Just the Five of Us

Shean went rigid.

His head whipped around and we came nose to nose.

For the first time I saw Shean who wasn’t completely calm and in control.

His face was brilliant red, his teeth were gritted, and he looked just embarrassed beyond belief.

Complete silence filled the moving car. I barely noticed that he wasn’t watching the road, all I knew was I was millimeters away from kissing that amazing reaper, who also had his backside shoved up against my womanhood.

And then the reality hit me that one my best friends was dying in the back seat.

“S-Shean, um, Ray,” I squealed trying to get my legs closer together to ease the pounding happening in…um…

“Mhmm,” he squeaked back and suddenly the car was screeching to a halt. He shot out of the car still brilliant red.

I slammed my legs together and leaned over myself before realizing that this position only showed that he had an effect on me, I jerked up immediately. I shot out too while avoiding looking at him.

He opened the passenger door and scooped Ray gently up.

I noticed the blood stain on his shirt hadn’t grown since I had seen it. He was white as a sheet and his eyes were closed.

I focused on him and let the “incident” with Shean move to the back of my head.

“Will he be okay?” I found myself squeaking as Shean laid him out on the forest floor.

Shean sighed, the color faded from his ivory colored cheeks, “I can’t tell you Kristin, it could go either way. But it’s looking brighter.”

I smiled slightly as Shean started ripping Ray’s shirt away. A silver film covered the center of his chest. It swirled and sparkled. I glanced at Shean for an explanation.

“It’s a temporary bad-aid, I made it with magic,” he murmured carefully peeling away.

Blood started seeping over a messy whole in the very center of Ray’s chest. I clapped a hand over my mouth in shock at the hideous wound; my stomach lurched slightly at the sight of all the blood. Shean winced before standing up and heading to the trunk of the car.

“Mr. Arty always has a stash of everything in the back of his car,” he explained to me, “He should have a first aid kit somewhere here…got it.”

He came back and dropped back down next to me with a first aid kit and a clear plastic bottle of water. He pulled out tweezers and a lot of gauze.

I felt my eyes bulge as I realized he would be using the tweezers to get the bullet out. He soaked some of the gauze in the water and started wiping the blood away from Ray’s chest.

When he finished he brought the tweezers forward.

He looked at me, “You’re not all squeamish are you?” he asked softly.

I swallowed my fear and shook my head. But I promise you blood is all the way there with bears on my hate list.

“Okay,” he said eying me suspiciously, “I need you to…to pull the wound open wider. I need to get the bullet out.”

I almost threw up.

But, despite my nausea I nodded and took some gauze and did as told. But I closed my eyes and looked away as Shean went in with the tweezers. I breathed through my mouth and screamed out lyrics from Hollywood Undead in my head.

When the end is getting closer…

And the earth has burned the sky…

….Just let me die…

“You’re good,” Shean whispered what felt like eons later.

I carefully let go of Ray’s clammy skin and looked back at the operation site. I nearly hurled as I saw the bullet lying on a piece of white gauze.

Shean saw my expression and quickly wrapped it up and shoved it into the first aid kit. He collected some more gauze and began bandaging Ray up. This I could watch without having a meltdown.

“As long as it doesn’t get infected, he should heal up pretty quickly,” Shean murmured as he snipped the last piece of tape and started getting rid of all of the bloody cotton swabs, “Dark bloods are pretty fast healers.”

He gave me a small smile. I tried to return it, but I think it came out a grimace.

“What do we do now?” I asked softly as he carefully lifted Ray up.

“We move,” he said giving me a grim look.

“We move?”

“We need to get out of this area quickly,” he said, “Damon brought in more people than I expected. There were twenty surrounding camp when they hit Ray.”

“Why didn’t they try to get the rest of us?” I asked.

He pressed his lips together and shook his head, “that gunshot might have been an accident. They might have been waiting for a better time to grab us. But…”

“But what?”

