This Summer (DMBB Spin-off)

Chapter 5: Summer Is For Fun

Trigger warning

"I wish I could escape
I don't wanna fake it
Wish I could erase it
Make your heart believe
But I'm a bad liar."

Song: Bad Liar ~ Imagine Dragons

***

5. Summer Is For Fun

I lay back on the grass, soaking in the sunlight. It was peaceful here.

Peace.

I had wrestled with that concept for a long time now, but I guess that's what happened when you allowed yourself to come undone by the weight of everything that matters in this world.

"Shall we head back?" Renée asked.

"I'm hungry," Liam said.

"You're always hungry," Shawn told him.

"Point is?" Liam retorted.

"Okay, get your asses up and let's move," Jess said, getting onto her feet.

She pulled Austin up as well.

"Shayley? You coming?" Tess chuckled.

I took in a breath and closed my eyes. "I want to stay here forever."

"Unfortuately you can't," Khalan said. "Get up."

I groaned and brought myself up onto my feet like the others.

"Need help?" Jacob offered when I was about to mount the horse.

I remembered my conversation with Khalan.

"I've got the hang of it," I said politely. "Thanks."

He nodded and climbed onto his. My eyes met Khalan's and she winked, causing me to roll my eyes.

"There's a diner close by," Jacob said once we got back to the ranch. "Why don't we head there for dinner?"

"Finally," Liam groaned. "That would be terrific."

***

We got cleaned up and went to the diner like we decided we would. It was a walking distance, which was good because we didn't have any vehicle that could possibly fit all of us.

"Shayley, you've barely touched your food," Jess pointed out.

"I can help with that if you want," Liam said.

"Everything alright?" Shawn asked me.

I nodded. "Perfectly fine, I'm just not that hungry."

I wasn't hungry at all. In fact, the smell alone made me nauseous. I wasn't going to force myself to eat only to puke it all out later on.

"I'm going to get myself another drink," I said, excusing myself from the table.

I took a seat at the counter and sighed, glad to have fled the scene.

"Everything okay?"

I swear the next person to ask me that was going to get punched in the face.

I rose my head from my palms and was about to fire till I saw the person talking to me.

"Oh, um...yeah, everything's fine," I answered.

"Okay, then," he chuckled, wiping a glass and setting it down behind him.

He was blonde, with nice hazel eyes.

"Can I get you anything?" he chuckled. "Or do you just want me to keep talking so you have an excuse as to why you're avoiding that conversation with your friends over there?"