The Vapours

Chapter 1

-UNEDITED-

Chapter One

I tugged my t-shirt away from my sweat drenched back and adjusted my sunglasses over my eyes.

We've been standing at the curb outside of the airport for about a half an hour waiting on Jan's aunt Lynn to come pick us up while Ciara complained about her feet-no one told her to wear heels for Christ's sake. The sun was up and blazing, it was probably a million degrees here!

How does one deal with this heat and constant complaining? I lifted my hair off of the back of my neck in an attempt to substitute for my newly broken hair tie.

"It's so hot and my feet are killing me and," Ciara gasped, "Please tell me that guy staring at me over there is really hot and exists, it could be a mirage you know, it's like the dessert here..." and she went on and on and on when Jan's phone started to ring and Baby Got Back blasted from her back pocket making-me and-the pedestrians near us stop what we were doing and give her a dirty look.

"Really?" Ciara and I grimaced and Jan made a face at us before answering her phone.

"Do you think we'll meet any cute boys here?" Ciara wondered out loud and tilted her head at me with a pout, "I'm badly in need of a fling."

"You're badly in need of a church," I scoffed at her and she rolled her eyes and shoved me lightly, "Haha but it's not like if I'm wrong!"

"Okay?" Jan responded unsurely after a few seconds "Where are you?"

"When was the last time you had a boyfriend Leila," She smirked at me and I dropped my hair when I felt the heat starting to creep up my neck, "Oh, right. Never."

"Shut up!" she erupted into a fit of laughter, if it were not for the heat my blush would have been extremely noticeable, "Fuck you," I mumbled.

"H-how... hard?" she gasped through her laughter, Jan glared at us and walked away still talking on the phone with her aunt I assumed, oops?

"You're so gross," I giggled and shoved her when she finally caught her breath.

"And you're so innocent!" she leaned in and bit my cheek, "It should be annoying but it's hilarious and extremely cute."

"Pfft, whore," I inched away from her tripping over our bag and landing on my back, Ciara's laughter was the only voice that could be heard echoing through the street outside of the building, mostly because it was partially empty and also because everything stopped for a minute to witness the weird girl fall. Great, I thought, now I have to wash my hair.

"Damn," I muttered to myself and closed my eyes pressing my palm to my forehead, "Way to go Leila, ten points to you."

"Ha-ha that's really funny, actually," A voice sounded from above me and I groaned, "Good one."

With a grimaced carved onto my face I opened my eyes and was met by the blaring sunlight and clear blue sky being obstructed by a dark figure at first then my eyes settled on the boy standing above, grinning down at me widely.

"Would you like and help miss?" The boy whose voice and English accent registered in my mind asked, still grinning, Ciara was still laughing but I could hear it in the distance-that bitch, she went to tell Jan.

He held out his hand and I blinked at him, I couldn't see his face clearly but my eyes were starting to hurt from staring up at the bright sky.

"Not unless you have a hair tie," I grimaced at him and sat up before standing up, on my own, "Then, you can't"

"I don't," he took his outstretched hand and ran it through his dark, already messy hair, "But nice hair."

"Thanks," I narrowed my eyes at him, he was tall... really tall, "Don't you have somewhere to be or something?"

He chuckled at that and I grimaced in annoyance.

"Can you leave...?" I asked with the grimace still on my face and he grinned at me.

"I'm Lucas," he bowed at me smoothly, I expected his movements to be clumsy and awkward, "And you are?"

"Annoyed. I am annoyed," I gave him a flat look and folded my hands over my chest ignoring the furnace behind my neck, his grin only widened and I rolled my eyes, "I'm Lei-

I was cut off by the rabid honking of a horn I turned around right as a bright yellow bug pulled up in front of me, the front passenger window rolled down and Jan started to laugh at me but she stopped short and gaped at the parasite standing in front of me.

"-ving," I finished, "Leaving. I'm leaving."

"Haha! I want my money Jesse," a voice grew closer and Lucas winked at me before walking away

Ciara opened the door quietly and I placed our bags between us in the already small backseat.

"Why are you two so quiet all of a sudden?" Lynn chuckled, "Hey Leils! How are you hun? Still breaking hearts I see. When are you going to cut them a break?"

"Funny, Lynn," I said sarcastically and closed the door and she sped off like the crazy lady she was.

Lynn's house was just as eccentric as her car. Her walls were painted in bright colours; blues, oranges, pinks and were lined with various pieces of art work. The first thing you noticed when you walked through the front door was the back deck and the beach, there was a glass wall with single white wooden door in the middle that led out to the deck. The second thing I noticed was the rug. That God forsaken rug Ciara, Jan and I bought her for Christmas a few years ago, it was absurd and I tried to convince them not to buy it but they did anyway. Lynn loved it, I hated it, it was so damn ugly and I had no idea how to describe it.

"Lyyynuhhh!" Ciara whined from the bright floral couch, she was sprawled off there with the fan positioned at her head, "Why don't you have air conditioning?!"

"Because it's not hot," Lynn yelled back at her from the kitchen, "Are you girls hungry? I have to go to work in a few minutes but there's a few cheese sandwiches in the fridge and I think I have some ice-cream."

"I'm good," I shouted back at her, Jan agreed and Ciara just groaned.

"Oh! Okay," She walked out of the kitchen, her light pixie cut neatly combed and her white shirt carefully tucked into her black slacks, "I can drop you girls off at the mall, if you'd like."

"Is the mall air conditioned?" Ciara hopped up and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Obviously Ciara," Jan gave her a flat look and smiled at her aunt, "We're okay, we'll go later. After we've had showers and unpacked."

"Well, okay," Lynn started walking toward the bright white door, "Don't have too much fun. Leila."

She winked at me and slipped out the door without another word.

The door clicked shut and Jan and Ciara were on me like hounds.

"Why the hell," Jan started narrowing her eyes at me.

"Were you talking to Lucas Hayward?" Ciara finished with her eyes equally as sharp.

"Who?" I grimaced at them raising an eyebrow.

"That boy," Jan eased off a bit and sat on the abstract rug beside me.

"Oh!" my brain clicked, "The parasite!"

Ciara gasped and put her hand over her heart and Jan just burst out laughing.

"For-forget i-i-it," she managed through her laughter, "Go shower Leila, you're smelly and hopeless."

"It's like she lives under a rock," Ciara muttered as I made my way up the faded wooden steps, illuminated by the bright light from the glass deck door.

"I do not live under a rock," I grumbled.

—

A/N

Long live the rock dwellers c: the rug is above

Thanks for reading ♥