Luna and William, who were taken by surprise by James being outside the restaurant, stood and waited for our orders by the corner with their feet rocking back and forth as they chew on their nails.
“Ellie, what should we do?” Luna looked at me with petrified eyes. I do my best to keep calm even though, inside my head, I have no fucking idea how we will get out of this restaurant.
I looked away from Luna’s infectious, agitated face and looked at William. “Are you sure it was James? Maybe you just have mistaken him for somebody.”
I trudged away from the corner, and William trailed behind me as he grabbed my wrist with his clammy hand when I was about to turn the doorknob.
“No! Don’t go out!” William prevented me as we received a few suspicious eyes in our direction, “James knows who you are.” He explained with so much worry in his voice.
“Okay, fine. I’m just going to take a peek.” I cracked the door and peeked through its compact space.
The sun outside was blazing, and I blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the white spots blocking my vision. When my eyes got a clearer vision again, I caught sight of the others at our table fanning the heat away with their hands.
Nico put down his hands, and I spotted a man standing in front of a tree whose branch was decorated with metal car plates relating to Route 66 and banners hanging from it.
His blonde, almost gray hair sticks out of his head and he is wearing sunglasses too small for his face as he talks to someone through his phone. I landed my eyes on his attire, which were a coat and slacks with a necktie so perfectly situated to his dress shirt underneath the coat.
From that obnoxious outfit, I already knew it was James, for he was wearing the same clothes as the first time we met. God, how can he wear that kind of attire with this scorching heat temperature?
I swiftly close the door silently and lean on the wall, “You’re right. It is him.”
“What are we going to do?” William and I both looked at Luna, who was now in front of us, holding a paper bag. She probably told the cashier that we were going to have the orders taken out.
William faced me with a perturbed face. “I don’t want to go home yet, Ellie.”
“I know, and no one’s going home until the two of you get to Mexico.” I tapped my fingers to my thighs and bit my lip as my brain tries to figure out how we were going to get out of here, but fuck it, I can’t think straight right now.
I turned to my back and once again opened the door thinly. “What are you doing?” William hissed at me again.
“I will call Nico’s attention.”
“And then what?” William asked right through my ear.
I closed my eyes, trying to avert the vexation feeling he was giving me, as well as the anxiousness of our situation at the moment. “I don’t know, William!” To William I screamed hissed, “Maybe he can help? Can you just trust me?”
I could already feel the eyes of all the people inside the restaurant in our direction, looking at three struggling adolescents bickering and hissing at each other. But I don’t care, though. All I care about right now is how to get Nico’s attention.
I tilted my head so that my lips will have the same angle as the vertical tiny space from the door.
“Psst!” I called out as several heads of other people from the outside moved- looking for my call of rescue- aside from Nico, who was busy scrolling through his phone.
I let out a sigh of despair, “Psst!” I called out once more, “Nico!” He squinted his eyes upon hearing his name and scanned his surroundings, but the opening of the door must have been too tiny to see, for Nico took several minutes to find for my peeking eyes.
I grabbed the steel knife I saw by the counter to hit it through the sunlight and gleamed its reflection at Nico’s direction. He took this as a sign and came walking towards the door as I stepped back to wait for our potential savior’s entrance.
The door screeched open and Nico appeared. “Was that you, Ellie?” The door slammed shut behind him as he switched his glance to Luna. “Why are you holding a paper bag? Aren’t we eating outside?” he asked, befuddled.
Before any of us gets to answer his question, a crowd of people came rushing to the restaurant that made Nico walk towards me in rapid motion as the three of us did the same in backward ways until we hit our backs on the concrete wall and my head in Nico’s chest.
The contact made my heart skip a beat as I found myself short of breath. What the hell is wrong with me? And where did these people come from anyway that caused me to be in this kind of Nico situation?
I looked up at him as our eyes met and there it goes again. His reality sucker eyes that will make any person drown in a beautiful daydream wherein they wouldn’t want to get out of. And I wonder if Luna feels this way too when she looks at Kayden or whenever she feels like falling again.
And why do I even care? Ugh!
“Just so you know, you have the most enticing green eyes I’ve ever looked at.” Nico commended as his lips formed a half-smile.
I gulped at his compliment, “You have... hmm.. eyes too.” Nico and I furrowed our foreheads, both confused by what I just said.
I closed my eyes as I imagined facepalming my face in my mind with my stupid response to Nico.
