It’s finally the end of the 3rd term. A month after my date with Alaska. She’s come over to my house and we hung out a bit in the last two months but we’ve both been really busy with school. Grade 10 has been hectic. Well, that is if you want a future at least….
The only thing that got me through this was the thought of spending the holidays with her. But last minute Alaska had to go on a surprise camping trip for a week. So not only will we not see each other but we won’t be able to talk cause where she’s going won’t have any signal at all.
My phone buzzed. It was the she-devil...
“Hey Oliver.”
“Hey mom…”
“How would u like to invite Alaska with us on a trip? Your Aunt is sick and I’m gonna go visit her in our hometown for a couple days.”
“Uhm Alaska is going camping this week? So she can’t come.”
“Uhm… Do you have any other friends?”
“Actually I do.”
“Good. Invite them and tell them we leave tomorrow.”
“ 'Kay…” I don’t know why. But whatever she says sounds suspicious or I’m just paranoid? Maybe I am just paranoid. I should ask the voices in my head.
“You’re hella paranoid…” they all said in unison.
(Realistically though. No trip would ever work out like this especially if girls are involved. I’m trying to imagine a world where a trip like this could happen and it’s frankly non-existent...)
And so we picked up Ophelia and Vanessa in the early morning’s light or lack thereof. And we drove the same monotonous road that lead from the city to my mom’s hometown. It was if the path was burned into my skull by now.
It was a quiet trip as we all slept on the way to our destination. So when we woke up it was as if we were transported to a new world. A world where everyone knew everyone. A place where photosynthesis was more than something in a textbook. Where green surpassed metal and glass. A place where we could do nothing, find nowhere and found girls in the stars.
After an hour or so we took a strange turnoff. It was a weird road that even I had never seen in this town that I had been visiting for the last sixteen years of my life. And soon we saw a sign that read, “Starry Skies Inn.”
“I thought you kids would enjoy a place where you could just hang out in nature away from it all. Especially, since I know Oliver isn’t too fond of the people here…”
“Thanks mom... It seems nice?”
“I know it’s not great but you can go hiking, there’s a river nearby. And sure it’s only spring but the weather is extreme in the valley.”
“Yah . I guess…What do you guys think?”
“Uhm. It’s nice in its own way?” stated Ophelia in the most questionable voice ever.
“I like it. This place has a vintage and worn vibe. A very tumblr aesthetic. I love it.” claimed Vanessa without a doubt in the world.
“Well. Why don’t u kids get settled in. Go to the front desk and asked the reservation under my name and walk to the cabin.”
“ 'Kay. “, we said in unison.
It was an old cabin that scraped by as liveable somehow still managing to have electricity. But it was cosy and quaint. I could somehow both see myself living here forever and losing my mind after a week. It was as dark and dead inside like me, with lights that only worked from switches found in the very back of the cabin. It seemed to be on its last limb. All this suffering and it somehow supported an upstairs room. But the upstairs had seemed to be untouched for years. Yikes. Why does this seem like a horror story… I mean the cabin itself was a horror story being a cabin lost to time but oh well. We had to make do with what we had.
For the first day all we did was clean and make sure the house was in better condition than it was when we arrived. We had to ensure that it looked decent when my mom got back here.
After a couple hours into the afternoon. It looked new minus the fact that it was an antique wooden cabin on its last limb... It was a dying cabin but it was our dying cabin ya know? I was happy for once. This gave me this weird sense of accomplishment and ownership. Maybe this was how homeowners felt? This felt really good but after this I realise why my parents have a maid this was way too much work for one person.
“ Hey. Oli. Let’s all go for a walk.”
“You call him Oli ?", Ophelia asked.
“Yah. Why?”
“Nah, it’s just a lame nickname.” said Ophelia as she smugly giggled behind her hand.
“Not as lame as Van…” I finally chimed in.
“But yah. let’s go on that walk...” suggested Van.
And so we left the cabin and walked around the inn grounds. It seemed to be the kind of place secluded enough to feel like its own world. All the cabins were far enough apart so that you could be alone in your cabin unbothered by the neighbours. The most best part about our side of the inn grounds was that our cabin’s stoep overlooked the river's horizon. Waking up early meant light shimmering over glass dancing across the dawn. But besides that the rest of the inn grounds were kinda meh. I mean we did have private access to a section of the river. 'Apparently' if we hike far enough up the nearby mountain you can find the river’s source. (A waterfall that lead from a spring near the very top of the water.) We just had to find out which mountain as the town was in a valley created by the mountain ranges circling around it.
