𝐏𝐀𝐕𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄.

ii. what a catch.

  sour memories sweetened at the thought of her friend, there never really was a moment where they were apart. hell, she had moved in with alex at just seventeen. it was then that the park was no longer a hide away. bliss was embedded in their expressions even now as they crowded the place. nature was healing, as the romantics could simplify. at least it was before the top of the chains yanked her backwards and into place, her head whipping back and forth to fall.
   "ow!" she yelped, her grip training to the back of her neck instead, to which gabriel mumbled soft apologies as he checked it over. it was odd how the pain sharped to her temper, causing her to dig her fingers into the bridge of her nose. alex had been on standby , only glancing up after the little holler. a scowl spread across their face as they stood up from their own swing.

  "i have some ibuprofen in the car, gabriel come with me." the hints of venom spewed across their tone as they shoved their hands into their pockets. as they stalked off, a little sigh of relief was given. it was best not overcrowd the 'injured' , easily overwhelmed by too many sensations was a liability. if she was hurting and people were fretting, then she would never know who to focus on; to help or to heal. she keeled over her knees, the headache split her thoughts in two. it felt as though it had lasted forever, til the crunching of grass wilted it's way into her ears. she sat up, hopeful of the medicine, yet she was met with only gabriel.
   "where's alex?" she spoke, barely above a whisper. he only shrugged his gaze turned towards the parking lot, which their car placed at the far end — barely in sight,
   "they were lookin' around the car and stuff, i told them i had to use the bathroom and that i'd be back, i thought they came back here since i didn't see 'em at the car."

  it was worrying enough to cause her to stand from the swing, her hands grasping against the chains again to stabilize herself. gabriel turned towards her and waved his hands out to try and calm her,
  "but , they probably decided to just make a restroom stop too — they'll be back." his tone wasn't so convincing, but the thumping of her heartbeat pulsing in her skull kept her grounded. so they waited, one in agony and the other in a shifty stance. both assumingely antsy for the third of the group. they stood like that for the next half hour, being respectful of one's bathroom time didn't keep dottie from searching.

sneakers creased as she just barely missed a hole, gabriel was hot on her heels as she neared the car. the toyota in cold and unbothered condition, the doors weren't even unlocked. her eyebrows furrowed and she turned to observe the blonde, his eyes wide and a little sliver of his mouth passed huffs of air, almost panicked. dot took it as a sign to swivet, her own breaths falling in sync with the thumping between her eyes. her eyes ravaged their surroundings, looking for any hint of the buff. nothing but  the eerie whispers of tree branches, bare and vulnerable. rushing towards the little bathroom building she slammed the door open, banging on each stall vigorously.
  "alex?!" she for sure hollered, no more little yelps. the rasp in her tone was desperate, each door opened with ease. they shouldn't of wandered, even before they never went off into the woods, the trails were too — bizarre for them to get through. still, that didn't stop her from dragging gabriel towards the edge of the closest one.

copper overwhelmed her nose as they stepped forward, gabriel using the flashlight of his phone. whatever critters that stalked the grounds had to of been scared off, her yelling and ruckus in the bathrooms were too loud to ignore. nothing but deer, raccoons, squirrels and such; she'd remind herself, if anything beyond that were out, it had to be coyotes. they could easily get out if need be, but they'd leave with the three of them, not just in the hands of the blonde cowering behind her. the bend of the trail continued, even with the light casted over her, she was squinting. she had no trouble seeing, she yearned for a sign — a simple revelation! alex jumping from behind a tree, howling with laughter at their stupid prank rather than the howling of the aforementioned coyotes. the further the went, the more she hoped. it was pure craving of the imaginary, no signs of their tall figure peeking out with a chuckle.

gabriel stopped behind her, she couldn't help but come to a halt as well. the end of the trail, had they of noticed the dragging of mud before them, they would've spared the trip. her headache spread throughout, slashing her heels to fall over. her hands coated the muck, copper suffocated her as she fumbled with the fabrics. disturbed mumblings did nothing to coax her as she stared at the rips. the glint of steel blinded her from afar, the car keys. red gathered beneath her finger tips as she snatched them. torn apart was their jacket, new stains splattered across the tears. it was barbaric, the way she held it all close to her chest and rocked forward. there was no digesting the scene, nature mocked her with the wind — coyotes in the far howled in misery, an owl shuttered within the tree hole in the tree before her. it was less than sympathetic, a cold undertone 'tsked ' her with little 'hoots'.

blood running hands clasped to her face now, begging her to pick herself up, to compose. she couldn't wallow forever, with a freakish choke over her words she glared towards gabriel.
  "call the cops!" for once she raised her voice, ignoring the ache in her cold bones. alex must've been frost bitten. she ignored the thought, she could place herself in the missing shoes of her friend.

  "i think we should leave first — it's not safe!" gabriel whispered back, his hands shaking as he gripped the screen.
  "and alex is?" she spat back, no longer mumbling in hopelessness. she knew alex was a lot stronger than both of them, they had to of been around somewhere , they would've fought. still, she wouldn't relent to the idea of leaving. gabriel only complied, putting the call of the operator to his ear, stammering over his explanation. red and blue were the last lights seen for the night, disappointment reflected from them, just as cold as the owl hiding away now.