Saving Him • editing/rewriting

twenty seven-the kids aren't alright

"and in the end, i'd do it all again. i think you're my best friend. don't you know that the kids aren't alright?"
~Fall Out Boy

Chapter Twenty Seven- The Kids Aren't Alright

After a very awkward hour and a half of sitting next to Hunter (with no escape) we touched down at 'the sunshine-y, golden Gold Coast'. At least that's what the pilot said.

Hunter and I, despite being so close to each other (which we hadn't done in a while), didn't talk much except a little bit of small talk here and there. 'Want a piece of gum?' 'Sure.' 'It's really hot today isn't it?' 'Yep.' Awkward. It was like that one little moment we had sucked up all the sarcasm and sass I had in me and I was left with talking about the weather. Fantastic.

It seemed like I wasn't the only one who was glad to be off the plane because Lauren stumbled onto the nearest chair and held a hand up to her forehead dramatically. "I see the light! I see little angels coming to take me."

She earned a few weird looks from passersby and plenty of eye rolls from the rest of us.

Since we were only staying for a few days, we had only brought hand luggage so we didn't need to stand in line and wait at baggage claim. Instead, we made a beeline for the nearest place that sold food. I would've gotten something on the plane but everything was overpriced and, you know, I'm basically broke. Also, I am a dedicated and loyal McDonald's customer.

"Anyone up for one dollar frozen cokes?" I asked cheerfully. It was boiling and I would've killed for a nice cool drink.

"Yes!" Lauren cheered as she slung an arm around my shoulders. "You always have the best ideas."

I laughed and felt my heart lift at how Lauren was back to her old self again. I missed her so much the weeks where she shut herself off to us. She might not realise it but she had a big influence on our group and without her, it's just not the same.

After we all got our drinks, we decided to sit outside and have it since we were all getting a bit sick of the airport already. We found a nice grassy area to sit down at and started drinking (chugging) our frozen Cokes.

Except,

"Hey Tom, you're the only odd one out." Hunter suddenly said, voicing my thoughts. We all noticed that he was sipping on a smaller cup.

"What'd you get?" I asked.

Tom shrugged, "I decided to just get normal Coke."

Lola nudged him, "Trying to be unique, eh?" She teased while we laughed. Tom just cracked a smile and kept sipping.

After we had finished up with our drinks, we looked around for an airport shuttle bus. Once we waved one down, Lola talked to the driver where we were headed. We were finally off to our weekend of fun, fun, fun in the sun.

Luckily, I had landed the window seat so I decided to pop in my earphones and watch the scenery as we drove by. I could hear the small chatter of the others talking but I was so zoned out none of it registered with my brain.

Tom, who was sat next to me, nudged me. "Are you up for it?" I heard him ask. I removed one of my earphones out and stared at him blankly.

"Am I up for what exactly?"

"Up for clubbing, of course." He told me with a playful smile. It took me a second or two to sink in.