'Jules' mind went back under the moonlight and night air of Baldwin's Fine Arts Center Garden, where intense anger shifted into an intimate moment of curiosity with a blow of the wind.
Maybe two flames weren't supposed to be that close when raging...
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"He doesn't even suit ya, and he's surely not your size. I'm surprised that you slept on a heart that's worldwide."
- Slim Kid Tre
DAWN HID BEHIND the covers of her rest. A few lines of sunlight slipped past the dark folds of the sky while birds served as the call of morning.
The air smelled of dew and chimney smoke. Blades of grass were still wet with rain from the previous morning's showers.
Jules loaded the last of her bags onto Ayden's cherry red pickup truck parked in the driveway of her home, sighing from the weight.
It was five in the morning and Ayden had just arrived in Amador from Louisiana.
It had been made clear that everyone attending the trip would have to arrive early enough in the day to prepare for departure.
This meant loading bags, vans, and leaving enough cushion for everyone to arrive on time. Fine Arts seniors loved to plan, and making the most of the four-day staycation was something they'd set in stone since the summer.
Getting their money's worth by arriving early enough to not waste half a day on travel was important.
So, most of everyone found themselves preparing to arrive upon the rise of birds and the sun.
"Damn Jules, did you pack a month's worth of clothes? We're only going to be gone for four days." Ayden asked as she climbed into the driver's seat.
"I'm always prepared," Jules informed, "You never know what could happen, what outfit could go wrong."
"Which outfit you and barista boy are going to mess up." Ayden whispered.
Jules hit her playfully, "None of them."
"Ah, going in naked and afraid — that's my girl." Ayden boasted.
"I'm going on this trip to sit by the fire, not create my own." Jules scolded.