Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, it is embarrassingly short, but as I said, EXAMS. And I'd rather give you something to move the story along and tide you over. So here it is (: ~Wallie
Patience wearing thin, I stared determinedly at the stuffed sports bag at my feet. The strap was pulled taut, having been dragged slowly along the tarmac, and the zip looked ready to burst. I kicked the heavy bag with the toe of my scuffed sneaker, exhaling in frustration. A low whistle sounded from my left. Clay was leaning nonchalantly against the white fence, arms crossed, eyes fixed on my luggage. "Think ya got enough stuff there?" He asked me solemnly, azure eyes glittering in amusement.
"No." I replied, equally sober. I eyed the compact car boot speculatively, before dropping my gaze to the bag. "You need a bigger car." I informed him, lips twitching. He eyed me gravely, blue eyes assessing me. Finally his lip curved slightly, as he replied, "You need less crap, Blondie." The whistling resumed as I huffed. Pushing my hair away from my rapidly sweaty face, I yanked on the strap of the bag. It rose an inch as I grunted, before giving up and dumping it on my feet. I moaned quietly in aggravation.
"Y'know, you sound like Chewbacca."
I turned to find Simon smiling at me. "Well, great." I moaned, pulling the bag strap from side to side. "You want some help?"
He flashed a charming smile as he moved forward to pull the strap from my grip.
"Okay, but be careful, it's-"
"Chloe, please. I'm a man."
He winked, hefting the strap onto his arm and straightening up. He exhaled sharply, dropping the bag back onto the tarmac with a thump. Cursing harshly, he turned to me. "I wasn't aware you needed to take bricks."
I shrugged, before poking his bicep. "What happened to being a man." I mocked, with holding a giggle. He straightened up again.
"I am a man. But I'll let Derek deal with this."
"Sure." I drawled, taking the strap from him. "I get it. The damsel can sort her own crap out. No worries."
"Glad we've got that covered." He joked, stepping away from the car. "Anyway, I got you something." He fumbled awkwardly in the back pocket of his jeans before extracting a folded piece of paper. He unclenched my hand, forcing me to release the bag strap and replacing it with the paper. "It's not much. Just a small drawing." A quirk of the lips, as he carefully appraised my face.
"Anyhow, have a good journey, okay? We'll be right behind you."
My arm hooked through the strap limiting my movement, I leaned towards him for a brief embrace. "Bye." I murmured.
"Don't get into too much trouble." He winked, spinning on his heel and walked back into the house.
"Good friend?" A rumble sounded behind me, making me jump.
"Yeah." I mumbled, as Clay grabbed the strap from me, easily hoisting the heavy bag into the small space. I watched in astonishment as he pushed it further into the compartment. "Got everything?" Elena's voice rang out as she padded down the path, smiling at me gently. Clay's arm shot out and grabbed her small blue backpack, pushing it into the boot alongside my own luggage. She shot him a reprimanding look.
"I can do it myself." She reminded him, grinning. "I know you can." He grinned back, looking childish and proud.
Feeling as though I was intruding, I coughed awkwardly. Even though I'd only known Clay and Elena for a mere few days, their love for each other was obvious. Clay watched her in adoration, and she tolerated his blunt attitude. Being around them was suffocating; it was impossible to escape, their love seemed to be a force of its own.
A bang sounded from my left as the car boot slammed closed. Derek hovered beside me, clearly anxious to get into the small car and go.
"Ready, Derek?" Elena asked, a kind smile plastered onto her face. He gave her a sharp nod, jaw tense and eyes blazing with nerves.
"Call me when you stop for gas." Kit told his son, clapping him on the shoulder and smiling tensely. Turning to Clay, he motioned towards the bonnet of the vehicle.
Nodding tersely, they strode to the front of the car and began talking quietly, Kit using sharp hand motions. "Is everything okay?" I asked anxiously, watching Kit's face contort in anxiety and confusion.
Elena hummed, her head cocked and eyebrows furrowed, "It's fine." She comforted, not convincingly. "Let's get going." She motioned to the car door, striding forward and pulling it open.
"Um…" Was all I could get out, before I was guided forward by a large hand on my arm. Derek steered me to the door, and I ducked inside.
Scooting along the seat, I peered out of the windshield, only to see Kit storming into the house, pausing only to throw up a calm mask and wave goodbye. Hesitantly waving back, I was surprised when Clay slammed the car door, positioning himself behind the steering wheel. Cursing quietly, he murmured, "I hate these things."
I could see why, I was the smallest one in the tiny car. Derek's head touched the roof, as did Clay's, and Elena had curled her legs up in an attempt to conserve space.
"Me too," Elena grumbled, "But it's only for a little while."
He grunted in response, and started the engine. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Derek's hand tapping a nervous rhythm on his thigh; I knew he hated being trapped in cars. I reached out to comfort him, but on second thought, withdrew contact. This was going to be a long ride.
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