Dare to Fall

Chapter XXVII

Listen to the music above while reading this chapter, Tonight by Secret Nation.

***

"Oh no, seriously?" Amelia exclaimed, holding her phone to her ear as she juggled packing my clothes, munching on a snack, and talking to someone on the line. "Alright, it's fine... Okay, bye." She ended the call and tossed her phone onto my bed.

I raised an eyebrow, curious about what had just unfolded. "What was that?" I asked, grabbing a bag of chips from the side and popping one into my mouth.

"What was what?" Amelia replied, pausing her packing to give me an inquisitive look. I shot her an annoyed glance while chewing, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh! It was Bridget and Alison," she finally said, returning to her task. "They can't come because they're going on a trip with their parents."

"Oh, I didn't know they were sisters," I remarked, still focused on the chips.

"They're not," Amelia corrected, shaking her head. "Their parents are business partners, so they're pretty much like sisters."

I nodded, still processing the information. "What about Jeff and David?" I asked, wondering who else would be joining us.

Amelia let out a sigh, her expression shifting to something serious. I couldn't quite tell if she was annoyed or just feeling down. "Jeff's not coming. His mom wants him to spend spring break at his grandparents' house," she explained, which left us with David. "So it's just going to be David, you, me, and Ethan."

"So, who's picking us up at 4 AM?" I inquired, half-expecting her to say it would be a parent or someone else.

"Probably Ethan," she replied, closing the suitcase and pushing it aside. She grabbed her phone again and sat down next to me. "I'll call him later."

I took another handful of chips, watching her as she stared at my snack bag. "You ate them all?!" she exclaimed, feigning shock, though it was clear she was annoyed. "Seriously, Felicity?!"

"Sorry!" I said, grinning innocently as I held up the empty bag. Amelia couldn't help but roll her eyes, and then she lunged for me, fingers wiggling as she aimed for my sides.

"Come here, you little shit!" she laughed, and I burst into giggles, attempting to escape her grasp.

***

Amelia had decided to sleep over at my house, convinced it was a better idea than driving back to her place late at night. I couldn't argue—our journey the next day was going to be five or six hours long, and I knew we'd need all the sleep we could get.

Morning came too quickly. I was jolted awake by Amelia shaking me and lightly kicking my leg. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" she chirped.

I groaned, pulling the covers over my head, hoping to steal a few more minutes of sleep. Just as I was about to drift off again, Amelia screamed my name, and I shot up, squinting against the light. "What the hell's wrong with you?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes and trying to focus on her smiling face.

"Get up! You have thirty minutes until Ethan arrives to pick us up," she said, shoving a towel in my direction. I reluctantly grabbed it and trudged toward the bathroom. Just as I was about to close the door, she stopped me.

"Oh no, you're not wearing that!" she said, snatching the clothes I had chosen—a pair of skinny jeans and my favorite Rolling Stones band shirt. "Try this instead." She handed me the floral romper we had bought the day before.

"Really? A romper?" I protested, eyeing it with skepticism.

"Yes, really! Now hurry up!" she urged, pushing me into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.