At Midnight

Chapter 5

" Where are you taking me?" I laughed as he dragged me into his car and turned up the radio to block out my constant whining and complaints.

I turned the volume down a little so he could hear me. " Tell me. I hate surprises." He pretended he couldn't hear me and focused on driving.

Judging from his outfit, I couldn't tell where we were headed. Groaning in defeat, I folded my arms and leaned back into the seat. It was another cool day and the wind was rustling. Red, orange and yellow leaves flew in the sky and it was so beautiful.

" Hey, Mia. Can I ask you a question?" Ashton asked, eyes still on the road.

" Shoot."

" Why is autumn your favorite season?" He was looking over to me. " Like Summer and winter, I get. But autumn? I don't know I guess most people I know like all the three other seasons except autumn. Care to enlighten me?"

I laughed a little. " Well, the colors. The green leaves become red, orange, yellow and eventually brown. And then, they'd wither and die. But before that, they get to be free. The wind can take them wherever they want to go, you know, before they decompose. And I like the weather and everything about autumn. Like jumping on a pile of leaves or lighting the furnace. When I was little, my uncle and his family would visit us during autumn, for at least a day or two. Even though it was a pretty short visit, I really loved it. We had so much fun together. We don't do that anymore but it was really fun. I kind of miss it actually. " I smiled at the memory despite my heart breaking.

" What about your parents?" He asked. " Were they there too?"

I hesitated a little and he could see how uncomfortable I was after hearing his question. Before he could say something, I cut him off, " My dad left us and my mother's never around. It's cool though."

I was more than thankful to have Ashton as a friend. Although I was still a little doubtful if we would remain as friends for a long period of time, I was glad that he was here for me for the time being. But that didn't mean that I would let my guard down.

He seemed trustable and the kind of person that would be reliable but it was still too early to tell. After all, I haven't been friends with him for that long. I wasn't willing to let him in. At the moment, that was all I was going to tell him.

" Sorry, Mia. I didn't know." He apologized.

" It's alright. I'm used to it by now." I shrugged and turn on the radio louder to lighten up the atmosphere.

We started singing to some tunes at the top of our lungs and it was terrible hearing ourselves. I could feel my throat getting hoarse after screaming the entire ride. We were laughing as we sang off-key. Since our windows were rolled down, the vehicles that drove past us honked in annoyance, which made us, crack up even more.

Finally, we reached our destination. Ashton parked the car and we strolled to the entrance, still laughing and teasing each other's singing ability. He took out two tickets from his back pocket and I immediately stopped in my tracks, realizing where we were. He was still laughing and didn't seem to notice my reaction.

" Right, Mia?" He asked between chuckles. " Mia?" He turned around and saw me frozen. His eyebrows twitched in confusion and he walked towards me. " What's wrong?" Putting his arm around me as a form of comfort.

" I didn't know we were going to the zoo." I said, managing a small smile.

" You told me you liked the zoo. So I thought maybe we should go since it's been a long time you came here." He answered.

I was touched that he remembered that and it honestly made me grin. But I wasn't leaping for joy either. It was a touchy subject that brought back bad memories.

" Come on, it'll be fun. I promise." He smiled and dragged me to the entrance despite my protests.

We went in and a wave of sadness engulfed me. I remembered the times when my mother and uncle would take their Sundays off to bring me to the zoo. I loved the animals and all the shows they put on.

Believe it or not, my aspiration then, was to become a zookeeper. I was always bubbling with excitement even though I had seen the same old enclosures dozens of times. My cousin went too and we had so much fun together. She was like a little sister to me.

We strolled and looked at the animals. At first, I was a little uncertain about how to feel so I avoided taking any closer look at the animals. But as time passed, I couldn't help but let the exhilaration take over me and soon, I was dragging Ashton to every single compound.

We watched all the shows and visited all the enclosures until it was dark. The chilling wind was still blowing but that didn't stop us from walking some more. A few minutes before the zoo had to close, we entered the gift shop. We wore hats with oversized animals on it and made fun of each other. Just then, my eyes were set on a small soft toy. It was an elephant with a grin on its face. Without hesitation, I picked it up and purchased it.

" I didn't know you like elephants. You look like a kid right now." Ashton teased.

I hit him on the head playfully, " It's for my cousin. I used to come here with her all the time when we were little and she loved elephants. She said elephants made her feel like she could be as big and brave as them. Both of us wanted to be zookeepers too." I smiled at the memory and tried to ignore that melancholic feeling. " I really miss her."