Valley of Muloor

9. Bravery in a Bottle

I exhaled sharply as I stood over the mess that was my trucks engine, growing increasingly annoyed. Everything I had tried hadn't worked, and the heat of the sun seemed to only grow. Running my fingers through my hair in frustration, I bent over the engine once again to tinker further.

Eventually, I swiped my hands across my forehead, removing the gathering sweat droplets as I shuffled over to the cab of in order to retry my engine. Just as I inserted the key a roaring erupted, however not from my truck. Whipping my head around to the source of the sound, my eyes landed on another truck hastily pulling out from the driveway adjacent. Realising exactly who it was, I turned away and practically hid myself behind my drivers side door. I tried my engine again, in attempt to appear as if I hadn't noticed, and mainly to avoid him just as he did the past week. As I turned the key in the ignition once again, my engine finally ticked to life, producing a healthy roar. Squealing in delight, I ran to the front and slammed the bonnet shut in victory, only to make eye contact with Hunt as he sped past.

What was his problem? He'd ignored and avoided me completely since the town meeting, to the point of blatantly turning around in the middle of the grocery store isle as I walked through. Sighing as I wiped the grease from my hands, I trudged inside into the cool sanctuary the house provided and made my way toward the bathroom.

-

As I scrunched my hair dry with my towel, an incessant banging erupted from behind the bathroom door. Annoyed and confused, I ripped it open to reveal Laura standing before me with a large, excited grin spread across her features. "Are you ready to go?" She asked, her entire body bopping in excitement. Rolling my eyes, I slammed the door shut and continued drying my hair. "I'll just wait in your room then!" she called from behind the door.

Once I emerged from the bathroom, I immediately started packing, throwing as much make up I thought I would need into a small toiletries bag. From behind me, Laura delicately folded my dress and placed it into the overnight bag sitting on my bed. "I'm so excited to just dress up and have fun tonight," she sighed, smiling as she zipped the bag and handed it to me.

"I think I'll definitely need a drink beforehand," I muttered, only for her to laugh in response as she pushed past me.

"Come on, lets go. I've waited long enough for you," she yelled from behind her as she practically ran out my room.

Throwing my bag onto the backseat of Laura's car and jumping in, we set off toward her house with her music blasting. Still stuck in the grumpy and confused state that Hunt had put me in, I crossed my arms and glared out the window as Laura's upbeat mood did nothing to affect my own.

Eventually we pulled into the driveway and disembarked, Laura carrying the suspicious paper bag of liquor we purchased on the way and I the readily packed bag crammed every single item of my make-up I owned, and of course, the dress.

As I planted myself in front of the large mirror in her bedroom and ripping open the now bursting toiletries bag, I could hear the distinct sound of a cork being removed from the bottle. Slowly turning around, I observed Laura pouring a "shot" worth of the clear liquid into a glass.

"Are you seriously starting now?" I laughed as she knocked it back.

"Go hard or go home," She cringed as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Laughing I got up and snatched the glass out of her hand, pouring my own shot. A few drinks later, we sat on the floor in front of the mirror, elbowing one another for some space and giggling like school girls as we applied our makeup.

An hour later we pulled on our shoes, simultaneously stumbled out of her bedroom and made our way out of the house, swaying against each other as we walked down the street toward the schools gymnasium. The sun had set behind the mountains, leaving the air cool and the sky a bright orange that faded to purple. As we progressed further, a slight breeze picked up, leaving our hair dancing and Laura's bright yellow dress swaying in the breeze, causing her to spin around in delight. We laughed as I grabbed her hand and twirled her again, gracelessly as we continued to stumble through our alcohol infused joy. Not once had I bothered to care what people would think of me showing face at the dance tonight. Maybe I was finally facing my fears, or maybe it was the vodka.

We continued to laugh and joke until we reached the entrance of the gymnasium, being greeted by the loud thumps of the music and dancers inside. Sucking in a harsh breath, I pushed the doors open and walked inside.