Sooo, I made it to New Zealand. My goodness, this place is beautiful! Pictures don't do it justice but I've included some pics below so you guys get an idea of the scenery I get to enjoy for the next 3 months!! I feel like I'm in a movie. :p
Okay, on with the story now. :D
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We take Mike's car—after he lets me know just how lacking he finds me to be behind the wheel. Sure, I space out sometimes and forget to signal or overlook speed limit signs, but I'm not the worst driver in the world.
"You are," Mike counters when I try to defend myself. "As I recall, there was a time you nearly killed an entire group of motorcyclist simply because you didn't signal—or even look—before changing lanes."
"That was one time."
"Yeah, well." Mike shrugs, signaling for the left lane to turn. "All it takes is one time to ruin your life... or someone else's."
Um... this conversation just went downhill, real fast. If I didn't know the real Mike buried beneath the debris, I never would have caught the warning in his words. I wouldn't have realized that he was speaking from true experience. I wouldn't have sensed the excruciating guilt woven deep inside those words.
"Okay," I give in, not wanting to dredge up ugly memories of his past, nor do I want to sink this conversation into a discussion so dreary that we can't get out of it. Tonight needs to be fun and with the way it's headed, that's not gonna happen. "You're right."
"Of course I'm right," he grins, his tone lifting. "I'm always right."
"That ideology alone makes that very statement false."
He sighs as he parks the car and shuts off the engine. "You never could understand my incredible wisdom."
"Is that what you call it?" I tease, pushing open my door and hopping out.
We split up inside the store, Mike going on a search for chocolate and marshmallows while I scope out the Graham Crackers and roasting sticks. We meet back up at the cashiers, pay, and hurry back to my house.
"Who's that?" I ask, noticing an unfamiliar car pulled up outside the house.
"No clue," Mike answers, pulling alongside the curb and grabbing our bag of goodies.
We head inside, wave at my parents where they stand making snacks in the kitchen, and then slip through the door outside. Seems we've got additional company now. Fantastic.
But, actually, when I think about it, I'm not annoyed. I find settings like this to be the easiest to get to know people. When you've got the cover of the night sky it can sometimes feel like a mask. One that allows me to be goofy and outgoing, which is sad because I used to be both of those things back in college and I never thought anything of it. I could spark up a conversation with anybody, and now I hide from everybody.
Pushing through the backyard gate, I find that Silvia has finally joined the party, and is seated on some punk-looking kid's lap. He's got the whole greasy long hair thing going on, at least three lip rings, a set of impressively large gauges, and black everything. Now, if I'm being honest, some guys can pull off the look. They make it seem natural. As if they dress that way because it's all they've ever known and it's actually a part of their upbringing or culture. And then there are guys like this one: the wannabe.
Silvia's boyfriend is slouched sideways in his chair, one arm dangling over the armrest and the other sprawled out along the back of the chair. His eyes are drooped to mimic what I can only describe as a brooding look, as if he finds himself to be the 'whole' package—God's gift to the human race. It's no secret that he thinks highly of himself and that point is only solidified in my mind when I go to great him and he simply nudges his chin at me and mutters a single, "Yo."
I learn that his name is Isaac and that he's a Sophomore in college. That's as deep as the conversation goes with him, so rather than try to pry any more information out of him, Mike and I start digging into the goodies and passing out marshmallows and roasting sticks. We're two short because we hadn't anticipated Silvia joining, or for her to invite her boyfriend, but they don't seem to mind—too absorbed in each other's mouths to bother with interacting with us.
Raising my eyebrows, I shoot Gavin an amused look, to which he holds his hands up in a way that says he had nothing to do with it.
"She didn't ask," he tells me, not bothering to lower his voice. "He just showed up."
I put a finger to my lips to shush him, the hospitable side of me not wanting them to feel excluded. But with a quick glance at the couple, I can't refrain from laughing. They're so wrapped up in each other—quite literally—that a bomb could go off and they probably wouldn't even flinch.
"You two are disgusting!" Gavin hollers, not the least bit concerned about offending them.
Gavin's not known for being rude, but there are certain people in the world who just know how to ignite something vicious in him. Silvia is one of them. Can't say I mind though. Rude Gavin is most certainly intriguing.
"You're just jealous you can't find a girl as fine as mine," Isaac mumbles, wiping the back of his hand across his damp lips.
"That 'fine' girl you're talking about is my sister, you sicko."
Not sure I've ever seen Gavin dislike a person before, but there's no disguising the fact that he has zero respect for the guy mauling his sister with his mouth and greedy hands.
"How 'bout we play a game?" I suggest, eager to do something fun before Isaac and Gavin tear each other's faces off.
"What kind of game?" Mike asks, sliding a marshmallow onto his skewer and dangling it over the fire.
