Evergreen Mountain

One | Mountain Adventure

I took a deep breath of the cool morning air as I stepped out of the car, careful not to close the door on my little brother as he darted out of the car.

"Careful, Finn." I laughed, shaking my head and closing the car door.

"Andy! Come get your bag!" my dad called from the back of the car. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and grabbed my duffle from the trunk.

"Oh my sweet boy." my mom cooed, wrapping her arms around me.

"It's only two weeks, mom." I chuckled, hugging her back.

"I know. But you know I worry." she said, stepping back and smiling at me. I nodded.

"Yeah, I know."

"How long will you be gone, Andy?" my little brother Finn asked, wrapping his arms around my legs. I ruffled his hair and bent down to talk to him.

"Not too long, just two weeks. And guess what? When I get home we all get to go visit Oma and Opa together. Sound good?" I said. He smiled widely and nodded his head enthusiastically.

I stood up, my twin sister Amelia finally tumbling out of the car with her things. She stood next to me, throwing an arm over my shoulders.

"Ready to go to the mountains?" she asked, smirking. I just shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"Have a good time. And be safe." my dad said, quickly hugging me before moving on to Amelia.

"We will, dad." she answered, grabbing her backpack and putting it on.

"Meels!" one of Amelia's friends, Clara, called. She looked over in their direction and waved, smiling.

"I've gotta go. I'll see you guys in two weeks." she said hurriedly, quickly hugging my mom and Finn before jogging over to her friends.

"I'm gonna go too. I'll see you all in a few weeks." I said. I waved at them and headed towards a group of my friends, mostly other soccer players. I threw my duffel bag into the bus, turning to join the group.

"Brought the whole family for your send off, huh?" Leo asked, smirking as I joined the circle.

"You know how my mom is." I sighed, looking back at my family to see my mom trying to hold back tears while my dad and little brother attempted to comfort her.

The attention shifted from me to the roaring sound coming from the entrance of the parking lot. It was the unmistakable roar that belonged to a sleek, matte black motorcycle, belonging to none other than Harrison Haley. He maneuvered into a parking spot, clad in all black, a green backpack tightly secured to his back and a black duffle bag strapped to the back of his bike. The engine silenced as he turned it off, the sudden quiet immediately filled with whispers and giggles. I rolled my eyes as he took his helmet off, setting it on the seat as he grabbed his duffle.

"That's one way to make an entrance." Leo mumbled, earning a scoff from me as I folded my arms. I heard his heavy biker boots on the pavement, the sound getting closer and closer to me. I ignored him as I watched him throw his bag on top of mine in the bus from the corner of my eye. As if sensing me, he swiveled and started towards me.

"Andy." he smirked, bumping my shoulder with his as he continued walking towards his friend standing near the curb, Eli.

"He's such an ass." Leo said, shaking his head as he turned to look over at me.

"Yeah, you don't need to convince me of that." I mumbled, my jaw clenched at the sight of my longtime enemy.

"Alright everyone! Make your way to your assigned bus. We'll be leaving shortly!" the trip coordinator, Mrs. Clem called from the steps of one of the buses.

"Alright, boys. We ready for a mountain adventure?" Leo smirked, unzipping his backpack just enough to show us the top of a full vodka bottle.

"That's the shit man! This trip is gonna rock." Liam said, clapping Leo on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay, let's get on the bus." I said, gesturing towards the steps as Liam and Leo laughed among each other.

"They're going to be a handful." Will sighed.

"You can say that again." I chuckled. I made my way up the stairs and towards the back of the bus, sliding into a window seat. Leo slumped down next to me, still grinning.

"Nothing better than getting drunk in the mountains, huh?" Leo smirked.

"Speaking from experience?" I teased. Leo scoffed before shaking his head, nodding his head at Will and Liam as they sat in front of us. I looked up as the bus got quiet, seeing Hal and Eli saunter onto the bus.

"Damn, they're on here too." Leo groaned, his head falling back onto the headrest. Hal smirked at me, sitting directly behind me, hitting my seat as he sat down.

"Jesus, what's your problem?" I demanded, turning to stare daggers at him. Hal just looked up at me, feigning a look of innocence.

"Not sure what you're talking about, Almer." he smirked, tilting his head to the side as Eli snickered next to him. I groaned and slumped back down in my seat.

"This is going to be a long drive." I grumbled, Leo humming in agreement.