Is This Safe?

Chapter 8

Gathering our gear, we called yet another taxi.

"Taxi!"

Chelsea jumped in the air to catch any driver's attention, but the city street was so loud and busy, they couldn't notice the unobserved bystanders waiting for a simple ride.

"Taxi!"

She yelled louder; her voice growing hoarse, she clutched her throat.
"Maggie, you try."

"Taxi!"
Maggie was taller than Chelsea so perhaps someone would see this time.
As if on cue, a taxi drove up next to the curb.
"Come on."
Maggie began to lead the way before an impatient woman darted in front of us. Sliding in, she closed the taxi door as it drove away.

"Wow, what a moron."
I heard Maggie mutter under her breath.

"That was so rude."
Chelsea added with a disgusted look on her face.

"We got there first. What made her think to go ahead of us?"
Ann continued.

"I know, right?"
I may as well voice my opinion.
"It's okay, we can find another one."

"But we've been standing here for ever!"
Chelsea groaned while leaning her head backward before dropping it to look at her iPad. I was indeed curious by what she was doing.

I sighed deeply,
"Fine. Somebody hold my bag."
I then hand my bag over to Ann whom I deem most responsible with my belongings. Walking closer to the curb, Ann stops me.

"What are you doing?"

"Catching us a cab, the right way."
Smiling back at them, I look both ways before stepping into the road. Gathering my courage, I spot a taxi slowing down to a red light. Suspecting the red light to be long, it was shorter than I anticipated. Regaining its speed, the taxi sped in our direction while I walked briskly before ending up almost running in front of it.

"Taxi!"

My legs smack onto the hood of the car when I fall forward. My arms holding me up, I glance back at my friends who covered their gaped mouths with their hands.

"Got it!"

Sliding in the car, I don't even wait for my friends. The driver just leaned back to look at me with a bizarre look on his face. He must think I'm crazy!
Quickly reuniting with my friends, they pile inside the taxi while squishing me into the middle. Instead of applauding me for catching them a long awaited taxi, they ramble off of how foolish I was.

"What were you thinking?"
Maggie almost yells at me, but I only know she was concerned.

"You could have been killed!"
Chelsea added with a bit of a shriek. She then leans past Maggie to give me a tight hug.

"Well, she's still here, isn't she?"
Ann adds while handling me my bag which I then rested on my lap. Ann was so cool with things like this.
"You've got to admit,"
she continued, "that--was awesome."

Completely disregarding the utterly confused driver, Ann and I began to laugh.
Really loud. I could see the wheels turning slowly inside of Chelsea and Maggie's brain when I leaned forward and pressed my hands on the glass that separated us and the driver. My breath steaming the glass, I wipe it with the sleeve of my shirt.

"Know any good nature spots?"
I managed to ask without choking on any last bits of laughter. Raising his eyebrows, the driver took the car out of gear before driving us to who knows where.

***

"Here we are."
I breath out the warm air before inhaling the fresh cool air. Don't you just love fall weather? The driver must have thought we--I--was crazy, but he did manage to take us to a beautiful park. We hadn't even taken one step outside the taxi and we were already breathless.