Friends Against The World (Book 1): Bite Me

by Walters, Geneva

  I don't know yet. Staph teasing *blushes, I quickly respond, and select Violet's messages;

  Darling you can't keep torturing yourself, just go for it. Take this weekend and use it to spend more time with him. Grab his attention, you have the whiles ;)

  I smile at her words, and send a quick one back, noticing the time being 4:55. I run downstairs with a smile on my face, thinking about the approaching trip. I can't wait to spend time with everyone.

  Little did I know that weekend would be the last scrap of normality I had for a long time. For the world changed drastically, and with us so far from civilization, we had little idea of the difference.

  Chapter 4

  Friday dragged its heels coming, but after long boring school days, multiple text conversations and late nights, it arrived. Idris and Lee could drive, which took care of our problem for car space.

  School ended, and it found us gathered around our cars in the school parking lot, back seats and trunks full of clothing and electronics. Lee, Quiyl, Avyanna, Anthony and James in Lee's car, and Idris, Violet, Xavier, Liam and me in Idris'. There was hardly room to move but that wasn't the focus. The focus was a weekend of no parents, gaming and memories being made forever.

  Idris' car was a Lincoln, an MRX to be exact, not sure what year. He has lucked out as his grandparents sold it to him for quite cheap. Violet got the front seat, and Xavier, Liam and I piled into the back, Xavier behind Idris, me in the middle and Liam on the other side. Violet pulled out her phone and turned to us in the back.

  "Any requests?" She asked, smile on her face.

  "Marianas Trench!" I said, and the boys groaned.

  "You have a problem." Xavier said, teasing tone in his voice.

  "No, I embrace it. Therefore, it's an enjoyment."

  He rolled his eyes and I turned back to the front, catching Vi's eye. She winks, and then scrolls through her music, picking a song.

  "Everyone's around, no words are coming now. And I can't find my breath, can we just say the rest with no sound." Josh Ramsay's voice sang from the speakers and I glared at the back of my best friend's head. She knew exactly what song she just put on, and she gave me a smirk in the mirror.

  I sighed, and settled back into my seat, half frustrated with my manipulative best friend, half enjoying the song immensely. My phone vibrated, and I looked at it, seeing a message from Xavier.

  I like her pick of song ;)

  I turned to him quickly and he gave me a smile and went back to looking out the window.

  My cheeks warmed, and Violet happened to look back to see me blushing and smiled again, nudging Idris to look in the mirror and see my face.

  I flip off the couple in the front seat and they smile at me, and I huff in annoyance.

  Liam and Xavier chuckle at my actions.

  This is going to be a long car ride….

  After what felt like forever, we pulled up in front of Idris' cabins, large and made of logs of wood. As soon as Xavier slid out, I jumped out. Xavier chuckled at my hurry to get away. Xavier and Liam get out slower and walk to the back, knocking on the window to indicate they wanted Idris to open the trunk. We heard a click and Liam opened it, grabbing his duffel bag and walking to the front door. Xavier grabbed mine and his stuff, ignoring my protests and follows Liam with a smirk, and pink painting my cheeks. Lee's car pulls up just as we reach the front door and Idris is grabbing his and Vi's stuff. Lee rolls down the window and begins singing at the top of his lungs and very off key, Quiyl rolling her eyes. As soon as the car rolls to a stop the three in the back-seat bail, and Avyanna runs up to me and hides behind me as Anthony and James wait with very tired expressions for Lee to open the trunk.

  "Someone take the music control away from Lee or I swear to god I am going to deck him!" Avyanna said with a glare in Lee's direction, and I turn to face her with a raised eyebrow.

  "What happened?" I ask with a slight smirk and Avyanna makes eye contact with me.

  "I like Queen, don't get me wrong. But that damn cd has been on repeat for the past five hours!"

  Liam laughs, and Xavier joins in, and I turn red.

  "Should have heard Violet's, I am pretty sure Geneva turned all shades of red!" Liam said in-between laughing.

