The Seastone Chair

A night with Lina and Raven

The August sun burned hot as Lina and Raven were walking down the road towards town, looking for a little excitement. Both girls were home for the summer from college, bored, and needing an escape. As small towns went, theirs wasn’t exactly crawling with exciting things to do, but they were hoping today it would be.

As they rounded the bend towards Main street, a blaring horn caught them off guard and the girls jumped off the road and onto the gravel.

“Get off the road!” The driver of the pickup yelled. He swerved onto the gravel and kicked up a cloud of dust leaving it in their wake.

“Idiot!” Lina yelled back. She laughed and threaded her arm through Raven’s. “Damn this place is so boring. I don’t think I can stomach one more second of sitting around. I should’ve taken summer classes that kept me away.”

“Don’t say that then I would’ve been stuck here all by myself. So, tell me, have you heard from Taylor yet?”

Lina sighed, “No. He’s probably busy. Whatever.”

The girls headed into the bar and took a booth against the back wall, giving them a clear view of the door and the small dance floor. Once they place their burger orders, Raven got up and selected a few songs from the jukebox. Lina watched as her dark head bobbed back and forth, her hips already swaying to the tune playing. Raven was a pretty girl, but she didn’t date much, not since two years ago. They had been friends since elementary school, and Lina didn’t think that would ever change, not that she wanted it to. Raven knew all of her deepest darkest secrets.

Raven returned to the table, sitting across from Lina, a huge smile on her pretty face. “You’re up to something,” Lina said.

Raven shook her head. “No.”

“Oh yes you are.”

The waitress brought their food, giving Raven the perfect excuse not to fess up. The songs continued to belt out of the jukebox as they ate, and suddenly, a song from their childhood came on. Lina dropped the remnants of her burger on the plate and laughed. “I still love this song!”

“I know,” Raven said. “Why do you think I played it?”

Lina stood from the table, grabbed Raven’s hand and dragged her out onto the empty dance floor. They danced around one another, just like they used to as kids, laughing, oblivious to anything else going on around them as they belted out the lyrics to Baby One More Time.

“Whoo Hoo” a familiar voice shouted, two men fast approaching. Jack put his arms around Raven and swung her around the dancefloor, as Tommy picked Lina up and hugged her. “Aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes. I didn’t know you’d be here tonight,” Tommy said.

The pair swayed to the music. “What else is there to do here?” Lisa asked.

“You two can always come hang out with us at the lake, like old times,” Tommy reminded.

Lina smiled, leaned over his arm to see how Raven and Jack were doing. Last time they saw one another a big fight erupted about Raven going off to college and the pair had broken up. Tonight could prove interesting.

“I’ll have to get back to you on that. I thought you were too busy working at the plant.”

“Ah you haven’t heard,” Tommy said. “They laid me off months ago. Now I’m working for ol’ Timmy Robbins running his repair shop. It seems someone is always in need of a good mechanic,” he joked.

Lina laughed. Tommy always made her laugh. They had dated once in high school, very briefly, but remained friends afterward. He was tall, with sandy brown hair, built like a linebacker with wide shoulders.

“I can’t deal with you,” Raven shouted, grabbing Lina’s attention.

Lina pulled out of Tommy’s arms. “Why can’t you tell that idiot to cut her some slack?”

“You think he listens to me? Besides, I can’t do that,” Tommy said.

Lina turned around and looked up at him. “Why not?”

Tommy glanced at the couple arguing within earshot and leaned in closer to Lina. “Because he still loves her.”

Lina squealed, went up on her toes and kissed Tommy’s cheek. “I knew she was holding something back from me. What a sneak. We have to break up their fight before they get so pissed off it ruins everything.” She moved closer to the couple, still in the depths of a heated discussion and wedged herself between the pair. “No fighting.”

“Subtle,“ Tommy mumbled.

“Stay out of this, Lina,” Jack said.

“We are sitting in the last booth. Be right back.” Lina grabbed Raven’s arm and dragged her off to the bathroom.

The girls stood in front of the sink. “Spill it. I knew something was up with you.”

Raven sighed, “Not much to tell. We still talk, but he’s too set in small thinking for us to be anything more than friends. Besides, I heard he’s been running around with Gracie. I can’t compete with that.”

Lina hugged Raven. “Well, from what Tommy says he still loves you. Gracie is the one who can’t compete, not you. Do you still love him?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now all you have to do is tell him and we can celebrate.”

WC:896

"The North Remembers"   by Creeper Of The Realm Friend & Foe task #6 with eyestar~* "Encounter in the Woods" 

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