Little Things ✓

Chapter 6

I'm done with Hailei Heard. I'm done with the poor treatment she reserves to anyone who isn't worthy of being up to par with her, including me. I'm done with her bitchiness and bossy attitude. I'm simply done with the monster she turned into. I'm not going to let her glare at me like that once again, not after having to hear her scold the rest of us with her stupid mocking tone.

If I can't get the old Hailei back, then I'm going to destroy her and cancel her from my life for good. And I hope the others will do that, too.

***

As I force myself to reach the center of the room without cursing at that blonde little brat, I eye Aaron, hoping that he'll save the rest of us from an embarrassing situation. However, right now he's busy blinking at Leayah and giggling with her. Perhaps he's just telling her some jokes, perhaps he's flirting with her. Well, deciphering his facial expression is not as easy as I thought.

I leave him be and switch my focus on Kaiti, who's tapping my shoulder. "Hey Blen, do you know who's going next?" she asks as she stretches her arms and yawns. "I mean, I'm freaking tired. Do you think I can take a nap?" I glance confusedly at her since I don't understand her request.

"I don't think it's a good idea," I whisper, paying attention not to be heard by anyone else apart from my best friend. "I mean, I don't see a bed here and, anyway, if there were one, I don't think we'd be allowed to use it." After realizing that she can't take a nap anymore, Kaiti returns to her spot in the circle, dejected and disappointed.

Meanwhile, as tension dies down once again, I take advantage of the general quietness to address the rest of the group. "Okay, people, there are four of us left: Aaron, Penelope, Leayah and I," I state, whereas the mentioned people turn to me, each throwing worried glances here and there. "Who wants to go up and look for their item?"

No-one raises their hands, not even me. I don't feel like going up straight away and prefer waiting until at least one or two more people have found their hidden items. Not wanting Hailei to decide for the rest of us once again, I ask for the second—and hopefully last—time, "Who wants to go up?"

Aaron raises his hand. "I'll go if this is really what you want," he says. "I mean, there's not much time to waste." Now that he pointed this out, what time is it? We came here early in the morning, but, as of now, I can't exactly say how many hours passed before we set our feet in the house and this moment.

Never mind, anyway. Before Aaron starts his personal research, Leayah approaches him to say, "Whenever you find your object, please tell me. I'd really love to see it." I don't know how far her flirtatious intentions are taking her, but it's undeniable that she's in love with him. I'm even considering that she was crushing him back in high school; though, she had to hide her feelings because of Joy Harker. I wouldn't like to be in her shoes, anyway.

As she sits down, silence falls on the room, occasionally disrupted only by the small noises coming from Aaron's research. The guy is sneaky. He knows how to make his moves in a quiet and precise manner without throwing suspicion on himself. He'd make a perfect spy, I have to admit.

At the same time, Kaiti is barely keeping herself from falling asleep, whereas Shannon is staring intensely at the ceiling even though there's nothing interesting up there save for a couple of spider webs here and there. The only thing that she's making me suspicious is Hailei's silence. I mean, what's she planning to do next?

I shouldn't worry about what she does, though. It's just a waste of time and there are much better things to do, such as keeping an eye on Aaron to make sure he isn't struggling with his part of the task. In the meantime, Shannon asks, "What time is it?" and inadvertently contributes to make me more anxious. Now I need to know how long we've all been here for.

I move to the corner by the entrance door and open my black backpack to extract my phone. While I'm perfectly aware that I can't call or text anyone because of the lack of signal, I don't really care about trying to reach out on the external world. I just need to see what the fucking time it is.

1:38pm.

Is it this late?

***

After what seemed to be an endless time, I'm back in circle, with Aaron finally taking place at the center of the room. He's holding a guitar, which is perfectly placed on his right lap. "So, you brought it here, after all?" I ask, still not understanding why he'd do that and considering that I thought he'd bring it with him only to have a little fun together. I can't believe he had to give it up.

"I wish I could've kept it," he explains, barely retaining tears and causing Kaiti and Leayah to actually cry. And, no, they're not moping around. This is a really sad story and there's no denying that. As my friends try to regain what's left of their composure, Aaron continues, "Unfortunately, my father made it clear that I couldn't keep it anymore. As you remember, I was forced to join the Air Force."

"Just like him," I add, realizing that my life, after all, hasn't been tormented or conditioned by painful decisions in spite of being dubbed as dull. He nods before saying again, "He said I had to make him proud, but the truth is, I failed. As I left home, I haven't talked to my family after since. They don't know I left the Air Force two years ago."

He's literally sobbing as he approaches me, clutching my head in his hands. "And they don't need to know. Please, Blen, if you ever cross paths with them, don't say a word," he pleads. "Remember that I've always trusted you, and this time is no exception. Don't let me down, please."

If you all think I can resist this shockwave of feelings, then you're wrong. Tears are pouring down my cheeks and my hands are shaking. "Aaron, I let you down many times, so don't ask me to follow through my promises once again." As I pronounce this words, a glint of disappointment is striking his eyes.

Before I make things worse, I continue, "At this point, we've all got nothing to lose. You spilled the truth in front of the others, while I kept trying hiding my real self. So, before you hate on me, I'd like to let you know that I'll do anything in my power to keep your secret."

Aaron dries his eyes out of relief, still acknowledging that I'm not a backstabbing bitch to him. Therefore, I conclude, "We've already lost a friend, Aaron. We can't lose each other either. I won't ask you not to take a U-turn, by the way. I'm no-one to tell my friends what to do."