It Is Just A Child's Game

Days have passed since the party and Cahlen is yet to leave the comfort of her home. Kennedy had come by the morning after the party to check on her. Since then, she hasn’t seen anybody aside from her parents and Frankie.

Cahlen was curled up on the couch in her living room with a book in her hands. The room was bright thanks to the light that was streaming in and it was silent seeing how no one else was home. Her father was at work while her mother brought Frankie with her when she left to do some errands. Cahlen didn’t mind being left alone; instead she relished the peace it brought.

The book in her hand brought her to a place far away. The words before on the page came to life before her eyes. The life of a man and his many adventures happened right in her very own living room, his horse being stabbed, his sister being abandoned, and his lover captured. The story flowed before her until an obnoxious noise brought her out of it.

Cahlen took her nose out of her book, glared at the front door, and then grudgingly got off the couch. She adjusted the yellow boxer shorts and orange t shirt she wore and bookmarked the page in her book before she opened the front door.

“Afternoon, sunshine!” Garrett greeted her when she opened the door.

She threw daggers at him with her eyes while silently letting him in.

“What are you doing today?” He asked.

“Going on an adventure” She replied, a small smile creeping on her face at the thought of it.

“What?” He asked, obviously confused.

She pointed to the book that lay on top of the brown coffee table in the middle of the living room. He stared at it for awhile before turning back to Cahlen with an incredulous look.

“Are you serious?”

She sent him a one hundred watt smile and a wink before running off to pick up the book lovingly in her hands.

“No,” Garrett said as he gripped her wrist. “I am here to change your plans. Now, go upstairs and change. We’re going out to have lunch.”

She gave him a blank stare. He raised an eyebrow, took the book out of her hands, and held it far out of her reach. She crossed her arms childishly and pouted but all Garrett did was point upstairs. She went up at an agonizing slow pace but as soon as she realized Garrett wasn’t going to change his mind she let out a sigh and continued on a normal pace.

She got simple denim shorts and a lace halterneck top from her closet, slid them on, and adjusted it. She stuffed her feet into brown leather shoes and tied the shoelaces. Her greasy hair was fixed into a side braid and a bun at the bottom of her head.

She went back downstairs to where Garrett waited for her. He sent her a smile, grabbed her wrist again, and began walking to the door. On her way out, she grabbed her cell phone, wallet, and sunglasses that were on the table by the front door.

She slipped on her black ray-bans as soon as the bright sun hit her eyes. She brought her free hand up to her face to cover it from the harsh sunlight. She got inside Garrett’s car, letting out a sigh of relief once the aircon hit her.

The drive to the restaurant was silent. Garrett’s eyes were focused on the road, commanded by law to stare at the gray and white road before him. Cahlen, on the other hand, was spacing out. She saw the houses and greenery they passed but she didn’t comprehend anything. Out of all the things she saw, she wouldn’t remember any of them. Her mind was still focused on the adventure Garrett refused her.

The car slowed into a stop and Cahlen noticed that it was parked. She slowly got out of the car, preparing herself for the bright sun that was going to attack her eyes. A hand flew to her face once more to protect it from the sun. She followed Garrett quietly to the restaurant, the whole time squinting.

Together, they entered the nearly empty restaurant. The clock on the wall read three o’clock which could explain the lack of customers. Garrett ignored the receptionist who offered him a table for two and instead scanned the area. He found the group he was looking for and grabbed the wrist of Cahlen who wasn’t fazed from her daydream. He led her to the crowded booth. The occupants were rowdy and noisy but all became silent when the two arrived. Oddly enough, it was silence that brought Cahlen back to reality.

For the first time, Cahlen noticed her surroundings. The restaurant gave off a fifties vibe thanks to the decorations, set-up, and music they had. She was pretty sure she would have thought she was in the fifties right now, if it weren’t for the not so nifty prices. She loved it though. She loved the fifties.

An uncomfortable sensation surrounded Cahlen as she gawked at the decorations. She felt like a million people were staring at her. It felt like half of them were throwing swords and daggers at her while the other half was watching her suffer. She slowly directed her attention to the people staring at her and instantly regretted it. Slowly and carefully, she inched away from the group and towards the door but Garrett’s grip was tight. She squirmed slightly as the feeling she felt earlier began to swallow her whole.

“Cahlen! I didn’t know you were crashing our lunch.” Kennedy said teasingly with a genuine smile on his face.

“Neither did I.” Cahlen mumbled as she stared at her shoes.

“Hey Cahlen.” The ginger who sat by the edge of the booth greeted her. “I haven’t seen you since you’ve gotten back. Welcome back.”

She sent him a weak smile. Jared had always been nice to Cahlen no matter what. Even after John embarrassed her at that horrible party, he was still friendly and helpful. He was a lot closer to a best friend than either Kennedy or Garret was at that moment. Now, she felt bad for only seeing him now after being back for almost two months.

“Come on, you can sit beside me while Garrett can pull himself a chair.” Jared offered, pushing everyone tighter into the booth.

Cahlen gave him a bigger smile this time as Garrett nudged her. She cautiously took a seat while avoiding everyone’s eyes. She began fidgeting in her seat as everyone still remained silent. She could still feel everyone staring at her but all she did was fidget.

“Here’s a menu, Kay.” Kennedy said and handed her one. “We’re done ordering so it’s just you and Garrett.”

Garrett sent her an exaggerated wink which caused a small giggle to leave her mouth. Her eyes scanned the menu and settled on simple burger and fries. She told her order to the waitress and handed her the menu. Garret did the same and soon silence enveloped the group again.

“Cahlen,” Kennedy called and she looked at him. “This is Nick, Justin, and Andrew.”

She nodded her head and smiled at the unfamiliar faces. They returned the gesture but there seemed to be something behind their smiles.

They most probably know about John and I. She thought to herself.

“They’re in the same band as Halvo.” Kennedy mentioned.

At the mention of that name, Cahlen resisted the urge to flinch and cringe.

They most probably know about Halvo and I. She thought to herself. Maybe they know about both.

“Hey,” the one with dark brown hair and dark chocolate eyes to match greeted her. He was Andrew.

She smiled at him and replied thus breaking the awkward tension that was previously present. Almost everyone was talking. Cahlen’s conversation would go from guy to guy. She talked to Andrew, Kennedy, Pat, Nick, Jared, Justin, and Garrett. The only people she hasn’t talked to yet was Halvo and John.

John kept silent because he absolutely hated her. There was a fiery ache within him that came about when she was in his mind. Her presence alone made his heart beat increase and his mind go to overdrive.

Halvo, on the other hand, was silent for another reason. Sure, his heart rate increased and his mind went into overdrive too but for a whole other reason. Hate didn’t rush through him but lust did. She made herself very hard for him to forget. Despite his intoxicated state during the moment, he remembered almost everything. It was good, really good.

Although the boys’ involvement in the conversations was still non-existent, the others were enjoying themselves. When the food arrived, their chatter lessened but was still there. The lunch quickly passed and there was hardly a moment where Cahlen wasn’t smiling.