Can you Remember? #Wattys2016

Chapter 5: First Day Back Part 2

UPDATED:  SEPT 6, 2020

812 words to 1,783 words

"Should we ditch?" asked Aniya with a sly smirk spreading across her face. "It's been awhile since we've seen Kade, and honestly I'm done with this school shit."

"Sure. Why the hell not? I say this causes for a celebration."

Our group all grabbed our respective backpacks and placed them in a compartment in the Wall that we carved our names into with small pocket knives during sophomore year at lunch time that took us months to complete. We grabbed the drawstring bags that were in our individual spots inside the Wall, having waited months for another time like this, and then left the protective shadows of the Wall. As we walked away to the parking lot, I happened to notice the people who were in the accident with me looking across the quad at me. They followed my every movement, and I felt chills run down my entire body. I don't know them even if they don't know me, and nothing is going to change that anytime soon. And if this was how they acted, then I wanted no part in trying to figure out how they are. I looked away from them with my head down and kept walking with my friends. I would get TeX to study them later and let me know what he thinks of them. He's the only one whose opinion I would trust about them.

After we left the school in Aniya's SUV, she stepped on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward - as if it were running - towards our Secret Spot. Our Secret Spot is an abandoned two story house that is very run - down. We found it in the forest during the same year we carved out names into the Wall on another outing just like this one. It was Hendrix's idea to go running in the woods when Niklaus found this place and decided that we should make it out own. On the first floor, all we have there is a toilet that doesn't flush properly (something that we're still working on fixing), a battery powered mini fridge, covered in mildew, with some sodas and other cold foods in it, and a soggy cardboard box with all of our food (chips and pre-packaged junk food) in it.

The second floor is full of items that we have each brought in over the three years we've called this place home. I had brought in three bean bags (colored red, black, and white), a crate (that holds a little bit of clothes for everyone if we need to spend the night here), and a blowup mattress (with two bed sets to alternate with). My job is to bring them home and wash anytime it's needed, and let's just say Hendrix is someone who pisses me off with this. I'm always having to wash sheets every time he's here with some girl. Jadan brought five blankets from a garage sale and a portable DVD player run on battery power. Hendrix found an actual mattress on the side of the road when we first started coming here that can fit three of us laying down on it. It was in pretty good condition with only a few coffee stains and the like on it, but just slap a blanket on there, and we're good to go. Jevan and Niklaus brought all the DVDs we have for the DVD player and some pillows. Aniya decorated the whole space with random things she has found over the three years incorporating all of our styles into the design. TeX and Gwendolyn brought a generator (our only power source), three oscillating fans, a mini laptop with its charger covered in duct tape, and some chairs that are slightly broken but are still sturdy.

As we grab some food and drinks and head upstairs, they all kind of start to bombard me with questions. Which in my opinion was not the first thing I wanted to happen when meeting up with my friends for the first time in a while. I had enough of that shit at the hospital and at home from my parents and extended family.

"What exactly happened?"

"Do you really not remember? How hard is it?"

"How has everyone been?"

"What was that all about on the quad this morning?"

"I don't know exactly what happened, but I was told that we got hit by an eighteen wheeler and flipped into a ditch. No, I don't remember anything that has happened in the past few months, and it hasn't been hard yet. If anything it's aggravating having to deal with my mom acting completely different and random people I don't know coming up to me and trying to talk to me. To be honest I don't know what happened back there. Those girls just came up to me and tried to give me a makeover," I say to them answering all of their questions at once. It was easier that way.