Bad Timing

Quindici

NOT EDITED*

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My eyes widened when he stared at a map in his hands. “Oh my gosh. Please tell me we are not lost.”

“We’re not,” Noah mumbled with his eyebrows drawn together.

*Five hours earlier*

“Ewe, do you think they did it?” I heard the familiar wicked child whisper.

“Did what exactly?” a recognizable male voice had asked in horror.

“You know … kiss.”

I groaned in annoyance, snuggling closer to the hard pillow that smelled amazing and defrosted my frozen skin in this icy room. It was too early in the morning and I was too comfortable to wake up. Noah moved beside me, slightly snoring.

“Nah,” Gray replied. “There’s no way Noah could score a kiss from a pretty girl.”

“You’re right,” Maia whispered. “Emmy could do so much better.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed with my eyes closed and laughed harder when the pillow disappeared from under my head. From the yelps and laughs from Gray and Maia, it was obvious that Noah was attacking them with his pillow.

“You guys are annoying. Why are you laughing Emmy?” Noah grumbled, his voice raspy from his slumber. I fell to the floor when he pushed me off the couch, but I was too busy laughing to be angry.

Gray crossed his arms with his infamous smirk on his face. “We’re trying to get an early start on our hike today, but you two lovebirds are too busy making out with each other.”

“Yeah, you guys are making me sick.” Maia shook her head, feigning a gag. She squealed when Noah grabbed her and kept her in a tight hug. “Noah, get your fat butt up already. I want to go hiking.”

After a half hour of constantly rebuking Noah to get up and get ready for our hike, we finally got into the Bertolini’s van and headed off towards our destination. Natalia decided to join Kate and baby Aaron on Kate’s morning yoga classes.

Luca pulled into a parking space. The hiking spot was slightly steep with different types of trees and a dirt trail that led to a picnic site where we would be having lunch. Clear blue skies hinted at a beautiful day, the trees moving in the strong wind. A river somewhere in the depths of the trees made loud sloshing noises.

Although I feared that a clever bear that hid in this supposedly ‘no wild animals zone’ was going to attack me, I was excited. Adventures were hard to find in Beaufort and I was clinging on to this opportunity like it was life support. I ignored the weird looks Gray and Noah were giving as I jumped up and down with Maia in excitement – well, I actually think I was more excited than Maia was.

“Glad to see you pumped up, Emma,” Luca commented, slinging his backpack over one shoulder and shutting the trunk of the van. “Okay, you know the rules. Don’t get lost unless you want me to have a heart attack.”

Gray fell into step beside me as we trekked up the dirt trail. “You know what they say about these woods?”

“What?” I asked curiously.

Noah rolled his eyes with his eyebrows drawn together. “Don’t listen to him.”

“I think it’s true,” Maia added before her eyes grew wide. “We better protect Emmy with our lives!”

“Are you kids still talking about that stupid legend?” Luca asked from the front with a shake of his head. “Oh and never say ‘stupid’, okay, Mai?”