Between Two Cities
"Where's the damn lighter!?" I exclaimed searching frantically for the rogue lighter. I searched my pockets and the blankets around me.
"Not on my side." Torye said mournfully to my right, an unlit cigarette between her lips.
"Find the lighter yet?!" Jake questioned hopefully. I felt him fidgeting looking for the lighter that had escaped us all. I start to reply to Jake but quickly trailed off as Jake holds the missing fire starter. Looks of shame and stupidity were passed around. The lighter had sat so plainly in sight. Soon following out blunder was uncontrollable laughter.
The first week of May hadn't even ended yet and the warm summer air had already blown in. The school year was coming to a close and my friend and I were getting antsy. We wanted to have a big adventure to start our summer with a bang. I was sitting in Drawing and Painting, listening to my iPod playing music in my ear. I see Torye out of the corner of my eye come across the room. My desk was her destination. Her face had the look of determination and excitement written all over it.
"So…we're going camping this weekend. You're going. I'm not taking no for an answer and neither will Jake." Torye said as she reached my desk pulling up a chair and sitting across from me.
"Where at? Whose we?" I whispered as Mrs. Sheckler walked by, yelling at some other sophomores toward the back of the room.
"Anywhere and everywhere, but as far as I know it's just you, me, Jake, Jew, Hunter and Matt." Torye said pulling out her sketchbook and doodling on a random page.
I just met Torye that year. She was short, Native American girl a grade above me. She loved to draw and loved cats. At your first glance you'd think she was a shy little kid but once you get to know her she's insane. Jake, Jew, and Matt were the other three I would be seen with . By the way we acted around each other you'd have guessed wed been friends for years but, in reality, it was only 5 short months. Jake and I especially, we liked the same books, music, movies, games, shoes, clothes and ironically enough I found a hat he lost 2 years earlier on the side of the road. That's another story for another day. I met Jew and Matt not long before I met Jake. Jews real name is Justin, but his initials spell J.E.W. He knows how to make you laugh without trying, but matt he's the opposite but still the same. He can make anyone laugh but he's the one you can trust with anything. Matt and hunter could be seen together all the time. I had known hunter for 2 years at the time. In the beginning we weren't on friendship basis. He was my first boyfriend, but we became good friends as time passed. I look back at how well all of us got along and I realize you don't get friends like those any day of the week. They brought out the best in me, and the and I were just finishing up how we were going to make the camping trip work when the bell rang.
"I'll talk to Jake about what he thinks in English! See you later!" I yelled after her, who was already out the door and running to her next class
The next day was full of jittery excitement none of us could stay in our seats. The last bell rand signaling us, our plan was in motion. I was to meet Jake at his house after school; I had gotten thirty-five dollars from my dad earlier that day for "snacks". Though, that money was not for snacks. Jake and I had to wait for Jew to get off work to call the person we needed to call. Jew finally got home and we called our man. By the time he got back everyone had already shown up and I had run home to get the necessities for camping: tent, blankets, pillows, and paraphernalia. It wasn't till about eight at night until we got into the cars. Our anxiety and excitement was off the charts we were ready to roll. Literally.
Nine of us piled into three different vehicles, Zach, Echo, and Schwiggy had shown up to join us. Echo, Justin, and Zach were the only ones driving. I got in the car with Echo and Torye. While Matt and Hunter had paired with Zach, Jake was with Jew. Blankets and pillows were piled into every inch of the car and poor Torye had to squeeze into the back. At no point during the car ride did I think about where we might be going until we parked in the trucker part of McDonald's at the bottom of the hill. Not long after we pulled in Jew parked next to us. I don't exactly know where Zach parked. We told everyone to meet up at the train tracks, and getting there was no easy feat.
Hiking up and incline that was almost vertical was a pain. Adding misshapen blankets and pillows, and a backpack full of random heavy objects was even worse. I felt like my arms and fingers were going to fall off by the time I was at the tracks. Getting down the other side was a lot easier. The tumbling rocks were somewhat scary but, no one got hurt. I do remember going through brush of trees and under a piece of cement, and at the other side of the cement a tree branch managed to whack me in the face. The sting of the twig didn't even faze me I was so concentrated on getting somewhere to stop! The others were conversing with each other but I was at the front I didn't really want to put my comments in I might have dropped what I was holding. We didn't stop until we got to a familiar fishing spot on the Kickapoo Creek. Hunter would take me there when I was in town. While I was taking drags off of my cigarette I realized how goofy we must have looked. A group of nine teenagers walking in the middle of two cities with armfuls of camping gear, not to mention the unmentionables we had in our possession. What would have happened if we got caught? I think about it now and we would have gotten in more trouble than just a fine. We thought we were invincible and that could have been our downfall. After a few cigarettes and a whole jug of water later we continued our march on our little adventure.
