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I sat on the curb outside of the club with Harper, who'd pulled me out of the commotion quickly and brought me outside for some fresh air. We hadn't spoken, we just sat in comfortable silence. As quickly as the drugs kicked in, they had worn off. Spider and Ant had not yet emerged from the club, last time I had seen them Dusty was standing between them, talking some sense into the two best friends.
"I don't think we've ever had a conversation." I laughed, turning to look at Harper. She gazed over at me, laughing also. "I think you're right." She agreed, shrugging her shoulders. We continued to share a look, though we didn't speak for a moment. Harper's smile faded as she studied my face. "I don't know you very well, or at all... but you're a good person. Spider will ruin that about you." I looked down at my knees that were pulled to my chest, her words coming as a surprise.
Though I didn't respond, I took a mental note of every word Harper said. In reality, I think all of them were as bad as eachother when it came to the way they treated girls. Spider, Ant and Dusty, though I wouldn't admit it to her. I looked over to the exit of the club, Malakai and Amerie made their way out, followed by Spider. Shortly after, Dusty and Ant made their way out too. Spider came next to me and sat on the curb, I looked toward him though he did not look at me. Instead, he kept his head forward.
I was still trying to make sense of what I'd remembered while watching Spider pull Ant away from me, it was most likely just an instinct. Nothing personal. The way Spider pushed Ant away ignited the memory with such distinct detail.
Ant took a seat next to Spider and Dusty sat next to Harper, all of us lined up on the curb, soaking in the events of the evening without exchanging so much as a sigh. Harper placed a hand on my shoulder, her eyes telling me to remember what she had just shared with me. I placed my hand over hers, smiling kindly toward the girl. Regardless of what her and Amerie had been through, Harper was not a bad person. She had lost herself over the summer, it was clear to see.
"Ant, Is there something you'd like to say to Daisie?" Dusty questioned, raising his eyebrow. I looked past Spider and over to Ant, his eyes watching the floor. "Ant, it's okay." I said gently. I didn't want to make him feel like something he wasn't, he had made a mistake, though I wanted to make it clear this was the last time he was to do so. "But I really, and I cannot stress this enough, do not want to kiss you."
Everybody shared a laugh, including Ant, who looked over to me and placed his hand on his heart dramatically. Spider swung his arm around Ant's shoulder, pulling him close. I watched them closely as the sat there, comfortably, and smiled. They had a beautiful sense of understanding for one another, it was rare to see a friendship like it these days. They reminded me of Darren and I.
"Malakai!"
Amerie's scream made us all look over, the police officer brutally throwing Malakai to the floor. We all shot up, the three boys made their way over to him quickly in a bid to get him up. I tried to fight through the crowd that had quickly gathered to make my way to Amerie, who was being pushed back by an officer, though I had no luck in the matter. I watched Ant drag Malakai from the concrete, they had no hesitation making a run for it.
Spider grabbed my hand, yanking me from the crowd and pulling me along. We ran as fast as our legs could take us, Spider had practically dragged me halfway down the street before I could actually make sense of what had just happened. We soon stopped when we'd reached a safe distance, everyone struggling to catch their breath as we came to a holt. Malakai was visibly shaken by the incident as he and Amerie began their dispute.
"Did anyone record it?" Amerie asked, taking out her phone. "Amerie, that's not a good idea." I said, taking a step toward her. Harper nodded in agreement, though amerie disregarded what I'd said as Ant had sent her the video he'd captured. Malakai began to panic quickly, begging Amerie not to post the video. I watched him intently, wanting nothing more than to comfort him through it.
I can't imagine how Malakai felt right now. "Maybe you shouldn't of-" I shot my head toward Spider, shaking my head with wide eyes. I could guarantee whatever that sentence ended with, nobody wanted to hear it. He shut up quickly, acknowledging what I'd done.
"Shit. I, um, I can delete it."
"Did you just post it?" Malakai stared at Amerie in disbelief of her irresponsible actions, tugging at his hair in frustration. "Fuck off! Get away from me!" I hadn't seen this side to Malakai and it was clear Amerie hadn't either as she stood frozen in place while he ran away. We all stood there, waiting for her to do something... anything. "Don't let him go." Harper begged, snapping Amerie out of her motionless state.
"You heard him. It's done." Amerie replied with a blank stare. Harper's eyes twitched with disbelief, soon taking off to follow Malakai, Dusty quickly pursuing her trail. Amerie began to turn and walk away. "Amerie.." I began.
"It's over!" I sealed my lips, though I wasn't shocked by her words. After how Malakai had spoken to her, I half expected it. I let her go, watching her leave until she was out of sight. I turned back toward where the group stood, though now it was just Spider and I left, waiting for eachother to interject the silence. Behind Spider, I noticed Ant walking away in the distance, his frame becoming indistinct quickly.
I looked around for a moment, taking in my surroundings. I was a forty-five minute walk from home and the busses had stopped running. I was meant to be staying with Darren tonight, though that was unlikely now. My phone was dead and Dougie was still with Darren, I didn't want to drag him away from Darren when they'd just shared such a special thing. Spider watched me attentively, his hands pushed into his pockets. Without a word he turned his back and began to walk away, his legs striding in the opposite direction. I watched him take a few steps, stood frozen to the floor.
Was he just to leave me here without a goodbye? Clearly. I looked away from him, waiting for him to leave. My house was in the same direction and I didn't want to make it awkward.
"You live this way, Right?" My head quickly turned to Spider, who had stopped walking and turned to face me. I gazed at him with a small nod, my head wondering to the floor as I smiled discreetly, taken back by his gesture to walk me home. He gestured for me to make my way over to him, and so I did as we began to walk.
