Demolition

1: The Reunion (Seth Johnson)

January 3rd 2023

I was swinging patiently as the wind nibbled down at my face. The trees were stripped and the sky was a bleak grey. Not much could be heard apart from the quiet, harsh wind. I hope it isn't much longer until she arrives. I hope it's before my face is devoured. I gave her my heart for a reason. It's not exactly a permission slip to cast out false hope so my face can be devoured as i sit swinging on a cold January morning.

Soon distinct footsteps broke the near silence. A distinct figure could be seen. Skye.

I was caught up in Skye's sight when I was about twelve meters away from her. We simultaneously ran excitedly towards each other. She embraced  me Tightly for a good ten seconds. I embraced back.

"Seth" Skye started. "It's been so long".         
Skye seemed more than grateful embracing my presence. It was like she hasn't have seen me for about 6 months when in reality it was just over a week.

I was in Finland paying a visit to distant family who I hadn't seen since I was about five.  They were fascinated about how much I had grown in a decade. It was like they witnessed a  magic trick.

Skye took my hand, like how she took my heart, to take me somewhere. I was unsure of what to expected but I still followed her,

"I am so excited to introduce you to this friend group" Skye said, excitedly."

I was also intrigued in meeting this friend group. Maybe for once I will meet real people apart from my family, my friend Tyler whose birthday was in a couple days, and Skye. Most of the people who I have been friends with shaped my past. They didn't do a good job at making  it bearable to revisit but it was effective, what they did. 

Eventually after waltzing the lifeless streets, I stumbled across Skye's friend group. The people in it were Nancy, Bianca, Ella and Nasir. The group seemingly didn't have a problem with me, but there was a way I felt outcasted from them. Boring.

"You vape full time now Skye?" Ella queered.
"Yep. Blue Razz Lemonade is my favourite" Skye replied, ambitiously
"Strawberry ice is better!" Ella argued, confidently
"How?" Skye spouted. "Blue Razz Lemonade actually feels like you're drinking lemonade".
"Bullshit". Ella squabbled back.

I was tempted to rudely inteject and conclude all this bickering by saying that vaping is very unhealthy and that the effects on the body haven't been fully tested, but I was overpowered by the fear of being outcasted even more.

"Elf bars are shit" Bianca interjected. "Gummy bear surprise is the best eluxe bar". Skye and Ella quickly lost their motive to keep the argument running.

Eventually, we unanimously decided to go to Ella's house. I tagged along, following the friend group to Ella's house which was among the ocean of houses.

Rain started hissing down at us, knowing full well I was vulnerable; my hoodie was overworking trying to shield me from what felt like a storm.
"Are you cold?" Nasir asked, seemingly concerned for me.
"A bit" I said in an attempt to reassure him. It was blatantly obvious to the rest of the group that I was freezing because I was shaking like mad. Skye passed me her coat which shielded me up until we arrived at Ella's house

Then we walked in. Empty. Isolated. The floors were quite far from immaculate. It was like nobody had been in for a good couple days. Dishes left unwashed. Toys scattered across the floor. The only form of life in the room, apart from us, was Ella's dog, Rose.

Eventually Ella found the speaker that was in her house and decided to blast As It Was by Harry Styles. She informed me that the song reminded her of when she first met Nancy a few months ago and was crushing over her. Now that they are together, the song is a friendly reminder of the happy times when she first met Nancy, who she sees as the love of her life.