"Keira, I told you we shouldn't have rode this elevator!"
"But it looked so cool!" Keira replied as she put her fingers on the dusty glass wall—etched with hastily scribbled graffiti and tastefully civil art—looking over the abandoned mall plaza.
"We're going to die!" May said as she repeatedly tapped the lifeless buttons.
"Just chill, May. We'll just-" Keira looked at her phone. It was not being serviced, of course.
"What? There's no service?" May looked at her own phone. "That's it, it's over."
“We’re fine. There's an escape hatch on the ceiling. Haven't you seen the movies? Here, [[boost me up.|2]]"
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May's interlocked hands sunk as Keira planted her boot onto them. Her thin arms began to shake. "Hurry, Keira, you're too heavy."
"Oh wow thanks May."
"I meant, I'm not strong enough.”
Keira banged on the metal ceiling. "I can't find it!"
"Keira my arms are breaking."
"Sorry May." She stepped down. [["Do you want to try?"|3]]
"It's not going to work, Keira," May said while brushing the dirt from Keira's boots off her hands and onto her jeans.
"Let's just try," Keira said, stretching out her arms and cracking her fingers, then flipping them over, offering a platform for May to step on.
"Life isn't like the movies," May said while grabbing onto Keira's shoulders. Keira propelled May into the air and May planted her palms on the top of the steel box. The texture was cold.
"My life is,” Keira said. “It's like one of those rad indie movies. I'm the lovable punk girl, and everyone feels sorry for me because I have to live with my asshole stepdad and [[my best friend abandoned me.|4]]"
"You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"It just sucked."
"I'm sorry, Keira." May looked down.
"Did you find it?" Keira asked.
"What am I looking for?"
"I don't know, just keep pressing until you [[find something.|5]]"
"Keira, nothing is working."
"Try over here." Keira shuffled to the other corner and May walked her hands across the roof.
"It's no use." May stepped down and walked over to the glass plane, looking at the streaks of sun falling from the cracked skylight, then flipped around, beaming distress to Keira. "What do we do?"
"I don't know, May. Let's not panic. That's not going to solve anything. Maybe, you know, someone will come by. I mean, we're not the only ones who explore this creepy ol' abandoned mall."
[[May's breathing became audible.|6]]
Keira put her hand on May's shoulder and applied pressure with her thumb. "Hey, it'll be okay. I promise."
May looked in the corner of the dusty elevator while clutching the strap of her bag.
"At least we have each other, right?" Keira said, trying to look into May’s eyes.
May lifted her head, heavy with thoughts of despair, forming a nod.
"Tell me about your day," Keira said, leaning against the wall.
"You know about my day, Keira, I was with you the whole time."
[["Well tell me anyways."|7]]
May sighed. "I don't know, first you texted me saying you wanted to go on an adventure, and then you picked me up in your beaten up old truck."
"Hey, quit hatin' on my truck."
"Then we drove for a while, and then you said you knew of an abandoned mall that you wanted to check out. Then we broke in, then we rode the elevator, and now we're stuck."
"Did you have fun?"
"Uh, well, I did before we got into this crappy elevator."
"Want me to tell you about my day?"
[["I don't understand."|8]]
"Alright, I woke up at noon, and the first thing I thought was, 'I want to see May!' Then I fired you a text saying 'Let's go globe trottin'!' And you replied saying, you're a genius, Keira! You're so cool, and smart, and pretty!"
May chuckled, "I didn't say that."
"I took a quick rinse, then I put on my finest attire – as you can clearly see." She floated her hand over herself and her black blazer and her wrinkled black shirt that said ‘vicious cycles’ in a scribbled font that covered the entire front; over her tattered beanie and scattered bright red hair protruding from it; over her shredded black denim jeans tucked into her black boots. "Then I waited outside with the engine purring, checking the rear-view mirror to make sure I looked sexy. When I saw you coming out the door I felt really light and airy."
May was looking up at the girl who was much taller than her, who had taken a step closer. [["…Really?" May asked.|9]]
Keira looked away, but continued talking. "As we were driving along the coast and the mist was floating in the air, and as the wind was blowing in through the windows, and even as that shitty song was playing on the radio, I was thinking, 'There's nowhere I'd rather be right now.'"
May was silent, watching Keira, waiting for what she was going to say next.
