This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die.~Will Rogers
Dedicated to the always spectacular GlitterArmour, for the constant commenting and the amazing votes. Thank you! <3
Dylan
Unlike Siena, I always enjoyed coming back home. Maybe it was a sign of how different we were, but I never understood why she hated the town so much. Yes, I mean, it was a little stifling for mt, but it was nothing compared to how she felt about it. Although, she was right. I did love the city.
Since the park was only a few blocks away from our house, and here everyone walked everywhere, Siena and decided to walk there due to her claustrophobia, even though it had improved greatly since the dog. Then, everyone wanted to tag along, so it ended up being a crowd of about nine people walking down the sidewalk, trying not to crash into each other.
Siena and I lagged behind, for we didn't want Charlotte to get trampled, and she didn't want to be picked up. The dog walked quietly ahead of us at the same speed, so I didn't have to pull or hold back on the leash.
"Have you had a few minutes to talk to Michael?" Siena murmured, stepping over a puddle of ice on the sidewalk.
I gave her a confused look. "Why?"
"I don't know. He mentioned that he had something to tell you, but he wouldn't tell me."
I raised my eyebrows. "He wants to talk to me instead of you? Surprising."
She smirked. "He just likes me better, for obvious reasons."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I insisted.
"Nothing." She said innocently, speeding ahead and walking in front of me. Immediately Charlotte sped up, running ahead to keep up with her owner. I jogged to catch up with both of them.
"When are we going to reach?" She sighed, putting her face in her hands and rubbing her eyes.
"Do you really hate this place that much?" I asked her.
"I have things I want to do, places I want to see, and frankly, I'm a bit tired of Myers Park." She replied, stuffing her hands inside her coat pockets.
We finally reached the park, which was pretty crowded, since all the kids were off from school and everyone had the same idea. Siena groaned and placed her head in her hands.
"I don't like people, and the only reason I came here was so that we could walk Charlotte."
"OK." I said. Siena had never liked people, and the claustrophobia seemed to increase that annoyance for her. Looking at the park, I saw that it was packed, and wouldn't be the best place for her to be in.
"All right. Why don't we go on the dog-walking trails to walk Charlotte. It'll probably be less crowded there."
"Yeah. Sure." She breathed, tightening her grip on the leash.
"We're going to walk the dog." I called over to my mom.
"Just be back before 7. We'll meet at the fountain." She yelled.
We set off on the path, and let me tell you, winter in a small town is beautiful. The icicles were hanging from the trees, and the sun was shining, so the snow was glinting on the ground like diamonds.
"The snow is too shiny." She complained, raising a hand over her eyes to cover them.
"Ok. Someone's feeling extra bitchy today."
"I'm always a bitch. It's just not very enjoyable being back home." She explained, tugging back gently to prevent Charlotte from getting too close to some thorns.
"I know, I know. But it's the holidays, and we're leaving tonight, ok? Why don't you just think about the fact that you'll be home soon, and you can sleep from as long as you'd like tomorrow, and there's no need to worry."
"We don't have any New Year's parties to go to , right, because if I have to interact with another human being again, I'm going to lock myself in my room and start sharpening my knives." She muttered.
"Ok." I said, freaked out, but I was pretty used to this kinda behavior. "Come on. You know what they say. Seize the day."
"Yeah." She laughed. "Seize the day, because tomorrow you might be dead."
"You got that off of Buffy."
"Not denying it."
We walked in silence for a few minutes before I broke it. "So what was the deal with Nick yesterday?"
She shot me a cold glare, and her tone matched the look on her face. "Nothing to do with you. Leave it alone."
I raised my hands in surrender. "Sorry. You know, I'm 97% sure the guy doesn't like me."
"And I'm a 100% sure I don't fucking care." She answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I really don't. He can be a good guy, kinda had anger management problems."
"Really? Like you?"
"Shut up." She shoved me.
I stumbled to the side, laughing, and landed face first in a pile of snow.
Behind me, I could hear Siena struggling not to burst out laughing, even though she wasn't doing a very good job of that. I got up, my face covered in snow, and wiped it off, the cold stinging my skin like tiny little knives.
