It felt kind of wrong, going on a road trip when Ayah's brother was mourning over her, and the police waiting for my testament about what happened, but I needed a break. I'd agreed to talk to the police on Friday, after I got back, so till then I would try to forget as much as I could about last week. You know, try to remove it from my memory.
How I would do that, being Abdullah Parks, I had no idea.
I plugged in my earphones as the bus started its engine. A roar of cheers erupted around me and I muted it down with the music. We were heading to Marin County and go hiking and camping in Mt Tamalpais. I'd asked dad about the trip, and he seemed to like the idea more than I did. I thought Mama wouldn't want me gone such a far distance, in the middle of the mountains, but she too agreed almost immediately. I was so surprised by this sudden enthusiasm, I decided to just go with the flow. Also, accidents happen in the mountains. Maybe I could, I don't know, fall of a cliff or something. That didn't sound so bad right now.
(I'm sorry for being so pessimistic, but I'm just so empty right now.)
The chatters grew louder at the back of the bus. Well, it's simplifying to call them "chatters"- they were more like cries of anguish. I looked back and found Toby and a bunch of guys singing in a loud voice. Mind you, their voices made Jay-Z and Beyoncé doubt their talent. Most of the bus had joined their chants. I huffed and plugged my earphones in a little tighter. I rested my head on the window sill, watching the landscape blur by. We stopped at a parking area, got out of the bus and moved onto a couple of jeeps. I sat with Toby and a few others. The jeep drove us all the way until we reached the mountains. Then things got a little "edgy".
The bumpy road made the jeep move unstably, making us jump up and down. Whenever we spoke it came out in separate sounds, sort of like speaking in a fan-which I highly recommend trying. All the bumps were making me queasy since I usually had motion sickness. I stole a glance at Toby, dark-skinned, sunglasses in his hair, elbows on the window, and a smug expression on his face. He wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I grabbed the paper bag next to me and emptied my stomach in it. Toby laughed so hard I could hear it above the wind. He looked at me when I was done, waiting for my reaction.
I didn't feel like smiling. I wanted to cry. But I missed Toby.
Shuck head, I mouthed, too afraid to use my voice.
Toby's grin was so big it could've fit a watermelon.
The jeep stopped when we reached a rocky valley. The guide told us we'd be hiking now. I grinned, looking over at Toby.
Toby looked like he'd been told to do suicides. "Did you say hiking?"
Now it was my turn to laugh. I loved hiking-or anything that involved moving your legs. Toby didn't like walking long distances, calling it "useless and boring". In fact, he'd live on a skateboard if he could.
We got out, swung our bags over our shoulders, and followed the guide into the valley. I was mesmerized by the mountains we passed by- rocks of different colors and textures, with segmented lines showing the different ages of formation, and each layer looking completely different than the other.
"Interested in the mountains, eh?" The guide asked.
I was upfront, walking right next to him. "Yeah, they look kinda cool."
He did nothing but smile at my remark and go back to walking. Not for the first time, we stopped to take a rest. I was already sweating from the blazing sun, which seemed to have no mercy on us as we walked underneath it. I looked at my peers and found them all red-faced and tired. We had plenty of water, but somehow were always thirsty. I didn't mind- actually liked the sense of "adventure" involved. The amount of stops we were making was kind of frustrating, though. But the guide was pleased and told me I was one of the quickest he'd ever been with on the hike. His name was Hans, short for Hansel. I found that amusing, wondering who in the world would name their child after a fairy tale character.
YOU ARE READING
Holding onto Charcoal
Teen Fiction{COMPLETE} Abdullah Parks is tired of his life-and for a good reason. He's a Muslim, he's American, and he's trying to balance between the two parts inside himself. His horrible Math teacher, drastic grades, and the massive bombings happening in his...
