â SIXTEEN â
"So how much trouble are you in?" I asked as Chase leaned over the fence.
"My mother only just stopped yelling at us, I managed to get off less because I told her I was defending your honour," Chase replied before giving me a sly smile.
"Defending my honour? I didn't know it was the eighth century!" I exclaimed before laughing.
"Well she believed it, so I'm rolling with it," he replied before laughing.
We both laughed for a moment before he quietned. "I gotta say, the crime was worth the punishment" Chase said quickly, as he straightened.
"Yeah, but you won't be able to see blue sky for the next three hundred years," I replied, as I shifted on my feet.
Chase turned his head to look at the trees branches that hung over his fence. "Like I said, the crime was worth it," he replied before looking at me.
"Well I never thanked you for defending my honour as you call it, so thanks, I'm sorry it came to a fist fight," I said, meaning it.
His blue eyes studied me. "I'm sorry I didn't punch him sooner," he replied before his mouth slowly cracked into a smile.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Your impossible," I said before chuckling.
"That's why you love me, Christie" he said before pushing off the fence.
The flimsy wood wobbled under my weight. "Oh I love you now? Damn, Chase, you're moving quick!" I exclaimed.
It was his turn to roll his eyes.
"Whatever,"
"Whatever," I mocked back.
He glared at me before turning back to his house. "I should go," he said quickly.
I nodded, stepping away from the fence. "Okay, well I'll see you at school" I said, as I brushed my hands against my jeans.
"I said I should, not that I'm going to," Chase replied as a wicked look crossed his face.
Tilting my head, confused, I watched him. "What are you doing?" I asked, as he moved towards the fence.
"I'm already in trouble, how much worse could it get," he replied.
"Seeing how I don't know what the hell you're talking about, I'm going to say.. huge trouble" I said, crossing my arms.
"Did you know that there's a creek that runs down the back of our houses?" Chase asked, gesturing in that direction.
"Of course, but you can't get to it, it's all swamp before it" I replied.
"Can't you?" He asked, grinning.
"What? You found a way through it?" I asked, as I glanced towards the trees.
"More like, James and I got bored one afternoon and we built a way through it," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
I opened my mouth. "Come, climb the fence" he said, gesturing to the fence that seperated us.
"Chase, my friend, I weigh more than the titanic, my ass isn't going to be climbing this fence," I replied, putting my hands on my hips.
"You're so dramatic Christie, and you don't even look heavy, here I'll catch you if you fall,"he replied, holding his hands out.
"Would you like to be a pancake?"
Chase sighed. "Fine, be a chicken shit," he replied, taking his hands back.
"Take that back!" I exclaimed, pointing a finger at him.
"I would, but you'd have to force me to, but you know.. since you can't climb this fence, you're going to be chicken shit for the rest of your life!" He exclaimed, before smirking.
"Asshole!" I exclaimed, before putting my hands on the wooden fence, and lifting a foot up.
Chase watched me with wide eyes as I climbed up the fence. I perched up the top, breathing heavily. "Who knew this fence was so god damn high," I said, before coughing once.
He laughed. "Are you out of breath?" He asked, teasing.
"I'll show you out of breath," I muttered.
"Hmm what was that?" Chase asked, cupping his ear.
"I said, you better catch me!" I exclaimed.
He lifted his hands at the same time I jumped towards him. He caught me but my unbalanced jump made him lean back, causing us both to fall backwards. Chase landed on the ground with a poof of dirt and I landed on Chase, causing a groan to emerge from his mouth.
"Aww, out of breath?" I asked, my sarcasm being my immediate response.
He opened one eye, and looked at me. "I hate you," he said before flopping his head back on the grass.
I rolled onto the grass, and pushed myself up. "No you don't, lets go, you said you built something?" I asked.
He opened his eyes again to glare at me. "Give me a minute, a building just landed on me," he replied.
"Har har, get your ass up Mareno," I replied, holding out my hand.
