Dramatic Summer Love Story

Hiking

Rustling from the sheets I'm under tickle me awake, I see Penny sitting upright beside me looking at her phone, I raise my head and she turns toward me.
"Hey, are you okay?" She asks referring to last night. That's when the heavy duvet lives again and traps and moves my sprained foot in all the wrong ways and I wince.
"I'm badly sprained," I tell them what Doctor Elliott told me.
"Wait, when did you get here last night?" Chloe speaks up and I kick up the duvet so I can move and sit up with them.
"I got here after you fell asleep, not sure when. What time is it now?"
"Eleven fifteen." Penny reads from her phone.
"Are you serious, please tell me you're joking! It's too early to wake up after a night like that!" I whine and they laugh and tease me about my whining. "Will you two shut up, just turn on some 'Supernatural' or something, I need my Dean."
We do exactly that and watch a few episodes of hot brothers hunting supernatural creatures, just what I needed to mend my sprained foot and slightly hungover body. A few episodes later we go and eat breakfast where Chloe's Instagram addiction leads us to Rock Creek Park and its beautiful pictures.
"We've got to go!" I exclaim when we look at pictures of the park.
"I agree," Penny says.
"Let's go then, all we need is a ride and so let's hit up our stories with a pic of the park and ask if someones want to give us a ride along with joining us." Chloe comes up with on the spot like she always does when making plans.
"Great," I say and we all do that and then hurry up and get ready for the day, I finish eating then go into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair, and lastly I dress in small black biker shorts pairing it with a blue tank top and throwing my black bomber jacket on it.
An hour later we're ready and so we sit down on the bed and check if we've got any responses.
"None here," Penny says.
"Me neither."
"Hang on," Chloe tells us then. "I think I've got something."
"Who though? I don't want to put up with someone annoying." I say hoping my harsh words don't offend them and they don't seem to do because neither of them reacts.
"It's Gabe." She tells me after writing something to text back.
"Does he have a car to pick up?" I ask skeptically.
"No, but Thomas does." She says.
"He's coming with us?" I feel hope tugging at me but I wonder if it's rooting for him coming or not?
"Yeah, Gabe is trying to make me believe he and Thomas have been wanting to go on a hike, don't know if I should believe that." I laugh and agree. Chloe texts back and forth with Gabe at first and then Thomas, they decide we're going right away and so we pack up some snacks in backpacks and wait for Thomas outside. I quickly hit up dad telling him I'm going to go with Chloe and Penny to see Rock Creek Park.
When Thomas stops in front of the house I somehow manage to get the passenger seat without running, I don't know why but I feel like it has something to do with whispers and chuckles going on between Chloe and Penny. The usual Red Bull cans cover most of the floor of Thomas's car and the smell of the Red Bull floats in the air and cracks another one open.
"I don't know how you sleep." I laugh and reach for the belt to buckle myself.
"What if I told you I didn't." He smiles and looks at me before we start driving toward Westminster to pick up Gabe and continue to Rock Creek Park. Trees, plains, hills, and small lakes pass by us, and the music is loud and pointing against the windows as we drive to the park.
"I feel stupid and contagious!" We yell together all five to the lyrics of 'It Smells Like Teen Spirit. We drive into the parking lot of the park and Thomas turns the music down as he starts to park.
"Tay, did you completely forget about your sprain or did you choose to ignore it?" He asks me while backing into a parking space.
"Okay so at first I chose to ignore it and then I forgot it," I admit.
"Oh yeah, you sprained yourself yesterday," Gabe says and I hear huffs from the girls.
"Can you even walk?"
"Yes," I say and get out of the car, my face twisting as pain shoots up from the sprain. I start walking to the back of the car. The others join me a few seconds later.
"You aren't going to be able to hike up there." Thomas shales his head and gives people their bags from the trunk of his car.
"You don't determine what I can and can't do, I will walk up there, it might take me longer than all of you but I will get to the top," I say and take the bag he gives me.
"Sure." He shuts the trunk and we start walking to the trail, there are a few cars in the parking lot so I don't think there are many people here, at least not today or now. At first, the trail isn't very steep or many trees around, there are more bushes, and I walk and push through the pain. Then the trail starts to get crowded with trees and even more bushes, the turns start to get more frequent, and the trail steeper. I slow down and I'm pretty sure Thomas who is the only one behind me is very annoyed by it.
I continue and I wince as my non-sprained foot lands on a loose stone that slides from under my foot and I'm about to fall on my face but Thomas catches me, he holds me by the waist his hand griping me to hold me upright and steady. The group of our friends in front of us stop and look at us waiting for us to start walking again.
"You all go ahead, we'll catch up with you later." Thomas waves his hand to them and they ask if we're sure and I nod as Thomas reassures them. Chloe, Gabe, and Penny walk on, and when they turn and disappear behind a tree Thomas has helped me sit down on a large semi-round rock.
"How stupid are you." He crouches by my side and lays his hand on my thigh, my heart is already beating fast so he doesn't help me. Breath Taylor, he's holding himself steady this is no sign of any affection.
