Part 1

“Let's get away from here.” Her was skin glowing in the Washington moonlight when she said this.

“Excuse me,” I said in confusion.

“Let's leave and go far far away, where no one can bother us or be against us… We can start a new life for the both of us” her expression reeked of utter desperation. Looking at her face made me realize she wasn't joking nor was she willing to take no for an answer so naturally, i said “Sure.” and turned back around to look at the creepily beautiful blood moon.

“Great. When?” was all I remembered Lindsey saying from last night. Well, before I blacked out. I woke up to a text from my normally soft-spoken, go with the flow kind of girl best friend saying: Ready to hit the road🚗✈🗺 I groan and roll over flopping on my tiny twin sized bed. I reply to her once I’ve sulked there for enough time. I text: is this what a hangover feels like? 😩😩😩😒 I hit send a turn my brightness down. I don't remember what we were doing on top of the old factory building and why we are “hitting the road” but it's not a question asker I'm usually the one being asked the questions. Yep she replies. Simple and secure. No beating around the bush. So unlike her. BEEP BEEP “OPEN THE DOOR!” Lindsey screams out of the window of her yellow mini cooper into my open upstairs crappy off-campus house window.

“Stop yelling I don't want to bother anyone” I whisper-yell hoping she would hear it but knowing she wouldn’t.

“WHAAATTT” she really has no care in the world. I really don't know what has gotten into her but this is not the Lindsey I know. The Lindsey i once knew was dark haired and quiet minded. She never did anything out of the box she was an average high school girl aside from the gossip and drama that she never fed in to. She was normal but out of the box normal in my eyes. She was and still is my world but i feel like she shifted from Pangea to a whole new world with continents never explored. I slowly bring myself to my knees only to fall back down again. I open my phone and text her “help.” simply.

“Oh just get your lazy ass up!” she says loudly once again. Her words resonated with me i guess because i felt a sudden sprinkle of energy that helped me shift my weight from my back to my feet. I trudge over to my trash can of a window and see her pale white body almost hanging out of her car.

“Hey there sleepy head” She smiled brightly. Her teeth were coffee stained yet she was still one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen. “Stop staring and come let me in” she added. I slowly walk down my narrow stairs to go open the door for the girl i thought i knew everything about. I get to my front door and reach to let her into my crappy shared home. BEEP the horn blares.

“I’m right here!” I whisper yell.

“Oops,” she shrugs and climbs to her passenger seat door. She opens it and hops out “Sorry. My door is jammed and i haven't gotten around to unjamming it if you will” She looks at me, slips her shoes off and walks straight into my upstairs bedroom. I follow her up there only to see that she's already trying to pack up my clothes. “Is this all” She slides open my closet to see three t-shirts, one dress, and many pairs of leggings.

“No the rest are in that suitcase over there.” She turns and looks my unzipped suitcase on the right side of my bed.

“Oh, you're already packed? WHY didn't you tell me this?!”

“I didn't pack,” I tell her “I just never unpacked”

“Close enough” she flips the top of my bag over and sits on it “Zip it” she demands

“Well how about you put it on the bed. That would probably make it easier” I sass her. She rolls her eyes and lifted up the bag that contained everything from my families Hawaii trip that was 3 weeks ago. She thrust the bag onto the twin sized bed I slept on and jumped right onto the suitcase so I could zip the overflowing bag shut.

“Zip it” she chants while bouncing up and down atop of the suitcase. I of course zip the bag shut when we hear a snap and i see Lindsey cave into my bed. I stand there amazed at just how broke my room now looks. From a lumpy bed with a broken bed frame, to the piles of dirty clothes by my door, to the fairy lights that flickered on and off so much they need an epilepsy warning in them. “Ready to roll,” Lindsey says awkwardly trying to lighten the mood but at the same time making it more awkward.

“I guess” I sigh.

Part 2

“Cheez its?” Lindsey looks at me for a second and shoves the box towards me. I grab one cheez-it and ponder,

“Okay so if i only grab one of these am i still eating cheez its or just a cheez-it” she lets out a little giggle and snatches back the box of cheez its.

