𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 | 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐳

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

A loud sigh leaves Daniel, making Cherry stop and turn. She stares at the boy for a few moments, seeing the exhaustion prominent on his features before Sean speaks.

"No, man. We can't stop here. We gotta keep going. No pouting, okay?" He doesn't receive a response, only a bigger pout from the boy.

"How about I give you a piggyback ride?" Cherry asks him, her knee popping as she kneels. "You can take a little nap, yeah?" He doesn't respond verbally; instead, he places his arms out in front of him, and a yawn leaves him. Cherry lets out a chuckle, letting the boy get onto her back, squishing her bag flat to her back. It used to be filled with school supplies, but she threw it out some miles ago, not wanting to carry the extra weight. It takes her a few moments to get to her feet, needing to get used to him. She sways a bit, her blisters pulsing on the bottom of her feet. It makes her groan quietly. It doesn't seem to bother Daniel any, though, as she can already hear his breathing evening out, finding her shoulder comfortable.

"Why am I always the bad cop?" Sean sighs, continuing to walk. He slows his pace down so that he and Cherry walk side by side.

"Because you got a resting bitch face," she laughs. It also forces an airy laugh from him, the boy shaking his head as he rubs his eyes tiredly. "How long have we been walking?" she asks. She receives a look of confusion first before an answer.

"Two days. How do you not remember that?"

"You know how when you've run so much, you kind of forgot what happened, like, two minutes ago?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. That's what's happening," she shrugs. "I kind of just black out a lot." He looks at her with a raised brow, wanting her to continue. "Well, if life is getting rough, I kind of just go someplace else."

"Like daydreaming? I do it all the time."

"It's more than that. I mean, I daydream, too. When I do this, I feel like I'm sleepwalking."

He looks at her for a few moments, an unreadable look on his face. "That doesn't seem healthy, Cherry."

"Well, it helped me through a lot, so I don't see myself stopping anytime soon," she scoffs.

"No. I mean..." his steps stutter to a halt, Cherry doing the same. "I know I really haven't given us the chance to be good friends. That first time meeting at the party kind of..."

"Nasty? Vomit-y?" She raises a brow, watching his face glow a soft red. "Not to be mean, but what are you getting at?" she sighs, lifting Daniel a bit higher on her back.

"I just mean, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here. I may not be able to say a lot, but you can talk my ear off."

"You don't got to be all nice-"

"I'm not. I'm trying to be sincere," he doubles down. Cherry presses her lips into a line before looking down at her feet. Her chest feels heavy, not sure what to say. "I guess it came off bad 'cause of my resting bitch face." His words make her snort and laugh. She looks at him with a grin.

"A little bit." She continues walking, and Sean follows soon afterward. "Maybe if you just smiled a little more-"

"Do not start." She cackles loudly in response.

By the time the trio finally spots something other than old cans and trees, Cherry can barely catch her breath. It wasn't the heat itself, but God, her legs were tired, her feet hurt, and her ribs ached. It made it so hard to breathe. Still, she pressed on, standing beside Sean as Daniel pointed out a sign. "Trout Spring Trail," she mumbles under her breath.

"Are we there yet?" Daniel asks, receiving a groan from Sean

"You know what? You're never allowed to say that. Ever!"

"Yes sir," Daniel grumbles, rolling his eyes dramatically. It forces an airy chuckle from Cherry, who stands behind the brothers.

"At least we can camp out here."

"We kind of have to. The sun is going down," Cherry points out. The two look at the sky, finally noticing how the colors have turned from a light blue to a tanned orange. "Let's go," she breathes out, only for Sean to hold her back once more.

"You okay?" She sighs, rubbing her neck.

"I'm just ready to lay down. Let's go make camp." His eyes linger on her for a moment longer.

"Look!" Daniel exclaims, gaining the teens' attention. The two move as quickly as they can, discovering that an abandoned car is in front of the trail. "It's so dirty," he complains, leaning against it to look through the window.

"It's probably locked, anyhow," Cherry shrugs, looking through the window as well.

"I see something!" he exclaims, moving over so Sean can take a look. "There's a Chock-o-Crisp bar on the dashboard!" he points out. "I haven't had one in a million years."

"So your idea is to steal it?" Cherry wonders, leaning up against the car. She lets out a sigh of relief, finding the right position to relieve the pain of her blisters.

"No. I want one when we stop next," he reiterates, a scoff leaving his lips at her words. "Please? Please? Please?" he begs, giving the biggest pout he can muster while his eyes become puppy-like. It takes every fiber in her not to awe at the boy.

"Sure," Sean shrugs, gaining an excited "yes" from his brother. "You can wash it down with a root beer, too," he adds, the three soon walking down the trail.