  I subtly smack Liam on the shoulder as he calms down, and Avyanna chuckles. Idris follows his girlfriend who has the keys, Lee and the others following afterwards. The door opened with a click, and Vi flicked on the light walking deeper into the cottage, the rest of the company joining. James kicked the door shut with a bang, and then shrugged. Vi disappears down the hallway with a giggle, Idris following as well.

  "We claim this one!" Vi's voice echoes down the hallway, and the rest of us catch her drift, rushing for the hall.

  Multiple voices ring out as they claim rooms, the couples getting the rooms with the double beds. Xavier, Liam, James and I exchange looks, and Liam and James grab the only room with two twin beds, the last room holding a double bed.

  "I can take the couch if that would make you more comfortable." Xavier offers, and I wave it off.

  "Nah, it's cool." I reply, and mutter, "Our friends are dicks…"

  Xavier chuckles as he puts mine and his stuff on the bed, two backpacks and a duffel bag hitting the bed with a soft thud. I root through my backpack and begin organizing my clothes in the dresser on the right side of the room, plugging in my phone and tablet charger behind the side table, placing the charger into my phone.

  "Mind if I play music?" Xavier asks, and I shrug.

  "Go ahead, dude, I don't mind. Long as it isn't Queen." I reply with a wink and receive a smile back.

  Pink Floyd begins to play from his phone and I smile, turning back to my task of unpacking. I sing along quietly, and Xavier sneaks up beside me, whispering "boo!".

  "You bastard!" I exclaim as I smack him gently, and Xavier laughs.

  "You have a very good singing voice has anyone ever told you that?"

  I blush, mumble "thanks" and turn back to my task, still singing. Xavier returns to his, singing along as well and I enjoy the peace that comes with enjoying each other's company.

  Chapter 5

  "Alright all you lovebirds! Friend meeting in the living room!" Liam announces as he walks down the hall, groans ringing out from a few of the rooms.

  Xavier opens the door and walks out, I follow behind him and see the rest of the couples emerging from their rooms. Liam leads us to the living room and sits down in one of the arm chairs, Xavier and I claiming the couch and James sitting in the other armchair. The couples grab chairs from the dining room table and Lee sits beside me on the couch, pulling Quiyl onto his lap.

  "Okay." Liam claps his hands together. "So, it's almost six o'clock, what do we want to do for our first night here?"

  "Dinner would be nice." Lee mentions, his stomach rumbling loudly as if to prove what he is saying.

  "Avyanna and I can cover tonight's dinner." Anthony volunteers from his place beside Lee on a wooden chair, his hand held in Ayanna’s who is sitting on his right.

  "We can do dishes." Violet adds, ignoring the protests from Idris.

  "Perfect! I am assuming there are some board games around here we could play afterwards!" Liam claps his hands together, finishing the conversation.

  Avyanna and Anthony get up together and head to the kitchen, noises starting from the direction they went. I snapped my fingers with a curse and got up, walking back to my bedroom to grab my phone, calling over my shoulder.

  "I forgot to call my parents, be right back!"

  I unlock my phone and scroll through my contacts, selecting my mom's cell phone. The phone rings a few times before a very familiar voice answer.

  "Hello honey! Did you make it okay?"

  "Yep. We did! We're just making dinner and then hanging out for our first night. How's preparations for the parent-teacher conference going?"

  "Good. It will all be over and done with tomorrow. Thank god, I should have never volunteered to help organize the ev
ent. Your school can't organize to save their lives!" She responds with a tired chuckle.

  "That's good. Also, don't listen to anything the teachers say, they lie about the fact I have been skipping school." I respond in a teasing tone.

  "Oh of course." She responds, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "I should let you get back to your friends, I just wanted to make sure you made it safe. I hope you aren't sharing a bed with a boy!"

  "Who me? Nah, boys suck!" I respond. "Love you."

  "Love you too. Can't wait to have you back!" She replies and hangs up.

  I place my phone back on the charger and respond to the giggling crew in the living room.

  "What did I miss?" I say as I walk into the room and they all turn to look at me.

  I observe Liam standing in the middle of the room, holding Lee in a headlock.

  "What the hell guys? I leave the room for two minutes, damnit." I sit down in my original place, in-between Xavier and now Quiyl.

