I turn back around and, once again, start walking through the not-a-maze maze, while the other girls follow. I see the same two scare actors that made me want to leave and Diana quickens her pace so that she stands right by my side.
“I must say, watching you win that minion was far more interesting than this.” She gestures to the walls around us.
I huff. “No kidding. And you did this every year for your birthday?”
“Mostly the park rides,” she clarifies. “I don’t get scared easily but Florida knows how to scare people.”
No kidding. I’ve only been to Florida one time but everyone knows that state to be the crazy one. Forget the Sunshine State,it’s the birth spot of all unimaginable monsters—I mean Florida men.
Diana starts giggling, and it’s only then I realize that I said all of that out loud. Someone kill me, please. Particularly the zombies in this maze.
“You’re not wrong—” She begins to say when Emma lets out a scream so guttural it has both of our heads turning.
Another zombie popped out and she’s cocooned inside of Madi’s arms, trembling. Madi’s mouth is moving but I don’t know what she’s saying.
“Is she okay?” Diana asks, worried.
Madi nods. “We just might turn around and head back from where we came.”
“We’ll go with you.”
She waves a hand. “Nonsense. We’ll be fine. You two finish the journey.” The two girls start to walk off, leaving me and Diana with Bartholomew in her arms. The minion is so big it almost shields Diana entirely.
“Did she just leave us here?” Diana wonders out loud as we continue walking. “Again? In the middle of the most boring maze. Traitor.”
“Would you rather be stuck here alone?” I grill.
She opens her mouth to say something but what follows instead is a small scream when two scare actors jump from behind her. Diana drops Bartholomew and reaches for my arm, pulling herself closer to me. Her back to my chest and I instinctively squeeze her tighter, inhaling her scent.
Cherries. Of course, she smells sweet, like cherries.
“You know what,” Diana says shakily. “I take back my previous statement. This isn’t boring at all.”
Agreed. Seeing Diana scared had me scared for a minute. My head bends down slightly to find Diana’s wide eyes on me. Herbreathing is a little shaky, but her cherry-red lips are what catch my attention.
Right in front of me.
Just an inch closer…
Screams disrupt my thoughts and the moment, causing Diana and me to jump away from each other as if cactus pricks were stuck to our clothes. I allow my heartbeat to slow down and mentally count to three in my head before glancing behind me. Footsteps approach and with each one, I can hear voices.
Great. A whole group of people just ruined the moment.
Diana looks back up at me and jabs a thumb at the trail in front of us. “We should probably keep going.”
Running one hand through my hair, I nod, picking up Bartholomew. “Yeah.”
I follow her the rest of the way and the zombies don’t even faze me. My mind doesn’t keep track of the going-ons of the maze. It sticks to the memory that happened only a moment ago.
I almost kissed Diana in the middle of the maze. And if it weren’t for the family walking towards us, I would have.
17
The Feelings Are Back Again
Diana
Happy birthday to me, right?