"Thanks for that." I said, my voice muffled by the snow on my lips.
"My pleasure." She smirked.
I wiped all the snow off my face and flicked it onto her face, causing a surprised look from her. Then, her eyes hardened, and I knew I had made a mistake.
"Oh, it's on." She promised, bend down and throwing a handful of snow at me. Since she didn't actually bother clumping it into a snowball, flecks and pieces of snow were just tossed at my face and torso, scattering all over my jacket. I ran behind a bush and scooped up some snow, hitting her straight in the chest with it.
"Ow! She said, but more out of indignation that pain. She retaliated by sending one to my face, and I caught it, full head on.
After exhausting ourselves for a solid thirty minutes, I came out from behind the bush and called a truce.
"OK." She breathed. We both looked like too much blush had gotten on our faces, noses and cheeks stained pink and breathing heavily.
"Just then, she shoved me into a pile of snow that was behind me and took off, Charlotte running next to her. I got up and shook the snow off my body, looking like a dog. The lady walking on the path gave me a strange look, but carried on.
I ran after her, but she was too far ahead. We came to a stop near the fountain, which had no water running through it and was bone dry. I sat down on the fountain, next to her, and caught my breath, lifting Charlotte up into my lap and petting her.
"Do we need to take her to the vet?" I asked.
"Yeah, she should get a microchip incase she gets lost and her collar falls off. That reminds me, we need to go and her collar fitted when we get back home."
"Ok." I gasped, still catching my breath.
We sat there in silence listening to the silence of the park, which had emptied in the few hours we had been there. For good reason. It was pitch black and pretty cold outside.
The park was some place I hadn't been in a while, so I looked around to see what they had changed. Ok, maybe that was a total lie. I was more fixated on Siena. Ever since the Christmas party, something had changed. She seemed more relaxed, especially around me, but there were time when I felt like she wasn't telling me everything.
It really didn't hurt that she looked especially nice today, with her hair down her back instead of in it's usual ponytail, and a longer coat rather than just a simple jacket.
"You're still taking your meds, right?" I said absentmindedly.
She jerked her head up in surprise. "Sorry, you startled me. What?"
"You're still taking your meds, right?"
"Oh, yeah." She answered confidently, but an uncomfortable feeling made its way into my stomach.
I knew she was hiding something, but lately, that seemed to be happening more and more often. I ean, could you blame her? I was doing the same thing.
"Hey guys." Alessia came up to us and gave us a hug. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah." Siena answered. "But where's the rest of the family?"
"Coming up behind us. You two look nearly frozen, so I thought we'd go on ahead so you don't freeze to death." She answered, unraveling her scarf and wrapping it around Siena's neck.
"Why do you never bring sufficient clothes for winter?" Alessia reprimanded her sister.
Siena shivered, drawing her coat tighter around herself. "I just like the cold."
"Also, you're an idiot." I stood up, still holding the puppy in one arm, and gave Siena a hand.
She grabbed and pulled herself up, but also while glaring at me the entire time. "Way to sugarcoat it."
I smiled cheekily. "My pleasure."
She started walking, following her sister, and hurried ahead, almost to the point where I couldn't see her. I set Charlotte down on the ground and gripped her leash, jogging slightly so that the dog would follow. "Wait up!" I called.
She slowed down, but only by a tad, and she was still walking briskly when I caught up to her. "You're really fucking cold." I said, feeling one of her hands. They felt like ice. "Come on, let's get you into the house."
"Wow, really? I didn't know I was cold." She said sarcastically, rubbing her arms up and down her shoulder.
"Hey, she ok?" Alessia called.
"Yeah, she's fine. I'm just going to take her home to warm up." I called back. She nodded and unlocked the door to her own house, stepping inside.
I unlocked the door and rushed her into my house.
"Wow. Haven't been here in awhile." She breathed, looking up and down the foyer.
"It's only been like 6 months." I said, taking off my jacket and dropping my keys onto the kitchen table.
"Yeah, but I used to come over here everyday. It's just kinda weird not being here. I always liked your house."
