When August Ends

Apologies

      I hear my name being called but I don't want to respond. I'm exhausted, I barely slept. "Maya get up," I hear Troy say a little louder. I ignore him. "I know you can hear me," he says sarcastically. I remain silent. He pushes my shoulder roughly.

"Maybe if I stay really still, the hostile presence known as a Troy will leave me in peace," I say mockingly without opening my eyes.

"The rabid Maya speaks as if it is intelligent, but it is just a defence mechanism. It really doesn't know anything and if provoked it's prone to violence. So I need to very carefully wake it so it can switch vehicles and feed." Troy says very quietly.

"So rude." I mutter and sit up tiredly.

"It lives! Now to lure it out of it's cave with it's primary foodsource," he says waving bacon at me like a dog. "Come here, come get it! Come on!" he says in an idiotic tone. I put my hands on my hips.

"Seriously." I smirk looking in the mirror on the sun blocker and fixing my hair.

"A trait of the wild Maya is vanity which sometimes replaces food and it starves." Troy comments. I look at him and he busts out laughing. I swing and hit his shoulder and he yelps in surprise.

"Don't forget prone to violence!" I shout leaping out after him and we laugh. We get breakfast with everyone else. I sit with Grace, Liz and Hannah. We chat and Liz as usual is messing with one of her lighters. She tests how long it takes to burn a piece of bacon and I complain that it's a waste and she gives me a look.

"Alright then," she says in her infamous voice which makes me smile as she proceeds to further burn her piece of bacon. Andrew, Morgan, JP, Brandon, and Parker sit together eating. Kip is with Chey, and Troy, Mace, and Stevo are sitting in a group. I feel less afraid to see Andrew, but I still don't feel ready to talk to him but I know it's in order. I miss Alyssa and Molly also, it hurts. They were such darlings, and my heart is missing pieces without them. I get up and help everyone pack up. Troy thands me a large bag and tells me to put it in a van and to ride in it today. I assume it's Mace's van. I close the back doors of the van and begin arranging the luggage. I hear the van being turned on and I feel it vibrating. It begins to move but I continue organizing our things. Finally I hop over the back seat and climb over the rows.

"You know Mace I think we've been driving for a long time and I would like to have a clear idea of where we're going too," I say climbing over the last row. There is no one else in van aside Mace but I can't see him clearly. "I guess Troy has a plan but he really doesn't have a destination picked out." I say heaving myself into the passenger seat and my bracelet unhooks. I lean down to get it as I ask what he thinks. He ramians silent and when I finally look at him I can't hide a shocked gasp. It's not Mace it's Andrew. Of course Troy set this up. He looks at me and I think of what to say and when I finally open my mouth to speak he does the same.

"You know I don't blame you right?" he says. I look at him in stunned silence.

"You don't?" I ask quietly. He shakes his head.

"I'm not happy my brother is dead, that's an obvious factor, but I understand that he was already gone when your paths crossed. I can't blame you for that, and quite frankly I wouldn't want too. I know you've been avoiding me and I didn't want to go to you first out of respect but as your friend I don't want you to be afraid of me or carry what you are on your own." he says. This is the Andrew I know and remember.

"I don't know what to say. Other than I am sorry. Even if I'm not completely accountable. I know that's an extremely difficult loss..." I mutter.

"The past is behind us and meant to stay there." he says firmly. I sigh and nod. He's right but the past haunts.