Fix You ~Completed~

Act Seventy-Three

The first words out of anyone's mouth when Eddie and I walked down the stairs that morning, all prepared for the hike, were from Augustus: "You're not coming hiking in a sweater."

I wasn't wearing a sweater. It was a long sleeved shirt that Eddie had outgrown and gave to me a few weeks ago. The fabric was soft on the inside, almost like wool, and a little dancing pug was stitched into the left breast. It was light enough not to give me a heat stroke. At least, I thought it was.

"Dad," Eddie sighed, fixing the straps on his grey backpack. It hugged his back perfectly despite being so worn. Ed had said he'd had that thing since junior high when Augustus and Joel took him and Gale on their first hike. Georgie hadn't been interested in the adventure; Eddie said he was allergic to anything that involved physical activity. "He'll be fine."

"In anything but shorts and a normal shirt, you'll drop dead," Augustus insisted, giving me a concerned look. It was the first genuine emotion I'd seen on the man's face. "You may be little, but you still won't be able to handle the heat in that shirt and those baggy pants."

Eddie throws his dad an eye roll, assuring him I would be fine and that we're gonna go grab breakfast before the hike.

Gale and his dad showed up ten minutes later and we packed into the Hans' jeep for the long ride. We passed the time in the backseats having thumb wars and failed attempts at Who-Am-I? None of us were in loop over many of the same aspects of pop-culture, so that game ended pretty quickly.

I still couldn't believe Eddie and Gale didn't know who Owl City was. Those boys have no culture.

Then again, I'd never heard of the Mamas and the Papas, and that was just sinful in the boys' eyes. Guess we all have our negatives.

Hours later, we came to the start of the trail. It was to the side of a go-nowhere road around one hundred miles outside Eddie and Gale's hometown. The dads were out of the car first; dead-set on getting started as soon as possible. Eddie was polite and waited for Gale and I to situate ourselves.

"We are scrawny children," Gale sighed. "Please, give us time."

Before we got on the actual trail, Eddie took my hand and made me promise if I started to feel sick or overheated, I'd tell him. "We can turn around anytime, sweetie," he promised. I waved him off, insisting that I was fine. "I just don't want anything happening to you."

That constant worrying couldn't be good for his health.

For the most part, the trail was straight on, so there wasn't too much strenuous activity. Gale and his dad lead the way, chatting with equal animation about the joys of college life and Gale's beautiful girlfriend.

Augustus slowly began lagging behind until he was right beside me. "How long are you boys staying in town?" he brought up, looking over my head towards his son. Like his son, Augustus was about a head taller than me.

"We're leaving the day after tomorrow," Eddie informed him, reaching into his backpack for a water-bottle. His eyes landed on me. "Clemmy, you might wanna drink something. You're looking a little pale."

With a brief nod, Augustus hummed, "Yes, dehydration is serious business, son."

Son? Was he talking to Eddie or me?

"Oh, okay," I agreed quietly, following my boyfriend's lead.

As soon as we both finished drinking, Augustus continued talking and I started to realize he was trying really hard. Like, the man was putting more effort into starting up a conversation with me than Gale tried to figure out how to get to the center of a Tootsie-Pop. It was all over his worn face. "Coraline told me you were going to college for history, Clem," he brought up, wiping his palms against the fabric of his shorts.