Where We Stand

8 | Where We Stand

Chapter 8

We push past crowds of people as they shuffle out of the hall. The smell of sweat, cologne and chlorine permeates the air. The chatter of multiple voices becomes an unrecognizable mass of sounds and the chill of fall winds has lost its battle against the heat of bodies.

Sweat drips down my back as I squeeze and slip through limbs and hair. I've lost Carlos in the crowd. The faces that look back at me are unfamiliar. My breaths come out short and stifled. I feel like a lonely boat being tossed by stormy waves, helpless and unmoored.

In moments like these, I can't help but curse my short stature. I think of what it would have been like if my two best friends were by my side. Aiden to my left and Megan to my right. They would have guided me, kept me steady on my feet. We were always together, the three of us.

Until I became the third wheel.

I've never seen Aiden and Megan so happy together, glowing with love and compassion and yearning. But lately, I've been feeling left out. Secluded. Unwanted. I miss our eat out days when Megan would find us cozy restaurants and chic cafes in Winterside and the neighboring town. Sometimes we'd bring Laila and Sarah with us. Aiden came for the food and the jokes. We'd order dishes from different cuisines to spice up our trips. As a member of the journalism club, Megan contributed to the food article. She was always the writer and I, her photographer.

Another memory works its way into my mind.

I think of my Saturdays in Aiden's garage. The first time he'd invited me, he'd asked me to fetch him a combined spanner and I'd been totally clueless. He'd emptied an entire tool box and taught me the names of the tools and their functions. I know how to tow a car, change a tyre, jump-start the engine, how often a car needed maintenance, when to change oil and other fluids and how to diagnose the braking system because I'd learnt from him. He was my best teacher. My favorite mechanic and future engineer.

My memories leave me drained. I know I shouldn't be feeling this way. I'm happy for them. I truly am. But I'm also terrified of standing in the way of their happiness. I'm afraid of losing my best friends.

I hear a voice in my mind and I don't like what it says. You are selfish.

Suddenly, there's a hand wrapped around my shoulder. Relief floods through me. I look up, expecting to see Aiden's mop of brown hair and easy smile.

"Found you," Carlos says. There's a dip between his eyebrows. "You okay?"

My jaw tenses. "I'm fine."

He studies my face. "Terrible liar."

I expel a breath, lift my head to the heavens and pray for insurmountable patience. "Is that so?"

"You looked like you had seen the ghost of Fernando Sor," he says.

"Who's that?" I notice the crowd is thinning and the air feels less smothering. I glance at Carlos. His smile is all mischief. He's been trying to distract me.

"My guitar," he says.

I snicker. "Do you expect me to believe your guitar has a ghost?"

Carlos leans down to match my level. Up close, his eyes are brown like the golden tint of autumn leaves. "Wanna find out if it's true?"

I make a face. "I'll pass."

"You're afraid of ghosts," he says, smirking.

I want to tell him I'm afraid of being alone, of being left out but I bury those thoughts into the deepest recesses of my mind. "No, I'm never afraid of something I don't believe in."

His gaze is on my face again. I wonder what he's thinking. "Then what are you afraid of Naomi?"

"Jupiter," I say. "Black holes. Vampire stars."

Carlos barks a laugh. "Vampire stars?"

"Vampire stars feed on their companions, sucking gas and matter from the other until they become massive. You still think it's funny?"

"Damn, girl. You're weird."

I throw back my shoulders and smile. "I've got plenty more."

"I know," Carlos says, teeth flashing in an impish grin, "and I want to explore you like a galaxy."

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Short chapter but I felt this was the right point to end it. Thank you for reading.

So if you're a lover of fairy tale retellings, I urge you to check out my short story Little Red and the Wolf King in the 30 Tales of Spring anthology here on Wattpad. It's a-you guessed it-retelling of Little Red Riding Hood but with a twist of dark fantasy and a tiny bit of romance ;) There are other good stories too.