Exit Wounds | Noah Sebastian

F O U R

"Lanes!" Finn shouts on the other side of the door. He's been pounding on my door for at least five whole minutes.  I had just decided to not answer the door. Thank god it was 10am on a weekday and all of my neighbors were at work. Finally, I pulled myself off the couch and let him in. 

"Ready to go?" He asks, helping himself to the batch of muffins I had made that morning. Muffins I had made but was too nervous to eat.

"No," I groan, I truly didn't want to do this. I just didn't know if I was more nervous to see Noah or that Finn was going to make me climb to my own death.

I follow Finn out to his car begrudgingly, he unlocks the doors and slides in.  I'm not quite ready to pull on the handle so he rolls down the window and hands me an energy drink.  He knows it's a weakness of mine and I grab the drink before climbing in his Cadillac myself.

"Where's this place at?" I ask, popping the top and taking a long drink of the energy fuel. Actually, this is probably going to make me even more anxious, but whatever it's delicious.

"Bradyville, so you have plenty of time to overthink," Finn smiles over at me and pulls onto the interstate. Bradyville was probably 45 minutes from downtown. This tiny town in the mountains in east Jesus nowhere. I wonder if Noah lives there and drives that far to come play every Friday.

Nope, no I don't wonder anything about that infuriatingly arrogant asshole.

A Perfect Circle plays softly from his speakers, Maynard's voice has always had a way of calming me down. Finn was a bassist, but it didn't stop him from singing along with me to the entirety of Thirteenth Step, our favorite album.

Before long we are getting off the interstate, winding down no lane roads with miles and miles of trees surrounding us, only occasionally do we pass by any houses.  Finn takes a turn and we pass by a sign that is childishly named, Go Ape.  I roll my eyes at Finn

"Noah is actually a really funny guy, I don't know why you don't like him," he said, pulling to a stop deep in the trees that towered too high above our heads. He didn't know why I didn't get along with his narcissistic cohort? Why didn't he see it?

I grab my phone and get out of the car, craning my neck to look at the canopy of trees towering above us.  I could hear a few people talking around us, but the traffic from the road was silent.  I take a few pictures around before having Finn take my photo in front of the welcome sign.

I was still snapping pictures when Noah snuck up on us, Finn and Noah hug quickly.  He's wearing joggers and a black t-shirt, a harness strapped to his waist.

"Are you ready to get up there, Delaney?" I hate the way he says my name, his voice is soft and comforting almost.  I hate it.

"No, I'm going to stay on the ground and watch," I smirk. I didn't tell Finn my plan on the way here and he looks at me bewildered now.

"Lanes, you are going up there," Finn says firmly.

"No, I already told ya'll I wasn't going," Noah chuckles at me as I say that. "Why are you laughing?"

"You accent is cute," Noah smirks at me, something about the look in his eyes was challenging.

"I don't have an accent," I scoff, I did and I knew I did.

"I didn't take you for a chicken though," I swing my head around to glare at him. I saw Finn's eyes grow and clap him in the shoulder to subtly drag him away from me.

"I am not a chicken! I can't help that you are crazy and want to get yourself killed!" I could hear the shrill shriek in my voice, but I tried to reign my anger in. Who did this guy think he was? Calling me a chicken? He didn't even know anything about me.