"You should go catch up with them,"  I say.
"And leave you here all alone?"
"Yes."
"I'm not doing that, you know why, because I couldn't bear not knowing if you are on the move, sitting on this or some other rock or laying at the bottom of some cliff. I also think walking slow is okay because you get to enjoy nature and the view much more." Thomas says smiling and looking around himself then back to me, I can't stand not allowing thoughts of him to pass in my mind but it would make everything much harder for me if I'd allow it.
"Then I'll push through this pain and walk so I'm not slowing you too much down." I stand up and he does too.
"Taylor sit down." I didn't like the use of my whole name from him but I flipped him off and continued walking. He caught up to me and for a while, we didn't say anything, the beautiful green trees surrounded us and the smell of them made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, the smell of blooming flowers was also in the air, we could hear bees buzzing around us if we'd listen closely, the nature around us made me want to run around but I couldn't, my sprained foot limiting me to carefully and slowly walking, I chuckled at myself cursing at my foot in my head.
"What?" Thomas quirked an eyebrow with a smile on his lips.
"Just thinking, my thoughts are so funny."
"Tell me what you were thinking."
"Okay, I was cursing at my foot." Thomas looked at me weirdly. "I'm being honest!"
"Why were you thinking of that?"
"Because I want to walk normally, I'd give a billion dollars to be able to run around and never have to be like this, awful, wishing I could do something. Like when you're sprained you want to run, when you're sick you want to be able to breathe, and things like that you get me?"
"Yeah, I think so." We both go quiet and I look up at the sky in between the outstretched hands of the trees and see two birds fly by.
"What would you do with a billion dollars?" I look back down and at Thomas, I still have to kind of look up at him though, he's a few many inches bigger than me.
"I don't know." He answers.
"Take your time and think about it," I tell him and start thinking about it myself, it was pretty hard but then it came to me.
"I'd travel the world and with the billion dollars, I wouldn't need to work so I'd volunteer and donate to charities, things like that." He says after thinking for a few minutes. "What about you?"
"I would pay my parents debt, maybe give them some money to be comfortable, and I'd give a few million to Viktor and Brook then I'd get myself through school and find a nice place to settle down and the rest of the money would maybe go to some charities and my future children's saving account."
"You have it all figured out, didn't even need a minute like me to think about it." He smiled and I smiled back.
"Do you think we have a long way to go?" I asked waving my hand to the path just as we heard laughter from over the next slope.
"Nope."
"Thank God."
We walked over the small hill and saw our friends, Chloe, Gabe, and Penny, sit around in a circle. They were sharing the few snacks they had in their backpacks and so I walked down to them and took a bite of what Penny had in her hand. She shrieked and I laughed my lungs out, I was crying by the time she had stood up and tried to hit me, I ran backward as she held her arm up to slap any part of me for the mischief I had done, I back into something hard but my smile was still on my face as her hand hit my arm.
"Ladies take it easy," Thomas said and his hands wrapped around my elbows as I realized it was him I hacked into and was now pressed against, my smile was on my face as Penny also chuckled and cursed at me. Thomas started walking forward my arms were still trapped in his hands so I walked with him.
"Can I have another bite?" I chuckled when we walked by Penny who took up another piece of what she was eating. She gave me the finger and finally, I was let go and Thomas sat down on the only comfortable spot left.
"Fuck off," I say standing over him.
"Why?"
"Because I need to sit down."
"Then sit down." He winked at me and I turned around, I wasn't about to sit in his lap.
"May I?" I asked Chloe to sit in her lap but she just stood up and gave me her seat. "See this is a nice person." I indicated to Chloe.
"So what am I?" Thomas asked.
"A bitch."
"Aww how kind of you." He blew me a kiss.
"Fuck you." I laughed and wondered why our banter was like this, is this friendly or are we just acquaintances.
"I'm always open." And I got another wink. I turned away from him feeling a little rush of heat in my cheeks, I took the small backpack off my back and peered inside, there was corny and water I started eating, and soon after the others were backing up again to head back down to the car I finished my food and stood up to look at the view before we went.
"Hey, we're going now, we'll wait for you in the car," Chloe yelled from the trail and I saw Thomas giving Gabe his car keys.
"Thomas you can leave too, I'll be fine walking down alone," I said to him as he approached me as our friends left us.
"I don't care, I'm walking with you to make sure nothing happens and if something does you won't be alone and helpless."
"I'm not helpless!"
"Maybe not but with your foot, you wouldn't be able to climb up rocks if you fell and needed to climb back up, so that's where I would come in." I didn't say anything instead I just walked to my bag and threw it on my back and headed to the trail.
"Tay, wait up!" Thomas yelled as he saw that I was going, I decided not to stop and so he caught up with me by running.
The way down was much easier than up and so we were quicker down. Thomas fell on his back one time and I fell on my butt laughing at him, he wasn't glad but I promised him not to tell the others when he started threatening me to make me trip and faceplant.
We get out of the woods and then the trail finally ends when the sun has about an hour before she sets, we walk through the parking lot and see our friends standing around the car laughing, and they have a bottle in their hands. When we get closer we see it's vodka.
