Expired With Me

Chapter Forty-Eight

Iris

"Hey," Anna says, pulling me into a hug after she and Thea sit down next to me on the bench.

"Hey," I say back, staring at the boys, who stand across the park playing frisbee and gushing over sports cars. How did members of the Order and teenagers from an alternative universe get a frisbee? At the beach yesterday, Bently stole it from a group of college students. And their whiskey.

"What's wrong?" Thea asks. I shake my head.

"Nothing. Everything. Is that what being normal is like?" I tilt my head toward the boys.

"Finding time when everything is falling apart to hang with your friends? Yes," Anna answers.

"And if you have to leave them behind?"

"Then at least you still have us." Thea grabs my hand. "You are stuck with us now, you know that, right?" I rest my head on her shoulder, nodding.

"I couldn't think of anyone better to be stuck with." Except for Jonas. Possibly Colton. I smile at her.

"Hey!" Bently yells as the boys walk over to us. I roll my eyes.

"Would you like to go back to the catacombs?" His eyes grow wide, and he shakes his head. "You can take her."

"I'll do it," Noah says. He smacks Bently upside the head. Bently glares at him, then at Jonas. Jonas shrugs.

"Where to?" He asks me.

"Besides home?"

"Maybe one day." I sigh. "I don't know."

"I do," Colton says.

"What?"

"Get in the car. You'll see."

***

Aiden pulls into the parking lot of the address Colton gave him. I smile. "A movie theater?" I ask. Colton smirks.

"Last time my brother took my position and threatened the girl I loved, a certain someone suggested a nice movie as punishment. It was a chick flick if I remember correctly."

"Colton," Jonas warns.

"Just recalling how history repeats itself, Preemiencne." I turn to Jonas.

"When was the last time we watched a movie?" I ask him.

"That was the last time." Jonas sighs. "Fine. But I'm choosing the movie."

"We're watching whatever I want, right?" I whisper to Jonas as we walk in.

"Yes," He kisses my hand, winks. "Obviously." We walk to a board with all of the showings. The options include a few horrors, two chick flicks, and three or four cartoons. Of the chick flicks, one looks historical, the other fantasy.

"Which one?" I ask.

"We could put it for a vote." I nod, and we join the circle. "Two choices. A Moon's Soul, or Love's Bounty. All for werewolves, say I." Colton, Anna, and Thea raise their hands. "And for pirates?" I, Jonas, Bently, Noah, and Aiden win. Thea glares at her boyfriend.

"What?" He asks.

"Werewolves can be scary..." Aiden turns to Jonas.

"I'm changing my vote, sir."

"Which makes it a tie. Love's Bounty it is. Colton, Digamma, go get tickets and popcorn."

"Yes, Preeminence," they say. I watch as the cashier's face turns pale.

"I'm afraid we don't have a showing for that until tonight," he says, shaking. Colton raises an eyebrow. The cashier's eyes go wide. "My apologies. It's showing in a reserved theater in about ten minutes. Number eleven. Everything is on the house, sirs. Would you like to watch the trailers?" Bently looks at Colton, who shrugs.

"We would," Bently answers.

"Yes, Digamma." He prints the tickets, then hands them to Colton, turning to make the bags of popcorn. Jonas leads me to the eleventh theater, and we walk to the top of the steps, choosing the middle seats in the highest aisle. Colton enters next, holding bags of popcorn, taking the empty seat to my left, Aiden, Thea, and Anna after him. Noah and Bently sit on Jonas' right with the rest of the popcorn, which they begin to pass out. When the trailers end, Jonas pretends to yawn, wrapping an arm over my shoulder. I smile at the cheesiness and lean into him. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aiden and Thea doing the same. Colton rolls his eyes.

The movie ends up being a love story between two pirates: the female hero with the streak of not dying, and the drunk, who also happened to be the first mate. I don't know if I should be surprised at how much Bently seemed to enjoy it. But then again, maybe he just really loves pirates.