The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side (NOT FINISHED)

Chapter 4

          "What are you doing here?" Sam asks in a rush.

          "Same reason you're here, Sammy." Jonathan exaggerates it with a tone that could be deceived as a fifth grade bully. But he specifically exaggerates "Sammy". Like he's trying to spit out gum. Or as if he's running out of breath and he's trying to just quickly throw the words out his mouth. "What do you want, Jonathan?" Sam hisses.

          "We just want a little help." He gives me the kind of look when someone comes up with the best idea. But in this case, the idea was coming from himself. What a weirdo.

          "Yeah, no, I don't think so buddy." Sam says. I look at him and say thank you with my eyes. He gives me an upside down smile that I think is supposed to be the way he's saying "no problemo.".

          "Oh come on guys! Just a little help?" Jonathan insists. "No means no, Jonny Boy." Chris mocks. Jonathan looks at me like he's trying to get me to help him out, but why in the world would I do that? The whole town is against him, in fact. Why did he think we we're going to help him? Honestly, I don't even feel bad for him anymore. Yes, he lost his dad. And yes, he is Christian's brother. But no, I will not tolerate his vexing behavior.

          He groans, disappointed, and then he, Elias, and Elyna get on their way.

          I watched Chris as they left. I am not too sure as to why, but I thought I would. He was looking at Elyna like she was about to be murdered. Or as she just was murdered.

          "So. What do we do now?" I ask. "Good question." Tobias responds.

          Chris still seems to be locked on Elyna, even though she is completely gone already. I've heard him mentioning little bits of what he thinks of her, but now that I'm actually here to witness it, it's completely different. I guess not everyone is born with a natural talent to express exactly what you're feeling at the moment, but c'mon now man, I would like to be part of your life!

          I suggest that we all leave and give up on the idea, and they all begin to spit things at me; "No, Katie, how could we just give up like that." Or, "Wow Chevrolet. Never took that last name as a quitter." But by the end, we all came to the conclusion that we were never going to really find anything, and that there were plenty of other things that we could spend our time on. Like surfing! Or playing card games. Or going golfing together! Or! Or... You get the point. When we are walking back to the Beetle, I stop Chris and decide to take action. "So." I say, unsure. "So...?" He says back, also unsure.

          "I saw the way you were looking at Elyna. You two got something going on?" I'm invested.

          "I mean... we talk a little bit, but it's nothing special. I don't think she likes me like that."

          He appears to be a little disappointed. But I would also be, if I thought that the guy I liked didn't like me back. I try to reassure him. "Are you serious? Dude. I totally saw the way she was looking back at you!" Of course I didn't actually see her looking at him in any way, but the whole point of having friends is to make sure they feel loved. Right?

          "Really? I didn't notice anything though!" He says as he lets his smile take him over. I love making people happy. What can I say? I'm a people pleaser.

          "Yeah dude! She's totally into you!" I try so hard to make him believe me. The only problem is, the last time Chris got into a relationship... Let's just say it didn't end too well. So, I'm not really the biggest fan of pushing anything to happen too quickly. I want him to take his own, sweet, time.

          He thanks me, then he walks away with a smile.

          We all hop into the car, and of course they make me drive again. They always do. Why wouldn't they? Obviously it's because I'm clearly the best driver here. No one could scale to what a master I am at driving.

          "So, what are we doing, mes Amis Pour Toujours?" I ask, curiously curious. "Well," Sam begins to say while jumping into the front seat. "We could go back to my place and just play some board games?"

          Everyone agrees and we're on our way.

          We arrive at Sam's place and we hop out. For some reason this time being here feels different. I come here almost everyday, and it still just feels different this time. It's like I've stopped something that is in desperate need of being finished. Like a glass jar is about to fall off the edge of a shelf and I've left it there all night while trying to fall asleep. It just doesn't feel right, but I don't know what it is.

          I call everyone to join me inside the house and they all walk in the door. Chris sits down on the couch, right next to me, and Sam gets out a deck of playing cards. Sam begins to talk. "So Tobs, mind joining me for a game of War?"

          "No way, I beat you every time, I'm too good."

          "Oh c'mon little Toby boy, I'll go try-hard mode?" Sam says back, trying to convince Tobias to give in. I think it worked.

          "Okay fine. But only one round."

          "Thank you?" Sam finishes.

          "Not sure how to respond to that."

          I give Carathea a look of disapproval and she smiles back at me. I decide I need some space to breathe and I get up slowly due to my muscles hurting from all the running and clue hunting we did today.

          I sit down on the hanging bench outside and lay a fuzzy, dark blue blanket with black polka dots on top of my legs. I look up into the crowded sky, full of stars, and think to myself, wondering if my mom is looking back at me from heaven.

          When I was 6, my mom went to work everyday. She used to work as a psychiatrist, and she loved every second of it. She would come home all smiley and I would ask her how her day went and everyday, she would reply with, "Le travail était parfait. Je ne changerai rien."

          When I was little, even though I lived in France all my life, all my parents would talk in English, because my parents moved there from Canada in 1996. But now that I'm 16, I finally know what it means. But now that I'm 16, I cannot hear her say it ever again.

          She's gone.