Everything Was Perfect

Chapter 2

(Tuesday, 7:43 a.m.)

Disoriented, I looked around quickly, trying to gather my thoughts. I was on the rug of my floor with a pillow and a blanket spread in different directions. My hair dripped onto my lap as I looked up at the person forming a shadow over me. It was a very angry Kylee with an empty, upside-down, glass in her hand.

Kylee and I have been friends since we were little toddlers who could barely walk, mainly because we're the same age and she happens to live right next door to me. Our parents talked often of us marrying each other someday, you could say we're childhood sweethearts I suppose. Of course, a couple of years ago, Kylee and I had to make it very clear to our parents, with puberty hitting and all, that we didn't see each other that way. Our parents were disappointed it seemed.

Back when we were younger I remember laughing a lot and having tons of fun, now all she seems to do is yell at me... A bit annoying honestly.

Seeing as I had just been ripped awake from such a lucid dream, I was panting pretty rapidly due to the shock.

"Lark... this is why you should ANSWER YOUR PHONE! I called you probably eight times! Then I had to walk all the way over here and was calling you from downstairs, I even knocked on your door! I walked in here and said your name repeatedly! Wake up already!" I stared at her as she yelled at me, her face turning slightly red from the anger and frustration she was expressing.

With a sigh, I got up and began to strip, which of course I should have "thought about before acting on it"...

"LARK! What are you doing!? At least give me some warning!" Kylee managed to squeak out as she covered her face and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. I could hear her tapping on the door, waiting, as I grabbed something from my closet and threw it on. I opened the door and Kylee immediately lectured me, like I hinted at before...

"What were you thinking just stripping in front of a girl like that!? You should have thought about it before you acted on it! Seriously, what would you do without me?" I thought she was finished, but I was wrong. This was the start of a long lecture, on many different topics, but it only continued on for so long because apparently after about 23 tries to call me, Jake started to call Kylee, while she was having dinner...

When she finally stopped her continuous yapping, she stared at me as I sat there with what must have looked like a dead gaze in my eyes, because that's how I felt inside.

"Okay, I'm done now. You don't have to look like a corpse anymore, so come with me to Jakes'." Of course, this wasn't really an invitation or an option at all, it was a demand, I know this because she grasped my arm and quite literally dragged me there! Which wasn't actually that far, it was only two roads down from ours.

Jake must have been waiting by the door because he opened it before we were even in his yard.

"Hurry up! Get in here!" Jake yelled from across the lawn.

"Chill Jake, we're only a few feet away," I said surprised that he was so adamant about us getting inside.

Once inside, Jake slammed the door behind us and locked it. It was overkill if you ask me, but that's Jake for you!

"Why in the world would you hang up on your best friend in the middle of him begging for you to go with him on a family trip? Why didn't you answer your freaking phone Lark?" Jake seemed pretty pissed if I'm being frank. He ended up asking at least a dozen more questions like this before he began to calm down. Me, being used to being yelled at, started to tune him out until something distinctly caught my ear. In fact, his words not only caught my ear but forcibly dragged me by it. "Fine! I'll just have to go with Kylee! I know she'll go with me! Then it'll just be us. Alone. Together." I was mustering everything I could not to tackle him to the ground in frustration, he knew what he was saying, he knew how I'd most likely react. Or at least, want to react. I took a deep breath in and let it out with a sigh before trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

"Alright already, fine, I'll go!" Jake turned to the side slightly and tightened his fist with a whisper under his breath: "Yesssssss!"

After that, we figured out arrangements and meeting times for the next day. We, of course, had to "ask our parents permission" before we could just hop into the car with Jake and his parents, but it wasn't really asking for us. Our parents were all really close so we could basically just say that we were going and they'd be fine with it. After all that was squared away the time seemed to have flown by, we had lunch or brunch over at Jake's and now it was almost 6 o'clock in the evening. I kind of wanted to stay and hang out with Jake some more, but Kylee had to get home, and it was getting dark. Of course, like the gentleman I am, I walked her home.

Getting dark at six o'clock during the summer? Okay, so maybe the sun had started to set, which meant time for her to go home. I don't need to walk her home because it's not dark out? Alright alright, I get it! I just wanted to walk her home! It was really a fun walk all in all. We watched the sky slowly change color and walked pretty slowly to do so.

"Hey, Lark do you think we could walk back slowly? I want to try and see the sunset, or at least part of it." She walked beside me, her face glowing as the oranging yellow light hit her face.

"Sure, that'd be fine," I said as I realized that this situation could be mistaken as something a couple would be doing. I then became very alert of every move she made. Practically sweating bullets, I stared at her hand, swaying as she walked. 'In situations like this, people hold hands right? People being couples. We're not a couple, but the situation is right, right? Ugh, why must English be such a useless language having multiple meanings for words!' I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I peered at her face, shimmering in the ever-dimming light.

Just as I thought maybe I had worked up enough courage to be able to smoothly take her hand in mine, and play it off cool if things got weird, we arrived in front of her house.

"This is me, I'll see you tomorrow bright and early! You better wake up on time Lark!" She said the last part with a slight laugh as she skipped up the steps to her door. "Goodnight!" she said just before shutting the door behind herself.

I walked one door down, to my house, slightly dragging my feet as I walked. I knocked on the door, seeing as I didn't have my keys with me and knowing my parents, it was probably locked. My mom opened the door and I told her that I was going with Jake and his parents to their summer vacation home and Kylee was going too. Of course, my mom just let me off with a simplistic "okay", and I was off to my room. I tripped while climbing the stairs. That was embarrassing.

I stripped once my bedroom door was closed, changed into a comfortable pair of shorts that I would never leave the house with, and a frumpy T-shirt to go along with it. I plopped onto my bed and passed out for the night.