The Indoor Type

-2-

Day One

-09/14-

"Harper, can you-? Harper?"

They left. The mini van was gone and no one was in sight. My heart started beating quicker and louder; I felt every single beat in my chest. Lots of thoughts started fogging my brain and my vision started getting blurry. I sat down in the same spot that I was sitting before any of this happened after feeling my knees weaken. My palms were sweaty and everything started turning around me. I shut my eyes, hard. Feeling a harsh headache come through, I start massaging my forehead with my index finger in circular motions. I hastily yet clumsily checked my pockets for my phone, but then I remembered.... I left it in the van, on my seat. I imagined my purple-colored phone cover,my white iPhone calling for me, as silly as I know I sound, I feel worse now.  I felt my panic attack take over as I started crying. Tears ran down my cheeks and my hands started to shake. I felt the world closing in around me, hoping it actually would.

 As I sat there, panting, sweating, and crying my eyes out while a million bad thoughts ran through my head I heard a sound. I looked up quickly, wiping away the tears to see clearly. Across the street, an old man in a dirty bright yellow tank top walked out of the small supermarket across the street that I completely forgot about. I got up quickly, feeling hope again as I tripped a little bit, then I ran through the empty gas station, and across the street. 

"Sir! Excuse me! Please, hello?" I kept calling out. And finally, when I was in earshot, he turned around looking furious and half asleep. "Hi! I'm sorry, um... Uh,-" 

"Are you one of them?" He asked threateningly, raising his voice. "Those damn teenagers! Always up to mischief!" 

"Teenagers? What teenagers?" I asked, confused, and still out of breath.

"Those three young boys who robbed my store! MY STORE! I could've done something! B-but I was out back, smoking, taking a break. Then, I come out and I was too late. The mini van drove off! I swear if you're one of them i'm calling the cops right now!"He was yelling really loudly, and spit came flying out of his mouth every few seconds that I took a few steps back.

"What? Three boys robbed you?! Like, they stole from your store? And a mini van drove off?!" I felt so confused. Maybe he was a crazy old man with schizophrenia. But then I thought deeply about it. I barely know my cousins. I was starting to think that my mom was wrong, that I could do anything but trust these people, I barely know them!  But then, Austin's mini van drives full speed and stops right next to me with the door wide open and a freaked out Harper screaming "COME IN! ALEX! NOW! COME IN!" And without thinking I jumped in.

"GO! GO! GO! GO!" Harper screamed at the top of her lungs.

"OK! WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!" I said, looking from a smirking Austin to a freaked out yet excited Harper. I look behind me and Max and Ben are high-fiving with a wide smile on their face. I noticed a big plastic bag filled with all kinds of chips and cokes and candies.  

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HARPER? AUSTIN? WHAT THE HELL?!" I was shaking. I felt another panic attack come, crawling sneakily from the depth of my dark brain. I took a deep breath.

"Alex, chill! This might be the most stressful and exciting thing I have ever done in my life!" Harper said with a wide smile. 

"Harper! Wake up! You left me to rot in an abandoned gas station, after robbing a freaking supermarket! Are you out of your mind?" I said. I felt furious about how she's seeing things.

"Well, when you say it that way it does sound horrible." Harper sighed. 

The rest of the car ride was filled with Harper laughing and getting along with my cousins as I declined the junk food they offered and listened to the music on the radio and tried not to cry the whole ride. I didn't want this, and I thought that Harper joining me would help make things a little less unbearable, but I felt like she was making things worse. I guess I was jealous that she was having fun and I wasn't. Slowly, my eyelids got heavier and I felt sleepy. 

I woke up with a start. Austin was shaking me awake and Harper was not in the van. Max was still snacking, sitting in the parked van, while Ben and Justin were laughing loudly behind me. Jeremy was sitting quietly on his phone.

"What's going on? Wheres Harper?" I asked, wiping the drool off my chin and stretching.

"She went to find a spot where we could put the tents, and well, the thing is... Nobody thought this through, and none of us can build a tent. Harper said you took camping lessons when you were six or something?" Austin said, combing his dark curly hair out of his eyes. 

"Okay? So what if I did? That was literally ages ago, and I have no memory of any of the classes I was forced to take, by the way." Accentuating the 'forced', pushing Austin off me.

"But, fortunately for us, I did come across a fifteen-minute video on how to set up a tent a few days ago while I was searching for what kind of outfits can I wear on-" I said.

"Okay, okay. I don't care. Just, please, help me put the tent up. It's getting dark." Austin begged.

"Alright." I said.

Then, we heard a loud ear-piercing screech. It came from Harper. Austin and I stumbled out of the mini van, pushing each other as we ran to see what was happening.

"OH MY GOD!" Harper screeched while shaking,and pointing at something that was hiding behind a tree. "IT WAS ABOUT TO ATTACK ME, I SWEAR IT!" 

Austin and I ran towards Harper to see what she's pointing at.