Shirtsleeves

Chapt. 25

Karlie carries the heavy crate of alcohol from her trunk to the inside of her apartment.

The glasses clink against one another as she trudges her way inside; the sun beating down on her. Her high waisted denim shorts and faded out Jack Daniels muscle tee shirt luckily make the heat bearable.

Finally, she's inside and sets the crate on the island counter to take a break. She daps the light sweat forming at her forehead before peering around, debating what to do. Kendall would be coming to see her soon and she knew she had to put them away before she got here.

Promising herself to recycle the alcohol properly later.

So she works and is able to fit the bottles of various boozes into a compartment in the fridge. Just in time for Kendall to pop through the door.

"Hey Kar." Kendall chimes happily as she lingers at the doorway.

"You can come in you know." Karlie laughs as she slips off her sneakers to find a more casual shoe to wear.

The younger girl smiles, "yes I know that. I also know that if I linger by the door then you'll actually hurry your ass up." She remarks in a sassy tone, earning Karlie sticking out her tongue in her own defense.

The older girl shifts quickly around her apartment. Grabbing her wallet and her cellphone. Then heading over to the hallway closet to find proper shoes. She settles on a simple black pair of flats before grabbing her sunglasses and house keys, then walking out with Kendall.

"I'll drive." Karlie smiles as she locks up her apartment and follows Kendall down to her own Jeep.

"You're seriously tan, probably from taking the jeep out so much." Kendall comments smoothly as they slip into the wrangler. Karlie laughs aloud, she is fairly tan and she really hadn't even noticed. She tans pretty easily though.

She starts the Jeep up and heads off down the road. They stop at a nearby Dunkin, because it was the closest and Kendall began to complain, before hitting the road again.

"Where is this place?" Kendall asks as she sips her raspberry iced tea.

They're heading out of town but not that far, just to the countryside. Karlie's taking Kendall to the lake today. Just to relax and catch up. Both of them had the day off and although Karlie was lucky enough to wake up to Taylor, she couldn't get her to stay. She insisted on heading to work, so they agreed to catch up later on today.

"Only about five miles down this road." Karlie comments mindlessly as she continues to focus on the road.

Her younger friend sighs, taking the time to scroll through her news feed and control the radio. She settles on alternative and it's a song they both know. So the conversation is nonexistent but the singing along is loud.

Not long after the song ends, they're already at the lake. Kendall sticks an arm out of her opened window. She waves her arm smoothly up and down with the wind and the slow movement of the vehicle. They drive along the lake until Karlie hits a rougher patch of road, they drive towards the lake until there's a clearing only a few hundred feet away. Two other cars are parked, more than likely walking along the various trails that sprawl all around the lake.

The two girls exit the vehicle, each taking a second to stretch, before walking down the small bank. Karlie kicks off her flats and sets them aside as she sticks her feet in the cold water and sits, Kendall mostly following her lead.

"It's so nice here." Kendall says quietly as they both sit in a comfortable silence.

"I love it." Karlie responds, as she brings her knees to her chest and rests her head on her now folded arms. "When Taylor and I moved to this town from our hometown, I found it. And I've just come here ever since when I need some fresh air." She adds as she peers out at the open blue lake, her green eyes shining brighter than ever with help from the sun.