Nowhere Kids

Group Fun

Brent turned up the radio as we made our way to meet up with the others. I watched him as he sang along to each song, and I was glad he was in a better mood now.
"Come on" He said to me.
"What?" I asked, unsure of what he wanted.
"Sing with me" He said with a smile. He went back to singing along and looked over at me. I blushed, feeling too shy to sing.
"Maybe later" I said softly. Brent shook his head, still smiling, and turned back towards the road. He kept singing the whole ride.I have to admit, he has a nice voice.

Once we arrived at the mini golf course we saw the others waiting in the parking lot. Brent parked his truck next to Barry's car and we stepped out.
"bout time you guys got here" Zach said.
"Sorry we took our time" Brent said as he playfully bumped shoulders with his friend.
"Well, now that we're all here let's get started" Eric said. We all followed him into the entrance. I was surprised when Brent paid for me to play.
"B you don't have to do that" I said. He just shrugged as he handed me my golf club.
"I want to" He said as he followed the others to the first hole. I stood there a moment, unsure how to feel, before following them.

We all watched Zach place down his ball and get in place to swing.
"Watch this" He said before reeling back. He hit the ball and watched it roll forward, and we all watched it hit the windmill blade and roll back towards his feet.
"Good attempt buddy" Eric said. He patted Zach's back as he stepped up to go next.
"Go E-Bass" Barry said as Eric took his swing. His ball managed to get past the windmill, so Zach stuck his tongue out at him. Barry was up next. We all watched as he silently walked over and placed his ball down. He took a swing and actually got a hole in one.
"And this is why we never keep score" Eric said to me.
"Cause Barry would win every time" Zach added.
"And you'd lose every time" Brent laughed, making Zach scowl.

I expected Brent to step up next, but he gestured for me to go.
"Ladies first" He said.
"Is that why Zach went up first?" I giggled as I walked over to place my ball down.
"Alright guys, stop being mean to me" Zach whined. I winked at him as Brent put his arm around him.
"We love you bud" He said as he kissed Zach's cheek. I shook my head at those two and took my swing. My ball landed right in front of the windmill.
"Good swing" Eric said as I walked back over to them. Brent smiled at me as he walked by to take his swing. His ball rolled forwards after he swung, hitting my ball and pushing it forward. He smirked at me as he walked back over, so I knew he did it on purpose.
"No interfering with the other balls Brent" Zach said as he went to take his turn again.
"Sorry" He replied,not looking away from me.

We played a couple more holes and Eric was right. Barry did the best out of all of us. Zach did improve over time and ended up doing better than Brent.
"I think you did great B" I said as the two argued over who did better. We all walked out together after returning our clubs.
"It's getting late guys, want to get something to eat?" Eric asked as we walked towards our vehicles.
"Where should we go?" I asked.
"What about that pizza place by my house, it's open late" Zach suggested.
"Sounds good to me. We'll meet you there" Brent said. He took my hand and we walked to his truck while the others got into Barry's car.

I noticed Brent smiling as we followed Barry's car down the street.
"Having a good night B?" I asked him. He turned towards me for a moment before bringing his eyes back to the road.
"Always a good night when you're around" He said, making me blush. "And I'm having a good time with the boys"
"Me too. I like when we're all together" I said as I leaned back in the seat.
"Yeah, they've been my best friends for years, and I'm glad your here now" He smiled at me again, making me blush. I felt so lucky to have met all of them, but I felt especially lucky to know Brent.

We arrived at the pizza place with everyone else and walked inside. Zach and Eric went to the counter to order the food while the rest of us took a seat at the table in the back corner. Brent took a seat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder right away.
"Something's different about you two. Did you guys do something last night?" Barry asked as he took a seat across from us.
"What? No" Brent said, squeezing my shoulder gently.
"Nothing crazy at least. We just talked" I added. Barry chuckled making me roll my eyes at him.
"So when's the wedding?" Zach asked as him and Eric joined us. Brent pulled away from me and put his head down as Eric placed the pizza down and Zach passed out bottles of water.
"Relax man, he's joking" Eric said as he sat down. Zach took a seat next to Brent and nudged him.
"Yeah man, relax" He said before reaching for a slice of the pizza.

Brent was pretty quiet the rest of the night. The others kept laughing and having a good time, and I tried to stay happy with them. It was hard when I was worried about Brent though. I watched as he just silently ate.
"You okay?" I whispered to him. He just nodded and took a sip of his water. I decided not to ask again until we were alone.
"Hey Brent" Zach asked, getting his attention. "I know you're probably mad at me for that comment, but can you drive me home tonight? My house is closer to yours then Barry's"
"Yeah, no problem" Brent said. Zach smiled at him but Brent went back to looking down at his now empty plate. I gave Zach a smile back in hopes of making things less awkward.

We sat around the table for about an hour, even though we all finished eating much earlier. Despite Brent's sudden bad mood, we were all enjoying each other's company and didn't want to go home.
"We should probably get going before it gets too late" Barry said.
"Yeah, my parents will start calling if I don't show up soon" Eric added. We stood up and threw out our trash before walking outside.
"Thanks again for giving me a ride" Zach said as he followed us to Brent's car. We said good night to Barry and Eric before getting in. I let Zach take the passenger seat while I took a seat behind him. Brent was still pretty quiet during the ride.
"Hey Zach, how long have you and Brent been friends?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"I think middle school, right man?" He asked as he turned to Brent. Brent thought a moment before nodding in agreement.
"That's so cool. Must be nice being friends with someone that long" I said.
"It is. We've been through a lot together, and it's nice knowing we all have each other's backs" He said. I looked out the window and saw Brent drive past my house, but I decided not to say anything.
"Oh yeah, that sounds nice" I said as I turned back towards Zach.
"Hopefully you're with us for a while too" He said.
"I plan on it" I said. I noticed Brent smile for a moment, making me smile back.

I talked with Zach until we got to his house.
"Thanks for the ride man" He said as he stepped out of the truck.
"No problem, have a good night" Brent said. Zach and I said our good nights to each other as I got into the front seat to be next to Brent. He waited for Zach to get inside his house before taking off back towards my house.

"Hey B, you sure you're okay?" I asked now that we were alone.
"Yeah, sorry. I just hate them pressuring us" he mumbled as he gripped his steering wheel. "They did the same thing when I started dating Courtney, saying the same comments and everything"
"Oh" I said softly. Brent looked at me sadly.
"I'm not saying you're like her Jamie. It's just..." he started but I cut him off.
"I know Brent. I know" I put my hand on his lap and he smiled at me. "Hopefully they stop with the comments soon"
"They should get bored of it quickly" he said, his eyes back on the road. His grip on his steering wheel started to relax.

It didn't take long to get to my house from Zach's. I never realized how close we lived.
"Well, looks like tonight's fun is over" Brent said. I nodded and turned towards him.
"Thanks for another good night B. I had fun. See you tomorrow?"
"Want me to pick you up before school?" He asked. I turned back towards my house and thought about it. My parents could possibly be home if they don't go to work early, so I didn't want to risk it.
"It's okay, I like my morning walks. I'll see you there though" I said. I leaned in and kissed his cheek, making him smile.
"Good night Jamie" he said as I stepped out of the car.
"Good night B" I said before walking towards my house.  What a night it's been