Apparently Hunter and Matt knew where they were going because they took the lead. They led us through a grassy field and eventually to a small nestle of woods. We walked into a little opening, which looked as if it was meant for us to be there. The trees branches overlapped leaving a small gap, and the trees continued with a trail eventually leading us to a small grove with a sandy ground and the gently flowing creek to our right. This place looked right out of a story book, or a camping magazine. We found some larger logs and set them up around a hole one of the guys had dug. Before I knew it a fire had been started and the sensations began. It wasn't my first time doing something that had more consequences than benefits, but like everyone else I felt invincible. I popped my little purple pill on my tongue and chased it with some refreshing water. The taste of chemicals lingered, there was no going back. I, along with Matt set up the tent while I was waiting for the effects of what I just did to kick in. The rest of the group decided to look for firewood. Fifteen minutes later it didn't take long for me to realize I was feeling the effects of pure euphoria. I heard colors and saw sounds, at some point someone started some music because I felt it pulse to my every move. Jew must have felt the same thing because he was dancing, although he was a little too close to the fire. Quicker than I could keep up in my hyper sensitized mode, Hunter sat him down and handed him the marijuana.
We shared stories, jokes, hugs, cigarettes, feelings, cried, laughed, yelled, danced, anything you can imagine. Never in my life would i have ever thought I'd be in that situation. I never thought I would be able to trust so many people so well. At that moment I realized I had some of the best friends anyone could ask for. We told each other multiple times that night how much we love each other, not in the literal sense but in a family way. That could have also been the effects of the drugs, though the friendship continues even after all that was said and done. Even as the rain started we still sat out by the fire and talked. The rain felt like little caresses on my skin, they tickled. I laughed for the longest time the others joined me when they realized the same thing. It wasn't until the fire went out did we retire to the tent and by then it was well past eleven at night. Our feet had become so sandy and we came to the point where we just took off our shoes and socks, and completely forgot about trying to keep sand out of our bed. It was inevitable.
The peak of my high was definitely getting more intense. Not only did the blankets in the tent feel like clouds, but my senses were out of control. Colors were vibrant, the sense of touch was electrifying, and being with my friends made everything feel like I was going to be ok. After we passed a few sticks around, we finally settled down and tried to fall asleep. Torye, Jake and I decided to take the right side of the tent, I laid down next to Jake on his left and Torye on his right. Echo laid down to Torye's right, and Matt took up the length of the left side. This tent wasn't the largest and Hunter found himself at most of our feet, and Matt laid on his legs. Justin and Schwiggy weren't tired and they seemed very into the conversation they were having at the opening of the tent. My thoughts were racing, that was until Torye, Jake and I had to search for a missing lighter.
Shortly after the search for the lighter, the three of us laying on the right side of the tent had a bonding moment. Some people weren't as tired as they thought and went outside. The rain was tapping over head, creating a soothing sound. Someone had found a tarp to put over the tent, but somehow we managed to be right underneath the only hole in the tarp. We didn't care though. I had my head laying on the left side of Jake's chest, and Torye on his right. I was listening to his heartbeat and the rain at the same time. Then, something in my changed. I reached over Jake's stomach and grabbed Torye's hand on impulse. We held hands and listened to Jake's heartbeat. We didn't do this in any way sexual. I felt completely connected to Jake and Torye in that moment and the awe showed on my face, and evidently so did Torye and Jake. We stayed in silence for a while. Braking the silence, we shared a few jokes, laughing maniacally, until Jake brought up a topic I hadn't thought too much into detail about and I don't know if I was ready.
"Did you ever wonder what its like outside of our own little world." Jake asked as he lit up a cigarette, we passed it between the three of us while we thought about what was it really like. My brain was on overdrive, the chemicals in my brain intensifying it even more. Did other planets in other galaxies have life, like us, or was it greater? I couldn't wrap my head around it and I think I scared myself thinking about if there really were other life forms. It didn't help that Jake had made me watch "War of the Worlds" a few nights earlier. I decided to change the subject.
