A Daring Game of Secrets

Chapter 7

"Me and the guys" His eyes glistened with joyful tears and i was glad he was sharing his stories with me but something bugged me.

"Do all your stories include Ryder and Kevin?" I said what id been thinking. The smile stayed on his face whilst mine had subsided into a mere pleasant look. 

"You're one to talk. All of yours include Aria." He rightly accused. I'm such a hypocrite. At least i can admit it. I told him about when i was 8 and I smashed Arias mothers favourite lamp and we blamed it on Ryder who for some reason took the credit, if i an phrase it in such a way. I even told him about the last time i nearly drowned. In a fountain. To be fair i was like 6 and i freaked out so bad i wouldn't wash my hair for a week because i didn't like water getting too close to any part of me i needed to breathe. Even rain made me flinch for a while. Even reminiscing mentally over what id already told him kept a smile glued to my face as i mutter a quiet "That's true" more to my self than him. 

"We should be getting back."

"Yes," He cleared his throat. "Who knows what they think were doing." When i gave him a funny look he raised his eyebrows which through the possibility of telekinesis told me that it wasn't so PG. I scrunched up my face at the thought. Not to sound childish but that's kind of gross. I mean, on a hill top? Really? What do they take me for? Anyway we both stood and began on out short trek back to the weeks headquarters. We walked closely beside one another so every so often our biceps would rub against each other but we wouldn't mention it; that wouldn't be right. Phoenix just continued to talk.

"I love it out here." He told me. "I think that on the last night, when all this is over I'm going to camp out back there." He smiled thinking about it. How contagious it was spread to me and i joined him in his happy thoughts."You don't get stars in the city like you do out here."

"No, but you get a different kind of beauty from city lights." i added. Of course i was inexperienced when it came to star gazing. Id never really looked at the stars off of my computer screen. I think the last time i saw a constellation was at the end of disneys Hercules when i was 9. 

"True." He acknowledged my input but i expected him to counter it anyway. It wouldn't have been a true love for the stars if he merely accepted what i had to say and look so passionate about his own views. That would have definitely put me off of everything to do with him. "But the stars are a natural beauty. The lights only mimic what the sky had first."

I spent a second thinking. I could see where he was coming from and he made his point well. In fact, i think the only thing he didn't count on was my strong love for the city and above all how stubborn i could be. Nothing he could say would make me budge on my opinion. "So what you're saying is that the city is jealous of the sky?"

"Something like that." Phoenix nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, that was beautiful, but there's nothing behind the stars. They're tiny little things in the sky which provide little to no light where were standing, but in the city every light has a story, you know? Someone turns them on, they could be from anything, for anything, from anyone. There's something about it..."I finished realizing i had little direction with my point. If never really said it out loud. 

Phoenix sniffed and i turned my head to him. He raised his left hand to his face and rubbed his index finger off the side of his cheek. "That was beautiful."He fake sobbed as he wiped away an imaginary tear. I shoulder-shoved him, not appreciating the sarcasm of his actions considering we were now walking in to the eye line of everyone our age that for some reason watched us get closer. I walked was a small angle in my steps which got a bit of distance between Phoenix and I so i didn't get any more attention. Few people seemed to lose interest in us and anyone that looked away realized that no one else did and looked back. They were all so dang impressionable. Jeez, you almost drown and suddenly your the hot new topic. 

I don't know why i did what i did next, the point is that i did it. I took a few larger steps and stopped a few paces ahead of phoenix who gave me a series of questioning looks when  i raised my hand. "Not dead, you know!" i clarified for my audience before adding "or a zombie." I nodded as though it was an excellent point that i just had to make and dropped my hand to wave them away. "Please, return to your hooliganism." 

"Yet" phoenix added in my ear. i gave him a quizzical look before i caught on. Not dead-yet. Over his shoulder i saw little miss stiletto and sunglasses herself on a warpath again. Well, that would be my cue. With a smirk on both of our faces, Phoenix took my hand and we took off running towards the big old building. 

------------------------------------------

Unedited. Hope you enjoyed reading a little more of my story.

I made the picture at the side of Ryder, Terra, Phoenix and Aria and the song is by the talented Shelby Merry.

Thanks for reading