My God, Ellie, of course, Nico has eyes. Everyone has eyes!
Luna butted in that when I opened my eyes, Nico’s gaze was already in her direction, “Okay, can we talk about eyes later? We need help.”
“What happened anyway?” William and Luna then explained the trouble we had got into.
“So, can you think of any way we could get out of here?” Luna asked as Nico put a finger at his chin and I prayed with all my heart that he better give us an idea.
“Well, aren’t we still a family?” Nico questioned.
William gave him a dejected face. “What is he talking about?”
Nico then grinned and looked at me with knowing eyes.
Yeah, right? Another spontaneous roleplay.
~~~
Nico turned his back to us and swam at the pool of people as we stood there wondering what roleplay do we have to act out again.
We waited inside the restaurant, fidgeting as I distracted myself by thinking if this was a literature class, I would receive a major recognition for doing two consecutive spontaneous roleplay.
We heard a sound of hisses and several rushing footsteps from the outside that caught the attention of everyone inside the restaurant.
One customer walked off the door to step outside as the others followed, including the cashier, leaving the restaurant empty.
The three of us shared an inquisitive look as we heard a cry of great agony from the outside.
What the fuck is happening?
“Was that Nico crying for help? Aren’t we supposed to be the one doing that?” William queried and as we were about to walk over and peek through the door, Kayden’s brawny built popped out.
He looked back outside once more than we continuously heard Nico’s unpleasant plea of help before turning back to us. “Come on. Remember, blend in.” He motioned for us to follow him as he exited the door.
Nico’s plea became more audible, “Help us!” I creased my eyebrows at his pretentious voice.
I glimpsed at the scene through an unoccupied space of people circling the flatulent acting at the center.
I can’t believe that these people -including James- were falling at this conspicuous execution where Damien was probably dying, as I saw his stiff body lay lifeless on Nico’s arms with his tongue out. And Erin, who has one hand on her head, walking back and forth with a cellphone on her other hand, seemed likely to be calling for help as she tried her best to show a petrified expression on her face.
“This is an overly spontaneous roleplay.” I whispered to myself.
“Yeah, I can see that. At first we pretended to be a family and now Damien is dying? Why is he dying?” Luna questioned beside me.
William shrugged, “Heatstroke, maybe.” Luna and I nodded in approval for William has a point. It’s fucking hot in here.
We didn’t realize that we stopped walking and joined the other people in watching this hideous act until Kayden called for us to get moving to the side of the restaurant where he parked the car.
William took the passenger seat whilst Luna and I were in the second back seat. “Duck your heads,” Kayden commanded, and we followed.
He then started the engine as we heard it roared and revved up that Luna and I clutched on the chair so tightly our fingers dug through the softness of the foam. The car then swiftly stopped, and we heard a yelp from William when he hit his head at the glove box.
“Yow, man!” Kayden called out from the car. “I’m about to drive away. I could offer some help!”
“Oh, thank God!” I heard Erin’s hopeful voice as the door at the back opened and Nico threw Damien- as in threw him- that made the car bounce a little from the weight and the back door slammed shut.
The car roared away from the restaurant as Luna and I waited for the building to disappear out of sight before we kneeled at the second back seat’s soft chair and peeked at the three. Damien was still laying lifeless with his tongue out as I noticed Erin and Nico’s wet cheeks.
“Did the two of you actually cry?” I asked them as Damien’s eyes popped open, sat up and they laughed.
“Perks of having to roleplay as a recreational activity at the rehab center,” Nico replied to me and gave me a wink.
Luna extended her hand to them as she distributed their meals. “That was the worst yet of service roleplay I’ve ever watched my entire life.”
“Hey!” Nico protested. “I think we did well. Heck, I think we could even be awarded at the Oscars!” Nico said as he took a bite of his burger.
“Fine, whatever.” Luna’s lips formed a small smile and turned her back from the three to sit and eat her food. I did the same and took a bite of my burger as I felt the burning wind from the car window hit my face.
By Nico’s mention of the Oscars, I recall the time I hiked the deserted and blazing road to look for a repair shop. I remembered thinking, how I am going to watch my life before my eyes when I die? I told myself I want it to be a worthy watch, like an Oscars movie awardee.
A smile formed on my lips as I looked back at everything that has happened through the course of this trip and realized this is going to be a worthy watch when I die.
Heck, I bet this will be better than an Oscars movie awardee.