Until the Very End

Chapter Two

By mid-day, the two girls had their large picnic blanket spread out over the area in front of the deer den and the feast the basket carried all spread neatly out. To Laramie’s observations, Maurice was still a bit jumpy in a way that wasn’t like her at all. Even as they ate, which was one of Maurice’s favorite things to do, she just picked at her food rather than inhaling the whole sandwich like normal. It might have just been the fact that she was going to be in tremendous trouble once they got back inside the town limits. But a larger part of Laramie’s logic was tugging towards the mystery behind the danger sign was the reason for her friend’s discomfort.

“How are you liking the turkey sub?” Laramie asked after swallowing a bite from her own sub sandwich. 

“It’s pretty good,” Maurice answered without such courtesy as Laramie to finish chewing and swallowing before talking. “Woulda been better if it was ham rather than turkey but you won’t hear me complain about such insignificant things.”

Laramie smiled and shook her head as Maurice reached over and grabbed some barbeque chips and stuffed her face. The food seemed to make her ease up a bit. Food is always the answer to Maurice’s problems. Luckily for her she has a fast metabolism.

            “Are we going to walk around the lake after we eat or head back to Grounded-Ville once we’re done here?” Laramie asked.

            “Once we are done here, my friend, we are going to stay and laze at this very spot for five to ten minutes, then we are going to pack up and after that you will ask that very question word-for-word and I will give you an answer. So until then, cut me a huge slice of cheesecake?” Maurice smiled sweetly at Laramie and batted her big brown eyes.

            Laramie sighed.

            “Thanks. You’re a doll!” Maurice fell back, half on the blanket and half on the grass.

            Laramie pulled the sacred cheesecake out from the woven picnic basket and placed it in front of her. She started at the yellow top with strawberry slices around the edge. It’s going to be fine, Laramie told herself. Mom’s a forgiving woman. She’ll understand your friend’s compulsion to take what’s not hers. Her stomach dropped. Her mom wouldn’t understand. She barely liked Maurice because of the fact that she spoke what she thought. Laramie’s mom always, always, always told stories of how she was such a good girl when she was younger because her parents were strict and didn’t let her do whatever she wanted. Unfortunately, Laramie has to go by the same rule. 

            She grabbed the knife and cut the cake into four large pieces.

            “Here you go,” Laramie nudged her friend in the side with her outstretched foot. Maurice glanced up at the paper plate Laramie held with a huge slice of heaven on it. 

            “Wholly cheerios, girl,” Maurice said in surprise, “When I said big I guess you took it a bit too literal.”

            Laramie smiled. Good.