"Man, why'd they have to come here?" Chase said disappointedly. She had
climbed up to the top of Big Thumb's thumb and was lying on the rock by
herself, staring up at the stars.
It was beautiful up there. Probably the best veiw in the world. It was so high up that it made you feel weightless-as if you were part of the sky, as if you could reach up and touch one of the millions of stars in front of you.
Chase had climbed up the thumb when everyone was too involved in talking to each other to notice her. She didn't want to be around anyone-not even Zippy. She kept telling herself she was mad, and that she hated everyone- especially Squid, but to her rage the thought of Squid just wouldn't leave her troubled mind.
"God damnit! Get out of my head!" she cried, hitting her head back on the rock beneath her.
"You know, that could cause you serious head trama."
It was Squid.
Chase huffed in rage. "Can't I get like one freaking minute by myself?" she snapped as Squid sat down on the rock beside her.
"Yeah," Squid replied. "But not now." Then he lay down and gazed up at the stars. "Wow," he gasped. "This veiw's awesome."
"Why do you think I'm up here?" Chase said. She sat up, preparing to leave, but Squid grabbed her around the ankle before she had a chance to go cussing back down the mountain.
"Leaving so soon?" Squid asked, holding Chase tightly around the ankle.
"Well I would be if you let me go!" Chase snapped, she stepped on Squid's hand but it didn't seem to effect him and he still held her tight.
"But I just got here," Squid replied, he pulled Chase back down.
"Yeah, that's great, now LET ME GO!" Chase glared at Squid, who only smiled back at her.
"I'll only let go if you promise to stay here for at least a little bit."
"Fine, I promise," Chase said. "Now let me go!"
Squid released Chase's ankle from his grip. She got back to her feet, planning to run away from Squid, but her plan was shot as Squid had hold of her ankle again.
"Fine," Chase gave in and sat back down. "I'll stay-but only for a little bit!"
Squid smiled.
The two of them lay there, staring up at the stars for a minute in silence.
"What are you thinkin' about?" Squid asked after a minute or two.
"How happy I'll be when I'm back down there and you're still up here," Chase replied.
"Hmm," Squid raised his eyebrows. "One thing I'm thinkin' about is you, and how good you'll taste when I'm kissin' in the not-too-distant future." Chase wrinkled her nose in disgust. "And the other thing I'm thinkin' about," Squid continued, "is my mom. I hope she's okay now."
"I'm sure she's fine without you," Chase snapped, though she really knew nothing about Squid's mom or anyone else in his family for that matter.
"Yeah, I wish I could believe you," Squid said, staring at the stars before them. "See, my mom's an alchoholic."
Chase, the heartless grinch, felt terrible, as if her heart had grown one size bigger.
"Oh," Chase said, turning her eyes away from the stars and studying Squid face. "I'm sorry," but Chase didn't let her true sorrow show as she still wanted to seem like the tough Chase Squid knew.
"Aw, don't be;you didn't do anything," Squid said. "It's my fault for getting myself arrested and leavin' my mom home alone. God I hope she didn't do anything real stupid."
Chase looked up at the stars again, she wasn't feeling so heartless anymore, but she didn't want to reveal that to Squid.
"What about your parents?" Squid asked, turning to Chase.
"Oh, my parents split up when I was ten. I mostly live with my mom now, she's a teacher. I never really see my dad; he's always on business trips and stuff," Chase looked down at her feet, she missed her mom terribly. "I think my mom was totally crushed when the police brought me home in cuffs that day."
"You gonna tell me now what you did to get arrested?" Squid asked.
Chase looked back at the stars, considering this. Then she mumbled something that was too quiet for Squid to hear.
"What?" Squid asked.
"I hit a kid," even the second time Chase said it it was so quiet Squid had to lean closer to her to hear her.
"In your car?" Squid asked. "On the road? But I thought you didn't get as bad a punishment if you just accidently hit someone?"
"Yeah," Chase said, she wiped away a single tear, hoping Squid hadn't seen it. "But this was a hit-and-run accident."
"Oh," Squid said quietly, he looked back up at the stars. He had expected the conversation to end there but Chase continued.
"I was driving around this little hill-you know, just goin' for a ride in my new wheels. The kid just ran out in the street in front of me when i turned the corner! I couldn't stop-I tried-but everything was just too sudden. I stopped after i hit the kid, I saw him, he was still alive-but i didn't call an ambulance! I even got out of the car and ran to his side-but i was too upset to do anything but drive away. The cops were parked higher up the hill when i went speeding by. They were just gonna give me a ticket for speeding but then they backtracked and saw the kid. They took him to the hospital-they tried to save him-i even prayed he would be okay-but he died later that night. I even saw his parents-they were so upset-I- I.............." Chase stopped and closed her eyes, turning away from Squid so he wouldn't see the many tears now streaming down her face.
"You okay?" Squid asked, turning towards Chase.
"Yeah," Chase replied in a shaky voice after a minute or two of silent crying. She wipped away her last tears then got to her feet, heaving a great sigh. "I think I'm gonna go back down there," she pointed down to the landing where all the others from D tent still were. "You know, get a drink or something."
