totally jerk us?” Aaron said, plucking a piece of grass from the ground. He twisted it in his fingers and then ripped it in half.
“Carter doesn’t do that.” Eric shook his head. “I know him. He’s the last guy to do that.”
“Yeah, well…” Aaron trailed off, looking towards the lake. Suddenly something rustled from the bushes. Aaron whipped around in a scare. “What was that?”
Eric, Aaron, and I cautiously stood up and before we said anything, three bodies paced quickly towards us. Two guys and a girl was all I could make out.
“ERIC!” The girl yelled with her voice beautiful and clear. She ran to Eric. Her long, brown, chestnut hair flowed. Her arms held out in the means of a friendly hug. My guess was this had to be Shannon. And as she grew closer, I could see the pink tiny bow plastered in her hair to match her pink shirt, side bangs puffed out and white skinny jeans that I would never be caught dead with on. She looked amazing though.
So she went and hugged Eric, but he leaned his head down to kiss her on her mouth. And it was awkward to watch, but my eyes wouldn’t part from the scene. Her arms around his waist, his arms around her neck, like all the couples do. Faces covered behind their soft hair, they were taking way too long! My breathing nearly stopped when I caught her on her tiptoes. That move makes everything to cute and…romantic.
The tall guy agreed with me, coughing like a speaker getting the crowd’s attention before a big speech.
“Hello? Earth to Shannon and Eric,” he said, when it seemed that they have not noticed the cough. They pulled apart, her eyes now widened with shock while Eric arm lingered around her shoulder, careful. The whole bunch of us glanced around, except for Carter, who had his fingers moving fast on his phone.
“Um…Eric?” Shannon whispered quietly, “Can we speak in private?” Eric and Shannon strolled down near the trees, leaving me alone with the rest of the guys.
The tall guy looked down at me, coming closer. “So you’re Dorothy, right?” He asked. I merely nodded. “Yeah, I suspected that. I’m Travis. Travis White.” He stuck out his hand for me and I shook it. The thick rimmed glasses he wore gleamed in the sunlight. His black hair was short and gelled up into uneven spikes. He also had bright baby blue eyes, just like Kade. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” he smirked graciously.
“Really?” I asked, uncertain. It appears Eric’s friends knew way too much about me.
“Hold on—you guys all knew about Dorothy?” Aaron spoke up, sounding very intrigued.
Carter and Travis both nodded, then I became suspicious too. “Did you know Eric’s plan?”
“Well, we didn’t think he would do it, honestly.” Travis said calmly. “But then again, it’s Eric. We had the impression he would. Like a 50/50 chance.”
I stepped closer to him, getting in his face. “Fifty percent chance was enough to stop him.” My voice growled. Anger swept over me quickly. I didn’t know if it was because of this or the image of Shannon and Eric still kissing in my head. Either way, the blood boiled perfectly. I shoved Travis, hoping he’d land on the ground, but he just stood there with a big stupid grin.
“Oh, you’re so pretty—but dumb.” He said, and I glared at him. That got me angrier. But I realized the anger was great, just the strength I had didn’t cut it.
“Pretty but dumb, is that what you concluded of us girls now?” I caught that clear voice again, and even though she was on my side, she pushed my buttons. Too perfect.
“Oh Shannon, you know what I mean. You saw her. She had her heart set on me falling to my doom.”
“Your ‘doom’ is the ground?” I turned to see her roll her chocolate brown eyes, crossing her arms, waiting for a better excuse. Eric was only a couple of paces behind her. He didn’t look concerned at all, I could see—he was lost in his own little world.
“Again, you know what I mean.” He said.
Shannon went up to him fast, pointing her finger out and poking him in the chest. “See, this is why you don’t have a girlfriend!” She said.
“Should I add that to the list then,” Carter spoke up.
“Yes, yes you should!” Shannon said, not taking her eyes off of Travis.
“Allen, if you add that, I will kill you in your sleep.” Travis yelled to Carter. Carter waved his hand at Travis, indicating that he doesn’t really care.
Shannon moved away from Travis, coming towards me now. She smiled brightly. “Hey, I’m Shannon Vermont. You must be Dorothy.” She didn’t stick out her hand like everyone, but instead hugged me gently with all the guys staring. I hugged her back, awkwardly, as I’m not really used to hugging strangers or friends a lot really.
