Chapter 4
The Park
~Laney's POV~
It's only a five minute walk from Corey's house to the park. On the way, we talk about Trina and how awful she always is to us. I didn't dare to bring up what had happened. It seems like Corey's been acting weird lately. It's almost as if he likes me. How could he though? I'm so bland. He's got such a spark. So creative, and optimistic, and fun. It seems impossible for him to like me back, and yet here we are. Maybe I should just wait and see.
We get to the park and find a bench under a shady tree. We sit down and continue to talk for a few minutes. I pull my bass off of my back and strum a few chords. "So" I say, "should we try and work on a song for our next gig?" Corey thinks for a minute before sliding my bass out of my hands and placing it on the ground beside us. "Nah," he says with a smile, "We deserve a day to relax. Plus, it's really hot out here. Let's just chill." He leans back on the bench and places an arm around my shoulder. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. I can't help it! I turn away quickly, hoping he didn't notice.
~Corey's POV~
I decided to experiment to try and confirm that Laney likes me back. I lay my arm across her shoulder casually and see her face turn bright red. I can't believe it. All I did was touch her and she's blushing. I smile as she frantically turns away, but it's to late. I saw her face. Now, I am determined to make her mine. Maybe I could treat this like a date and see if she plays along. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I remember always coming to the park with Lanes when we were little kids. We'd always spend the day playing at the duck pond and eating ice cream. That's it!
"Hey Lanes" I say to her. She looks back at me. "You wanna go hang out by the duck pond?" Laney smiled, making my heart skip a beat. Why does she have to be so cute? "Sounds great Core" she responds. Yes! We stand up and Laney straps her bass back onto her back. I take a chance and offer my hand to her. She hesitates only a little before excepting. We follow the dirt path to the pond. When we get there, I lead Laney to the edge of the water. We sit down and see a mother duck swimming by. There are four ducklings following close behind her. "Aww, they're so cute" Laney says, her eyes widening as the ducks swim past us. She really loves animals. It's adorable.
We start talking about random things. Memories from when we were little, plans for future gigs, stuff like that. After about an hour, I hear bells off in the distance. I look down the path and see an ice cream vendor. Great! I nudge Laney in the shoulder and point down the path. "Want some ice cream Lanes?" "If you're buying" she responds happily. "Oh, come on" I fake whine, making her giggle, "you always say you can take care of yourself." She grins at me. "Fine," she says, "I'll pay. But only if you can beat me there." I narrow my eyes at her playfully. "Bring it on." She laughs and we both get up and walk to the path. I draw a line in the dirt and we both stand behind it. "Last chance Lanes. Just give up now and we'll split the cost." "No way Core." We get into ready positions and count down together. "3, 2, 1, GO!"
I start sprinting down the path, and Laney is right behind me. Man, she sure is fast. I'm barely ahead when suddenly I hear Laney let out a small scream. I immediately stop and turn around. I see Laney face first on the ground. I run to her and kneel down. "Lanes! Are you alright?!" I guess I didn't realize how loud I was talking. Laney looks up at me and I can see tears forming in her eyes. I pick her up bridal style and see just how damaged she is. She had scratches on her hands and neck. Her legs were raw and bleeding heavily at the knees. She needs help, and fast. I start running back home with Laney tight in my arms. The whole time, I can tell she is trying hard not to cry. Yet, I can see tears running down her beautiful face. "You'll be okay Lanes" I tell her. "I'm here for you."