Remember the Best Hours

Haylee’s Point Of View

“Where are you guys staying?” Mars asks the boys after Shaun had put Caity down.
“Uh, I forget the name of the place…” Andy says. “It’s just up the road from here.”
“Wait, I think I know the street…” Bradie says. “But that’s only because I was the navigator on the way here.”
“A fail of a navigator,” Shaun mutters.
“Potassium Street!” Bradie says, oblivious to what Shaun had just said.
“Potassium Street?” Lenny asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, only I could remember a street name that ridiculous.”
“Ohh, I know the place you mean,” Jay says. “It’s that place…on Potassium street…up the road…”
I sigh and smack my forehead. “Of course Jay, I had no idea they were talking about that place up the road on Potassium Street.”
“Can we stop saying Potassium Street?” Caity asks, and everyone looks down to her as she is now sitting on the ground.
“Potassium Street, Potassium Street, Potassium Street!” Shaun says.
“Shut up!” She whines, covering her ears. Shaun laughs.
“Why are you suddenly sitting down?” Lenny asks her.
“Uh, hurt my knee, remember?”
Lenny just gives her a weird look, “Ohh, so that’s why Shaun was carrying you!” she says. Caity rolls her eyes.
“Anyway,” Jay says, “I know the place you’re talking about. Maybe we could drop by after school tomorrow.”
“Aw, can’t we just skip school?” Mars whines, “I really don’t want to do swimming.”
“Ha! I can use my knee as an excuse to get out of it!” Caity says triumphantly.
“Mars, your English assignment is due tomorrow, you can’t skip,” I say to her. She crosses her arms and starts sulking.
“You know, I bet Jump and the others are wondering where we are, we told them we’d be back at the hotel hours ago…” Andy suddenly says, before laughing.
“Haha, we should just waltz in and be like, ‘sorry we’re late, we got into a brawl and ended up at the police station for a few hours,’ and see their faces!” Shaun says. Andy and Bradie laugh. That’s when my phone starts ringing.
“That ring tone is getting really annoying,” I mutter, “Although I do love the song…” I pull my phone out of my pocket, to realize it’s someone calling from my house phone. Shit. “Uh-oh…” I say as I answer it. “Hello?”
“You’re in trouble!” My twelve year old sister sings through the phone.
I sigh, “What is it this time?”
“Um, the fact that you said you’d be home at 5, and it’s now… 7:14.”
“Yeah well shit happens,” I say, annoyed.
She gasps, “Mum!! Haylee just swore!”
“Shut up you little brat, did you just call me to be annoying?”
“And to say that Mum isn’t very happy with you, and she said that if you don’t come home now you’ll be in even more trouble than you already are, so I suggest you wear a bullet proof jacket when you get home,” I can hear the smile in her voice. I bet she’s enjoying this. I roll my eyes as she laughs and hangs up.
“Stupid brat,” I mutter as I shove my phone in my pocket.
“What was that about?” Andy asks.
“That was my annoying little sister saying mum’s angry with me and that I need to go home now,” I sigh.
“Oh.”
“Naww, Andy’s all upset that Lee has to leave,” Jay coos. Andy glares at her. “Oh, I need to get home too, my brothers gonna be pissed…”
“You said that before,” Bradie points out.
“I did?”
“You did,” Shaun says
“I guess we all have to go home…” Mars says.
“Yep…” Caity says. There’s a short silence and everyone just stands there, apart from Caity whose sitting. It almost seems as if we all just want to stay here, today has been like an escape from our boring normal lives, and tomorrow we have to go back to reality, back to school just like every other kid our age. Shaun’s the first one to say something.
“Okay, let me guess, you need to be carried again?” He asks Caity.
She smiles at him sweetly and says, “Yes please.” I laugh, as he picks her up again and I can tell Jay is refraining from commenting, as we all start to walk back to the parking lot silently. I can hear nothing but the sound of the trees beside us swaying and the sound of our footsteps in the grass, until we reach the bitumen and that sound is replaced by the tapping of our shoes as we head towards Caity’s car. She points out which one it is as Shaun carries her and we all stop in front of it.
“Hold on,” she says, attempting to pull her car keys out of her pocket. She does so, and tries to reach out to unlock the door.
“Caity, give me the damn keys, your not going to be able to drive with that knee,” Jay says. Caity sighs as Shaun takes the keys from her and throws them to Jay.
“This is your fault,” Caity glares at Mars, who throws her hands up in defence.
“Hey it’s not my fault you’re so un-coordinated!” Jay unlocks the car and I open the passenger door for Caity as Shaun places her in.
“Well this has been an eventful day,” Andy says as I turn around.
“Sure has,” Shaun says. “Man, I’m tired,” he adds, yawning.
“I think we all need some sleep,” I say, yawning as well.
“I bet you $10 you’re going to complain about not being able to sleep because you had nightmares about the serial killer!” Jay says.
“I will not!” I say.
“I bet you will,” Andy says.
“Why is everyone against me?” I say.
“I’m not,” Shaun says.
“I am,” Bradie says with a grin.
“I bet she won’t,” Shaun says.
“You’re on!” Andy says. “You didn’t see the look on her face when she found that dead animal.”
“Please don’t bring the dead animal up,” I say. Shaun eyes me for a moment, before him and Andy shake hands.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Andy smirks. I roll my eyes, as Lenny’s phone lights up, playing her message tone.
“Uh-oh…” she says. “I’m in for it.”
“You guys should probably go,” Shaun says.
“Yeah,” Lenny agrees, putting her phone back in her pocket.
“Will we see you guys tomorrow?” Mars asks.
“Yeah, come to the hotel after school, we can hang there,” Shaun says.
“And we can introduce you to the crew,” Bradie says. Mars and Lenny share a look.
“We’ll be there,” Lenny says, grinning. I almost laugh.
“Awesome, we’re in number 15,” Andy says.
Mars’ phone then plays her message tone. “There’s my death threat, we should go.”
“See yas!” Caity waves from the passenger seat.
“Bye!” Shaun says, passing her door, and closing it for her. We all wave to the guys as they head off towards their cars, and we pile into Caity’s car and pull out of the car park.
“So…if Caity can’t drive, and this is her car…how are we gonna get everyone and her home?” Lenny asks.
“Well Caity lives just up the street from me, so we’ll drop you and Mars off first, then Jay will drive to her house and I’ll take over and drop Caity home, then I’ll just walk to mine,” I say.
“I hadn’t even thought of that, good thinking,” Jay says from the driver’s seat.

---

It was the same scene from earlier today, after Caity had run into and successfully poked out Shaun’s eye, I was looking through the shelves trying to see who it was in the next aisle, and then I see those blue eyes look through the shelves straight at me, and that voice saying, “Oh, hello.”
My alarm clock starts blaring Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance and my eyes fly open. I did not just have a dream about Andy…