  "I believe it started when Lee told Liam he can overpower him." Quiyl responds, shaking her head at her boyfriend struggling to escape.

  "I can still win this!" Lee's voice is slightly muffled in Liam's side, who stands there, smiling.

  "Oh yea, love to see how you get out of this one." Liam chuckles, holding onto Lee's head still.

  "I am not down yet! Come down here and face me like a man!"

  "Okay, we're done here before you two nutcases break something." Violet pulls the two boys off each other, shoving Lee towards Quiyl.

  "I could have gotten out of that." Lee mutters, sitting down on Quill’s lap.

  "Umm, isn't it usually the other way around?" I ask, grinning.

  Quiyl rolls her eyes and shrugs. "Just got used to his weirdness really."

  Xavier grabs the remote and flicks on the television sitting in the corner of the room, flicking to the news channel.

  "Hope you guys don't mind, but this disease has caught my interest." He tells us, settling back as the commercials finish and a news lady appears on screen.

  "The disease outbreak in Michigan continues, growing larger as state police attempt to set up a quarantine zone. From our observations, the disease causes a loss of sanity to the infected, who begin lashing out at those who attempt to help them. They show no recognition of anything or anyone around them, as the victim's families attempt to comfort the patients. Their skin is beginning to show the effects of the cells dying, pieces of it flaking off on the ones who have been infected the longest. Scientists hypothesize that the disease is being transferred by bite. If an infected successfully breaks skin and transfers its saliva to the bloodstream of the healthy, then that person is at risk." Her voice is monotone as she announces, the corner screen rotating through various photos as it relates.

  The screen clicks off as Xavier raises the remote, before placing it back down. We all look around at each other, trying to take in the news of what we heard.

  "Well that's…scary." Quiyl says quietly, Lee wrapping her into his arms.

  "It's okay, they have it under control…I hope." Lee responds in a soothing tone, kissing his girlfriend's forehead as he hugs her.

  Xavier gets up suddenly and walks off to our room, the rest of us following him with our eyes, wondering about his sudden departure. I make eye contact with Violet, who tilts her head towards the direction he went.

  "Go talk to him." She says, the rest of our friends nodding.

  The sofa creaks as I stand, sighing, walking off in the direction he left in.

  Chapter 6

  I put my hand on the door and it creaks open as I slowly push it open, seeing Xavier sitting on the blue duvet of the bed, his head in his hand. I knock gently on the door, and Xavier nods slightly, indicating he heard.

  "You okay buddy?" I ask quietly, and I sit beside him, our legs touching.

  His stormy blue eyes level with mine, staying quiet, seeming to be thinking.

  "My parents are in Michigan visiting my aunt right now, they were going to be back to see me off, but they weren't. Just a bit worried is all." He responds quietly, and I pull him in for a hug.

  "I am sure they are just fine, bro. Maybe they got delayed getting out of the state, but I am sure they are great. If you want, I have minutes on my phone for you to call them if you want?" I offer, and he pulls back.

  "Sure, thank you." He smiles, and I reach across the bed grabbing my phone, and unlocking it.

  I bring up the calling screen and hold the phone out, allowing him to take it and dial their number. I start to get up to give them privacy and Xavier puts a hand on my knee, shaking his head.

  "Rather you be here, just in case." He whispers, not noticing my pulse speed up at the warmth of his hand.

  The sound of ringing starts from the phone, and Xavier holds it to his ear, looking at the floor. He keeps his hand on my knee though. The tone happens three more times before someone picks up, Xavier visibly relaxing as a feminine voice answered. They talk quickly, and I attempt to not listen in on the conversation. Xavier hangs up, and hands the phone back to me.

  "Thank you. Yea they are fine, they got held up from traffic from people attempting to get over the border. Just didn't have a way to contact me, they were glad I called. Thank you so much!" He explains, and I connect my phone to the charger again.

  "Okay, so glad to hear. You good now?" I say, sitting back down beside him.

  "Yep. Thank you again." He responds.

  "Alright, let's go join the friend group again before they get suspicious." I stand up and walk to the door, standing beside it.

  "Suspicious? About what?" He follows and stands close to me, as I take an involuntary step back towards the wall.

