Whispers Among The Magnolias

Five

 I quietly got dressed in a pair of black sweats that had been cut into shorts and a faded T-shirt. I took my face mask off and set my glasses on the bed, I took my bonnet off shaking my hair before stuffing some pillows underneath the blanket. I didn't know if that would work I've just seen it in movies so it felt right. I locked the door to my room and the door connected to the bathroom. I took one final deep breath before grabbing my phone and unlocking the window.

It was eerily quiet as I slid the window down, leaving it just cracked enough. It's different from the city where you'd still hear nightlife well into the night even in residential areas. Instead, it was replaced by the constant buzz of cicadas. I turned towards the truck holding my slides in my hand in case they made noise. I felt the cool grass on my toes and my heartbeat in my ear.

I made it to the truck and pulled on the passenger side door to find it locked, the window rolled down as a girl's face stared back at me.

"Did you want passenger hun?" Rose was smiling at me back in her normal clothes. I was stunned for a minute to see her as Chase gave me a friendly wave from the driver's seat.

"No it's okay," I said and walked to the back door, thankful there was no one else in the back seat as I climbed in.

Chase didn't say he was alone I just assumed, this was definitely for the best I just said hours ago we should keep our distance, and now I was hoping out my window to hang out alone with him. Even worse I shouldn't have been disappointed to see Rose, as lovely as she is.

What was I thinking?

Chase looked in the review mirror and made eye contact with me as he pulled off, "I'm glad you changed your mind," he looked back at the road and I glanced at Rose.

"So what are we doing that couldn't wait until morning?" I gave him a polite smile but otherwise ignored him and asked as Rose turned to look at me.

"We have this tradition before school starts," Rose started and Chase cleared his throat.

"You'll ruin all the fun," Chase said and Rose laughed.

"Okay fine don't tell me but how do I play into this?" I asked and Rose answered.

"You see I have this thing about lucky threes, it's like my number. I had to take my driver's test three times and on the third time I passed. I took my cat to the vet twice and they kept saying she was fine, but on the third time and third vet, they let me know she was allergic to something in her food, see lucky number three!" Rose said nodding as I nodded along in understanding.

"So I'm the lucky three this time?" I asked and Rose turned back around letting her window down and some of the cool night air come in.

"We do it every year normally with Mary Mae, but," she trailed off and Chase leaned forward turning up the music.

We quietly took that as our sign to end the conversation there as we continued to ride in silence. I wasn't one for country music, it's not like I hated it or anything but it wouldn't be on the top of my playlists. Though the song Chase was playing was nice, I rolled down the window sticking my hand out and making small waves with my hand cutting into the wind. I sat directly behind Rose as she copied my motion with her hand. I watched as we passed trees filled with moss and on slow turns, I would catch the faint flicker of fireflies.

"All limbs in the vehicle ladies," Chase called over the music as he turned onto a dark dirt road. I tucked my arm back into the truck and rolled the window up as Rose did the same, as the truck slowed to a crawl and then to a full stop. He hopped out of the truck and jogged a few paces forward, I moved to the middle seat to watch him, the bright lights of the truck the only thing illuminating our surroundings.