Chapter 7: Fire

NISH

"Nish!"  I heard someone call me."  I was coming out of my last class.

I turned to see the aforementioned:

Dalton.

Dalton comes in and smirks at me.

"Dalton," I greeted him, finished putting my things in my bag and headed out into the hallways.

"How are you, Nish?"  He asks me behind me.  Dalton was a little short, his hair was curly black and he wore glasses.  He always followed me for as long as I can remember.  I mean, I think he never gets over me.  "I found out what happened to Max. It's sad."

"I know," I replied so as not to be rude.  In the distance I noticed Emma, ​​she was walking towards the exit with a book in her hands.  I noticed that she collided with a group of guys causing her book to fall to the floor.  The boys just laughed at her and hadn't even picked up the book from her.

Suddenly I felt like a déjà vú, I looked at myself and Max, he had accidentally thrown my books at me but he hadn't even bothered to pick them up.

I shook my head and pushed those memories away from me because they were no longer worth anything.  Now Max was dead and I think I forgive him.

"Always those rich kids," says Dalton, looking at the scene.  I walked over to Emma and took the book from her.  She looks at me, I look at her.

"T-thanks," she stuttered taking the book and walking as far away from me as possible.

Have I done something wrong to her?

"Dalton, I'm going home." I gave him one last smile and walked away from him, but I knew he wouldn't go away that easy.

"Wait, Nish, I haven't seen you in days," I heard behind me.  I hit the road.

"Let's talk tomorrow, okay? Right now I'm in a hurry."

The only person who could free me from Dalton was ...

"Loren!"  I called her, she was a few meters away talking to Davis.  Even though I felt bad about interrupting her it was the only way to get rid of Dalton.  I know it sounded ugly and maybe rude, but the guy behind me was very pushy.

Loren looks at me.

"Nish, I didn't see you all day," she told me when I got to her.

"I was with Jinni most of the day," I replied, motioning for her to look behind me.

"Hi, Lorena." Dalton comes up next to me and greets Loren.  He always annoys her.

"It's Loren," she reproaches. "If you'll excuse us, Dalton, I have things to discuss with my friend."

"What's up? "Dalton greets Davis but Davis sees it as a small thing and ignores him and then addresses Loren:

"I'll wait for you in the car." If you want, invite Nish.  We have to clear our minds. "Davis winks at us and then gets into her brand new car.

I felt sorry for Dalton.

I was going to speak but Dalton beat me to it:

"Where will we go? "He smiles at us.

Loren laughs.

"Yes, you're funny." My friend pats the boy on the shoulder and takes my hand. "You're not invited." Come on, Nish."

Loren got in the passenger seat while I got into the back seat.

"I knew it.  Have fun, Nish, I'll see you tomorrow. ”Dalton gestures with his two fingers to my forehead.  I thought it was a bit strange on the part of him but I ignored it.  When Davis started I was able to breathe easy.

"To all this, you can leave me around here, Davis, around here Dalton won't be able to see me."

"We're going to the campfire, Nish, it's kind of a tribute to Max. He loved bonfires in the woods."

I hesitated a bit.  To be honest I didn't feel like going to a campfire.

"I ... I don't know if that's a good idea," I replied.  The fires they made were full of alcohol, women, and that sort of thing.  Besides the fact that they were made near the lake, she was sure there would be half-naked girls and boys out there.  And to be honest too, we weren't up for bonfire parties.  Max was dead, by God, his friend.

"Come on, Nish, you'll have fun."  Loren tells me.

"That's right, Nish, even though Max isn't there, life has to go on," Davis spoke like ... a little excited.  Was he glad Max wasn't there?  Were yesterday's tears just a facade?  I closed my eyes for a few seconds to get those thoughts out of my head but then I opened them.

I thought of Jinni.  I didn't know why but I sensed that she would be there.

"Okay, I guess I'll go for a bit."

