Dreams

How I Feel

~Ethans POV~

Ash and I walked along the main road for a while before coming across a side street.

"I love this place dude, Its just up this hill." He said, if by hill me meant fifty foot fucking mountain. We started marching up the hill and since it was hot and I'm out of shape, I was getting out of breath easily. 

"You alright?" Ash said, genuine concern in his tone.

"yeah I just... *heh* don't get out *heh* often.." I panted.

"Here." Ash scooped me up and started carrying e bridal style up the hill.

"How do you do this?" I asked.

"I come here every day believe it or not, usually when I'm stressed or just need to escape so the trip gets easier and easier each time." He explained.

"Makes sense." I reply as he put me down. We're at the entrance to a wooded area with a path leading through.

"As sketchy as it looks, its actually really pretty inside." He explained. I nodded and we headed inside. The path was narrow, so Ash went first.

"Be careful where you walk, since theres a lot of stones that stick up.. and snakes." said Ash.

"Uhm, what?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, one time I was out here with my old friends Kaelyn and Ava, and when we were about to walk home I was totally oblivious and almost stepped on a snake halfway through swallowing a small frog, and Ava was like 'omg a snake' and I was like well shit." 

"oof." I replied.

"Heh, it gets better." Ash chuckled as he started running towards a mid-sized lake with a few giant stones on the side where the path headed. Ash paused at the edge of the lake and took a deep breath.

"The best relaxer, come take a whiff." 

I walked next to Ash and took a deep breath. He was right, the whole area smelled of pine and sweet flowers. 

"Wow, it smells so good." I said.

"Told you, now follow me." Ash ran to the right and started climbing on the three huge rocks surrounded in the 1 foot deep edge of the lake water. Once he was sitting comfortably, he gesture for me to climb up too. As I got halfway up, he grabbed my hand and pulled me up next to him.

"Funny story, a few kids were over here when Kaelyn, Ava, and I were. They were playing with one of those balls that could turn into a frisbee and the tossed it into the water down there. They tried to use a stick to get it out but it didn't work since, as you can see, the water was and is very murky."

I nodded, as to say 'please continue.'

"So that summer, when the lake dried up enough to reveal this area so Kaelyn, my cousin Skyler, and I looked to see if it was still there, and It was. So Kaelyn grabbed it and they posed for pictures with it. We never returned it and Kaelyn still has it to this day. Miss that dork."

"What happened to Ava?" I asked.

"What happens to most friends eventually, they fade away. I'm still besties with Kaelyn though." He replied.

"How come shes not involved with the gc people?" I asked again.

"She... 'doesn't trust' Kim or Lilly." 

"oh.. but Kim's your girlfriend, I'm sure Kaelyn has some respect for her." I stated.

"I don't even know if shes my girlfriend anymore man."

"really?"  I asked, slightly shocked, "Why?"

"She... doesn't seem too interested anymore. In fact, she been kind of flirting with Lilly but of course Lilly doesn't realize it."