Frogs

THIRTY-FOUR

Without hesitation, Shana digs her hands into the bag. Chris laughs at her, offering me some.

"You're the marshmallow captain," I laugh as I take one and let it melt on my tongue.

"Nah, I'm just greedy." With a brow raised, Chris smirks at me as I laugh way too hard at his joke. "I was hoping you would be here," he says.

"You were?" I giggle, feeling tiny hugs forming around my body. Mmmh, so warm!

"Yeah," he nods. "I saw a frog earlier; it kinda looked like you, too," he laughs.

"You're lying!"

"Nope," Chris laughs, shaking his head. "It had braids, brown eyes, and everything. Can you believe it?"

Giggling, I squint my eyes at him, imagining.

The next hour or two went by like a blur as Shana, and I laughed and danced away. After many pee trips, I lay on the cold grass, far from the crowd. I feel lost as, for the first time, the stillness in the air doesn't scare me. This is nice.

My eyes follow a single star I'd picked out among the rest of the countless stars twinkling like tiny diamonds. A shooting star streaks through the sky, leaving a trail of red sparks behind it.

I smile happily, closing my eyes...wishing Layne was with me, right here with me....

"Andrea?" I hear a familiar voice say. Opening my eyes, they follow the voice til I see Chris smirking down at me.

I stare at his blue flame for a moment before replying, "yes?"

Chris smirks, tilting his head as he asks me, "What did you take?"

"...Shrooms...and I see everything now."

"First time, huh?" he laughs.

I nod, smiling. "I want to change my name to Frogrella," I randomly say. Chris laughs as the wind blows his hair in his face. "How tall are you?"

Chris smiles at me as he says, "6'2...I think."

"That's why you can hit all those high notes."

"I thought I had talent, but okay," he laughs. "Can't impress everybody, I guess," he sighs, joking. And I realize this is my first time seeing him goofy. Hmmm, he must be drunk.

"Are you vibrating?" I ask him, sitting up.

"Am I what?"

I reach an arm up, asking Chris to pull me up. Once on my feet, I spread my arms apart and began to jiggle them, mimicking the sound and movement of the Energizer Bunny. Laughing, I remember doing this in front of Layne for the first time.

"Damn, I want to now," he laughs before copying my movements. Chris's eyes then follow mine as I go back to staring at the sky, still giggling. "Looking for your wish?"

"I wanna fly to that star," I tell him, pointing a finger high up. "You wanna go with me?"

"Only if you're flying first class. I'm pretty boujee since making the big bucks," he jokes. I like goofy Chris; I think to myself as I grab his hand.

"On three," I tell him.

"Wait, what?"

"Three!" I shout, letting go of his hand as I jump into the air...only to land flat on my face. I muffle a laugh through the grass as I hear Chris curse. "Why didn't you jump?" I ask him, feeling nothing but warmth drip from my nose.

"Shit, are you okay?" he asks, squatting in front of me. "Shit, you're bleeding," he says after examining my face, his eyes now sober. Chris turns his head, scanning the crowd from afar. "Shana!" he calls out, waving his arms, motioning her to come over.