  My pulse quickens as he steps closer, smirking at how my face heats up. He chuckles and steps towards the door, acting like nothing ever happened. My heart slows down, and I curse him in my mind. I follow him out the door and back to the living room, Violet looking to me with a knowing twinkle in her eye. As she opens her mouth to say something a voice rings out from the kitchen.

  "Soups up, ladies and gentlemen!" Avyanna calls out, and Violet gives me a look saying, 'we aren't done'.

  I skip off toward the kitchen, breathing a sigh of relief. The smell of tomato sauce permeates the air, and my mouth waters. My eyes land on the pot full of spaghetti and meatballs, and I grab a bowl, hugging the two cooks.

  "This smells delightful! Thank you both, so much!" I tell them, scooping a healthy amount into my bowl and sprinkling cheese that was shredded on top of my serving.

  The rest of the group piles in, murmuring their thanks as the help themselves, all of us retiring to the living room with our supper. My fork clinks off the side of the bowl as I gather some noodles and sauce, and I bring the fork to my mouth.

  "Mm mm, this is so good!" I mumble around the food in my mouth, quickly going back for another bite.

  The sentiment is repeated by the others in the group, Avyanna smiling.

  "I am glad it turned out good guys!" Avyanna mentions before she takes her first bite, swallowing and looking to her boyfriend. "Not bad honey, good job! You almost got the hang of cooking!"

  Anthony rolls his eyes, then looks at Avyanna lovingly. "Maybe with a few more of your lessons I would finally be able to cook by myself!"

  Avyanna ruffles his hair as she presses a kiss to his cheek. Liam pretends to gag at the couple's actions and Anthony rolls his eyes. The dinner is quickly eaten by everyone and Idris gathers up the dishes, Vi dragging him to the kitchen to wash the dishes with minor protests. Lee begins to look in cupboards for the board games Liam mentioned earlier might be here, and he looks to the group when he finds them.

  "We have a few choices, looks like Monopoly, Cards Against Humanity, and Game of Life." He calls to us, and groans come from a few people when he mentions Game of Life.

  "My vote is Cards. Monopoly ends friendships." Quiyl says with a smile.

  The group agrees with Quiyl and Idris voices their choices from the kitchen, a
greeing with the group. Liam pulls the coffee table to the center of the room and a few others set it up, so everyone has a seat near the table. They split the piles up and gets everyone to shuffle one, setting the piles back on the table. By this time the dish duo came to join us, and everyone grabbed ten cards.

  "Alright, who pooped last?" Lee asks the group, and some roll their eyes. "What, game rules guys!"

  "Probably me, just give me the black card." Liam volunteers, and the game night gets well underway, lasting until the wee hours of the morning.

  Chapter 7

  "Well it's time I hit the sack, least if you want me to be up for a reasonable time tomorrow." Lee yawns. "I say time to count our black cards!"

  The room falls into quiet murmuring of people counting their cards. People begin to look up and make eye contact with each other. The room falls into silence as the group finishes counting.

  "Who wants to say first?" Xavier asks, holding his stack of black cards.

  "I have fourteen." Liam says, placing his cards on the table.

  "Sixteen." Idris responds and smirks in Liam's direction, who flips him the bird.

  "Fifteen." James adds.

  "Eighteen." Anthony states.

  "Fifteen." Avyanna volunteers.

  "Nineteen." Violet smiles.

  "Twenty-one." Xavier hums with a smile.

  "Nineteen." Quiyl mentions.

  "Eighteen." Lee adds.

  "Twenty." I end the count with and turn to Xavier. "Guess you won!"

  "Guess so." Xavier replies, beginning to gather up all the cards, placing them back in the box.

  The cards are organized back into the box and people begin to retire to their rooms, using one of the three bathrooms before shutting the door behind their roommate. Xavier and I being the last, each emerging from separate bathrooms and I walk into the room first, Xavier following and shutting the door behind him. I crawl under the covers in my tank top and pajama shorts, tucking my arm under the pillow and getting comfortable. He lifts the covers and settles himself in, wearing a t-shirt and plaid pants.

  "You aren't going to sleep quite yet, are you?" Xavier teases, and I turn toward him.