“Is this the new ‘Is water wet’” she sticks her arm into the Cheez-it box (or cheez its box WHO KNOWS)

“I believe it is” I join her in a slight chuckle and relax again.

“Welcome to Oregon” she reads the sign. I recline my seat and attempt to nap.

“Night,” I say softly and close my eyes.

“Shit” not even two seconds of sleep i hear Lindsey say this under her breath. I ignore it and try and fall into deep sleep. I sleep for what seems like hours and open my eyes slowly. It's still daylight out so i know i wasn't sleeping for long. I look around the car and Lindsey is gone. I quickly put my put my seat back up and look around getting a little worried. BANG! A gunshot. I check my phone and see a text from Lindsey that showed it was sent one hour ago. Hey, Um so the car ran out of gas soo… I went to find some sorry :)

“What the hell Lindsey” I scream at my phone. Another text was above the previous one that said my gps said that there was a gas station near here… I took a shortcut through the woods.. Please don't be mad… i'll be back soon.. Love you :) <3. I roll my eyes and throw my Nikon D3400 around my neck. I sit in the car thinking, am I really about to go out and try and find this girl, I’M BLACK FOR GOD SAKES! I get out of the car that is left keyless and unlocked. I look at the intimidating Portland forest and think to myself, What is up with her? It's hunting season and i still can't find Lindsey in these dang woods. Where is she? “Lindsey?” I spin around looking every which way. Suddenly frantic. I've never lost her before besides one time at the fair when we lost each other and she anxiously ran up to me on the verge of tears. I was convinced she was somewhere in a ditch. Only this time my best friend isn't anxious or scared she is outgoing and deadly and she might actually be somewhere dead in a ditch. “Lindsey!” my voice cracks through the thick Oregon woods. I feel a warm almost hot tear run down my face and into my mouth. It's salty and comforting. As I venture deeper and further into the woods I come across a cabin of course. I inspect the cabin trying not to trespass. It's beautiful. It has ivy leaves decorating the sides of it and green moss on the top. It looks like something out a movie. It's like when you google “Cabin stock images” it's that perfect. It's almost perfectly imperfect. It has a few places where it could be fixed up at but it's still immaculate in my eyes. I reach for my camera and hold it up to my eye. I make sure the whole cabin is in focus from the old rocking chair being moved by the wind to the carved tally marks on the side of the house. I snap the picture and here another BANG but this time it's closer, too close for comfort. I walk around to the back of the cabin only to find Lindsey with a rifle in her hands and noise canceling headphones on her ears. She shoots a can then takes off the headphones. An oldish looking lumberjack of a man taps her on the shoulder signaling for her to turn around. She looks at me and says.

“Hey what's up?” innocently like she didn't just leave me alone in an unlocked car for what might have been hours. I wasn't sure if i should hug her or scream at her

“What's UP!” I exclaim sarcastically at her

“What's with the tude… I told you not to be mad” She hands over the rifle back to the sketchy looking man

“You left me in a car. ALONE.” I say slowly trying to calm myself down. My skin was hot and my blood was boiling, my lips were dry and my eyes were wet. “And now,” I start, crackly voice and all “Your just here shooting a stupid gun with this crackhead SANTA CLAUS” Her face becomes flustered and I feel tears dripping from my eyes like a broken faucet.

“Excuse me, missy,” Says crackhead Santa with a strong southern accent. “This here is no ‘Stupid gun’” he imitates a girls voice. “This here is a Remington Model 870 12-Gauge Shotgun ya here.” He holds the gun upright. “And I AINT no crackhead Santa Claus ya here girl”

“Well, you said ain't no, and that's a double negative soo.,” I whisper sarcastically under my breath hoping that he didn't hear it.

“What did you just say to me girl” I hear the Hick raise his voice. He raises his and cocks it. I unconsciously hear a startling crack that split the day.

“Jordan!” A familiar voice screams, but I slowly drift away. Slowly...  Drifting… Away…   Gone.