Van parked in the middle of nowhere, on a bushy stranded road, Avi ushered us out of the vehicle. "Let's go gang."

      "Gang?" Naoko objected. "We are so not the side characters to your Fred."

      Avi stopped in his steps and narrowed his eyes at the blond. "1- Fred's not the main character, he's a mediocre white man with an ego. 2- If anything, with these looks I'm Daphne. And 3- We don't have time for your sarcasm. We only have a few hours to get this done." He fixed the camera around his neck and then clapped his hands as if to get us in line. "Alright, thanks to Addie, we get to split up in even numbers. Naoko and Léa can oversee the shopping cart. Am and Addie have the cone. Maria and I will scope out the area for the best angles."

      I was confused by what was expected of me, and mildly distracted by the idea of being partnered with Amelia, but everyone else nodded.

      "3,2,1, go!" Avi cried, taking Maria's hand, and dragging her off the road towards the woods. "Get moving people! First team back gets a batch of my dad's macaroons."

      Avi got the reaction he was waiting for. Gravel flew under Léa and Naoko's shoes, while I was yanked backwards. Amelia had seized my hand and pulled me after her. We ran the opposite way.

     "What are we doing?" I huffed, clambering after her as I mentally cursed Jaxson for not handing me more comfortable shoes.

      "We're finding two cones."

      "Alright..." That didn't really clear anything up. "I know this is a race, but you may have to ditch me if we're going to do a lot of running."

      She ran a few more steps before stopping and letting go of my hand. She faced me, huffing and puffing. "Ya running's not my thing either," she admitted. "I'm very anemic and hate cardio."

      "Hear hear on the cardio."

     "Glad we agree on that." She pulled her cell out of her pocket. "I'll call a taxi. We probably wouldn't find any construction sites in walking distance anyway."

      "Construction site?"

      Amelia hummed her answer, searching for a local taxi driver. "For the cone, remember?"

      I blinked. "A traffic cone?!"

      "My outburst earned her attention, she looked away from her screen with furrowed brows. "What did you think I meant?"

      "I don't know... An ice cream cone? Maybe a soccer cone. Not a safety symbol owned by the city."

      Amelia shrugged, no time to reassure me as someone answered the number she dialed. She told the driver our address and instructed them to find the two girls sitting by the pair of weeping willows.

      Returning her phone to her back pocket, she nudged her head down the street. "The willows are just around the corner."

      I followed her towards the mentioned trees, where we sat in silence until the taxi driver arrived. I had never been good at initiating conversation and the nervousness that ensued Amelia's presence only made the act of processing my thoughts more difficult. The silence wasn't awkward, but I couldn't help but feel like she was holding something back. I didn't peg her out to be the type to struggle with initiating conversation.

      "Can you take us to Harper Street? There's usually construction there," Amelia requested as we slid into the backseat.

      The driver's brows pinched together. "Where on Harper Street?"

     "Wherever the construction zone begins."

      The driver's hand hovered over the gear shift, lips parting as if to question our intentions. All it took was one look at Amelia's dashing smile and the car was stirred into drive.

      As instructed, the taxi came to a stop right in front of the construction zone sign. While I unbuckled myself, Amelia hesitated, studying the driver from the rear-view mirror.

      "Do you not have money?" The driver blinked tiredly.

      "That's not it... Would you be willing to turn a blind eye for an extra twenty bucks?"

      Blond brows perked with interest.

      "All I'm asking for is five minutes," Amelia requested. "Five minutes where you close your eyes and pop the trunk. And then we go back to the place you picked us up."

      The driver looked between us and then at the line of traffic cones. They shook their head exasperatedly. "The meter will be running."

      "Of course." Amelia nodded eagerly.

      Making a big show of resting their head and shutting their eyes, we heard the clink from the trunk opening. We scrambled out of the car. Making sure the coast was clear, we ran towards the first set of cones.

      Looking for witnesses one last time, Amelia grinned my way. "You ready?" I think she could tell that this was far from my usual comfort zone. I didn't like confrontation. So, to do something against the rules that could lead to confrontation? It definitely got my heart pumping. But I trusted Amelia. Not only because she was a platonic soulmate. There was something about the way she held herself and the sparkle in her eyes.

