6.
"Why the hell are you sandwhiching Clea over there Sammy? Come here and take your seat. That's Clea's." Reeds, her sister demanded.
Even Chase was becoming agitated, he was the first one to protest but I gave him a look and that shut him up. It felt so uneasy feeling Dewn's skin in mine. Our shoulders were bumping together from being too close. I was too anxious to ask her on why she chose to sit here with me. And why the hell was I feeling shy? It made me think how I was never really like this to somebody else, I wasn't normally like this to everyone, just one particular person. Just her.
I fixed my gaze on Chase and he was still clearly pissed at Dewn.
"Summer, you can sit here with me! I don't stink." Etha joked from the back.
Dewn took a deep breath and because we were so close together it felt like my movement had synced with hers.
"I did this on purpose, I'm not stupid." she replied.
Did that mean she wanted to sit with me in the first place?
Chase's face was of a hot flaming tomato. It was a mystery to me as to why Chase had this certain hatred towards the girl. They probably had history together in the past, that I didn't know about.
What happened during Dewn's teenage years? I wondered.
Chase butted in, "I don't know what you're trying to do but Clea looks so uncomfortable. Give her space, goddammit."
"STOP THE CAR!" Dewn screamed.
I jumped in surprise since I was the one who was nearest to her. I felt my ears bleeding. She clearly lost her serenity.
The car screeched to a halt, "Stop your nonsense Dewn!" Chase rasped.
It was the first time I heard someone call her that name.
Dewn bolted out of the car and went straight to Chase's driver seat but since it was locked she couldn't get in. Her fingers drummed on the car window, he rolled it down.
My eyes widened when Dewn slid her hands inside the window and grabbed him by the collar, Chase's startled face was evident. "Look at me in the eyes you head shit!" she dared.
"Guys, we're not here to fight!" Arriane reminded.
"I don't want to hear you addressing me in that name again or I'll fucking rip your head off and I swear to god, you're not gonna see the light again," Chase was silent. "Your Dad works at my brother's company, I can easily bankrupt your parents!" she shoved him back.
Dewn recoiled and went inside the backseat where the girls were. My hands were shaking at the intesifying tension roaming in the air. My eyes remained at the front.
"What in the fuck are you waiting for asshat? Start the car." Dewn complained.
Chase half-heartedly turned on the engine.
Minutes into the drive and everyone was silent. Our trip together was jinxed. I suddenly remembered what Chase had said about Dewn that she was a rebel and thinking about what happend earlier made me conclude that it was somehow true.
Someone cleared their throat at the back, "We actually have a lot of spots to go, there's the Halcyon Sands, the Cambridge bulding and our old elementary school." Arriane's voice boomed.
"Man, I just want to pee." Etha remarked.
"Pee at your pants then," Reeds replied.
"Summer is sleeping again, remind why she even joined us? " Fala noticed.
"Where'd you wanna go?" Chase asked, seemingly in his best demeanor now.
All those places that Arriane had mentioned where a part of our childhood. Halcyon Sands was where the girls first experienced their fist fights when an outsider school girls sabotaged our prank. I remembered Dewn hiding me in the large stone area to keep me away from the fight. I fell asleep on her lap while the fight happened, we were on our own world together.
Cambridge was this huge abandoned building where we first attempted to play Ouija Board. I remembered Dewn splashing holy water onto her coat and then wrapping the coat all around me afterwards. She said that she did it so the spirits would not nag me. Cambridge used to be a children's daycare and it closed in 1947 due to a hazardous pipe that made the whole building erupted into flames. Luckily though, the building and its remanants were still standing after all these years. Although, the rumours of it being haunted had began ever since. We failed to summon a spirit but we did have a ruckus while performing the spirit of glass because of a little titter we heard outside. It earned Etha a big blackeye on her left eye after failing to identify that the wall was actually not magical and you couldn't escape just by passing through it. She always took the easy route.
Our old elementary school was one of the best places in the world, at least it used to be. It was were we had the chance to showcase our mischievous ways. I used to be a bit jealous that the girls were in their fifth and sixth grade and I was at my second.
