Saturday
"Marisol!" I run from the door of the mall to my best friend when I see her sitting on a bench. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze as hard as I can.
"Cheyenne, you're killing me," she says, out of breath. I let go of her and smile sheepishly as she smooths out her dark red hair.
"Hey! Your hair's red now!"
"Yeah, you know it gets that way in the summer." She rolls her eyes at my excitement.
"I know I just love it so much." I scoot away from her a bit because I'm practically sitting on her lap. "So, is it just you and me or are the other girls coming?" I ask, hoping for the first.
"The rest of the girls should be coming," she replies, leaning forward to look at the door. "They should be here." She glances at her phone as it lights up and vibrates. I sneak a peek at it to see it's a message from Taylor. I roll my eyes. They can't stay away from each other for long periods of time as I've come to realize. While she texts him, I take the time to turn off my phone and stick it in Marisol's small clutch.
"Are you sure you want Azarely to come?" Marisol gives me this look that I've seen too often. It's her 'what the fuck' look, or as I like to call it, her 'are you fucking serious, Cheyenne? You stupid idiot.' look. I was honestly joking with her about Azarely because I know they don't really get along too well. I hear heels clicking against the white polished floors and look up. Krysta and Kiara are giggling while looking at Kiara's phone as they walk towards us. Marisol and I stand up and hug them when they finally stop click-clacking in front of us. "You know we'll be walking around the mall for hours. Why would you wear that?" I laugh a bit as I look over what the two girls are wearing. They look like they're dressed for a party.
"It was Kiara's idea to dress up, not mine," Krysta argues. The twins glare at each other, and Marisol and I both laugh again.
"Let's just go get some food and wait for everyone else."
*
When we finally leave the mall, it's eight o'clock, and I know I need to get home.
"I need a ride home," I say to no one imparticular.
"Who dropped you off?" Elizabeth asks.
"My momma, but she's at work now."
"As always," Chloe says. "Where does she work again?"
"That 24/7 children and elder abuse hotline. So, basically she answers phone calls for a living." I shrug. I see a silver Camry pull up and immediately recognize it as Christina's mom.
"That's my ride. You want me to take you home, babe?" Christina asks me, and I nod. I say goodbye/goodnight to everyone and get in the backseat while Christina gets in the front. I greet her mother, and she drives me home.
"I'll text you in a bit. Bye," I drawl out the goodbye and wave to them as they drive away then make my way inside. I lock the door behind me and go to my bedroom. I strip off my clothes and pile them on the floor. I walk down the hall to the bathroom and turn on the hot and cold water. I plug in my iHome and put my phone on Pandora. I take two towels and a rag from the cabinet and check the water. It's at a good temperature so I put the two towels on the toilet seat and hop in the shower. I shave my legs then wash my hair and body. I stay in until the water turns ice cold. I get out and wrap my body and hair in a towel. I take my phone off the iHome and head to my bedroom. I dry off and put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I brush my hair, tie it into a ponytail, then twist it into a bun. I literally throw myself onto my bed and begin to text Christina. (Christina in bold, Cheyenne in italics.)
ayyyee
She doesn't text back right away, but when she does, she's upset.
Matt won't answer my texts :((
do you know where he is?
he's at his house I guess. He might be at Carter's.
ask Izzy.
I wait a few minutes for her to text Izzy and then to text me back. I get out my laptop and type in my password. My Name Is Earl is paused on Netflix so I play it. When the last 10 minutes of the show are over, I still haven't gotten a text back from Christina, but I have a text from Aaron. (Aaron in bold, Cheyenne in italics.)
did you have a good time? : )
of course I did, babe. what did you do all day?
A text from Christina comes through, and I read it.
Matt's at Carter's. His phone wasn't near him. :)
Good, good. do you wanna come over??
sure... you wanna walk and meet me half way?
course. I'm leaving now.
I grab Aaron's sweatshirt from the foot of my bed and slip it on. I go downstairs and out the door. I text Aaron and Christina while walking down the dimly lit street. It's already kinda dark out and a bit chilly, but not too much. I look up from my phone as I run into someone. I recognize Nash by the obvious blue of his eyes.
"Cheyenne, what are you doing walking around with no shoes on?" I look down then back up at him. I shrug, and he laughs.
"What are you doing over here on this side of town?" I shoot back, and he shrugs with a smirk growing on his face. "Whatever, but seriously, what are you doing? You don't live around here." I question, but he still doesn't answer. "Naaassh." I whine, and he finally answers.
"Chloe and I are fighting. I know she wouldn't come over here unless to come see you or Christina." I cock an eyebrow at him. "And I know she's not coming to visit either of you because she went to Sarah's house." I look behind him and laugh a little bit.
"Are you sure about that? Because Chloe and Christina are right there." I point behind him, and his eyes widen.
"Shit, Cheyenne. I gotta go." He starts to walk away, but I stop him. He quickly turns toward me. "I really have to go."
"Where are you gonna go?" I question worriedly.
"I don't know, but they're coming," he rushes.
"Just go to my house. The door's unlocked. Go sit on the back porch. I don't want you out here alone." He nods and begins to run towards my house, pulling his hood up trying to cover more of his face. I walk the rest of the way to meet the two girls and smile at them. "How about we go to Christina's house instead of mine?" I suggest, trying to give Nash some time.
"Who were you talking to?" Christina asks suspiciously.
"Oh, uh no one. Some stranger." They glance at me weirdly, and I say again, "How about we go to Christina's?"
"Nah, my parents are home. Let's just go to yours." They begin to walk the way of my home, but I jump in front of them.
"Let's go to the gas station up the street," I suggest. "We're gonna need some food for this sleep over."
"The gas station is a mile up the road," Christina reminds me with an eye roll.
"We need the exercise?"
"You don't have on shoes," Chloe points out with a sniffle. I can now see she's crying.
"Fuck, let's go to my place." I sluggishly start towards my house. "You're crying, what happened?"
"Nash," she starts and bursts into sobs. Christina rubs her back and hugs her to her side. She says nothing further so I don't push her.
We arrive at our destination, and I text Nash that we're here. I open the door, and Christina scoffs.
"You leave your door unlocked at night? You know we live on the bad side of town. Someone could be in here." I roll my eyes even though I'm standing with my back to her. I notice the back door is slightly open so I rush them up the stairs to my room. We sit on the bed and talk about the fight until we're all tired. I fake sleep until both girls are asleep and make my way downstairs. I open the door to the back porch and step outside into the cool nighttime. Nash is sitting in one of the wooden rocking chairs, rocking back and forth. He jumps a little when he hears the screen door shut. When he realizes it's me, he calms down. I sit down in the chair beside him, and he stares at me. I stare back, and he finally blinks.
"I win," I whisper, and he laughs.
"Did she tell you about the fight?" He's now staring at the wooden fence surrounding my yard.
"Mhm." I rest my head on my hand and close my eyes. "She doesn't know that's actually your cousin?" I imagine him shaking his head.
"Nope. I tried to explain it to her, but she won't listen to me," he tells me. "I thought she knew about Miah, but I guess not."
"It's just how girls are," I reply. "Guys like to use the cousin excuse all the time. It's just touchy. She'll be okay." My eyelids are so heavy I can't open them back up, and eventually, I fall asleep listening to the chirping crickets in the backyard.