The Lies They Tell

Hearts in a Storm

Nina appeared to pick up Inej on Sunday morning, her dark hair disheveled and her eyes wild. She was borrowing Matthias' car, having just got her P plates.
"We're having a picnic," the girl announced with glee. Inej looked out the window at the dark blue-grey sky.
"Why?"
Nina grinned mischievously. "Because, reasons." Inej would have said no if it had been Jesper, or anyone else for that matter. But this was Nina, so she went to get her coat.

Nina took the back streets out of the suburbs. They arrived on the country roads in about fifteen minutes. In the passenger seat, Inej couldn't be sure if it was Nina's reckless speed that was making her stomach do flips, or something else.
Nina broke the silence of the car."We need to talk about Jesper" How did Nina know about Jesper and Wylan?
"Don't you think that's his business?"
"Well it would be if he KNEW." Inej got the distinct impression they were not on the same page.
And then the rain started. It had stopped that morning, but not it came down in fat drops that splattered on the wind screen. Nina pressed the windshield wipers.
"Um..." Inej hesitated. "Yeah." Usually when in doubt it was safest to simply agree with Nina.
"So it's true?" Nina questioned, her soft voice shocked.
"Well.... I'm not really sure, from want I've heard."
"Well you would know." Nina glanced at Inej in the windshield mirror, raising one eyebrow.
"Wha-" Inej was cut short as the car hit a bump in the gravel road. Nina swerved slightly.
The car shuddered to a halt. Nina stepped on the gas, and it spluttered and stopped. "We may have a problem..." She said gleefully.

"At least we have the picnic food?" Inej offered. Half an hour had passed. No one had stopped for the car on the side of the road, with two teenagers in it, in a storm.
Nina chomped down on a crusty bread bun. "We won't for long," she joked.
Nina had called Matthias, who had said he would send his Mum out to pick them up, and reprimanded Nina for going out into the country when there were storms predicted. But there was severe weather warnings, and as much as Matthias didn't like to imagine Nina stuck out in the countryside in a storm, it was safer than having someone drive in this whether. Matthias' mum would be out to get them as soon as the storm eased up. So Nina and Inej had eight hours to kill on a lonely country road.

"Chelsea bun?" Nina held out the sweat treat to the other girl who simply said,
"My name's Inej."
The girls had spent three hours watching movies Inej had downloaded on her tablet until it went flat, and were now having a picnic in the car.
"So what's the deal with Jesper," Nina said in a slightly bored tone. "Is it the grey eyes, or the tallness?"
Inej racked her mind but didn't have the faintest idea what Nina was asking. "He does indeed posess those features," she conceded.
"I mean why do you like him?" Inej froze. Where did Nina get the idea she liked Jesper? He was like a brother to her. "Grey eyes can be endearing."
"Green eyes are pretty," Inej said before she could stop herself. The clock on the dashboard ticked. The darkness around the small car was somewhere between comforting and slightly too dark. Nina was kneeling in the driver's seat and Inej was sitting hugging her knees in the passenger seat.
"I can't believe you like Jesper," Nina murmered, smiling obliviously at her sandwhich.
"Well don't."
The patter of rain on the roof and windows was comforting to Inej. She liked the way it sounded. It reminded her the days she used to spend playing video games in Jesper's bedroom, when his walls were lined with Marvel posters. On rainy weekends in primary school she and the boy would play games and listen to the rain and talk about sixth grade gossip. Colm would bring them bowls Nshima for lunch.
Now, in the small car, Nina stared at Inej. "What?"
Inej's stomach felt like she was falling. Ghafas don't fall, she told herself. But that didn't help the swarm of butterflies in her stomach, or how painfully aware she was of Nina's hand placed over hers. She felt as if Nina touched her again, the friendly hugs Nina gave, she would burst into flames.
Nina smelled of baked goods and overripe strawberries. Inej could feel the warmth of her breath near her face. And then Nina's phone rang.
Matthias' deep voice on the other end of the line. He was checking up on Nina. A good, faithful partner. Inej felt a twinge of guilt, just for feeling what she felt. Nina's your friend. So is Matthias, and he's your friend with muscles on muscles.
"Yes, Helvar... We're fine... It's a bit cold but we're warm enough... What? No! Although when I get home if you want...." Inej heard half of Nina and Matthias'conversation, and didn't want to guess what Matthias' was saying.
When Nina hung up she had a slightly strange look on her face, that Inej couldn't quite decipher. "Do you want listen to Taylor Swift's album Red?" Nina asked, licking chocolate of her fingers.
"Um, sure," Inej said slowly. It was a strange feeling, feeling like she was the one with secrets, the one with dirt on her, rather than the keeper of other people's secrets as she usually was.
Nina put the playlist on Shuffle. Of course, the first song to come on was Girl at Home. Just my luck, Inej thought, then realised she'd said it out loud when Nina said, "what?"
"Nothing." But it wasn't nothing. And her racing heart wasn't nothing either.