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"I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE COMING OUT HERE, SHE OBVIOUSLY DOESN'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU," Carol stated from the back seat. The car was already cramped, leaving her to sit on her boyfriend's lap - not that they were complaining. Mason, however, had the great misfortune of sitting beside the couple while Audrey sat in the front beside Steve after winning a very competitive game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.
"That's not it." Steve denied, focusing on the road with his jaw clenched tight.
"Oh really? Because no girl would ever blow off King Steve." She mocked, rolling her eyes in the process. Tommy laughed and wrapped his arms tighter around his girl. Audrey's nose turned up at the sight. Most would argue it was jealousy for her lack of a love life but if you asked her, her relationship status was a life choice.
"Lay off him a bit..." Audrey muttered quietly as she turned to face the two. She didn't like the way they always teased him, especially when there was something that was obviously bothering him. Although she wasn't the biggest fan of The Wheeler Girl, she was still going to be loyal to her best friend. Carol sent her a bothered look, immediately making her shut up.
"She was acting weird. I mean, something was wrong." Steve refused to let it go, convinced he had done something to upset his girlfriend earlier in the day. As hard as he tried, he couldn't figure out what he could have possibly done and decided that asking her in person was his best bet. The last time he had seen her, she had blown off their conversation in a hurry. But why?
"So what? Like, you're worried about her?" She scoffed.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous." Mason teased, obviously joking. Carol hadn't gotten the same impression however and her reaction was a sharp slap to the boy's cheek. He seethed and looked back at her, hand hovering above his face, offense written all over his features. "Hey, hey, not the face!"
"Would you two just- stop." Steve groaned, hands turning white on the steering wheel. They acted like children more times than not.
"Mason is being an asshole," Carol whined.
"Only for you baby." Mason winked, adding a small air kiss in her direction.
"I hate you!" She exclaimed frustratingly.
Audrey banged her head on the side of the window several times before stopping.
It was times like this when she questioned her choice in friends and the sight of the Wheeler house made her more excited than she had expected to be. The car slowed to a stop and Steve rushed out of the car, racing to the front lawn.
"This isn't gonna be good," Audrey muttered, having a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Can you turn the radio on Adds?" Mason asked, agitated edge to his tone. Audrey moved to oblige to his request when Carol's voice raised.
"Don't you dare, Valentine." Carol threatened.
"What do you two want from me?!" Audrey asked, her heartbeat racing from the stress. The uneasy feeling inside her multiplied, a weird feeling building in her throat now.
"Absolutely nothing you're doing great, Drey." Assured Mason at the same time as Carol said "Stop being such a drama queen."
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Audrey muttered, pushing open the car door to rush to her feet. Once she had space to breathe, she bent over and threw up on the perfectly mowed lawn. Her cheeks flushed a bright red in embarrassment but she barely had time to dwell when a rough cough tore from her throat.
In no time, someone rushed over and rubbed her back soothingly, trying to calm her down. Audrey composed herself and looked up to see Mason, smiling reassuringly.
"You're okay, I'm here."
Audrey wiped the tears that were streaming down her cheeks from the excessive coughing and nodded.
"What the hell is going on?" Steve's voice boomed from the yard as he approached. His face was twisted in anger, over what he had previously seen in his girlfriend's room. As hard as he tried to focus on anything else, he couldn't unsee it.
"I just got a little car sick," Audrey stated.
"You sure everything's good?" He asked, the anger slowly slipping out of his tone, now being replaced with worry.
"Yep. Promise." She smiled. The expression seemed to calm down everyone's nerves.
Steve nodded skeptically and continued on his way to the car, a purposeful trudge in his step.
"Let's get going then." He prompted.
And if he had been paying enough attention, he would have seen that his best friend wasn't being entirely truthful. Her left arm was hung at her side and on her hand, her middle finger and pointer were curled together in a perfect knot.
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"The taken life is for losers anyway," Mason said, trying to lighten Steve's mood. His best friend had previously witnessed his girlfriend in the same room with his enemy, without the knowledge of him, and he was crushed.
"Carol and Tommy are taken." Audrey challenged him.
"Exactly my point." Mason smiled bitterly, more than relieved that the couple decided to go back to Tommy's to do whatever they do. He would have lost his mind having to see their faces any longer.
"Guys it's really just fine. Can we stop talking about relationships and stupid girls for one night?" Steve pleaded, walking out of the bathroom. He froze in his steps once he remembered Audrey and saw the look on her face.
"Except for you."
She grinned pridefully, swinging her feet back and forth on the bed.
"Fine no girls." Mason clarified. "What about a movie?"
Audrey sat up immediately, completely into the idea.
"I call dibs on picking it!"
"Hell no, we are not watching some stupid romance movie again. And I don't trust your judgment. What sane person would?"
She scowled at her friends threateningly.
"We'll improvise." Steve pitched in a higher voice. "The first one to the living room gets to pick." He rushed out, already speeding out the door.
"I hate you!" Audrey squealed, scrambling to her feet and towards the door, Mason in tow. He walked casually, not in any rush at all to make it downstairs.
"You guys are children."
And for one night, Audrey was able to enjoy time with her two best friends, not in the slightest worried about the children she babysat and the monsters they faced. The calm before the storm.
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i'm so bad at updating on time lmfao. tomorrow i'll try to build up my chapter count ahaha. k i am going to go to sleep now. i love you all and i hope you enjoyed!
gigi <3