Keira looked at May, looked into her vibrant and wide eyes, her irises refracting the pink of her shirt. [["I'm thinking the same thing right now."|10]]
May's grip tightened on the stiff strap of her bag, her eyes darted around Keira's face, her mind trying to process the information. Keira took another step forward. Unsure what she was going to do, May continued to hold on. Keira began to lower towards May, whose eyes remained open to their limit. Noticing this, Keira stopped as she was hovered over May's face, and let out a nervous laugh, which tickled May’s nose. May pushed forward and connected to Keira's lips, watching as Keira's eyelids sunk. A ripple of crisp water wisped through May's body, loosening her grip on her bag, and pushing out the air she didn't know she was holding. Keira placed her hand on May's cheek, emitting a vibrating chill that cooled the soothing stream of heat they were transmitting. Keira pulled back, their lips physically lingering before unsticking.
With her eyes still closed, May's open mouth turned into a smile as the weight of her eyelids rose, fixating on Keira, and her sleepy smirk, through her lashes.
Keira greeted her when they realigned the rays of their interconnected gaze, [["Hi."|11]]
May let out a laugh, "Hey Keira."
Keira started to lean down once more.
"Oh, you want more?" May played.
"Yes, please."
May held her hand up to her face to catch Keira who collided into May’s hand with her lips. May pulled away, and looked out the glass. Her face tensed. "What do we do Keira?"
"We just relax."
"I can't. What if we never get out of here?"
"We will, I promise."
"Let's try opening the door." May gripped the crack of the elevator door and attempted to pull. Keira braced her feet on the ground and pulled the other way. The silver gates appeared to move but human strength wasn't going to unlock them.
May spun around and stepped over to the glass wall, knocking her fist against it. "What about this?"
"You want to break the glass? You know how thick these things are? They're designed not to break."
May put her hands on her head, running her fingers through her hair. [[Her eyes began to fill with water.|12]]
"May… Hey, we're going to be fine."
"We're not, Keira, we're not. We're never getting out of here." May continued to look at the ground. She started to mutter. "It's all my fault."
"What? Now you're just being crazy. It was my idea to come here. So it's actually my fault."
May continued looking at the ground.
Keira wrapped her arms around her, "Hey, none of that matters. I'm here for you, okay?"
May buried her face into Keira's shoulder, [[wetting the fabric of her shirt with warm tears.|13]]
"So what do you want to do when we get out of here? I'm craving froyo."
May's face was still squished against Keira.
Keira twirled her fingers in May's cinnamon hair. "What do you say we get the largest size they got, and we pile on a mountain of toppings. You name it, whatever you want. And when people see our creation they'll be so fuckin’ jelly."
Keira felt [[May form a smile against her shoulder.|14]]
"Then we'll go to the beach and go surfing."
May pulled her face off, looking at Keira's shirt soaked with her tears. "I didn't know you surfed."
"I don't. But I've lived by the ocean my whole life, so it's about time I tried."
"It seems kind of hard."
"Alright, then we'll lay in the sand and watch the waves as the sun sets, and then we'll look up at the stars."
"That sounds nice."
"Then, we'll start making out."
"Keira!" Blush warmed May's face.
"Okay we won't do that."
"No… I…"
Keira smiled. "We'll play it by ear."
"Okay, that sounds good," May said. She paused for a moment, then continued. [["Hey, Keira?"|15]]
The floor started rattling. "Holy shit." The elevator started moving up. When it reached the top, the doors released.
"Quick!" May grabbed Keira's hand and they sprinted out of the box. They ran and kept running until they were out of breath. May stopped, putting her hands on her knees. "Oh my god," she said between deep inhales. She stood up and secured Keira with her arms. "I can't believe we're out."
Keira put her face against the top of May's head.
"I was so scared, Keira."
"I know, May. I'm sorry. Let's promise never to ride an elevator ever again."
May squeezed Keira. "Thank you for helping me get through that. I don't know how you stayed so calm."
"It was because I was with you. If I wasn't, trust me, I would've totally had a panic attack." Keira ran her fingers through May's hair. "Come on, let's get out of here. You still up for some froyo?"
May pulled away from her embrace and looked into Keira's cool calm eyes. "Yes, please."
Keira slid her hand down May's arm, then twined their fingers together. "Let's go."
"I can't wait."
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[ <img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7d458a_80b34ce9f7394829893dc3a397ad4f1c~mv2.png" alt=""No Place I'd Rather Be" Title Card" width="630" height="500">]
(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[[[Start|1]]]