"So, how about your best friend, Lora? Is she fine?" All the family members were sitting on the couch and watching a TV series when Jayden asked Lora.
"Did not you see Jayden? She looks fine. She is fine." Lora replied filling her mouth with more popcorn. She looked at Samura. So did Mrs. Sara and Mr. Ben. Samura looked confused. They all had no clue what Jayden was saying.
"I mean how can I know if she is fine or not? I didn't see her." Jayden said sarcastically. Lora was confused. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before forming words and asked him, "What?"
"Ra---" Before he completed the word she stopped him gesturing her palm. "Stop! I don't want to hear about anything more." She put down her legs which were on the stool. "Here is your precious popcorn. I don't want any of that." She stood throwing the popcorn bucket on Jayden's lap. "I'm going." She shook her head and went upstairs.
"Jayden what did you do?" Mr. Ben asked him. He was slightly angry. Mrs. Sara was staring at him as she was poking a hole in his face with her eyes.
"Hey, Lora." Samura looked furiously at Jayden and stood to run after her but Jayden stopped her holding her hand. "I will go." He had a regretful face.
"Yeah, You better." Samura crossed her arms. Jayden stood, placing the popcorn bucket on the couch, and ran upstairs.
"Lora..." As he guessed she was on the balcony area, leaning on the handrail. She was looking at the moon and garden flowers which they could see clearly with the help of moonlight.
"I'm sorry!" He went near Lora and leaned on the handrail as well. Lora did not give him a glance. He looked at her and turned her head towards the garden. They stood there for a few minutes silently. It would be uncomfortable if two people, who knew each other were near, and stayed silently. But they were not uncomfortable in any way.
"I don't like her." Lora broke the silence. "At all." She was still looking at the flowers. "I know. I'm sorry." Jayden looked at her. "It's okay." She said it but did not mean it.
"What should I do to make up for it?" He asked. He knew Lora very well.
"I want to fly high." She did not turn at Jayden.
"Okay." He chuckled. He was happy and it was all written on his face.
He grabbed Lora's hand and ran down the staircase. Mr. Ben, Mrs. Sara, and Samura were startled when they saw them running. Samura's hands dropped down automatically and Mr. Ben and Mrs. Sara stood up. Jayden took her to the garden and the other three also ran behind them surprisingly.
"Where are you dragging me?" Lora could not understand anything and Jayden smiled at her turning and running backward. Lora held his hand with both of her hands. She was afraid he would trip off.
Lora felt cold on her feet since she did not have any shoes. No one was wearing anything on their feet. Jayden stooped in front of the swing and dragged Lora with his one hand. She hit on his body. Placing his hands on Lora's shoulders, Jayden sat her on the swing and went behind her.
She knew what he was going to do and grabbed the chain of the swing tightly. He pushed her.
"Is this high enough, Miss Lora?" He asked her shouting.
"No! I want to go up to the moon." Lora screamed at him.
"Well, unfortunately, I can't do that. For that, I will give your favorite county road ice cream, additionally." Samura and her parents laughed at them.
"It is chilly outside. Don't catch a cold both of you." Mrs. Sara screamed at them while laughing and went inside the house. Mr. Ben and Samura also followed her into the house.
He pushed the swing for a while and Lora enjoyed the night ride on a swing. She never had done that before. She had rode the swing in the daytime but never at night.
"My hands are swelling now," Jayden screamed.
"Just five more," Lora screamed as well.
"One." Jayden started counting. "Two... Three... Four... Five. Finished." He stopped pushing. Lora laughed.
"It was amazing." Said Lora and Jayden messed up Lora's hair.
"Don't!!!" Lora stood up from the swing while screaming. Jayden sat on the swing and rotated it. Lora tried to push him.
"Ah... You are a high stone, Jay..." She hit him because she could not push him away even an inch.
"I'm not. You are the weak skinny one who could not push me." Lora hit him again.
"I'm not skinny." She crossed her arms. "Let's go inside. It's cold." Jayden took her inside.
After half an hour Mr. and Mrs. Carter drove them to the college. It was past 9 p.m. and they were lucky enough to come back to the dorm before 10 o'clock. If the warden caught them after 10 it would have been a disaster for them. Even more for Lora.
They went inside their room and Lora fell on her bed while Samura went to the washroom to wash up.
When Samura came to the room after a long shower, Lora was already dreaming. She went near her and tapped her shoulder to wake her up. She was the same as morning. Samura placed her hand on her waist sighing. She realized she had to do the hard work again to wake Lora up.
"Lora get up." After a few minutes of hard work, Samura was able to wake up Lora. She went to the washroom mumbling and resenting Samura.
She did not get much time and came out and jumped onto her bed.