Frigid Flora

sixteen - drugged milk

Chapter Sixteen

I lay on my stomach in front of the fire, picking up a twig to prod at the burning embers nearer the sides. Everyone eventually gave up with the boy scout approach and the boys came up with the ingenious idea to make the fire with their lighter rather than hunting out better twigs. That's also when they began drinking and lighting cigarettes - which Parker hadn't been too happy about having me near but eventually joined in anyway.

Matthew had fallen asleep after drinking his chocolate milk. He had claimed that like me, it usually woke him up, yet he had fallen into a deep sleep barely two minutes afterward. He was lying in a slumped heap on the ground looking rather dead, face pressed into the mud. Nobody had bothered to move him to the tent. I rolled onto my back and prodded him with the stick to make sure he was still alive seeing as he was next to me.

He grumbled something incoherent, nuzzling his face farther into the dirt.

"So why do you hang around with our Parker?" Topher inquired. He and Axel had been asking me lots of questions for a while now. I couldn't remember when it began because my head felt muddled but they seemed to be finding it entertaining.

I rolled away from the fire until I came to a stop at four pairs of boot clad feet. I fiddled with someone's shoelaces as I mulled it over. "I don't- I don't really know." I tied the lace of one shoe to another. "He's like fungus."

Topher and Axel burst out laughing. I wasn't sure but I think I even heard a snort of amusement escape Hayden's lips.

"Not in a bad way," I looked up to search for Parker's face and found him already staring at me. Fortunately he didn't look hurt, just a little concerned. I wondered why. "It's like- you were disgusting at first. Gross and annoying. But then you started to grow on me and I kind of thought, well, I'd miss the fungus a bit if it left. It might not be perfect, a bit mouldy and green and smelly, but, like-" My brain felt so foggy. It almost hurt to try and think of words, let alone remember how to move my mouth in order to speak them. I wasn't even sure if I was making sense. "I like it being there."

Parker was smiling but it wasn't quite reaching his eyes. He was worried.

"That was deep for someone who's acting as if they're drunk." Topher nodded as if impressed.

"So who do you think is the hottest here?" Axel snickered. I flopped onto my back to look at the night sky. It was so dark, a stretch of neverending black like the colour of a television screen tuned to a dead channel but with the added bonus of little twinkles. Stars.

"I don't like this," Parker stated. "Something's wrong with her. She's..."

"Getting into the camping spirit!" Topher finished. "Most relaxed I've seen her."

"Getting nervous she'll say I'm better looking than you?" Axel teased.

It didn't take much thought on my part. "Obviously Topher."

Topher started hollering in victory. "Don't take it to heart, Parker. You just can't beat the T dawg."

"Has she had anything else other than that chocolate milk?" Parker sounded distracted. I felt like moving my head to see him but I couldn't remember how to do that. I giggled. How silly. "You guys haven't given her drink or anything? Because you know that if you have I will actually fucking slit your throats open."

I winced at the violent thought.

"Nah," Axel quickly dismissed him, more interested in other topics. His face was suddenly hovering over mine, eyes sparkling with something I couldn't quite pin point. I reached out to bop him on the nose. "Why are you afraid of touching?"