The Novelty of Existence

12

𝙼𝙱 ⋆ 𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 ⋆ 𝙸𝚜𝚕𝚊

The girl, Paloma, was angry. I wasn't totally sure why, but I knew that I shouldn't push it. Usually, I was a girl's girl, but this time I felt more at ease talking to the boys. Paloma was gorgeous, her flowy dark waves reaching her lap. Wes was funny, a typical surfer guy with a cap smashed down on his head, blonde hair sticking out on all sides. He changed his shirt in the back as we all talked, showing off his nicely defined body. 

Aiden was a harder read. He was quiet, acting as if he wasn't in the car with us. He seemed to watch all of us as if he were taking mental notes. His eyebrows were thick, and his white shirt was baggy, tucked into the waistband of his jeans. He was certainly the most stylish of the group. 

Then, there was Danny. When I had first approached the van, he made my breath catch in my throat before I could speak. He was simply beautiful. Beautiful in the way you don't expect guys to be. His skin was practically radiant, his teeth were straight and white, and even his hair was in perfect, defined little curls. 

Sitting next to him made me feel like a schoolgirl again with my very first crush. Even though I could feel the tension in the seats behind us, a smile kept crawling its way up to my face. He spoke to me with a honey tone. So soft and easy. I felt so comfortable around him so quickly. By the time we got to Portage la Prairie, we were teasing each other. 

"Just sing a little bit of it." He pleaded, flashing that smile at me again. 

I shook my head, "No way!" 

"Well, you're not leaving us until you sing." 

"Guess I'm staying then." 

"I guess so." 

"Kill me. Is that it?" Wes's voice bellowed from the way back. I turned to look out the window. A giant soda can. I stifled a giggle as more frustrated groans chimed in from the back seat. 

"It's pretty cool," Danny insisted, glancing at me worriedly as he pulled into a parking spot. My heart jumped. We were exchanging knowing glances. This was ridiculous. 

When everyone filed out of the van, I got to appreciate the group in their full glory. Wes was taller than I thought, towering over me. Danny was in a dorky striped button-down that I hadn't noticed in the car. And I loved it. I loved it. 

Paloma was in sweats and a crop top, still looking stunning. Her curves couldn't be hidden in the baggiest of sweatpants. I wondered how many of the guys were already in love with her. I wondered if Danny was. They'd been best friends forever according to Danny. 

"Can we please do anything else?" Wes whined, squinting up at the giant soda can with a grimace. 

"I concur," Aiden said. His voice was deep. Deeper than anyone else's. 

"Like what?" Danny huffed. He was one of those perfectionists, like my sister. Always having to plan their days and activities. 

"Why don't we go to a club?" I suggested, "Drinking age is 18 in Manitoba." 

"Not that it matters for you," Danny interjected. 

"Yes, I am an old person, ha-ha." I responded, still amazed that we could banter after a couple of hours of meeting each other. 

"I am so down," Wes said excitedly, pulling out his phone. While he searched the internet for a decent club, I took a closer look at Paloma's face. She was  somewhere else. She looked sad. Aiden was looking at her too, then he looked at me. The look on his face overshadowed me with guilt. I felt like I was stealing something from her. I hoped I wasn't right. 

"Me and Paloma need to go get new outfits," I said quickly, the last-ditch effort to get her alone. The guys all looked at me, perplexed. Paloma looked at me as well, but she didn't seem so confused. She seemed to know. 

"But..." 

"Text Paloma the club name and we'll meet you there." I interrupted Wes. I watched as he looked from me to Paloma and back to me. 

"I see a thrift store just down that street," I felt so dumb being the only one speaking. Paloma was still looking at me, but now all the guys were looking at her. Thinking I was crazy. I raised my eyebrows. Please, I thought, Go along with it. 

"Sounds good," Paloma responded to my telepathy right away. I let out a relieved sigh and smiled. 

"You good, Mo?" Wes asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Mo? She nodded curtly and shoved his hand away. 

We browsed the dress selection for a few minutes until I couldn't hold on any longer. "I can tell you want me to leave," I started, "I'm not trying to blow anything up or start anything..." 

"It's not you," She cut me off, hands still on the rack, staring into space, "It's Danny." 

I gulped, preparing myself for what I had been fearing. They were dating... secretly. Secret lovers? She had loved him this whole time? A fling? It didn't matter. Any of those things would make me back off Danny immediately. Even if I didn't want to. Girl code. 

"He's been acting different since last year," She continued, turning to face me. "He kept acting like he couldn't wait to get away from Nova Scotia, but then..." She trailed off and then rolled her eyes at herself. She was ridiculing herself for getting emotional with a stranger. "Then he started acting like he couldn't wait to get away from all of us, from me." 

She let out a deep sigh and looked down, waves falling in front of her face. "And now with you, it's like he's already gone. He's already opening a new chapter before we've finished ours." 

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words didn't come out. I wasn't sure how to respond to her. I didn't have any lifelong friends. I had school friends and work friends, but not like this group had. 

"I'm sorry." That was all I could muster. Because I was sorry. There was no room for me in this story. Not right now. "I'll catch a different ride. I'm sorry that..." 

"No!" She said, louder than she had been since I'd met her. I jumped back a little. "I mean, you don't have to hitch a ride with some creepy truck drivers. We're cool," She finally went back to looking through the dress rack, "As for me and Danny," She added, "We'll figure it out." 

"Thank you, Paloma," I said, relieved and still hesitant. 

"Call me Mo." She said with a small smile. 

I smiled bigger and I started on the other side of the dress aisle. "Mo, we are gonna look hot tonight!"