The Quiet Ones [g x g]

Chapter 9

  We have exactly one (1) energy drink left by the morning. And that's only because I saved it knowing how goddamn tired I'd be in the morning. And damn I was right too because we got exactly zero (0) hours of sleep.

So that's why I'm sipping smugly at a crappy energy drink while Erika and Caitlyn scramble to get coffee on this cold morning. And by cold, I mean goddamn frostbite-and-icicles-want-to-curl-up-in-a-coma-and-sleep-forever cold.

And then I remember the frickin human heater right beside me that is Caitlyn, and yeah, maybe I kind of just wanna hold her hand, but warmth too.

"So," Caitlyn leans her hip against one of the isles, which oughtta be dangerous, you know, goods falling and all that, but nothing happens. Even though it would have most definitely have happened to me.

In the end, we leave the shop with energy drinks, chocolate, five bags of chips and . . . ham? I have no idea where it came from but none of us are putting it back, so I guess we're buying it.

"Dude, you know what'd be super cool?" Caitlyn says after chugging her fifth energy drink in four minutes, her eyes lit up in feverish excitement.

My mouth feels full of cotton wool, and I want to sleep and scream at the same time, but I still say, "What?"

And really I don't want to go to the historic village like she suggests, but really it sounds fun. And I figure if I have enough sugar and caffeine then I'll survive. Maybe.

Of course, it's cold enough that it feels like there's an icicle shoved up my ass, and every single shop is closed so this is clearly a bad idea. Caitlyn runs ahead jiggling every single door handle, so she clearly enough energy for all of us.

"Guys, this one's open!" Caitlyn calls from ahead, grinning from ear to ear.

"This was a fucking mistake," Erika mutters.

"Fucking agreed," I reply. "But I mean, it is kinda pretty."

Erika rolls her eyes, "Dude you are fucking whipped." And I'm pretty sure she was talking to me, but she literally said it to the floor and I could barely hear her, so I mean, maybe I'm just hopped up on caffeine and extremely sleep deprived.

It's an old post office, and some kind of staff must have been in here, because man, the radiator is fucking powerful. We kind of file in one by one as it still gets progressively colder. Somewhere down the line, we end up huddled together.

After five minutes the silence is fucking boring you know what I mean? Time is probably going slower because of our caffeinated brains, so I pull my phone out and play Cavetown because I'm low key obsessed at the moment.

We talk a bit and eat for the next few hours, at least until we see some poor staff unlocking the cafe across the way, blowing on their fingers all the while.

Erika, Caitlyn, and I all glance at each other before scrambling to get our things and run over the way toward the cafe. The door is still locked, and we tap at the glass insistently.

"Uh, we're still closed for fifteen more minutes, sorry," The employee mutters. They've got their name tag on already, and they look like they're just getting everything ready.

"Look, Violet. Can I call you Violet? We're really fucking cold and it looks really fucking warm in there. We'll order a couple of hot chocolates and leave you alone. It won't bother you."

Violet looks uncomfortable before shrugging and unlocking the door. She gives everyone a once over, "Lemme guess, high school? Uni? That awkward gap year in between?"