"That's right, Nish, you're learning." Davis revved the car further as he turned the music up a bit.

•

When we got to the campfire we got out of the car.  There were more cars and boys there.  Night was falling, the weather was cold.  On one side I saw thermos with a lot of beer and on the other side the music.  I felt strange being here.  Max was dead!  It seemed that no one cared.  That disappointed me a bit.

"I'll find something to drink." Davis leaves, only Loren is with me.  She wore a brown leather jacket and tight black pants.

"Did you talk to Jinni?"  she asked me suddenly.

"I did it."

"What did she say to you?"  she looked at me, she looked very interested.

"Her mom was sick so that's why she didn't go to her funeral."  I explained.

She nodded.

"I suppose so, the mother gets sick a lot," she murmured, but what she said didn't seem so real to me;  rather I noticed a bit of sarcasm in that sentence.

"I think so."

I searched for Jinni with her gaze but couldn't find her.  The lights on Davis's car began to flash on and off.

"What happens? "I asked more to myself.

"I have no idea."

It was strange.

"Davis! Your keys"— Loren calls him, Davis threw the keys from the side of her and they fell to the ground.  Loren picked them up and headed for the driver's door.  I followed her.  "I think Davis will have to change cars very soon," she commented.

Change?  If that was like new.

Loren pressed buttons that I didn't understand until the lights went completely out.

"Clever" she closed the door, "for a moment I thought it would be Max scaring us, "she teased.

I laughed a little but just to play along, because the truth did not seem so crazy that Max was furious to see his friends drinking and having fun when he was barely a day dead.

I unconsciously put my hand on my shoulder again, it still felt cold.  My never stung me, like when someone blows you near it.  I'm definitely going crazy.

-You want a beer? "Loren asks me.

"Water," I smiled.

"Nish, you never change," she laughs and leaves.

Ma hugged myself because the temperature was starting to rise here;  but something behind me caught my eye.  I thought I saw someone pass through some bushes.  It was the silhouette of a man.  But there was nothing.  I frowned without understanding and then looked back at the fire.  Teens laughing, drinking and kissing.

I was uncomfortable being here.

"We meet again, Nish."

I jumped in shock and put a hand to my chest as I turned to see the person behind me.

"Dalton! You almost scared me to death. "I looked at him badly.

And what was he doing here?

"I'm sorry," he laughed. "I heard about the campfire and wanted to come."

"Where are you coming from?"  I looked behind him but there was no car there.

"On my bike." He pointed to a bike near a tree in the distance.  I licked my lips and nodded.

I figured.

"Cool."

Now he would have to endure it.

"Did you come alone on that dark road? It did not scare you? " I looked at him.  He looked at me too.

"No," he said in a somewhat macabre tone. "I'm not afraid of the dark, Nish, what's more, I think it catches my attention "he gets closer to me so I take a step back."  dark things.  And dark people."

I laughed nervously.

"Why are you telling me that?"  I kept backing up as he got closer, until my butt collided with Davis's car.

Dalton looks at me.  But then he laughs.

"How do you think, Nish? I didn't come alone, I came with a group of friends from class" he walks away and puts his hands in the front pockets of his pants.  Dalton wears a large brown jacket as well.  He looks comfortable and warm.

I backed away from the car, sitting back.

Behind him were four boys on bicycles.

"The thing is, they're slow," he laughs.

I swallowed thickly as he nodded.  What he had told me had seemed so real that it was starting to scare me.

"I want something to drink, do you want something?"

"Loren will bring me water."

"I'll be right back." Dalton leaves and walks over to where the drinks were.  Loren was making out with Davis and the guys on bikes were joining the group.  I was the only one who was alone and isolated.

Dalton in the distance raises a red glass to get my attention, but he also does something else to me, a sign that seemed too chilling of him: Dalton raises his hand and forms a pistol with his fingers, first he points at me, but then he  points himself in the forehead and shoots himself.