Little Things ✓

Chapter 3

As Kaiti is rushing from one corner to the other of the room to search for her prized possession, the rest of us stare at each other uneasily, thinking of what we could say or do to ease a tension that slowly increased over the last half hour. Aaron, Rheta and Shannon are somehow keeping their cool, whereas Penelope, Leayah and Hailey could be freaking out at any time.

I'm worried for the rest of the group. I don't feel like disappointing anyone, but, if I have to dig down deep each of them to uncover some big secret of theirs, I won't hesitate to do so. I mean, we have no other chance than being honest to each other here. We can't afford to make a single mistake, or there might be something more than just our friendship at stake.

Out of a sudden, Shannon states, "You know, time passed since we came here last. I mean, look at how things changed. We used to be inseparable during high school, do you remember?" Yeah, I can remember perfectly how we stuck for each other even in the worst situations, fighting against everyone else to find our place together.

Now, everything is getting harder and harder. We're no longer teenagers, we're adults. We must carry the burden of our mistakes for a long time if we make any. We must accept that time flies and we can't do anything to regain or stop it. This situation is making me want to be a teenager again.

While Kaiti is still busy working her way through finding her item, I notice that Penelope and especially Hailei are acting weirdly. Perhaps they're feeling unwell, perhaps there's something that's worrying them, or maybe they're just down in the dumps. But this doesn't exclude that they might have secrets of their own. Okay, it's not exactly my business, but I do have all the rights to be worried for my friends.

At the same time, I notice that Aaron and Leayah are dangerously close to each other. She is eyeing at him, struck by admiration and awe as he puts a hand on her hip. They smile softly at each other, causing me to clear my throat out of annoyance. Leayah's dark complexion is colored by shades of red; she pulls away from Aaron, taking a seat between Penelope and Hailei instead. I throw a sideways glare at her, but she blatantly ignores me. Wow, I must've really upset her.

This situation of unease stops as I hear Kaiti squeal, "Guys, I did it! I've just found it! Look, isn't it precious?" She's shoving a necklace made of small pearls in front of her nose. When I ask her to bring it to us, she doesn't make me repeat it: she turns to the rest of us and rushes towards the chair at the center of the room. As she sits down, Hailei frowns at her. What the fuck is the problem with her? She's always frowning, even for the silliest reasons. I mean, there's no point in being so rude and condescending. Okay, who the hell am I to judge other people like that? Perhaps I should just focus on myself.

Aaron makes a sign for the rest of us to shut up so that Kaiti can present her prized possession. "When we came here last time, I hid my favorite palette here. Actually, I felt sad when I had to give it up, but it was something I really needed to do. You told me many times that I tend to be too attached to things, so that was a first step." For the first time since we're here, I see someone else besides Aaron and Shannon smile.

In fact, Leayah and Penelope appreciate that Kaiti is trying not to be superficial, but I'm under the impression that they're only doing so to make themselves look good. Not that I think they're fake, but I can't help being suspicious at their attitude. Okay, Blen, it's time you stop bitching around and having doubt about other people.

Kaiti reprises talking, a wide grin plastered on her face. "But that's not the only thing I gave up. For example, I-" She's cut off by Hailei glaring at her and snapping, "Stop it, Kaitlin. We all know you're only acting out. Get a grip and stop being superficial for once in your life!"

"Why don't you just mind your fucking business, Hailei?" Kaiti shrieks, her veins pulsing and her face turning beet red. If it weren't for Shannon gesturing at her to stay where she is, Kaiti would be definitely jumping at Hailei, ready to pull her hair and slap her face. Now I have enough proof that Hailei is nothing but a lying bitch and made herself look good in front of us all this time.

I mean, I've only seen her be nice with everyone else out of convenience so far; however, as she's alone with Kaiti, hell brews. She's definitely an actress, we don't need to pull off a little show to prove my suspicion right. Or maybe we do... I have an idea to make her cave...

"Anything else you want to tell us, Kaiti?" I ask, trying to play subtle in order not to startle anyone else. I don't want any of them to start suspecting on me just because I believe they've changed since we left high school. Kaiti shakes her head; moreover, she stands up and goes to look for the toilet.

Shannon, however, reminds her that there's no toilet here. "The only solution in this case is going to the woods and doing it behind a tree," she adds. "I think it's a little gross, though, and you might get lost, so could you retain it for a while?" This question doesn't sit well with Kaiti, who ignores her and heads outdoors, trying to find a tree nearby where to pee.

"You could've kept your mouth shut, you know?" intervenes Penelope, irking Shannon. Wow. Acting all bitchy is the norm here. I thought we'd be all friendly, finish off this business and then leave together as true friends before promising we'd see again, perhaps at someone's graduation ceremony or wedding reception.

Instead, the biggest risk is that we might end up rifting apart without any certainty, except for the fact that one or two of us may stop hanging out with the rest for good. Given that most of my so-called "friends" have turned into selfish brats, I wouldn't be surprised if this actually happened.

As the tension dies down a little bit, I speak again. "I know who should go next. Hailei, it's your turn." She glares at me sideways as I open my mouth, but I'm not intimidated by her. I cross my arms and give her a hard stare, making it clear that, if she doesn't do as I say, she's breaking her pact and might as well be out of our group.