A Piece of Me

10

The next couple of hours went by quicker than if I were to snap my fingers. I was so excited to go and film with Colby that Stas was able to tell I was antsy.

She didn't question anything, but let me be on my own for the night, insisting that she needed her beauty rest before she left tomorrow back to Oregon.

I was grateful for that, and almost texted Colby if she could just tag along but the thought went out the window when he texted me first, informing me that he was here and waiting.

I flew out the front door, my hoodie in one hand and my phone in the other. I opened the back door, waving my phone at Jake, "Scoot over loser,"

"Jesus, I see how tonight's going to go," He grumbled, scooting into the middle seat to squish next to Corey.

This car ride would be very tight. Though Colby's car had five seats, three grown ass adults were not small enough to fit in them. Even though we were all towards the skinny side, Jake's legs sat against both Corey's and my own.

"Ignore his bad mood," Corey leaned forward to talk to me, "His girl dumped him last night,"

"Shut up man, the whole world's gonna know," Jake pulled his hood over his head, crossing his arms.

"Aw, I'm sorry Jake," I patted his leg, looking into the rearview mirror to see Colby smiling at me, "Let's go before I change my mind,"

"I like her already," Sam said, and I was confused until I remembered that we really didn't talk much at the party, "She keeps you all in line,"

"The fans will love that," Corey agreed, glancing at me. I shuffled my hoodie, holding it closer to my body.

It just occurred to me that hundreds of thousands of people will see me tonight, maybe they'll love me or they'll hate me.

Let's just hope it's not the latter.

As the ride went on, Jake cheered up a bit and started to talk with Sam and Corey. Colby would chip in from time to time, a little "yeah" or "we'll see"

I didn't say a thing. I looked out the window, laughing along with Sam and Colby as Corey picked on Jake. But I didn't speak.

Some things don't need words. When Colby would talk, however, my eyes would instantly dart to the rearview mirror and sure enough he would be looking at me.

It left butterflies in my stomach, something that added to the nerves of going to an orphanage.

I didn't realize how bad it would be until Colby pulled into a gravel lot, surrounded by forest.

"Alright, let's get this show started," Colby opened the door after shutting the car off and popping the trunk.

I stretched as I got out of the car, following Colby to the trunk. He pulled out a handheld camera and a couple of flashlights, handing them all to Sam, who walked back to the backseats to hand them to the others.

I stood beside Colby, watching as he grabbed random items out of his trunk and put them in his bag. A quick idea popped into my head, and I playfully bumped his thigh with my hip.

Being short meant that trying to bump Colby's hip with my own was impossible. But I did make him step to the side, surprised by my sudden action.

"Really? Is that how it's going to be tonight?" He asked, flashing me his award-winning smile.

"Yeah," I smiled back at him, "Is that a problem?"

"I'll show you a problem," He said, leaving the threat hanging as Sam, Corey and Jake reappeared. Jake was shining his flashlight into the woods, "So which way is the orphanage?"

"It's over there," Sam pointed with his own flashlight, off into the thickest part of the forest.

"Are we walking through that?" I asked, "Is there a better way we can go?"

"Going around the woods would take forever. Besides, most of it is just an overgrown trail so we won't get lost," Colby said, closing the trunk.

Sam grabbed the backpack from Colby, slinging it over his shoulder as Colby propped up the camera on the back of the car.

Suddenly, Colby was talking to it, signaling that the video was starting, "WHAT'S up guys it's Sam and Colby!" He clapped his hands together, pointing at Jake, Corey and I, "And we have these two idiots and Liz. Say hi Liz,"

Colby turned his head to look over at me, now standing in between Jake and Sam. I gave a little wave and a grin, "Hi Liz,"

Sam's palm flew to his forehead, and Corey nudged me before breaking out in laughter. My joke wasn't all that funny, but their reaction slightly eased my nerves.

"Today we are exploring an abandoned orphanage," Sam explained, and Jake caught my attention by tapping Colby's shoulder, who shot his head back and went to bite where his friend's finger just was. "Before we go any further, like the video, hit the subscribe button and let's get started,"

Sam walked forward, covering the lens with his hand and stopping the recording.

"Alright let's go," Jake began marching off towards the woods, leaving us all to follow.

Colby and I walked in the back, falling into step beside each other.

"You nervous?" He asked, surprising me by slinging his arm over my shoulder.

"No," I lied with a grin, "Kind of excited, actually,"

"Yeah. Me too," He sighed, and the further we walked onto the trail, the darker it got.

By the time we were around halfway to the orphanage - according to Sam - we all had to turn our flashlights on so we could see.

Eventually, genuine excitement filled me when I saw the end of the treeline.

"This is it," I said, "My first time exploring,"

"You've never been in an abandoned building?" Colby asked, almost in disbelief.

"No. I like to appreciate their beauty from a distance," I said, "I never even considered what the inside would look like,"

"First time for everything I suppose," He smiled, something close to triumph in his eyes when he glanced at me.

Maybe that's because this would be the first of many explorations I'd go on with him. Maybe.