. "That has nothing to do with running, okay?" She glanced at the unhealthy food in her hands, frowned, and stalked over to the cooled section to pick up fruit.

He followed her, his eyebrows raised in a silent question.

Finally, she sighed. "It's not the same, Josh. Look, I know you think I'm running away from the past, but I'm not. I chased in the past. I'm chasing now. Nothing's changed."

"Except that everything has changed," he said, his voice as sharp as a knife. Josh put his hand on her arm, his brown skin a stark contrast with her pale arm, covered in freckles. "Look, I know this is hard. It's hard for me, too. But you can't keep going like this."

April shot him a glare. "I can, and I will. I'm doing just fine, in case you haven't noticed. You didn't catch that tornado in Rush Springs yesterday, did you?" She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. Her eyes narrowed. "Well, I did."

Josh sighed and shook his head, his eyes turning sad. "It's not about chasing, and you know it. It's about—"

"There you are!" Flower's voice reached her at the same time she appeared around the corner. Her hair was still wet from the shower. She waved April's wallet in the air. "You forgot this. Unless you were planning on stealing your food?"

"No," April muttered. She took the wallet and forced out a smile. "Thanks. Anything you want, now that you're here?"

Flower glanced at the snacks in April's hands, a blush creeping over her cheeks. "No, thanks. I'm good."

"Who are you?" Josh asked, his voice sharper than usual.

Flower crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him, taken aback by his tone and clearly not accepting that from a stranger. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

Just like when we met. April suppressed a smile.

Josh opened his mouth to reply. Knowing him, it wouldn't be something overly nice.

April quickly stepped in between them, holding out one hand to both of them. "Whoa, calm down, you two. Josh, this is Flower. She's a friend of mine and along for the ride. Flower, this is Josh. He's a fellow chaser."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither of them willing to give in first. In the end, Josh held up his hands and sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry. It's nice to meet you."

Flower stared at him for another second, then uncrossed her arms. "Liar," she said, but her tone was airy. "You don't even know if I'm nice."

For a moment, silence hung between them, and April held her breath. Then Josh threw his head back and laughed. "You're feisty. I like it."

Flower grinned back and shook his hand when he held it out. "So, you're a chaser, huh?"

The three of them paid, left the store, and headed back in the direction of their hotels, chatting about today's chase—or rather, the lack thereof.

Josh's hotel was located a little before theirs, and they waved goodbye. As soon as he was out of earshot, Flower turned to her and asked, "Who's that guy?"

"Josh."

"Yeah," Flower replied dryly. "I got that part when you introduced him."

"He's a family friend." The word family hurt, but she pushed it away. "My dad trained him, years ago. He often joined us to chase when he was just starting out." She felt Flower's gaze on her, burning on her skin. Pressing for answers.

April kept her mouth shut. It wasn't Flower's business to know.

And she sure as hell wouldn't share.

Flower studied her for a few seconds, and April realized that despite her attempts to push her away, Flower knew Josh was aware of her secret—what she was refusing to tell Flower.

Please don't push. I'm not ready.

But Flower did. "Why are you out chasing instead of going to school? Do your parents agree with this?"

April clenched her jaw as images flashed in her head.

No. She would not let it take over.

"Too many questions, seriously," April said. "But yeah, I dropped out of high school."

It had been only a few weeks ago, just before chasing season had started. But dropped out wasn't exactly the right word.

TO BE CONTINUED

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Note: This is an older story that I wrote five years ago, which I have decided to dust off and share. If you've enjoyed it, please vote and leave a comment. Tell your friends! :-)