Rayston Point Road || Editing

Chapter Nine

"Alright, Verano, how many times do I have to ask you where we're going before you spill?" It was the second time I had asked him since we started walking, twice as many minutes having had passed between us in silence, and again he answered me with just a smile and a brief shake of his head. I huffed again, shaking my bangs across my forehead to try to unstick some of the strands from my slick forehead, and raised my hand to try to bat away some of the gnats and mosquitoes perpetually buzzing around my face, especially as the heat sunk into my skin, making me sweat as Isaac and I continued down the overgrown path.

"Keep up, smalls," Isaac called lazily over his shoulder, tossing a brief glance over his shoulder. I frowned heavily at his back, my steps slowing slightly so he grew further away, his long legs and fast pace keeping him a few steps away from me since we started walking.

"Smalls?" Isaac stopped immediately, turning to look at me with an expression that was a mix of horror and disbelief, his jaw hanging open slightly with his eyes wide, He looked ridiculous, and I tried not to laugh.

"Do not tell me you've never seen The Sandlot," Isaac pleaded, and when I shook my head no, he made an exaggerated motion of placing one hand over his heart and then bending over, resting his other hand on his thigh. I narrowed my eyes at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You're being dramatic."

"The Sandlot is one of the best movies ever made. You and I are going to watch it. Soon. It'll change your life." He turned around without giving me a chance to respond. "Now let's go, you seriously need to keep up."

"Maybe you should slow down." I complained, starting after him after a moment of hesitation at his suggestion, choosing to ignore it for the moment as I tried to close the distance between us, having to walk nearly twice as fast to keep up with the long strides he took. "Not all of us are freakishly tall giants." Isaac glanced back at me, his eyes wandering down to my legs as I tried to keep pace with him, an amused smile on his face as he laughed lightly.

"This freakishly tall giant is actually only 6'3. It's not my fault you're pint-sized."

"I'm 5'2"," I huffed at his mocking of my height, my frown deepening as I stared at the back of his head.

"Exactly," he called back over his shoulder, his words light with laughter. As I trailed behind him, I reached down and picked a few small pebbles from the path beneath my feet and threw them lightly at his back, watching as they bounced across his right shoulder and dropped down onto the dirt behind his feet. I covered my mouth with the back of my hand as I tried to stifle my laugh as I watched Isaac's body flinch, his shoulders raising as the rocks scattered around him. I stepped backwards as Isaac stopped immediately and when he turned around to look at me, I raised my hands and shrugged my shoulders.

"What are you doing?" My hands dropped in front of me when Isaac took a step in my direction, the playful smile vanishing from his face as he bent down and scooped a large handful of dirt into the palms of both of his hands, revenge pulling the corner of his mouth up mischievously.

"Nothing," Isaac's shoulders shrugged in the same way I had, trying to feign innocence, but he couldn't hide the gleam in his eye and the smile that kept pulling at his lips.

"Isaac," I warned, backing away from him as he continued to advance. "I swear to-" I couldn't finish the sentence, because Isaac's arms were in the air and he was flinging his hands towards me. I raised my arms and turned away as the dirt from his hands clouded the air around the left my face, landing across the side of my head, my cheek, and shoulder and upper chest. My jaw dropped as I reached up and brushed some of the dirt out of my hair and off of my shirt before I looked at him, my mouth tight and my eyes narrow while he choked back a laugh.