Running From Death

7: Jeane

Lazarus and Jeane were sitting in the living room while I finished making my coffee. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that Jeane is here, I'm beyond happy. But a part of me is confused and concerned. Lazarus had a burn mark, maybe it was a hickey. That would be no shock that he would have a girlfriend, but I doubt that's it. His mom seemed totally pissed that he was in my house. Was he abused?

I place my hands in the counter. My coffee was steaming and the warm smell filled the air. I savored this moment. Laughter erupts from my living room and breaks me from my state. With hot coffee in my hands I make my way to the living room. Lazarus has his arm laying on the back cushions. Jeane is sitting in the chair in the corner of the room smiling her head off.

"When you he said he was in your room the first day I thought of something else; not because you fell out of a tree!"

I shoot Lazarus a death glare. "Did he tell you how I did? There is a story for you to hear." My cockyness is directed at him. He takes his arm of the couch and lays it in his lap. Lazarus take a big breath and looks at me.

"Bees." That's one word made me flip my lid.

"No way in Hell were those bee's. Bee are not that tall! Bee's are not pure black! Bee's do not weigh enough to bend a branch! You know they were not bees. Why don't you tell me exactly what that was?!" My voice in a yelling manor which scares Lazarus. His eyes lock with mine and never leave mine when he stands up. He places his hands on my shoulders. "You have to accept it was bee's. Maybe you're allergic to bee's, hallucination. Because I can say that what you're explaining does not make any sense. A simpler way to put this is that you're crazy." His words don't phase me. They don't even shock me. We stand for a minute daring on another to say anything. When I realize I won't win I snap my head to Jeane who is watching intensely.

"Want to go shopping? I can see if there is a mall somewhere." I'm eager to spend some alone time with my best friend, because when school starts I won't see her as much. "Uh, yeah sure. Just us?"

"Just me and you." I exhale a large breathe. "I'll just stay and be bored with myself then." Lazarus chimes in sarcastically.

"You have fun with that." With that, I run upstairs to grab my phone. I yell over my shoulder for Jeane to join me. My hands find my phone and I start to search for a mall or outlet.
A knock on my door frame travels throughout my room. Anger pulses through me when I realize that it was not Jeane.

"What the hell, Alex?"

"What? If you didn't catch on, that was me nicely kicking you out of my house." A warm laugh fills my room. "That's what you call nice? Gosh, hate to see your bad side."

"Just leave, please. I want to have a nice afternoon with my best friend shopping like teenagers." I try to find directions to the nearest mall. He starts to walk towards me slowly, hands in his pockets. The window seat shifts under the weight of Lazarus. Our shoulders touch but I refuse to look at him. When my phone loads the direction to Thirty-third Pine Mall I stand up quickly and show him my phone.

"This is what I'm going to, not you. Now please leave. Unless you want to tell me what the hell is going on, then stay. I don't want you here for no reason, making sound crazy to my best friend!" His hands raise in defense as he backs up.

"Okay, Lazarus is leaving then. No explaining." He talks in third person and starts to walk through my door frame. Lazarus turns and waves at me "See you around then."

~~~~

Half an hour later Jeane and I are in the her black Saturn on our way to the mall. She is going on about how school starts next week for her. We approach a stop sign and signals left.

"Alex, looks like one of your neighbors are going with us." Jeane says as she nods to the car behind us. Yeah, I saw the black minivan, I just didn't think anything of it. The van had its signal on too; to the left. I tried to get a look at the driver, but then they ducked down as if they dropped somthing.

Jeane pressed the pedal and we launched forward. "Hey! Geeze, don't kill us!"

"Sorry, she's a little touchy." She pats her car's dashboard and gives me a smile. I return a small smile.

We are so going to die.