      Straightening my shoulders, I nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be." Amelia hauled a cone into her arms and then dropped it into mine. Grabbing another one, she hobbled towards the open trunk. We giggled as we struggled to fit both cones, making the simple task so much longer than it needed it to be. As if we both remembered the running meter, we forced the trunk to a close and jumped back into our seats.

      There was a noticeable new empty space in the line of traffic cones, but our driver didn't mention it. With a likely desire to be rid of us, we made it back to the willow trees in record time. After refusing to let me pay my share of the taxi fare, Amelia tossed me one of the cones again and started running down the road that we had left the others. I was going to have a difficult time keeping up with her. She didn't seem to hesitate when an idea crossed her mind. I suspected she'd be the type of person to toss an egg at wall because she let the impulsive thoughts win.

       "I know we hate running," she called out. I was right on her heels, following her mindlessly. "But I need to beat Léa. She may act sweet, but she's the most competitive person I know. I may have lost every game of scrabble against her, but this is our moment to shine."

      Avi shrieked when he exited the woods only to be nearly mounted by Amelia and me. While he clutched his chest, Amelia dropped the cone and burst into a celebratory dance. "We won." She grinned at me. "You're going to love me when you get a taste of Anthony's macaroons."

      Uneasiness erupted in my gut at her words, and I wondered if Jaxson's quesadillas from lunch had gone bad.

      "No!" I jumped at the bellowed angry voice. Beside me Amelia cackled. I followed her gaze down the road where Naoko and Léa were pushing a shopping cart. Correction... Naoko was pushing the cart. Léa was throwing a fit.

      "Yikes." I cringed. "You weren't kidding when you said she was competitive."

      "Wait until she challenges you to a game of scrabble."

      I grimaced at her response. I could be deemed the world's greatest scrabble player and I'd probably throw the game if that was Léa's reaction to losing. For her height of four feet and nine inches, innocent exterior, her feisty interior was a little terrifying.

      "No time for pouting," Avi told Léa, taking her by the hand as if she were a child. He bobbed his head towards the rest of us, nodding towards an opening in the woods. "The cones can stay here. We need the cart for the forest pics."

      I followed him with only the faintest flicker of my brows. One thing was clear about Avi, he was a don't ask, won't tell, type of person.

      Maria waited for us, a few steps into the trees. I appreciated the fact that they decided against lurking deep into unknown territory. I wasn't a fan of the dark, nor animals. You'd think the fact that I was already dead would lessen my fear, but if anything, it enhanced it. Now I knew ghosts were real, and who knew what else. I hoped Amelia didn't mind that I stood a few inches closer than I normally would.

       Tossing each of us a sheet, Maria went to work, lighting a trail of candles. She flicked the lighter between her fingers with a pointed look shot Avi's way. "Told you it would come in handy."

      "For lighting fires, yes!" By Avi's tone, I guessed that this was a regular debate. "It's useless for self-defence."

      The other three groaned, confirming my suspicions.

      "Can we please not go there," Naoko begged. "Just give me my accessories so we can get this over with."

      With a roll of his eyes, Avi reached into his bookbag and tossed a scarf at Léa and a pair of sunglasses at Nao. He turned my way next and squinted his eyes. "Are you more a top hat or moustache kind of girl?"

       "Um... Top hat?"

      He didn't hesitate. He chucked me the top and hat and Amelia the moustache.

      I wish that I'd been the ghost with the sunglasses. Even the sheet on my head wasn't enough to shield the blinding flashes from Avi's camera. We took countless pictures in the woods, in and around the shopping cart. I couldn't see much, but Avi and Maria were enthusiastic about the results. Claiming that they didn't want to disrupt our perfectly positioned sheets, they guided us out of the forest.

       Out on the street, I could see a little better with the streetlights.

      "Take the reins, Amelia." Dropping the cones in front of us, Maria and Avi backed up with what I assumed was the intention of getting better angles. "Léa and Nao take your cone to the right side of the road. Copy Am and Addie's poses."

       "What?" I asked, letting Amelia pull me towards the left side of the road.

      "He wants duo pictures." She leaned in behind me, so she could place her mouth against my ear, her next words meant only for my hearing. Even the thin sheet between us couldn't stop the shiver that ran down my spine at the contact. "He loves meddling with Nao and Léa's blossoming relationship. So, if you're cool with it, he's going for a double date vibe."