“So guys how have you been?”
“Eh. I’ve been okay. Studying and netball has been way too hectic. I’ve also fallen into the really bad habit of putting off my work to the very last minute. My marks were all pretty good. So I guess I can’t complain and you guys?” said Ophelia
Note from Alaska: When Ophelia says pretty good she means her average mark was like 83% or something. Yup she's one of those…
“Same fam. Same.” Vanessa and I replied.
“Except my marks are trash and I still wait until the last minute. I’m seriously worried about my future. I mean it’s only gr10 but still. These old habits will die hard or not at all next year…” I commented.
“You could study ya’ know?” Ophelia asked.
“You know how much effort that is though?”
“True...So Van how was this term for you?”
“It’s really been my year. I’ve almost achieved my goal of getting the academics badge. Somehow I maintained a solid friendship with this loser. *points at Oliver*
“Ouch...Not wrong though but ouch.”
“But Oli. You need to give us answers like now.”
“About?” I looked at them cluelessly.
“Alaska you idiot. What else matters in your life?” sneered Ophelia.
“Uhm Rem and Lisa ? They’re the collective second coming of christ ?”
“Ugh. Oli no one cares about your waifus or whatever…”
“Uhm Lisa is not a waifu she’s a bias. There’s a difference. It’s all about the different subcultures and…” I soon realised neither of them cared about what I was saying. “So what do you wanna know about Alaska?”
“Well I wanna know are you two a thing now?” asked Van
“Yah…”
“Aww. We’re both so happy for you two. Wait…” she said tearily.
“...When did this happen?”
“The week before the test cycle started I think?”
“And you didn’t tell us?”
“I thought I’d wait and tell you guys after the test cycle cause everyone seemed busy with their own stuff. I didn’t wanna bother you guys. I’m already keeping her from her work. I can’t bother you guys as well.”
“Oliver. Stop being stupid. We’re your friends we wanna be there for you, we wanna hear all your news, happy or sad it doesn’t matter. We wanna be there for you. You’ll never be a burden.”
I stifled a tear. “ Thanks guys.” and gestured for a group hug. It was okay at first but it was awkward soon. We kinda just stood there cause I had no idea how long these things last and I honestly didn’t think that far ahead. It was purely impulse and i mean i regret that part but I don’t regret the hug. My first group hug with my best friends. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
“Uhm Oli ? Could u like let go soon?”
“Yah, please. Ten seconds feels like hours in a group hug. I mean I am enjoying it but how much longer. I’ve reached my hug quota…”
“Oh right.” and we stopped our group hug.
“So what did you guys do for your first date?”
“We went to a restaurant then to the mountains to talk and admire the view of the city. (and we travelled through time.)”
“That’s such a cute idea. Wow Oli. You’re somehow pretty good at this whole dating thing so far.”
“Thanks. I’m still way too awkward and she’s still too cute…”
“That was too cute..”
“Way too cute. Put that in your dream journal Oli.”
“How did you know about my dream journal?”
“I didn’t. But I do now…”
We all burst out laughing as if we had never laughed before. For a moment, nothing else existed. If only I could capture that momentary disconnect from everything in words. So this is what having friends feels like. My new primary objective is to hold onto these two very dear people. 'Cause bros before hoes. Friendship like this is the reason I will go the distance between the stars and the girls that hide there.
Then as if to kill the vibe, blue skies wavered to grey. Our day of exploring the inn was cut short by hours and hours of rain. But we got to sit in the cabin and watch the rain drown this small town. Yet the rain here was quieter. The lost clang of iron raindrops left the rain empty.
I am so grateful that Vanessa brought some books with her. Vanessa was the type of person who loved worn books. She said they showed character. That someone enjoyed them before her. That someone really read them. She also loved to highlight quotable sections of the book. So that she could flip through it in the future and find all the important stuff at a glance. It also added to that tumblr aesthetic that she loved, but that worn look really is beautiful in its own way. It Shows how books had lived through their readers.
She had brought a ton of romcom novels. All very similar yet beautiful in their own way. Somehow she had hunted down so many different narratives that somehow always had me on the edge of my seat. I just hope Ophelia enjoyed reading them. I never know with her. She just seems like more of a fantasy person. But the entire night she seemed to be enticed by whatever she happened to pick up.
