reticent

17

• AMALIA •

I stare at the bonfire. The flames bounce up and down, swirling around each other like a dance. Like a chase.

     I pull my phone out of my pocket as Frankie talks to a friend I don't know. I have a message from my dad.

     DAD: Everything going okay?
                    Sent ten minutes ago.

     ME: Yep.

     Frankie's friend walks away, and he turns to me. "You can at least try talk to my friends."

     I did before, I want to say, but you cut me off.

     "Okay." I mumble. "I'll try."

     "Can I ask you something?"

     I smile. "Sure."

     "Did you tell your family to grill me?" He asks.

     My smile drops immediately. "What? No. I told them to be nice to you."

     He rolls his eyes. "Well, they weren't. Don't do shit like that, it's annoying."

     "I didn't tell them to—"

     "I don't like liars, Amalia." He says.

     "I'm not lying."

     He sighs. "Whatever. Sure you're not."

     "Frankie—"

     He nudges me, and I stand. He does, too. "I'm gonna go talk to my friend."

     "I—"

     He walks away, leaving me there. I sigh and sit down on the chair, crossing my legs.

     "Amalia?"

     I turn around at the sound of Archers voice, a smile immediately blooming onto my lips. "Hey."

     "I didn't know you came here." He says.

     "Yeah. I came with Frankie but," I look in the direction he wandered off. I can't see him. "I'm not sure where he went."

     "You hungry?" He asks.

     "A little." I respond honestly.

     "There's a diner, like, down the road once you get to the car park." He says. "Do you wanna go get food?"

     Do I wanna leave Frankie here and go with Archer? Yes. The former has hardly spoken to me all night. I'm bored out of my mind, and now that he's mentioned food, starving.

     "Okay." I say. "Let me just send Frankie a text to tell him."

     I pull my phone out, my fingers moving quicker than I thought they could as I type.

     ME: I'm gonna go get food with Archer. I'm hungry. I'll catch up with you later.

     I stand and smile at him. "Let's go."

     He begins walking across the sand. "I like your dress." He mumbles.

     My heart flutters as my smile widens into a grin. "Thank you."

     Frankie didn't even notice.

     "You're not cold, though?" He questions.

     I laugh for the first time tonight. "Yeah. A little."