"Hey," I greet them and they offer me the bottle. "No thanks," I answer shaking my head not wanting to be hungover for my first day at my summer job, which I also had last year, a friend of my dad owns it and so if I do well I usually get a bit more money than what I'm supposed to be paid and that's what I'll be doing this summer, saving money but also spending half of it.
"We should get going," Thomas says. He throws the backpacks back in the trunk and gets in the car, I get in the passenger seat while our tipsy friends get in the back. I and Thomas choose the music but they sing and continue the drinking kind of making the drive for us sober people in the front miserable.
"Do you have a Red Bull?" I ask Thomas.
"What'd you think?"
"Yes. But where?"
"I have one in the glove compartment." He points while keeping his eyes on the road.
"Besides your condoms?"
"Almost." He smirks.
"I think I'll take both."
"I have two Red Bulls in there?"
"No, I'm talking about one Red Bull and the condoms." I roll my eyes.
"You are not having that Red Bull all for yourself."
"You can have a sip."
"Taylor." He whines.
"A few sips." I negotiate.
"And you are not taking my condoms," Thomas says sternly when he sees I'm actually taking them.
"Why not? Doesn't seem like you're using them, last time I saw they were six left... and now there are still six." I smile and put the condoms in my pocket. I don't expect to use them but I tend to annoy Thomas, I always have, it's almost done without thinking about it first.
"And do you have any use for them?"
"Yes."
"Quit lying."
"I'm not lying," I am, "And if I was I'd find a way to use them." I give him a wink when he scowls at me. Thomas turns the music up and I pop the Red Bull open and take a big sip, I then hand it over to Thomas for him to take a sip.
The ride goes by quickly with the music and great singing from the back. We drive first through Westminster and drop of Gabe at his house before continuing to Hampstead where we drop Chloe and Penny off, I quickly go get my bag I had while sleeping over at Chloe's and Thomas finally drives me home.
"Thank you." I smile.
"It's nothing." He answers giving me a small smile in return. I look at him and scan His face my eyes stop way too long on his lips, I'm not sure if he notices but I quickly say goodbye and go out of the car and go inside.
I open the destroyed door that dad needs to fix and I hear Thomas drive away, when I shut the door I yell my greetings and hear the TV playing. With all my shoes off I walk in and enter the living room where I see dad and Sarah cuddled up on the couch watching the best show ever, 'Rookie'.
"Hey, how was it? What did you do today?" Dad asks as I flop down on my place on the couch.
"It was really fun, but I got sprained when we went hiking today." I cover up my sprain from last night.
"Ouch." Dad frowned and continued to ask where we went.
"Rock Creek Park. It was really beautiful and just challenging enough for a fun exercise along with time." I count up the pros and it has no cons, at least not that I can think of right now.
"Maybe we'll check it out sometime," Dad says and squeezes Sarah's shoulder, and she nods.
"Well, I'm going to get something to eat, and then I need a shower." I smile and go get leftovers from the oven, I heat them and eat them quickly then I jump in the shower, I keep it hot and it gets me sleepy so when I'm done I yell good night up to my dad and Sarah, I jump in bed and look at my phone, I have a notification from Thomas.
'Thanks for today, I really enjoyed it.' The message read and a smile crept on my face.
I quickly typed back and sent it. 'I did too.' A smiley face followed with it.
'What you doing now?'
'Nothing, just chilling up in bed.'
'I am texting you.' Thomas tells me and I want to slap his arm for that, he's literally doing the same thing as me, but I smile.
"Wow, don't even wait for me to ask you: what about you?'
'What's the point in waiting if you're going to ask either way.'
'Maybe I wasn't going to ask.'
'I know you were.'
'Thomas either is fun to talk to or I'm going to sleep.' I threaten not meaning it though, as a smile would show anyone who would see me.
'Okay, fine. Aske me something you want to talk about.'
'Where are you going to school?' I ask after I rattled my brain for something fun to ask and talk about.
'Well, I'm going to Stevenson University. What about you?"
'The same.'
'How fun, how about we make a deal, you hear about any parties you tell me and I do the same for you.' I know he's joking but sounds pretty good if it was an actual deal.
'Sure, I need to go to sleep soon.' I send a face of dread and he just sends a laughing emoji back to me.
'Why'd you need to go to sleep so soon for though?'
'Got work.' I explain.
'Ohh, what's your job?'
'I work in Wesley's shop.' I tell him indicating to my dad's friend Wesley.
'Nice.'
'You got a job?'
'Yeah, I work in the restaurant on Melrose Avenue.'
'I hate the name of that place!'
'I know, me too, it's so bad, almost cringy.'
'Finally, someone who agrees with me.'
'I know, everyone likes that name but I fucking hate it!' I can almost hear Thomas laughing as he complains about it.
Both of us don't send anything for a few minutes and I feel sleep starting to pull at me.
'Hate to break it to you but I have to go, sleep calls.'
'Well have fun, goodnight.' He sends and I tell him goodnight before putting my phone away.