that summer

Chapter 8 - Bonding and Scolding

"hey Nick watch this."

The boy skates forward and attempts a 5 - 0 grind but Catherine being the mischief of the skatepark slips a banana peel and the boy slips, only to be saved by Jordan and shooed off as the baby of the group wasn't looking for a partner. The boy sheepishly smiles lovesick and runs off. Catherine's loud laugh stood out in the venue only the distant chattering and smacks of hitting the ground accompanying with it.

Only being afternoon, a crowd of adults pass by across the skatepark, it being a visit to their children's kindergartens and elementary schools. Evelyn and tyesha talk about everyone and everything while both husbands quietly walk by their side. Little Brooklyn just holding her mama's hand and glancing here and there, trying to busy herself. Evelyn then points out the skate park and Brooklyn spotting her sister run over to the crew.

"Zelda!" she screams and running as fast as her chubby legs could take her, she jumps into Zelda's arms.

"I wanna skate too!" the little girl exclaimed. The adults approach, a frown etached on tyshas face. Standing in front of her daughters, she glares daggers into Zelda's eyes. Zelda never averting, just as deadly. While Arienne's parents get familiar with the children.

Understanding her mother's eyes, she lets down Brooklyn and takes her smol hand and picks up her skateboard.

"we'll see you later then guys," gesturing a nod towards Arienne, "shall we then?" Arienne nods and waves away the newly made friends and they all proceed.

The arrival to their house just as silent, solely tysha and Evelyn conversing.

"Honey, help us in the kitchen?" Evelyn asks Arienne and she nods, looking over to Zelda to see her climbing up the steps to her room urgently, that furrows Arienne's eyebrows.

With Arienne and Evelyn busy in the kitchen, tysha slips out of their eyesight to Zelda's room. Entering she crosses her arms with a stern face. "I specifically told you to behave." She asserts.

"I tried okay? She caught me while I was going and she wasn't letting me go."

Her mother glares, unimpressed. "I don't want her anywhere where you go neither do any comments from Evelyn." And with that she shuts the door, moving out. Zelda just sighs defeated.

It was now after lunch and Arienne had just cleared the table. Wiping her hands on the towel, she has a frown etached upon her features as she glances for Zelda around the house. Then she goes upstairs in hopes she'd be there. She holds her breath as her slender fingers wrap around the golden doorknob. Swinging it open, she is disappointed and releases her breath with sad eyes.

The room is abandoned. Empty. The whisk of air flowing through the window makes the room even colder. Both literally and metaphorically. Only the faint mint scent is the indicator of Zelda's quondam presence. Sighing, she goes and sit on the bed. Her gloomy eyes spot the music desk and the minty scent somehow clam her without even her presence. Laying, she traces the pure white ceiling. Mind filling with thousands of places where the other would be, her head aches. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep inhale of the scent to calm herself and exhausted, sleep consumes her plagued mind.

"ah shit." Zelda curses as she stabs her toe. Internally praying the other resting on the bed doesn't wake up. To the contrary and her dismay, Arienne shuffles and furrows her brows in her slumber. Zelda is still as ever. Holding her breath and hunching as if a statue, she stood on one leg while clutching her tortured toe. Arienne forces open her weighing eyes and blinks a few times to get adjusted to the dark lighting. In a second, a bust of energy shot through her and she stood up at the speed of light. Zelda fell over onto the wooden flooring shocked.

Arienne stretched an arm to the shocked girl and pulled her up. "woah" Zelda mutters once she stood up. Arienne fisted the front of her shirt and they stood in silence together. Arienne's eyes were downcasted and blue, Zelda took note of that.

"Hey.. what's wrong?" she asks, placing her fingers on her chin and elated it up. Arienne just shook her head and sat down on the bed, pulling Zelda with her. "Lets cuddle and sleep." She then said and laid down but Zelda resisted. "But your parents—"

"I don't care, c'mere." Arienne made grabby hands. Sighing Zelda lay beside her on the soft mattress. Arienne shifted closer to her and wrapped her arms along with she threw over a leg onto her. Adjusting, Zelda also got comfortable.

"I know it's not my place to ask you where you were, though I was concerned." After a while Arienne says her eyes still closed and buried in the crook of the others neck. Very softly, not loud so as to not disturb the atmosphere.

Zelda lightly furrows her brows but still waiting to listen to the girl in her arms. Exhaling a breath which tickles Zelda, Arienne continues, playing with the black t-shirt, "I was worried."

"you shouldn't be and besides I was just at the library." Zelda says after silence fell after Arienne's words. "you should be away from me...not...like this." Zelda unknowingly tightens her grip on the girl's waist. Arienne chuckles.

"Sometimes things are just complicated." She murmurs, "But you should know the right way...and you should follow it." She looks up at the bigger girls. Zelda hums and Arienne's breaks out a grin. The two of them lay their awaiting for sleep to take over any time now.