Warm Chills

“Come on Crystal! Summer’s gone by in a blink!” Kristina called. Crystal hated going out because she thought summer was a time for resting. But the truth is, all she’s been doing all summer was lounging around. She thinks that going to school is enough going out for the year.

“Ugh, what’s the point? Why can’t I just stay home for once?” Crystal snapped. She slapped herself right back on to her bed. Kristina thought that was the perfect opportunity to barge into Crystal’s bright white colored room and scare her, but all Crystal did was whine.

“Well, remember when we used to always go out that one summer?” Kristina asked, trying to lighten up the mood, but Crystal’s room was anything but lightening.

“That was nice.” Crystal said, smiling.

“It was before… It happened.” Kristina slowly got quieter because she knew what Crystal went through the summer after. Crystal sat up with a fierce look on her face.

“Well now I really don’t want to go!” Crystal yelled, Kristina stood back. They both sat there silent.

“I- I’m sorry,” Kristina whispered, “I just–”

“You just what?” Crystal interrupted, “You think that saying sorry will fix all of this up? You think that I want to go out again with that thought in my mind?” Kristina started shaking, barely able to get a breath out.

“I didn’t know it would trigger you that much, it just slipped out.”

“Well that's convenient isn’t it? You can go have it happen to you all you want! I for sure am not going!” Crystal aggressively laid back down.

“Forget I asked.” Kristina said, barely breathing, heart pounding, body shaking as she walked away crying.

Crystal closed the door, laid down once again and started watching a movie. Crystal couldn’t bear to watch anything new, so she just looped the same show over and over again. Then Crystal started thinking, she realized how selfish she’s been and how boring her life’s been. Crystal promised herself that tomorrow, if Kristina ever asks, she will always take the opportunity to hang out and give herself a fun life.

Though, Crystal had no idea if Kristina would even talk to her for the rest of summer. Crystal got changed into some hiking clothes and went to go get Kristina. Crystal just stood in front of the door, shaking. She went over all of the decisions she had made.

I yelled at Kris, wasted my life away, and now all of a sudden coming back to her? What would she think about me? Crystal thought to herself.

—

The next day Kristina stood in front of Crystal's door, knowing what to say in every situation she should think of, but Kristina just couldn’t bring herself to knock.

Kristina just stood there, silent. The weird purple door that Crystal had made Kristina feel like she was about to faint until suddenly, Crystal opened the door to see Kristina slowly rocking back and forth.

“How long have you been standing there for again?” Crystal asked, eyes wide open.

“Wh- e- huh? Oh, not too long.” Kristina looked at Crystal to notice a hiking fit, “Why are you wearing that?”

“Look, I’m sorry about yesterday, I just… got triggered through the thought. Now I’ve found out how selfish I’ve been, so I would like to ask… Do you still want to go?”

Kristina looked at Crystal like she just got personally insulted by her.

“You think, after what happened yesterday, you can just stroll back, say sorry and ask to go now? Not happening.” Kristina said, a little confident.

“I didn’t know either of us would get so triggered!” Crystal yelled, wondering if this was the end.

“Well that’s convenient isn’t it?” Kristina mocked.

“Nevermind, I’ll just,” Crystal paused for a second, “go waste my life away again.”

“I’m joking Crystal. I was just showing you how I felt yesterday, I’ll go get ready. Hiking? You finally getting out of your comfort zone? I see.”

“Yep, though I’m scared. What if it happens again?” Crystal slowly lost her breath during that sentence.

“Don’t worry Crystal, the chances of that happening again are very low, just try your best to be safe, and if it does happen again, I’m sure there’s going to be many other people to help out.”

“You’re right, I’ll be waiting downstairs!”

—

As they were walking to the nearby hiking trail that was only about a fifteen minute walk, they started to notice stuff. Not any stuff. But stuff from their childhood.

“Hey look! It’s the ‘safety island rock!’” Crystal pointed. Kristina instantly turned to see.

“It is… I thought they took it down. Oh hey! It’s the little tent and hammock we made out of sticks!” Kristina said, nearly shedding a tear.

“I can’t believe no weird kids broke it. Instead, they used it and put their signature on it.”

“There’s so many!”

“This feels so nostalgic, it’s like we’re kids again.” Crystal looked around, in awe of everything they used to hang out on.

“Like? No! We are kids again!”

They kept on walking and walking, more and more. Pointing out things from their childhood, hanging out on them. Until they finally made it to the trail, where there was hardly anybody there.

“Are you sure there will be people to help out if it happens again?” Crystal whined, her past trauma grasped on to her and it didn’t seem to let go.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it, even if it comes to the worst, there’s still people to help. And don’t forget that the likelihood of it happening is still very low, and hasn't gone up.” Kristina said, trying to comfort Crystal, but her trauma is still holding on to her tight.

“Let’s just go and see what happens.” Crystal Shuddered.

The two of them continued hiking along the trail, the fear slowly let go of Crystal and she slowly enjoyed herself. Crystal didn’t have many fears, so when they went up really high, all Crystal did was smile and look down upon the giant mountain and trail they just went through.

“Would you look at that!” Kristina said.

“That felt like nothing! That went by so fast!” Crystal exclaimed with joy.

“We left this morning, but now look! It's sunset already.”

“Isn’t that basically what I just said?” Crystal joked, Kristina laughed.

“We wasted time hanging out in our tent!”

“Is that a bad thing?” Crystal said sarcastically.

“Of course not!”

The two of them continued to talk and laugh as they sat at the top of the mountain.

“Well, look on the brightside! You didn’t fall and get hospitalized for over a month again!” Kristina said.

“Yeah, I reckon I was either unlucky or just stupid back then.” Crystal said, “The sunset is so beautiful.”

“I know right?”

As Crystal and Kristina watched from the edge, Crystal was glad that she went. Crystal knew it was the end of summer, but her mind was still taking in from not only this summer, but every summer back.