"Uh..." I set the bag of chocolate down beside me and reach for the marshmallows on Mike's lap. "Truth or Dare, Twenty Questions, Would You Rather?..." I trail off, hinting for someone else to start throwing out ideas.
"I know one!" Gavin perks up, yanking his black marshmallow from his poker and shoving it into his mouth where he proceeds to mumble around it. "It's a story game. We each—"
"Dude, swallow first," Isaac mutters in disgust, snarling at the mass in Gavin's mouth.
Gavin obliges but doesn't bother to acknowledge Isaac.
"Anyway," Gavin continues. "I'd start the game by saying 'There once was a skunk...' and I'll fill in the blank with something. Then I'll point to someone else and they have to say, 'Unfortunately, something, something, something.' Then that person will point to someone else and they have to say, 'Fortunately, blah, blah, blah.' Make sense?"
We all nod.
"You two punks have to play too though," he adds, pointing his skewer at them before shoving another marshmallow on it.
They both shrug, attempting to remain disinterested, though it's pretty clear they don't mind joining.
"Alright, I'll start," Gavin says. "There once was a skunk who loved eating tacos."
Then he points at me.
"Um... Unfortunately," I think, tapping my chin, "Taco's made him horrendously gassy."
I point to Silvia.
"Fortunately," she says, "his farts smelled like honeysuckles."
She taps Isaac's thigh, choosing him to go next.
"Unfortunately," he says, his tone bored. "Only Silvia thought so."
Gavin chuckles and waits for Braydon to give out his response when Isaac chooses him next.
"Fortunately..." he drawls out and then slowly shakes his head. "You guys, I got nothing."
"This game's stupid anyway," Silvia grumbles. "I wanna play Truth or Dare."
"I wanna play truth or dare," Gavin mimics, his voice high in an attempt to match the whininess of hers. "What? Are you twelve? No, we're not playing Truth or Dare because I know you, and I know you'd dare me to either kiss Mike," He visibly shudders, "or Lindsey. And no offense Lindsey, the thought of kissing you is as bad as the thought of kissing Silvia." He gags. "You're like a sister—a cool sister," He shoots Silvia a pointed look before finding my gaze again, "and I'm not letting a stupid game ruin that for me."
I laugh, waving off the concern on his face. He's genuinely worried he's hurt my feelings with his admission, but honestly, I feel the same.
"Don't worry," I say. "I wouldn't let you kiss me."
"Good." He nods once.
"Like, I'd run for my life if it came down to it," I add. "Or even burn my lips off in this fire if I had to. Or sow them shut. Or—"
"Jeez," he breathes, eyes wide. "Just tell me how you really feel, why don't ya?"
I laugh, sliding my marshmallow onto a cracker and adding a slice of chocolate.
Alec and Braydon make up an excuse about needing to get home. I don't blame them. This evening has suddenly morphed into a high school slumber party.
"Can I come?" I whisper-yell, faking desperation as the two men stand to leave.
Alec catches my eye, vague surprise in their intuitive depths, but when he realizes I'm joking, his shoulders relax.
With a smile, he shrugs. "Of course. You'll have to ride on the roof of the car though."
"I'm reaching the level of insanity right now where I just might do that," I tell them, completely serious. Their laughter hits my ears and makes me want to beg for them to stay. Instead, I smile and wave them off with a "Glad you guys could make it."
They say their goodbyes, and the moment they disappear we have about five seconds of blessed peace before Silvia's mouth destroys the calm.
"Fine," she huffs, clearly not having let the previous conversation go. "How 'bout just Truth?"
Gavin rolls his eyes, sighing dramatically before conceding to her request. We play until we run out of ideas and everyone's bored, but we allow Silvia to finish off the game with one last question... and it's directed at me.
"Lindsey," she says, smiling mischievously. "Have you ever been intimate with a guy?"
I cough, Pepsi scorching the back of my nose and causing my eyes to water. Why would she ask that? And the way she asked, it made it seem like she knows something that nobody else here does.
"Silvia," Gavin admonishes. "That's a bit personal."
"Oh, come on," she groans. "It's not." She turns her attention toward me. "It's a simple answer: yes or no. Nobody's gonna judge you either way."
For the first time, I find myself actually, genuinely disliking a person other than Jessie. She finds joy in humiliating others. Her life revolves around no one but herself, without a care of how her words or actions might affect others. And right now, it's no secret that she's fishing for something juicy. She wants me to have secrets and she wants me to spill them all over her royal feet.
"Why would you ask that?" I say, taking a bite of my S'More to hide how flustered her question has made me.
"Because," she shrugs. "Your parents either had a kid really late, or the kid I heard crying before I came out here... is yours."
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Ruh Roh! Silvia sure is a piece of work. Are you guys ready for the reactions Lindsey gets in the next chapter?
Who are your favorite characters so far?
Just out of curiosity, does anyone ship Lindsey with someone other than Mike?