Not a Friend ✔│short story

t h r e e

An ache spreads through Allie's legs, her lungs screaming for air. It has been so long since she actually ran that she totally forgot about that horrible feeling that comes with it- that pain in the left side of your abdomen, breathlessness, bile rising, and the burn spreading all over your legs. Allie hates running.

But as they both come to a sudden stop, her blueish silver eyes taking in the surroundings, every horrible pain in her body becomes worth it. Unlike the cool air hanging in their tent, a pungent smell mingles here. Trees are scattered over a few spots and other than the road mixed with mud and asphalt, there's nothing 'beautiful' about it. 

But the sight of the mud pit bubbling and popping, and increasing its size with gradual time, makes Allie grin from ear to ear as she twirls around, singing and humming. 

Allie never frolics, and she internally blames him for this newfound enthusiasm.

She runs forward, albeit carefully as there's a pretty good chance for her to fall on the mud pit and never see sunlight again.

"This is your dream destination?" the guy pants, his nose crinkling, looking around with furrowed brows. "I mean, this is really a low point, even for a nerdy weirdo." He chuckles, smirking as Allie smacks his arm.

"Idiot," Allie says, her legs carrying her back as the mud pit bubbles, forming a pop sound. The mere sight of that brown sludge moving and popping is so fascinating, Allie could just stand there and stare at it all day and think about the science behind it, wonder if it could be stopped, think of different causes, maybe dig into its history.

"You're an idiot. Now let's back away because holy shit!" He covers his nose with his palm. "That smell is worse than my farts." 

"Gross," she says, but Allie has to agree with him. The smell is... well even worse than her farts. 

Now lame fart jokes? What the hell is happening to her?

"Why did you bring me here?" Allie asks, out of nowhere as both of them settle a few yards away from the pit. 

He shrugs, wringing his hands together. "I don't know... to thank you for everything? And, also, I was a little curious to see this, because you were weirdly fascinated with these bubbling mud pits? Nobody I have ever met is fascinated with mud pits, Allie."

Allie lets out a hearty chuckle and before even thinking what she is doing, she throws her arms across his shoulders, hugging him. The second most surprising thing she has done today.

Allie has never been this impulsive in her life, added to that, she has never hugged anyone other than her mom and her cat, Oscar. But then, this guy has literally shown her The Mud Pit, he sat with her when she had nightmares, he even listened to her and nobody has ever truly done that. So, well she can't really blame herself for hugging this person awkwardly standing in front of her. 

"Thanks, Ky-Kon? Kaz?" Oh darn, Allie doesn't know the guy's name! "Uhh, what was your name, again?" she asks, meekly,  cheeks burning with embarrassment. 

"You are literally hugging me and you don't know my name?" he asks, and even though Allie can't see his face, she knows his brows are raised, lips curling up in a smirk. "You know, friends are supposed to know each other's names."

"I literally met you a few hours ago. We are not 'friends'." Allie rolls her eyes. 

"Oh really? So, you go around hugging your 'not friends'?"

"Shut up and tell me your darn name!" For the first time, Allie feels a twinge of regret for paying zero attention to people when they talk about themself. 

"It's Christopher Columbus," he says, his tone eerily serious.

"No, it's not." 

"Okay then... hmm, call me Thor Odinson, the God of thunder. Oh, actually trash that, just Leonardo De Caprio would be fine." 

How can someone be so annoying and sweet at the same freaking time? "Tell me your darn name or I will... I will punch your eyes till both of them are sewed shut." 

"I don't think that is humanly possible, Allie." He raises an eyebrow as Allie whispers in his ears, "Let's test that, shall we?"

He breaks from the hug, doubling over, laughing. "Okay, okay, relax! I don't know why you want my name so bad since you know, you are my 'not friend', but you can call me Kyle." He grins. "Should I spell it for you so that you don't forget it again? It is K-Y-L..."

"Shut up, Kyle." Allie grins, punching his shoulders.

And, before they know it, the stary night sky gradually turns into a chaos of orange and yellow as both of them sit and talk about everything and anything that comes to their mind. They talk about pointless, stupid stuff that pops into their head, they talk about the sad things that they can't change, they laugh at the lamest jokes,  and they laugh so hard, tears spring up in their eyes. And, sitting beside a bubbling mud pit, and Kyle, Allie feels happy and...a little less lonely. Even though that is a foreign feeling, it's not unpleasant either.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kyle asks, his light skin reflected by the streetlight. When Allie nods, he sighs. "Why were you awake tonight?" 

"I... wha- I, uh..." The question throws her off guard, making her heart beat faster as the swallows, her mouth suddenly dry. "It was really nothing. Just wanted to finish my book," she lies, swallowing the pang in her chest. 

"You know, I don't mean to be pushy, but someone told me that it's better to share things that bother you instead of keeping it all bottled inside." Kyle shrugs, a smile tugging his lips. "I will sit right here and listen to you." 

Allie flashes a wobbling smile, and at that moment, she is so grateful that she can literally hug this guy again. Taking a deep shaky breath, she says, "It's just, sometimes...most of the time, I have these nightmares." She sucks in a breath as he nods.

"And, they are always the same. My mom screams and when I call out to her, she's never there. Like, I'm never there with her?" she croaks, realizing that sharing is a lot harder than she thought. "My mom's sick and I don't know what to do. I should be out there, taking care of her but she is pushing me away." Tears spring up in her eyes and she hastily wipes them. "And, I want to attend college next year, and I know that is self-absorbed and shallow, but... I don't know! I guess I am a selfish person..." She lets out a frustrated whisper, her throat closing, the lump forming in her throat, a sob building up. 

Even though she tries very hard, tears glisten in her eyes, her shoulders shaking. "Whoa, this is embarrassing," she lets out a chuckle, wiping her tears, trying to fake nonchalance and spectacularly failing at it.

"It's okay to cry." He whispers after a long, stifling silence. "And, I know I am nobody to say anything in this matter, but wanting to do something for yourself doesn't make you selfish. I am sorry that your mum is sick. That sucks. But you have to understand that you have no control over it. And going to college doesn't make you a bad daughter or self-absorbed, okay?" He smiles, looking at me. "And, I know I met you just a few hours ago, but I think you are caring and generous... a little pretentious, but kind."

"Oh piss off!" Allie croaks, her eyes brimming with tears and a grin lighting up her face. She hops up and hugs him again, giving him a tight squeeze just to let him know that she is grateful and thankful for him.