Calling All David Ryans

Chapter 12

                                                                             XII.

(Not yet edited)

Friends are needed in everyone's lives. Even if they are a pain every now and then, one still needs them to point out the humanity in oneself.

I twisted Logen's hair into two french braids. Maggie did the same to mine. Her hair was already made up in the same style.

"Isn't this nice?" I chirped, "We're keeping up an old tradition."

The tradition I talked of consisted of Reds games, matching clothes, and french braids.

Logen did not respond. Her eyes stayed straight ahead.

Something vibrated off the coffee table. Maggie grabbed it.

"Hey! That's mine phone!" I cried.

She pointed at me. "Keep doing Logen's hair."

"What about mine?"

"Nobody cares about yours."

Logen groaned, causing the argument to stop. I tied up her last braid.

"It's Drew," Maggie said, reading the phone's screen, "he says he's waiting out front with Dave."

"I hope Dave's still in one piece," I joked.

Maggie rolled her eyes and ignored my arrogance. She let the remark slide.

"Come one," she called, "we're going."

Logen got up to follow Maggie. A dull look shaded Logen's face.

"Wait," I said, "what about my hair? It's only half finished!"

Logen and Maggie already found themselves outside the apartment door. "Don't worry about it," Maggie's voice bounced off the walls, "I'll do it on the way there. Hurry up. You're going to make us miss the bus!"

The city turned a sea of red. The bright color flashed on every corner. Red shirts, red hats, and even a red afro rushed past us.

"Isn't this great?" I breathed, buying a couple of dollar waters.

Drew nodded with a smile. Dave muttered some incoherent sentence. Logen had no response, and Maggie continued to scan the crowd, probably making character assertions.

"Now, pretty lady, keep these closed until you get into the park," the vendor told me, "otherwise, security will throw them, you hear?"

A smile flashed across my face. "Yes, I do. Thank you, sir, come along everyone!"

My hand found Dave's, I pulled him into the swarming mass of red.

"Oh, Drew, be careful of your arm," Maggie's voice carried from behind.

"I'll be fine," his tone held a bland note, "but, thanks anyways."

"Water, peanuts! Get 'em cheap here!" The vendor resumed his chant.

"Oh, look," I pointed to a UDF inside the park, "Sushi."

Dave's grip tightened around my hand. "I'm not paying nine dollars for a crappy roll of sushi."

We found our seats and sat down. The heated plastic stuck to my skin. Sunlight brightened the area. The heat rained down, causing sweat to drip out of my pores.

"I can't see," Dave complained, "the sun's in my eyes."

"Well, you should have brought sunglasses," I told him. From my bag, I pulled out a pair. I fixed them upon the bridge of my nose and gave him a smirk.