He took it and I pulled him up quickly. "Anyway, it wasn't just me who built it, my brother may be a self entitled asshole but he's good with his hands," Chase said as he started leading me down the back of his yard
"That could mean two things," I joked.
"Your disgusting," Chase replied, giving me a look.
I shrugged my shoulders before wincing as a tree branch scratched my shoulder. "Where exactly are we going? Are you going to murder me?" I asked, before he stopped at a gate.
"I will if you keep asking questions," Chase replied, smirking.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
He unlocked the gate and pushed it open. "After you, mi'lady" he said, his smirk widening.
"I don't trust you one bit," I replied, crossing my arms.
Chase laughed and put his hands up in defense. "I swear I won't hurt you, now hurry up!" He exclaimed.
"Fine," I sais before walking ahead of him.
Walking through the gate, the green grass broke away to yellowy, tall grass. Some of it, spiky as it brushed my ankles. My feet moved across this grass before it hit something solid. A wooden path lay before me, twisting throughout the marshland.
Tall wooden posts sat either side of the boards, guiding the way. "You actually found a way through the swamp" I said, turning to look at Chase.
He grinned. "Yeah it was quite easy actually," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
I followed the path and soon, we walked onto a wooden bridge. The water beneath it was rushing quite fast, with sticks, leaves and all sorts of junk floating in it.
"That's really sad to see," I said as I watched a coke bottle drift towards the bridge.
"We have a net, catching all the waste, I mean sometimes we can't catch the real small stuff but the bigger stuff we can get from spilling into the river," Chase replied, as he knelt down to point at the net.
I glanced at him. "I didn't think you cared about the enviroment," I said, actually surprised and impressed.
"I'm not heartless, the world needs us, just like we need the world," Chase replied, glancing at me.
I smiled gently and he looked away. Clearing his throat, he pointed on and stood up again. "Follow me," he said as he pushed past me.
Brushing my hair behind my ear, I followed him across the bridge and to the other side. We broke through the trees and onto the bank of the Busskes river.
"Wow!" I gasped.
The water sparkled like millions of tiny little diamonds. The sun bouncing off the water and reflected onto the trees, casting the river bank in a glorious shadow. It looked magical, peaceful and beautiful.
The Mareno brothers seemed to have built a warf that led out to the river, two chairs sat on the wooden boards. "Like it?" He asked, smiling.
I turned to look at him. "It's so beautiful!" I exclaimed as I walked towards their warf.
"Careful, we're good with a hammer but not maths and how the river works," he warned as I stepped onto the creaking planks.
"I can't believe you and James built this," I said, turning to look at him.
Chase stood at the edge. "He and I were very close before he got involved with Caitlyn, I used to look for every excuse to hang out with him, this was one of them," he replied, gesturing to the dock.
"I'm sorry you're fighting," I said, sincerely.
"It isn't your fault Christie, I hate his decision to be with a woman who uses him and treats him like garbage and he could leave her but he doesn't, so I hate him too," he replied.
I walked towards him. "No, you don't, he's your brother and I'm standing on a dock that says otherwise, he's just entranced by that witch, when he realises there is more to high school than popularity, then you will get your brother back," I said firmly.
"And to think, a few weeks ago, you hated us both," Chase replied, crossing his arms.
"I didn't hate you Chase, James I did because of that stupid party but not you, you started ignoring me after that party and I got the hint so I backed off," I said, looking back towards the water.
"I thought you just used me to get to my brother, like every other girl at school," he said, his tone unrecognizable.
"Do you believe I'm that type of girl?"
"Not anymore, that would be impossible," he replied.
A/N
I love the fact that Chase and Christie are hanging out like old friends.
Anyway, a chapter! Yay!!!
What do you think about the whole situation?
A bit dicey or genuine friends?
Don't forget to vote and comment!
Lots of love, T xoxoxxo
â â
PS. Don't forget to be like Chase and James in saving the enviroment!
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