"You remember when we broke that vase and your mom was so angry at us?" I laughed, pointing to the scratch on the wood floor where the incident had occurred.
"Uh, no. Your mom was mad at you. She loved me."
"That's true." I muttered. I placed her hand under the warm water to warm them up, and she shivered.
"Thanks."
Just then, the rest of my family walked in, all looking like they had gone a few rounds with a blush machine and lost.
"Hey Siena. Your mom is looking for you." My mom gave me a pointed look, and I realized my hands were still clasping Siena's under the kitchen faucet. I hastily pulled them away.
Siena nodded and picked up her stuff. "Ok. I'll see you at dinner tonight." She added, going out the back and shutting the door.
"Dylan, did you bring a change of clothes?" My mother asked, looking at me up and down.
I looked down at myself. I was in a t-shirt and jeans. I winced. "No, sorry."
"It's fine. I'm sure your father can lend you some." She said. Just then, I noticed my dad.
"Hey Dad!" I said, shaking his hand, which led to him giving me one of those hugs that ivolve backslapping.
"Good to see you Dylan. How's school?"
"Good enough." I answered.
"Hey, you two, we need to go. We're supposed to be at their house soon."
I ran up the steps, taking them two at a time, and barged into my parents room. My mom was there, holding out a dress shirt and a pair of jeans.
"At least wear the nice ones." She said.
I rolled my eyes and took the clothes into my room, where I quickly changed. I went into the bathroom and washed my face, then ran my fingers through my hair in a vain effort to make it look ok. I sighed, dropping my hand to my side and staring at myself.
"Hey." My mom said, startling me. She was leaning against the doorframe.
I pressed a hand to my racing heart. "You scared the crap out of me!"
"Dylan, when are you gonna tell Siena you love her?" She inquired bluntly.
Right to the point. "What?" I said instead.
"I don't really see how that could be interpreted any other way." She pointed out. "You've had feelings for the girl ever since you were little. I have watched you be in love with her since before you were old enough to know what love was." (A/N: Flash Reference!)
"Mom, I don't-"
"Cut the crap son." She held up her hand. "Let me speak. You're a complete and utter idiot. This girl is your best friend. One of them in the entire world. You would die for her, so why is it so hard for you to tell her you love her?"
"Mom,-" I interrupted her.
She butt in again. "Dylan, have you ever thought about the fact that if you weren't so worried about losing the friendship, you wouldn't have so many secrets to keep?"
"What secrets?" I asked.
"Hmm, I don't know, the fact that you're Warrior." My mother rolled her eyes and stood up straight. "Honestly, I feel like I raised an idiot."
"Ok, you got me." I confessed. It was way too hard to keep secrets from my mother. She already knew all of mine.
"Dylan, secrets are good. Sometimes you need private details. But if those secrets are hurting other people, then you shouldn't tell them. You being Warrior isn't something you shout from the rooftops. Hell, you really shouldn't tell anyone outside your family. But it's hurting your friendship with the girl you love. And that is a bad secret."
I sat down on the bathroom counter and dangled my legs in the air. "Mom, I don't know what to do. I feel like my friendship is crumbling in my hands. We've both got so many secrets and I don't want this anymore."
She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Tough luck buddy. You got yourself into this mess."
I stared at her. "Isn't this the part where you tell me I need to follow my heart, tell her, do what's best for me?"
She shrugged. "You never listen to me, so what's the point. I'm just going to give you a warning. Hiding secrets from your friends never works. Because they should be in on them." She slapped me on my back once again then left, leaving me alone to my thoughts.
■ □ ■ □ ■ □
So, what did you guys think of that chapter? I know it was shorter than what you're used to, but it felt right to end the chapter there. I didn't want it to drag too much. I felt good ending it there, even though I know most of you are used to longer ones. Please bear with me, I'm sorry. Next chapter up tomorrow, have a nice day!
*Connor Franta and Lilly Singh are my baes*
Don't forget to vote, comment, and hit that recommend button! Please tell me about the spelling and grammar mistakes!
Love from a member of the Jeffersonian!
~Vi