Noises

Maurice had downed the cheesecake like her life depended on it. But after she was done, she just laid back and relaxed like there was nothing but time in front of her. Laramie quickly wrapped up any leftover food and stuffed it back in the basket with the trash.

            “Come on, girlie,” Maurice said with her eyes closed and her voice soft, “Just take a break and relax. That’s the whole point for coming down here, isn’t it?”

            “I guess. Though it was also to get away from everyone as well,” Laramie said. There was something off about Maurice. “How long are we gonna stay here?”

            There was a slight pause before Maurice answered. As if she was thinking about something. “I don’t know. Once I have to pee, maybe. I did have a lot to drink.”

            “Yeah, you drank basically all of the lemonade I made.” Laramie wished her friend had to pee very soon, just in spite of not getting any lemonade.

            They waited in silence for several minutes; Maurice relaxing and Laramie organizing and reorganizing the picnic basket. It was quite difficult to arrange trash and an almost-empty chip bag, but Laramie kept to it just to keep busy.

            After a while, Maurice sat straight up without any warning and stared hard at her friend that was close to being a glare.

            “Can you please stop making all that noise? It is so obnoxious.”

            Laramie raised her hands off of the basket and scooted away. Once certain she was far enough away, Maurice laid back down with her head resting on her folded hands. A small, rustling noise made its way to Maurice’s ears, making her groan in irritation.

            “Did you not just hear me, Pennington? I said-”

            “It wasn’t me,” Laramie interrupted.

            “What?” Maurice sat up. “What do you mean it wasn’t you? I heard a noise.”

            “It most likely was a rabbit or something because I was right here following orders.”

            “Okay,” Maurice said, and was in the transaction of laying back down when an earth-shaking roar erupted from the trees.

            Laramie’s brown eyes went huge like an anime dolls. She was up in a matter of seconds, grabbing the basket and tugging the blanket from under her friend’s butt.

            “Get up! Are you deaf?! Get up!” Laramie whisper-yelled at Maurice, who was still lazing on the blanket, not panicked at all. Laramie dropped the blanket corner from her hand, picked up the picnic basket and turned heel and ran in the direction of Sherwood Valley.

            “Laramie!” Maurice called out. “Laramie!” She stood up and dusted off her jeans. She chuckled at her friends actions. “Come on, Laramie. It’s just Roger and Philip!” She could hear Laramie running blindly into branches and bushes.

            Maurice picked up the blanket and folded it as neat as she could.  It was funny after eight years of being friends; Maurice now knew for sure that her friend was a flight-not-fight kind of girl. Opposites always attract, she thought.

Maurice walked through the woods, slowly. “Roger, where are you, guys?” She called out. She stopped to listen so the crunching of dried pine needles and leaves wouldn’t muffle a response. “Well, fine then, don’t answer,” she said and continued her leisurely pace. After a while she got to thinking if it was actually a bear or mountain lion than the two boys with their gadgets.

“Laramie?” Maurice asked, most likely talking to the trees. “You don’t have to answer, it’s not like I’m going to die without hearing your voice before that roaring beast gobbles me whole.”

A snarl came from behind Maurice and she stopped in sudden fright.