Page 37 of I Could Have Missed This
“It’s okay, I think it’s cool. I did wonder why you didn’t leave the flat to go out to work… turns out you’ve been making money having fun with yourself all day,” I say, trying not to laugh.
“You’re making this worse,” he groans. He turns to look at me before we both burst out into laughter.
The car is boiling us alive while the six of us sing old emo songs at the top of our lungs. Elijah drives a white, eight-seater Volkswagen T4. It’s cozy inside, each seat has a small cushion with the Volkswagon logo embroidered in the centre. Cat and Daisy sit in the back, and Kai and I sit in the middle. While we sing, my eyes keep drifting towards Teddy in the front passenger seat. We all sound terrible, but that’s not what matters. We’re having fun, that’s the main thing.
I’m surprised Kai has gotten on with everyone so easily. Meeting new people has never been his strong point. He’s been talking to Elijah a lot. They have a lot in common, like their music taste and how much they love anime. I had a feeling those two would get along.
We drive through narrow country roads, with greenery on either side. It looks like a portal to a fantasy world, which is exactly what Kai and I used to imagine as kids. We would make up stories that involved us saving a prince in a castle far away, and we had to traverse lots of different landscapes to get there.
It’s weird being friends with someone you’ve known for so long. We both look so different now. Even though we’re both much older and life has changed us with its cruelty, I still catch glimpses of the kid he used to be. Sometimes it comes out when he laughs or when we’re joking with each other. We’ve both changed so much. But also stayed the same in certain ways. I’m glad we’re still friends all these years later.
“I don’t know how you can drive on roads like this, Elijah,” Kai points out, looking out the window. Elijah takes a draw of his vape before replying.
“Well, we’re in a big van; if someone wants to crash into us, they’ll be a hundred percent worse off,” he laughs.
“Oh, don’t say that, Eli, you’ll jinx us!” Daisy shouts from the back. Cat simply laughs at the interaction while the two of them draw on each other with Sharpies.
“You’ve just smudged that bit,” Daisy complains.
“Well, stop making me laugh!” Cat laughs, attempting to fix the drawing. She tickles the crook of Daisy’s arm, making her giggle.
Elijah laughs as he starts drumming along to the music by tapping the vape on the wheel.
“What flavour is your go-to?” Kai asks, referring to the vape in Elijah’s hand. He stops drumming and holds it behind his head.
“Do you want to try it? It’s watermelon flavour,” he says, glancing up at the rear view mirror. Kai thanks him before taking a draw. His eyebrows go wide as the vapour enters his lungs.
“Oh, that’s really nice, I’ve never tried that one,” Kai mentions before passing it back. They both smile as I continue to look at Teddy, who glances back at us all with a grin.
We all walk into Flambards,discussing what we’re going to do first. Teddy and I look at the map while holding each other’s hands. Kai looks over and gives me a look, saying we’ll discuss the hand-holding later. We used to joke that we could telepathically communicate with each other, but sometimes I feel like I canactuallyread his mind from just a look. Teddy squeezes my hand a couple of times, drawing my attention back to the map. I glance up at his eyes just as he looks at mine, which makes me smile.
We haven’t been on any rides yet, and I’m already having the time of my life.
“Last one to the big roller coaster has to do all the dishes for a week, that includes you guys too,” warns Elijah, pointing to Kai and me. We all start sprinting to the biggest roller coaster in the park. I’ve been here multiple times with Kai, so I know which one he’s referring to. It’s the one that looks like a bee and goes extremely fast.
I’m in front for a while as my legs begin to tire. Daisy speeds past me, her ponytail flapping about behind her.
“How did you…?” I say in a breath. The rest of the pack rushes past me, including Teddy. That dickhead. He looks back for a moment and winks. I think I’m going to faint. Why do I need to be so incredibly unfit?
I eventually reach the ride. I try to get air back into my lungs. I bend over slightly and lean on a pole beside me.
“You okay?” Teddy asks, putting a hand on my shoulder.
“Yep… just… give me a minute,” I say breathlessly, holding a finger up.
“I don’t even care that you don’t live with us, you’re still doing all the dishes for a week. A bet’s a bet!” Elijah sneers. I laugh at him sarcastically before giving him the finger. He returns it with both hands. I stand up straight again after one last deep breath.
“Just an excuse to come over more often, eh Noah?” Teddy says, patting me on the back. That makes me blush, and literally everyone in our group notices.
“Get a room, guys,” Daisy jokes, playfully pushing Ted.
We begin to line up for the ride. I look up at the track and begin to feel a pit in my stomach. I’ve never ridden this one. Never had the guts to.
“Nervous?” Teddy asks.
“Yep… you have no idea,” I gulp. I have butterflies flying around in my tummy. I don’t know if it’s the thought of going on this roller coaster or because of Teddy. He responds with a smirk that makes me want to kiss and strangle him at the same time.
So much for keeping myself away from him. But fuck that. I want to do somethingI wantfor once, it’s just my stupid brain telling me not to.