“It might not have been an accident,” he whispered as he settled Ray into the back seat, “that bullet would have actually hit me. Ray…he…he jumped in front of me.”

I thought back to the incident and it made sense. The way Ray had been sprawled out on top of Shean even though they had been standing next to each other.

I blinked back tears. If he died it would be so incredibly unfair. He had done a great thing and didn’t deserve to die for it. I took a deep breath and watched my unmoving friend.

Please, Ray, please wake up.

“Shean!”

I turned to see Darren making his way towards us with Adrian in his arms. Adrian had a dark scowl plastered to his face; he looked just like a little kid after a tantrum. It would have been adorable if eyes weren’t as red as blood and his fangs poking cleanly past his bottom lip.

Darren’s ear was bleeding and he had a large bruise forming on one side of his face and bleeding claw marks all along his arm. Other than that, he looked kinda chipper.

“Better Adrian?” Shean asked with a tiny smile.

Adrian just scowled harder before burying his face into Darren’s side in what was probably shame.

Shean let out a soft chuckle, “It’s alright, we all lose control sometimes. You didn’t hurt anyone in the end…or at least not that I know of.” He gave Adrian a knowing look.

Darren smiled, “He got me.”

“You had it coming,” said Shean with a slightly bigger smile.

“How’s Ray?” Darren asked once he had reached us.

“He should live,” Shean said with a nod, “He will be absolutely fine as long as no infection gets in.”

Adrian stopped scowling so hard and Darren smiled with relief.

“Wow,” murmured Adrian admiring the car.

“Kristin stole it,” Shean said with a noticeable undercurrent of pride.

Both the other boys looked at me with admiration.

I shrugged blushing slightly, “I didn’t do all that much in the end. I mean I can’t even drive…”

“You stole a car and you can’t even drive?” Adrian’s jaw dropped.

“No, really, it’s not some sort of amazing thing. I didn’t do all that much in the end…”

“She got past Mr. Arty,” said Shean with a grin and a nod, “Plus, she didn’t hit anyone or anything. And she got the car started in the first place.”

“Nice job,” Darren said grinning at me.

“Thanks,” I muttered looking down with an embarrassed smile.

“How did you get past Mr. Arty’s golf cart?” Adrian asked snuggling closer to Darren. I didn’t fail to notice the very subtle droop of Darren’s ears and the fast little wag that took over his big black tail. He didn’t blush though, that was so odd. I always blushed.

“Shean did that,” I said quickly.

He nodded with a yawn, “Remember last time Shean? He caught you.”

I looked over at Shean who smirked slightly, “Well, I have improved since then haven’t I?”

“Last time?” I asked.

They all shrugged, “it was a prank planned by one of the counselors. We told Mr. arty that a kid was drowning and bleeding to death in the lake. He believed us and the counselors told Shean to steal the car while he was looking for said kid. He didn’t get very far with it though.”

I almost laughed out loud at the coincidence.

Shean sighed, “good times, good times. We should go.”

Adrian nodded then gave a firm look up at Darren, “Put me in the shot gun by Ray’s head.”

“If you say so,” said Darren with a shrug.

“I’m driving,” Shean announced before he looked at me with a sly expression, “Alone this time.”

I went absolutely red.

“Ha, I’ll leave you too it,” I said nervously.

He gave me a softer smile, “Sorry, you know; if I…”

“Its fine,” I said quickly going even hotter.

The other two did not miss the exchange and were watching us with big curious eyes. But I wasn’t going to tell anything, and it didn’t look like Shean was either, so they were going to be disappointed.

We all settled in the car with Darren and Adrian in the back guarding Ray and Shean in the driver’s seat and me in the passenger seat.

“Where are we going?” I asked as Shean made his way out of the forest and on to the highway.

“I would tell you,” he said looking over at me with another soft, beautiful smile, “But I have no idea.”

THE END.....
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..........KIDDING!