And with that she climbed back down the rocks leaving Squid lying there by himself, with nothing but his thoughts and the stars.
It was beautiful up there. Probably the best veiw in the world. It was so high up that it made you feel weightless-as if you were part of the sky, as if you could reach up and touch one of the millions of stars in front of you.
Chase had climbed up the thumb when everyone was too involved in talking to each other to notice her. She didn't want to be around anyone-not even Zippy. She kept telling herself she was mad, and that she hated everyone- especially Squid, but to her rage the thought of Squid just wouldn't leave her troubled mind.
"God damnit! Get out of my head!" she cried, hitting her head back on the rock beneath her.
"You know, that could cause you serious head trama."
It was Squid.
Chase huffed in rage. "Can't I get like one freaking minute by myself?" she snapped as Squid sat down on the rock beside her.
"Yeah," Squid replied. "But not now." Then he lay down and gazed up at the stars. "Wow," he gasped. "This veiw's awesome."
"Why do you think I'm up here?" Chase said. She sat up, preparing to leave, but Squid grabbed her around the ankle before she had a chance to go cussing back down the mountain.
"Leaving so soon?" Squid asked, holding Chase tightly around the ankle.
"Well I would be if you let me go!" Chase snapped, she stepped on Squid's hand but it didn't seem to effect him and he still held her tight.
"But I just got here," Squid replied, he pulled Chase back down.
"Yeah, that's great, now LET ME GO!" Chase glared at Squid, who only smiled back at her.
"I'll only let go if you promise to stay here for at least a little bit."
"Fine, I promise," Chase said. "Now let me go!"
Squid released Chase's ankle from his grip. She got back to her feet, planning to run away from Squid, but her plan was shot as Squid had hold of her ankle again.
"Fine," Chase gave in and sat back down. "I'll stay-but only for a little bit!"
Squid smiled.
The two of them lay there, staring up at the stars for a minute in silence.
"What are you thinkin' about?" Squid asked after a minute or two.
"How happy I'll be when I'm back down there and you're still up here," Chase replied.
"Hmm," Squid raised his eyebrows. "One thing I'm thinkin' about is you, and how good you'll taste when I'm kissin' in the not-too-distant future." Chase wrinkled her nose in disgust. "And the other thing I'm thinkin' about," Squid continued, "is my mom. I hope she's okay now."
"I'm sure she's fine without you," Chase snapped, though she really knew nothing about Squid's mom or anyone else in his family for that matter.
"Yeah, I wish I could believe you," Squid said, staring at the stars before them. "See, my mom's an alchoholic."
Chase, the heartless grinch, felt terrible, as if her heart had grown one size bigger.
"Oh," Chase said, turning her eyes away from the stars and studying Squid face. "I'm sorry," but Chase didn't let her true sorrow show as she still wanted to seem like the tough Chase Squid knew.
"Aw, don't be;you didn't do anything," Squid said. "It's my fault for getting myself arrested and leavin' my mom home alone. God I hope she didn't do anything real stupid."
Chase looked up at the stars again, she wasn't feeling so heartless anymore, but she didn't want to reveal that to Squid.
"What about your parents?" Squid asked, turning to Chase.
"Oh, my parents split up when I was ten. I mostly live with my mom now, she's a teacher. I never really see my dad; he's always on business trips and stuff," Chase looked down at her feet, she missed her mom terribly. "I think my mom was totally crushed when the police brought me home in cuffs that day."
"You gonna tell me now what you did to get arrested?" Squid asked.
Chase looked back at the stars, considering this. Then she mumbled something that was too quiet for Squid to hear.
"What?" Squid asked.
"I hit a kid," even the second time Chase said it it was so quiet Squid had to lean closer to her to hear her.
"In your car?" Squid asked. "On the road? But I thought you didn't get as bad a punishment if you just accidently hit someone?"
"Yeah," Chase said, she wiped away a single tear, hoping Squid hadn't seen it. "But this was a hit-and-run accident."
"Oh," Squid said quietly, he looked back up at the stars. He had expected the conversation to end there but Chase continued.
"I was driving around this little hill-you know, just goin' for a ride in my new wheels. The kid just ran out in the street in front of me when i turned the corner! I couldn't stop-I tried-but everything was just too sudden. I stopped after i hit the kid, I saw him, he was still alive-but i didn't call an ambulance! I even got out of the car and ran to his side-but i was too upset to do anything but drive away. The cops were parked higher up the hill when i went speeding by. They were just gonna give me a ticket for speeding but then they backtracked and saw the kid. They took him to the hospital-they tried to save him-i even prayed he would be okay-but he died later that night. I even saw his parents-they were so upset-I- I.............." Chase stopped and closed her eyes, turning away from Squid so he wouldn't see the many tears now streaming down her face.
"You okay?" Squid asked, turning towards Chase.
"Yeah," Chase replied in a shaky voice after a minute or two of silent crying. She wipped away her last tears then got to her feet, heaving a great sigh. "I think I'm gonna go back down there," she pointed down to the landing where all the others from D tent still were. "You know, get a drink or something."
And with that she climbed back down the rocks leaving Squid lying there by himself, with nothing but his thoughts and the stars.