Alice eventually slows down to a walking pace as her exhaustion catches up with her. She inhales and exhales sharply, grabbing at her side. Emma finally saw the chance to catch up to her, "Why did we do that?" she questions her. The pain was starting to hit her side as well, not to mention her shoulder was still sore.
"Because," Alice spoke almost as if she didn't just run, but you could still slightly hear that she was out of breath. She grabs her hand.
That's when Emma looks up; they had reached an open spot in the woods. The grass was tall, littered with flowers, and there was a small stream off to the side. She notices a creepy, abandoned house in front of them. Her eyes go wide as she lets out a quiet "Wow," but she couldn't stare for too long. She's yanked forward, stumbling.
"Come on, you haven't even seen the inside of it yet," Alice tugs on her arm again impatiently.
Emma knew of the woods behind her house, but she had never gone too far in; she was afraid of becoming lost. They both step inside leaves crunching under their feet. The floorboards creak, and the house smelt of old, warm, dusty wood. Light seeps through shattered windows along. It revealed particles of dust in the air. She stands in bewilderment for a moment; she always loved abandoned houses. They made her curiosity overflow.
"When did you find this place?" she inquires.
Alice kicks over some old stuff, "Yesterday."
Emma closes her eyes and breathes in deeply, taking in the smell. There was silence for a moment, and when she opens one of her eyes, she sees Alice wandering off. She follows, everything they see has a thick layer of dust coating it. Towards the back of the house was a kitchen and a staircase that leads up to the second floor. The rooms were mostly empty, only having a few pictures still on the walls.
Alice walks up to a room; the door was shut. When she opens it, it reveals a small bedroom there was still a bookcase left behind. The window was basically gone. More books were littered on the ground, but there was a small stack of ones that were clear of dust. Alice dusts off a spot before sitting down, and Emma does the same.
"You know I'm a little upset you didn't tell me about this place as soon as you found it," Emma jokes.
Alice chuckled a tiny bit, pulling out her phone. Her smile drops quickly, letting out a sigh before shoving it back into her pocket.
"What's up?" she asks.
"Oh, Liam just messaged me. There's no service here so, I can't respond to him," she responds in a dismissing tone.
Alice and Liam have been together for a few months. She seems really happy with him. For a moment she looks at Alice, she feels a tug in her heart. She smiles; the room around her was a blur. It was a little too much for Emma, so she lays back, looking up at the ceiling.
"Remember the night we pushed each other around in shopping carts?" Alice's voice fills the silence.
Emma giggles as the memory pops up, "Yeah I do. That was fun. I still remember when your mom let me drive her car around." They both laugh. Emma and Alice have been friends for almost eight years now.
She hears Alice shift and the floors creak. Emma watches as she leans over her, her hair hanging down. "Wanna race back to your house before I gotta go home?" she says in a competitive tone.
Emma groans but chuckles, "Sure, why not."
They walk out the door, and she's met by the essence of flowers and grass again. She looks over at Alice; she can tell that she's ready to win.
"Okay, ready," she starts. "One...Go!" Alice ran, snickering, leaving her behind.
Emma is already in the dust. She bolts, trying to catch up with her. "That's not fair," she calls out, beaming.
As they were running, she couldn't stop staring at Alice. She was memorized by the way her hair would catch on the sunlight, flowing perfectly behind her. How her breaths were quick and harsh as she tried to keep her speed, just her in general. Her laugh sounded like a melody as it filled the air.
There was no chance at catching up to her. If she tried to push herself anymore, her body would not forgive her. As they reach the house, she was still behind. "Beat you," Alice stood proudly as she waits for Emma. She always loved a challenge.
"I let you win," Emma breaths and opens the door.
"Yeah right," she scoffs.
Alice closes the door behind them and bolts upstairs. It was like she had an endless amount of energy. When Emma reaches her room, she sees her faceplanted in her bed. She runs up and jumps on the bed beside her, "God, my legs are gonna hurt tomorrow."
Emma sits up, propping herself up against the wall. As soon as she does, Alice places her head on her stomach. She then pulls out her phone to respond to her boyfriend. Emma feels light as she observes her.
That's when they hear a voice call from the other side of the door, "Emma?" it was followed by a soft knock. It slowly creaks open, and her mom peeks her head in. "I heard the door. How was your walk? I see Alice is with you."
Emma's mom was a petit old woman. Her hair was starting to grey, and wrinkles were beginning to show. She smelled of a vintage perfume and, despite her old age, still tried to dress nicely. Her voice was adenoidal yet sweet. Alice innocently smiles and waves at her. In return, she gives a warm smile back.
"Good, it's cold out though," Emma responds to her mom.
"Alice, are you staying for dinner?" she asks.
Alice smiled once again and politely shook her head, "I should be heading home soon now that I think about it."
Emma's mom nods and quietly shuts the door before carrying on with whatever she was doing. They sat in silence for a while until Alice finally spoke, "I should get going. Message me."
"Okay," Emma said as she watches her friend leave.
She sat there afterward, the silence being the only thing with her. With a sigh, she closes her eyes and tries to relax. "Great what am I supposed to do now?" she mumbles.
