Meet Me Halfway (EDITING)

Chapter 18: Growing Tension

The temperature next morning was awfully humid and dry. Dark grey clouds hovered over land, leaving nothing but a few drops of rain during the first hours of the morning. The trees’ branches broke in halves, swaying symmetrically against each other against the light breeze, hitting against their cheeks and pale, cold faces.

Jay rummaged through his blankets, trying to separate his body from the tangled blanket beneath, twisted from his legs. He sat up with a slightly sore back, running his fingers through his hair. He scrubbed his eyes, scrunching up his face to adjust himself from the morning light.

He grinded his teeth, stretching his arms out vigorously, yawning in front of their circle. The others were all still asleep, surprisingly sleeping through Vince’s rough, loud snores. Jay’s stomach grumbled, ached and starved for food. He hadn’t had the best of an appetite after Chuck had died, and he hadn’t felt the need to eat properly after seeing the dead body of his friend. He would never have imagined that being in his sights.

He rummaged through his bag to find only little food left in his bag. Lucky for them they had brought little extra food, although he never would’ve known he would get himself into this much trouble -more trouble than last time. Jack came into the campsite alive and happy. Now they don’t even know where he is or what state he is in. He could still be alive. Somewhere in or out of the campsite for all they knew. But, this time...Chuck came in happy and excited, but is still there, lifeless and lost and dead and lonely.

Jay started to eat silently, a bit scarcely to be the only one awake in the middle of the woods, even though it was daylight. He rubbed his hands together as he threw his scraps in the bark that was centred in front of him. He then positioned himself on a rock, leaning against a tree. For a couple of moments, he just needed the time to himself to think.

He felt nauseous, a tad dizzy and little sick. He had been in the woods for a few days now. With one friend lost and one friend dead...not to mention meeting Sarah. He didn’t know what to do with himself anymore. One friend he had envied right before he knew he could never see that friend again, and one that had vanished for who knows what reason. Just out of thin air, like that.

Then there was the girl. The girl who he had liked even though he knew she didn’t like him back - or at least that’s what he thought. But nothing was going right anymore. No more fun camping every summer on the school breaks, no more of ‘the five best friends’, - no more nothing. Excluding Sarah, there were only three of them now. And three of them wasn’t the way it was meant to be. It wasn’t right. He didn’t feel right.  Jay wasn’t Jay anymore especially without Chuck and Jack. Nate and Vince weren’t themselves anymore without Chuck and Jack too.

He felt broken, like a part of him had been ripped out and taken, leaving him feeling missing in the world and heartbroken. Useless and disappointing. The thoughts sunk inside of him for the minutes that passed, for the minutes that played with his mind. Almost making him forget where he was.

“Oh my God, would you answer me?” Sarah giggled, waving her hand in Jay’s face suddenly, momentarily.

“W-whu?” Jay shook his head, looking deeper in the face that laughed in front of him. A wide grin had been plastered, staring like she was staring straight into space.

“I had been trying to get your attention, what were daydreaming about?” Sarah chuckled again, her hand covering her mouth as she did so. As if Jay was going to say, ‘you.’ He looked back stupidly and awkwardly, no words escaping his mouth. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it again when he realised the moment had already past.

She threw some bangs behind her face, running her hands through her long, beautiful waves. Yeah, what was he daydreaming about? Pfft, there was no point in answering that. Jay was way out of her league.