BESIDE YOU

Chapter 19

HAYDON

I'm sitting at the school cafeteria, having a nice conversation with Miss Laura Hamilton when the thought pops into my head.

Tomorrow is game day.

And at the very moment, she asks me,

"Hey, a movie is premiering tomorrow. We could go together"

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that Laura is rich. Not the normal kind of rich. The ultra super stinking rich. But still, this girl works at a gas station. I mean, why would anyone do that?

" I'm sorry. I'm kinda busy tomorrow"

"Oh, that's okay. I'll maybe go with one of my friends"

"Yeah, you can do that"

She nods at me.

"Didn't the tickets cost a lot? ", I ask.

" Oh, no. My mum got an invite. She can't make it so I might as well go"

Now you get what I'm talking about right? I mean, who gets a free invite to a movie premiere?

I get a text from Demi, as I am leaving school. She has sent me the location of a place. Nothing more, nothing less.

I assume that she's asking me to meet her there. So, I drive to the place.

And I reach a dead end.

There are trees in front of me and at the sides too. The foliage is thick. It's like I drove straight into a forest.

I don't see Demi anywhere around and I'm pretty sure that I'm lost. But according to the location I am at the right place.

Ughh, nothing is making sense.

I'm about to call Demi when I hear a whistle. A really powerful one.

Demi emerges out of nowhere (or maybe I was being extremely absent-minded).

A new piece of information: Demi knows to whistle, I think.

"Leave the car there and follow me. This is as far as Google can take you", she says.

She walks right into the forest and after five minutes we are at the other end of the forest.

Okay, maybe it's not a forest.

There is a huge wall filled with graffiti and the area is deserted.

Or wait, it's not.

I spot a group of punks sitting near the wall.

"It's okay. They are my friends", she says.

" Are you sure they are not dangerous? "

She rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, they are less dangerous than me".

She gives me some bottles of spray paint.

" Go practice ", she says.

" You mean practice vandalism "?

" Yup"

I just shake my head and head over to the wall.

She follows me.

I start drawing a flower because that's the first thing that comes to my head.

And then I'm so annoyed with myself.

What am I, a five year old to draw a flower?

I turn my head to see what Demi is doing.

Be brave, she writes.