That sadly was the entirety of our evening.
I was awoken at FIVE FREAKING AM by my mom, Van and Ophelia. They all thought it was a good idea for the three of us to go on a hike. I mean I love nature as much as the next guy but not until 10AM aleastimum. But I guess it was worth it because as we left to find our way to the river, we caught a glimpse of the sunrise. A kaleidoscope of reds,yellows and oranges. All three colours different yet on the same spectrum. Similar hues yet never touching and the light bent them apart to our eyes.
But soon the kaleidoscope would turn to a yellow magnifying glass and us the pitiful ants. The heat in the mountains was intense. My home town was a comfortable 22℃ while it was 30℃ in this small town, lost in the valley. Sure that’s not too hot but since it’s only spring the jump from freezing winters is a shock to our bodies. And the temptation of that cool water was so alluring. We knew that the water would still be uncomfortably freezing though. Maybe we could try swimming closer to the afternoon after the water warmed up a little?
This hike was the best part of the trip. Surprisingly I hate exercise but I love hiking. The idea of engaging with nature and exploring it. Realising that no matter our ‘mastering’ of nature, her grandeur will never fail to make us feel small. How we skyscrapers do just that, scrape. While mountains break through the clouds and show the heavens. The romanticists were right. Nature is all we need and really is the best part of us.
Anyways, back to the actual hike. Well I guess it wasn’t much of a hike because it didn’t have much climbing (which is apparently a big deal for a lot of people. The kind of people who only consider it a hike if you risk your life climbing up half the mountain….). It was more of a steep ‘nature’ walk. The coolest part was how the soil changed as we went up the mountain. At the base of the mountain it was red oxidised rubble much like the rest of the dirt in this small town. As we walked further it turned to more rock than rubble and the soil became a darker brown covered with pebbles. Shrubs became looming trees that gave shelter from the magnifying glass.
Ophelia, Van and I didn’t talk much going up the mountain. Whether it was because we were exhausted or were out of breath, I was kinda happy. We all quietly enjoyed the scenery together. The fact that someone could enjoy this hike everyday made me envious of this town hidden in the valley.
We eventually found our way to the river’s source, a large pool that fed into the river. We didn’t swim but rather decided to set up an umbrella and have a small picnic.
“So what do you guys of think of this little dirt town that I brought you to?”
“We love it!”
“ I know right. I know our city has amazing mountain too, but here we can see an entire valley from this one place yah know?”
“Exactly. I just love nature. I’m a total flowerchild. I mean it’s all I wear so I hope that it was clear.” commented Ophelia.
There was a short moment of silence and I immediately panicked.
“Uhm. Van. Ophelia. You know you two are my closests friends right? Now i invited both of you on this trip so that we could all be friends…”
“Yah. Well it worked Oli.”
“Huh? What?”
“Oliver. The WHOLE hike you were so far in front of us, barely within our line of sight. Mumbling to yourself about nature, its grandeur and something about romance? But regardless, Van and I got to bond over how stupid you are. Also neither of us would have guessed you would have survived this hike without burning out? We’re proud of you though!”
I clenched my chest with a single hand, “Ouch. My heart. Wait… you guys heard my monologue?” (That means I was speaking out loud. OH MY GOD! Do i do this all the time? I probably do. I haven’t noticed before because I’m always alone…)
“Yes! You do this all the time and frankly, we were worried…”
“Is this really the time for you to respond? Where were you a month ago?”
“We’re performers and this was our cue…”
“True. Touché…”
“Yah. You audibly monologue quite a bit…” they replied in unison.
(Not you guys too…)
“Wow! Look at that view. Lets forget about my stupid monologue.”
“Sure.” they replied in unison once again.
(Wow. That’s becoming creepier and creepier.)
“Ditto…”
“Oli. Why didn’t you invite Alaska?”
“She’s on some camping trip in the middle of nowhere without signal. I am dying without her…”
“Aww shame.”
As I looked off into the distance I replied, “But love must go on no matter the distance or time apart…”
“Did you just say love?”
“Did you just say love?”
“No…”
Ophelia gasped.
Vanessa followed suit.
“What?”
“The town…”
“I know it’s not that great. It’s just a little dirt town with huge farms, they used to have a small military base but now it’s just where old people live and I guess the farms are still there but eh....”
“No. Nothing is wrong with the town Oli.”
“Then what?”
“Oliver look closer. There is no town…”
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