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Song: Gasoline, Halsey - It's different from the other songs but you'll see why ;)
"Hey," Dakota greets me as soon as we get out of the van, parked in a lot of a gas station.
"Hello," I respond, stretching my legs and looking at the building. Glass doors are dirty and stained, and the building resembles a cube shape. Inside you can see the small rolls of lottery tickets and even from outside, you can smell the overwhelming smoke of something that I don't think is cigarettes.
Kai spits out his gum onto the ground, and I look at where colours scatter on the once grey concrete, gum and cigarette stains, and I wonder how many other people have lived different lives and been here, thinking about the other people with different lives being here.
I wait for Rosella to jump out before I start walking towards the door. She catches up to me and we enter. Inside, the smell of whatever it is hits me like a wave. Except for if it hits me like a wave, it's a hurricane for the others. They choke up, and everyone but Kai and Aaron bails, spinning around and walking out almost as fast as they walk in.
"Babies," Kai jokes, nudging my shoulder with his elbow, and his eyes sparkle a little when he smiles.
"If they're babies, then you better go join them," I say with a laugh. When I look back out the window, everyone is still coughing and Rosella pinches her nose with her fingers.
"Wow. Right in my heart." Kai puts a hand on his chest and looks down at me, almost daring me to say something else.
"What heart?"
"Can you guys go get a room or something?" Aaron glares at us, and almost instantly Kai and Aaron flip each other off, sending daggers (Note: Not literally) at each other, then they burst out laughing. I roll my eyes and look up at them, then mumble, "Weirdos."
I'm not saying that Aaron's laugh was nice (Note: I kinda am), but it was rare and sounded like if you heard someone say 'Kākāpōs' (Note: They are adorable birds that can't fly and live in New Zealand). Strange, pretty rare, yet sounds so beautiful.
Eventually we all are in the van again. Rosella is in the front passenger. Max drives. Dakota and Rialyn make jokes. Aaron tells us to be quiet. Kai keeps trying to make conversation with me about something. I have Dakota's phone in my hand, and earbuds in and a song playing while I'm writing. This time I'm not writing poems in my mind. I'm writing a scene on paper while the beat of the music pumps in my veins.
(Note: These are some of the song lyrics)
"And all the people say,
You can't wake up,
This is not a dream.
You're part of a machine,
You're not a human being
With your f-"
Suddenly one of my ear buds is gently pulled out. I glance over. Aaron puts the ear bud in his ear, and looks at me with the 'imma-jerk-so-imma-act-like-this-is-normal, whatcha-gonna-do-about-it-shortie'. I glare at him. He somehow pulls out an apple from thin air (Note: Not literally). I know that he senses that I'm hungry. He takes a large bite, the apple crunching under his teeth. He grins like a maniac (Note: Literally).
"What the f.ck?" Aaron shouts as I grab the apple out of his hand and take a bite of it on the other side. Now it's my turn to grin at him while he pouts at me, with the 'please-you're-my-friend-and-I'm-hungry' look.
"Don't eat in front of her," Dakota laughs, watching us two bicker in the back.
"Cash me outside, how bow dat?" I joke.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rosella unknowingly asks, spinning around from the front seat, her body twisting around. The sun shines on her lovely dark skin, her black curls wrapped tightly into two pigtails. Aw, she is so cute and innocent.
"What I just said," I tell Rosella, trying to copy the same strange way the cash me outside girl said it.
"Ignore her," Rialyn tells Rosella with a laugh.
"You're just jelly," I say.
"Okay, wanna go?" Rialyn challenges with a smirk, spinning around to face me.
I fake punch him in the face, and he throws his head back and laughs. Aaron rolls his eyes, yet still doesn't have a scowl on, and he glances towards me. Rosella laughs in unison with Dakota (Note: There seems to be a lot of laughing in the car, almost as if that's the only thing that can break the silence). Kai fell asleep, while Max is busy watching the road. For a while I stare out the window, thinking of Lily and whatever must have happened to her. About thirty minutes later, the breeze now cools the sweaty van. I eventually find Aaron and I looking through memes while the boys joke about inappropriate things.
And, for maybe the first time, I truly smile.
A/N: I feel bad for all the apples...
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