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44 - Sacred Memories & Secret Lovers

The cold air was inviting after being surrounded by sweat drenched teenagers that were drowning themselves in alcohol. I made my way to Chi's car. Chi had a red Chevrolet that his dad gave him when he turned sixteen. I still remember how excited he was to drive it to school on his birthday. It was funny because he lived so close to school. I advised him to walk with me rather than waste his fuel but for the first few weeks of school he insisted on driving.
Chi and I were stuck on each other since forever,we had a lot of memories and we had been through a lot. The flashback to sophomore year crept into my vision. Chi had gotten involved with the wrong crowd. He was doing drugs and he basically went off the rails. It broke my heart to see him go through all of that knowing I could have stopped it. I was so blinded by other things that I wasn't there for him. The fact that he's changed now and he's clean makes me happy.

So much had changed over the years,the path of life was so unpredictable.
I unlocked Chi's car and hopped into the passenger seat. I turned on the air conditioner and the radio. The radio frequency wasn't accurate and the high pitched sound hurt my eyes. I quickly turned it off and in relief I rested my head against the seat.

I was about to die in the silence as my mind began to drift into thought but I saw Chi approaching the car. It was dark but his figure shone in the moonlight. He opened the car door and jumped in with a frown.

"Ready to go? ", he inquired as he shut the door.

"Yes", I nodded and handed him his car keys.

He gave me a small smile and took the keys from me, immediately sticking it in the ignition.

"You're cheery all of a sudden", I raised sarcastically

He remained silent as we pulled out of the driveway.

" You're annoying", I said looking out the window.

"Sure, I'm the annoying one. "

"You know I could have asked someone else to take me home", I said with a frown.

" Mia, you have no friends. Who were you gonna ask? ", Chi laughed.

" That's more sad than funny ", I shook my head.

"Why were you running away from the party? Is it because of Jamie? ",Chi asked keeping his eyes fixed on the road.

I turned my head and looked at Chi's dashboard. He had his chemistry textbooks stacked on it and I thought about school for a second.

"Kinda, everything is just everywhere Chi and you know this term just passed me by. I barely even studied. I know it's just the beginning of the year but I can't afford to be slacking off", I realised I was thinking aloud and I just looked at Chi to see his reaction.

" Mia, you're the smartest person I know, you can do this. Don't lose your focus, so the rest of the year you got to give it your all", Chi turned to me and shrugged.

"Do you think I lost my focus a little because of Jamie? ", I asked concerned as I looked back out the window as we drove down the narrow road.

" No, I think that being in eleventh grade is just a lot of pressure so when you get your first term results don't be too hard of yourself. As for Jamie, you and him need to talk. Decide what the hell you two want and you need to bring your studies back up to your number one priority. "

I smiled at Chi's words. He was being smart. Usually he'd say something stupid that made no sense at all and I would have to pretend that he just gave me the best advice. This time it was different, he actually did give me the best advice.

"So you are capable of saying something that makes sense?", I laughed loudly.

" Shut up, stupid", he pushed me with his one hand while the other gripped the steering wheel.

"Tell me who you went to say goodbye to and why you're so sad now", I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

" I went to say goodbye to your grandma. "

"Listen here boy, if you don't tell me... "

"What? What you gonna do girl? "

"I will punch you in the face. "

"No problem, I'll just tickle you. "

"You know that's my weakness, so that's unfair... Come on now! Tell me! "

"She wasn't there, I went to tell her I was leaving and coming back but she wasn't there", Chi said sounding sad as we pulled into the driveway of my house. I was surprised to be home so soon, I was so sure that the lake house was further from home.

" Who is she? "

"I can't tell you just yet.", Chi turned to me and gave me a face.

" What do you mean you can't tell me?"

"We've just been talking and honestly I really like her", Chi said it like he meant it. I was shocked. Chi had never ever told me he liked a girl. I knew he had many girls in the past but he never spoke to me about any of them and I knew he liked to mess around.

This was different, was Chi finally love struck?
I couldn't help but smile. I smiled so much that Chi looked at me like I was a psychopath.

" Are you finding this amusing? "

"Yes, my bestie has a real crush. So cute", I hugged him.

" This is why I don't tell you anything", he said practically pushing me off him.

"Tell me who she is!"

"In due time my child. "

"I hate you! "

"Go home, Mia. "