"Think of it this way, what's it like outside of the tent now? Isn't our tent like our own little world right now? At least, that's how I feel and everyone else is sitting out there wondering why we're laughing like maniacs. We can consider them other life forms right?"
"They aren't exactly greater than us." Torye said mockingly. This caused us to burst out in fits of more laughter, eventually causing Matt and the others to look in and see exactly what was wrong with us. I felt like nothing could get better. That was until the thunder and lightning started.
I've never liked storms. Lightning fascinated me but thunder was my enemy. Being in the state of mind that I was in didn't help. Not only had my hearing become enhanced but I could feel every boom of the thunder and didn't I say my sense of touch was electrifying? I didn't feel like I was being shocked but I thought I was seeing a ripple in my eyesight every time the thunder clashed. It was probably because Jake made me watch that movie nights before that I got scared. Since we were so close to the river, just a mile or two down a runoff, barges sounded like they were right next to us, but at the same time far away. The conversation was still lingering in my head when I heard the barges horn. For some insane reason I thought it was the aliens, not to mention the storm had started to get worse and the rain was pounding the tent without mercy. I wasn't the only one who thought the same. Torye had the same feeling I did. I felt hopeless and scared. For a while Jake actually had a hint of doubt in his voice when he was trying to comfort Torye and I. I remember curling my knees up and putting my head into Jake's arm hoping if it had happened I'd be with my friends. I suddenly got the urge to get up off the ground. I needed to move or ask about something that I thought I as feeling, so I went over and talked to Schwiggy and Jew, who took their seats back at the opening of the tent when the storm got worse. Anyone who hadn't taken a little pill had gone to sleep or was trying to fall asleep, I heard Matt's snores and a yawn in Echo's directions. Hunter was in an almost sleep state and Zach had left a while back.
"Schwiggy?" I asked sheepishly, unconsciously grinding my teeth, another downside to the chemicals I had put in my body. He acknowledged me and I asked him my question "Are we going to die?"
"No your rolling go calm yourself and lay back down, you'll be fine." He said reassuringly. I didn't believe him at first but eventually I did because I laid down with Torye and Jake again. I felt silly for asking that question, but what if?
The storm raged on and the three of us chatted quietly occasionally breaking the sleep filled silence with laughter. We had a lighter thrown our way. I think an empty pack of cigarettes made its way at my head too. We never got tired, and we really didn't find much comfort in eating. We made sure to keep hydrated and drank water often. Around five in the morning the storm suddenly stopped. The pounding rain had instantaneously become drip drops from the trees above us. It was as if a switch for rain had been turned off. We looked up toward the sky, which to us was just a blue tarp that let in blue filtered light. The sun was starting to come up. Jake was the first one to get up and venture out. I followed soon after.
It was as if a storm never even happened. The birds were chirping, the sun was peaking through the trees, the greens of the leaves more intense, and the creek rushing like a dam had broken. That's where I found Jake standing, taking slow drags off of his cigarette, taking in his surroundings as well. I didn't talk. I walked up next to him taking a cigarette of my own and joining him in his silent reverie, though, it wasn't a dream. Torye joined us after finding somewhere to go to the bathroom. She asked us if we felt like it was a whole new world. I said a simple yes but that's not what I was thinking. I had a whole new outlook. The minute I walked outside I knew I wasn't going to die but my common sense kicked in. What if the river had flooded? What if lightning decided to strike somewhere near us? We could have died by a stupid mistake of a few teenagers too close to the river. I was suddenly so much more appreciative of my surroundings. I looked at nature in a whole new light and camping became more to me than just spending the night in the woods. It became a way to get close to the earth and animals without bothering them. That stuck with me even after my high wore off completely the next day. I still appreciated how mother nature could have decided my fate, and I still do.
I never told my friends how I had taken that night, but I had the feeling they had a similar reaction. We went on more hikes, more trips to parks, and we just sat enjoying the peacefulness of the mother earth that man kind was destroying and under appreciating. After that night, my friendship with all of them got better than any I had ever had. We were closer than anyone I knew, we were comfortable with each other, and I was accepted by them, for who i was, and my opinions were heard. I never met anyone so alike yet so different from me and meeting six of them that have stuck with me to this day is a blessing. Some of us have gone our separate ways because life has different plans, but others have stayed in my life through thick and thin. We've had our fair share of arguments and I even have a baby, but we've still stayed close. Its been almost two years since that day back in May. A day I can't soon forget, May 6th, 2011.