The Kids Aren't Alright

Chapter 58: Finn

"That. Was. Fucking. Awesome!" 

Jasper bounces down the path on the balls of his heels, bursting with excitement. "What a rush. Seriously, what a rush. I've never had this much adrenaline pumping through my body in my life. Is this what drugs feel like? Maybe I should start doing drugs."

"Don't do drugs," Ronan and I say at the same time.

Jasper grabs a pine tree by the trunk and swings his scrawny body around like he's Gene Kelly in Singing In The Rain. He's making such a commotion that I feel like I should intervene, but at the same time, he looks too happy to be stopped. 

Ronan raises an eyebrow at me and asks, "Do you think he's even broken a rule in his life?"

"Outlook not so good."

Jasper skips away from the tree, attempts a cart-wheel, lands awkwardly on his butt, and then gets up and shimmies away like he aced an Olympic routine. "I am the coolest man alive!" He throws his arms into the air like he's about to do a jumping-jack. "I am invincible!"

"Pretty confident words for someone who just fell on his ass in the mud," Ronan points out.

I cluck my tongue at him. "Enough. This could be a turning point for him-- maybe he's finally coming out of his shell."

"Or it could be the beginning of his life of crime."

"That's awful, Ronan."

"Why? Jasper was a lot more innocent before he met us. We've corrupted a perfectly good kid."

I watch as Jasper leaps into the air and executes a perfect heel-click jump. "He doesn't seem so corrupted to me," I say, fighting back a smile.

Ronan snaps his fingers in my face. "Hello. Helloooo."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Checking if you can still see me through those rose-colored glasses."

I slap his hand away. "Piss off. You're ruining the moment."

"And you've ruined Jasper Sostenuto."

"How is that my fault? You're the one that dragged him into this mess."

"Glass houses, Fish."

"Oh, fuck off."

Our group parts ways at the fork in the path. Jasper pulls me into a quick, tight hug, and gives Ronan a fist-bump. "Thanks, guys. Tonight was the best." 

"Stay safe," I tell him. 

"Don't you fucking dare get caught," Ronan says pleasantly. 

Jasper gifts us with a toothy grin before limping away into the trees. His small form is swallowed almost instantly by the gloomy forest, but the cheerful sound of his humming lingers in the air long after he's gone. I make a silent prayer to whoever's listening that he doesn't run into any of the counselors on the way back. I doubt that Jasper would sell us out, but I don't think he could manage a believable lie, either. 

"Come on," Ronan says. "They'll be doing bed checks soon."

We hurry back to Beckarof Cabin, silence trailing after us like a stray dog. It feels like the entire forest is holding its breath-- and it seems that every tree has grown a pair of eyes to watch us.  

We barely make it back to the cabin in time. Thud. Thud. The noise tears violently through the quiet night, and the sheer wrongness of it makes my heart skip I beat. Blood rushes through my veins like a stampede of wild horses. I throw myself into bed and hold every muscle in my body perfectly still, foolishly hoping that the knock was just a tree branch hitting the door.