scarred.

{8} escape.

Note: Slow chapter alert Dx things will get more interesting soon. But if you've read up to this chapter, God, you, dear reader, are just AMAZING <3 Thank youuuuu <3

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{8}

E I G H T  |  E S C A P E 

Lidia and Blaze were sitting outside together when I spotted them the next day. I walked out to the backyard to chat with them for a bit, feeling the chilly wind that seemed to get colder day by day. The leaves on the trees had fallen, revealing the grey tones of the once lively trees. No one else was really out in the backyard that morning—it was too chilly.

Lidia and Blaze usually got a chuckle or two out of me, and lately, I had been in need of a few laughs. Thinking they could make my mood brighten up in preparation for my meet with Anette and her mother Odelle, I wanted to have a talk with them. Maybe we’d talk about the weather or some videogames. I didn’t know—I just wanted to socialize for a bit.

As I walked out the doors and I headed for their direction, I wondered if they would notice me walking funny. The cuts on my thighs had crusted, making them very tender. They hurt every time the skin moved from my steps.

“Hey guys,” I told them as I spotted them relaxing at an outdoor table with glasses of lemonade.  

“’Sup, Jill-babe?” Lidia titled her chin at me as she smiled and held her glass. I could see the small white ice cubes as they floated and created a soft clinking noise with the glass.

Blaze sipped at his lemonade, “Have a seat, m’lady.” He gestured to the empty plastic chair next to his.

“What’s with the iced lemonade? It’s pretty chilly out here as it is.” I sat down on the chair, feeling my day-old cuts burn, but it hardly made me wince.

“Lemonade isn’t just for summer,” Lidia scoffed playfully, “This stuff is the shizz year-round!” She exclaimed.

“And only you would say weird words like shizz,” Blaze laughed. The tips of his dark hair blew slightly as the wind picked up its pace. The gust of wind made me shiver and my teeth chatter for a few seconds.

I tried smiling for the two of them. “So what have you two been up to lately?”

“Uh,” Lidia glanced towards Blaze before she answered me, “Videogames and TV. Why ask when you already know, Hun?”

I looked at her t-shirt and how it was small and black. Wasn’t she cold?

“I just—I don’t know.” I shrugged. She was right. Why did people ask things they already knew about?

“Would you look at that? A wild anti-social jerk in the horizon! I believe the species is called a Lidia!” Blaze nudged me with his elbow gently. He chuckled at his joke, and Lidia scoffed with a smile on her face.

“You’re so funny,” Lidia told Blaze with a coating of sarcasm on her voice.

“I try, Lid, I try.”

“So, Jill-babe,” Lidia turned to me, “I heard about the hot guy that visited the other day. I also heard he looked like a Greek God.”

I was dumbfounded, “What?”

Blaze snickered, “She’s talking about your little boyfriend.”

“Guys, he’s not my boyfriend!” I told them, trying to raise my voice to make a point.

“Uh-huh, yeah, sure,” Lidia shrugged, “Just wanted to let you know that Blaze and I need to approve before things get any more serious between you and Mr. Perfectface.”