My out schedule was way earlier and I had to severe the excruciating pain of waiting patiently an hour to meet my bestfriends. One time I couldn't hold my anger after waiting at Dewn for so long that when the bell rang and she ran straight to me smiling, I gave her a roll of eyes instead. She frowned and took me to a candy store so I forgave her after that.
"We should go to Wyatt and the Mouse's ice cream parlor." Arriane boomed, pulling me out of my trance.
"Oh my god! I was just thinking about it during our flight yesterday. We should totally visit the place." Fala added.
"Those strawberry flavored ones with sprinkles on top and oh, their choco fudge cream with a dash of vanilla with chilli. I miss that place!" Etha said with a dreamy tone in her voice.
"No problem, I can take you all there." Chase bragged.
Wyatt and The Mouse were for me and Dewn. We were the first ones to discover the place. It was a child's dream place here in Forest Dream. That's where we both spent our ice cream sessions. Memories of me and Dewn escaping to go to the icecream parlor suddenly flashed my head. What was a Forest Dream child without Wyatt and The Mouse, you weren't really a native without visiting the place. Even now, on school days Izzy and me would always spend our money there and plus Old Barry was almost like a father to us. Oh my god! Old Barry would be happy to see Dewn.
I hoped Dewn still craved to go to that place even though it was nothing like whatever was in New York.
We reached our stop in just a minute and everyone started departing the van. The heat of the sun was starting to soak everyone with sweat today, I even caught Chase wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He grinned woofishly. He was still cute.
Dewn and Etha were the last ones to get out, I was holding my bestfriends' hand because she was nervous. Izzy whispered that she thought these girls were high maintenance, I didn't know if that was the case but she was really not feeling herself today. The girls were trying to talk to Izzy but she seemed a bit awkward to them.
We were marching our way inside the Wyatt and The Mouse, the van was parked inside the place when we heard a loud groan from the back, I turned back to see who it was and Dewn was completely irritated at something based on the grimace etched on her face. She stopped walking and folded her arms.
"Why in the hell are you making me go to this place?" she asked, the glow of the sun on her face highlighted her soft skin, her trimmed brows, the cherry color on her lips and also the way her high cheekbones seemed to compliment all that was her. She was gorgeous, even without her smile. I hadn't seen her smile yet. The years had been so kind to her.
"What?" Fala asked.
"Why are we here?" she repeated the question.
Etha pouted, "Oh come on, I've missed this place for so long and plus, I always wondered what would Barry look like in his sixties."
"I didn't agree to be here, though." Dewn replied firmly.
I gotta admit that I was becoming irritated at how immature she was the whole time. She was clearly being an ass and it was making my insides boil with a rekindling anger.
Izzy leaned into my ear, "I'm sorry Clea but that girl is so annoying. She's been a brat the whole ride and now she's, It's too much." she whispered.
"Can y--" whatever Chase was going to say was cut off after I glared at him. He understood that I didn't want to have any trouble for our bonding.
Izzy saw how I shut Chase up and she immediately thought that there was something going on with us, she elbowed me on the ribs, her lips curving into a smile.
I just rolled my eyes in return.
"You're not gonna come back there inside the van are you?" Reeds asked in her serious tone.
"Whatever, I don't like this place." Dewn uttered.
There was a little pang on my chest at hearing her say those words, It was our space, our breathing sanctuary, the walls inside parted only for us. The food inside was our treasure. It was a paradoxical statement, I couldn't believe she was the Dewn that I used to be with. Who created this monster? Describing her as a monster was probably too much but I was pissed, really pissed.
Dewn was about to turn her back when I shouted, "Don't!" the word just slipped out of my mouth, probably because I was in my head for too long.
She remained and then slowly swiveled to us. Bafflement was written all over her face.
I inhaled deeply, "Please, this group will be incomplete without you and you're only going to stay here for a month or two so better take all the time. After that, you're never gonna see this place or us again!" I pleaded, unabashly.
I could be wrong but the facade that she had been trying to flaunt fled outside of her but it seemed to seeped back into her in a second.