     Double date? Double date... Nao and Léa. Amelia and I... It was just for show. It wasn't a big deal. So why was my heart threatening to pump out of my chest?

      "Addilyn?" Amelia prompted. She pronounced my name perfectly; accentuating every syllable that warranted it.

     "Oh," I said stupidly, remembering her inquiry about my comfort. "Um—Ya. I trust you." Of course, I'd follow her lead. I'd known her all of two days, and I genuinely believed that she could convince me to follow her through the pits of hell for the most basic piece of chocolate cake on earth. I didn't even like chocolate. But there was something about her that made me trust her with my entire soul.

       When she said double date vibes, I was expecting hand holding and posing around the cones. I wasn't expecting her to stand so close. I wasn't expecting her arm around my shoulder. I wasn't expecting the twirling and hugging. And I certainly wasn't expecting her to pull me in and lean against my forehead. Every muscle in my body froze and I thanked all the possible gods for the sheet on my face. It hid my burning cheeks and acted as a shield to my sweaty skin. I'd found the air nippy, wind cutting through my thin layers of clothing, only ten minutes ago. Now, I was sweating bullets. I don't think there was an inch of my skin that wasn't clammy. Nose to nose, I feared the drop of sweat sliding down the bridge of my nose would seep through the two layers of cotton. Amelia was uncharacteristically quiet. Was she misreading my tenseness? Was she questioning my motives? My thoughts spiraled, until I received the tip of a cone to the abdomen. I could see through my sheet just enough to tell Amelia was the culprit.

      "Hey!" I complained half-heartedly, only minorly set back by the sudden change in atmosphere.

      "Just trying to relieve some tension," Amelia laughed. She took a step backwards as if to subtly inch the cone out of my reach. I took a swift step forward, instinctively stealing the cone from her grasp.

      "No!" she howled with laughter.

       I managed to nudge her once, before we were both struggling against each other's hold. I was breathless with laughter as we played tug-a-war with the plastic traffic cone, sheets sliding out of position. Only when our faces were fully uncovered, and I found myself nose to nose with Amelia again did I nervously swallow my laughter and let the cone slip from my grasp. Amelia's gaze froze with mine. I held my breath until I was blinded by more flashing.

      "Perfect!" Avi cried out. He changed his attention towards Léa and Nao, with a hand on his hip. "Kick it up a notch. Leo this is the kind of chemistry I'm looking for." He turned back our way, and there was nothing to hide the scarlet tint to my skin this time. Leo must have been his ship name for the two. When Amelia mentioned that he was a meddler, I didn't expect him to be so forward with his intentions. I couldn't tell if Nao and Léa were rosy cheeked from Avi's comment or the cold weather. They shuffled awkwardly trying to please their friend. When the wind threatened to blow the sheets away from their grasps, and their hands brushed in failed attempt to salvage their costumes, their gazes shot up in mixture of surprise and horror. Even I could tell their feelings were mutual, and I wasn't known for my perceptive skills in terms of romantic advances.

       Avi hooted. "That's more like it!"

      Confusion marked Léa and Nao's faces, but they played the part until the flashing ceased. Despite the darkness, Avi's toothy grin could be spotted a mile away. He stuck his chest out with pride, likely from his perceived match making skills. Just when I began to believe, the grin would remain painted on his face all night, Léa and Nao bumped fists and then made move to rejoin the group. Avi threw his hands up in defeat, cursing under his breath as he headed for the van.

       It was a tight squeeze. There wasn't much room in the vehicle for 6 teenagers, 2 traffic cones and a shopping cart, but we made it work. I was pleasantly surprised that they were returning their choice of photoshoot props. Maria made it clear that they were a group of rule benders, not rule breakers, and I couldn't help but wonder how I got lucky enough to be gifted a group of people who unknowingly made my task easier. It was a foreign feeling to find myself fitting in so quickly. Laughing on the drive back, before I knew it, I was agreeing to a road trip. I thanked whoever Jaxson's boss was, that my platonic soulmate had amazing friends and fell asleep that night with a special shade of olive green with brown flecks on my mind.