Aaron whistled. He had a dirty mind, clearly.
“Oh, life is no greater than it used to be.” Shannon took her arms away from my back and looked at Aaron. “And how are you doing, scumbag?”
“Just fine, thank you.” He stretched out his arms and put his hands behind his head.
“Learn from my mistakes, Reed.” Travis rubbed his left shoulder.
“I’m not interested in changing him. He’s a lost cause.” Shannon might as well have stuck up her nose in the air. Aaron just shook his head in amusement. I kind of see what he meant earlier.
“And I’m definitely not interested in changing.” Aaron said. I felt someone behind me. Turning slowly I found Eric lurking next to me. His head was down as he shifted quietly. Was he upset about something?
“So Dorothy, we’re Eric’s crew.” Travis said. I looked at him and he had a small smile, ones that indicated a small secret.
“I thought we established that it was Shannon’s crew,” she said, matter of factly.
“It wouldn’t make much sense to Dorothy if it was in your name. She only knows Eric.”
“Yeah, well she can get to know me,” Shannon said, while her arms folded across her chest as she tapped her foot lightly. Was she waiting for me to say something?
“Say Dorothy, what inspired your parents with that name? Was it the lovely Wizard of Oz that did the trick? Or maybe that movie Twister, also inspired by it?” Travis questioned, expecting an answer.
No one has ever asked me why I was named Dorothy. It was just my name. And they were okay with it. So I never got the chance to share the story about my name. “My parents had a friend that hooked them up. Her name was Dorothy, and here I am.” It rang clear to me, but of course something didn’t add up to somebody.
“So wait, you hooked up your parents?” Travis asked as a confused look spread across his face. “That’s weird.”
I was about to correct him, but Shannon shot up. “No stupid! Her mom and dad had a friend named Dorothy, before Dorothy—” she waved her arms at me “—was even born.”
“Okay. So you’re parents had a friend named Dorothy, and they named you after their friend.” He pointed his finger up. A light bulb went off, clearly.
“Yes. The girl that hooked them up.” I repeated.
“That’s sweet,” Shannon smiled.
“No, that’s weird.” Aaron said. “I mean, why don’t they go through the baby name book like normal parents. That’s what mine did.”
“Well, normal parents give their baby a name of meaning to them. Like Dorothy’s!” Shannon said, “Mine just named me after the godfather.”
“The Godfather?” Aaron said, incredulously.
She shook her head furiously. “I’m not talking about the movie you dimwit, I’m talking about my godfather!” She apparently couldn’t take it anymore and linked a hold of my arm. “Come on Dorothy, these guys are much too brainless.” She pulled me and we made our way towards the lake.
As we neared it, there was a log against a wide tree. I thought it was put there on accident, but walking closer, I saw a bunch of other logs forming into a round circle with was a burnt middle. That was for the fire, I guessed. We were at a campsite.
I assumed that we were going to sit on one of the logs, but she kept on walking, right up to the lake where there was a s
mall bench. She sat on the right, so I sat on the left. For a moment we were both quiet but then she said, “So you got kidnapped, huh?”
I didn’t really know how to reply to that so I sluggishly nodded my head.
She nodded back. “Yep, that’s right. Well, why don’t you just run now?” I glanced at her. Why don’t I? I’m outside, free of chains, able to walk. I could just run, like she said. But I didn’t trust her. She was Eric’s friend, after all.
“Are you going to stop me,” I asked. She shifted her eyes from my gaze to the lake.
“I can say that I won’t stop you, but I cannot say that I won’t tell Eric as soon as you try.” She bends down to grab something from the dirt. I saw in her hand it was a gray rock round and polished. “I believed it when Eric said that he would do it. I’ve known him since childhood.”
Oh, but of course. Childhood friends. The worst—the annoying in love. “Really, so…how was that?” I asked.
“Our friendship? One of the best,” she said, her voice drifting. “He’s super amiable.” My eyes switched from blank to bewilder. She saw this. “You should know what I mean.” But I didn’t.
“Eric is…quiet.” I disagreed.
She shook her head, like the whole world did not understand Eric Grant. “No. Well,” she second-guessed herself, “now he’s quiet. But when we first met each other, he was a troublemaker with a bad attitude.”
“When did you guys meet.” I was curious.
“When we were four—at a daycare center back in our hometown.” She said,