Spring Drama

 Note: I kind of lost inspiration towards the middle, so sorry about that!

March 15th, 2019: 2:30 PM

Maria sighed and pressed her head against the cool leather comforting of the taxi and gazed out the window. The scenery outside was beautiful and serene, unlike the bustling and yelling of Wintercreek or the dorms of Columbia University. The calmness of her taxi driver added a bonus to the peaceful atmosphere. Maria tried to inhale it all while she could. Soon, she'd be meeting her best friends, Yvonne and Ishaan, who loved making a racket. It was weird how opposites attract. Yvonne, a party girl, relished graphic design. Ishaan, despite being a straight-A student, was never passionate about studies. Maria herself tended to get along better with extroverts, although she was pretty introverted herself. 

The taxi stopped. Maria rubbed her eyes. Her hands(more like her fingernails) searched her handbag for a satin covering. When she finally pulled out her wallet, she paid the driver and tossed it back to the mess inside the purse. Wintercreek had changed significantly from four years ago. She carefully followed the signs(when did they get there?) and found the spring festival. The area was gorgeous! The fountain of Central Park was scrubbed clean, and the water that sprouted out of it was crystal clear. The benches also looked like they've gotten a bath. Bushes and flowers surrounded every pathway. The music was lovely too, with the harmony of the chirping of the birds and laughing kids. Maria never remembered a time where Wintercreek had been tranquil. In high school, people were screaming at each other...

"BOO!" someone yelled behind her.

Maria yelped and spun around to see Ishaan laughing.

"Come on, Ishaan! You always ruin my fun!" Maria groaned good-naturedly. 

"You're literally staring into the void! How's that any fun?" he inquired.

"It's fun when you appreciate nature the way you like the shopping mall over there!"

"Well, good thing we graduated before they demolished Goldefire High!" 

Maria paused for a moment and let the information sink into her.

"Wait, it's demolished?!" 

Ishaan noticed the change in her tone.

"Yeah...didn't you know?"

"No, I thought I went the wrong way!"

"I thought your brother told you!"

"Maybe he did, and I forgot because of Mrs. Moore's stupid essays." 

"What happened?" Yvonne suddenly asked.

"Wait, what happened to you?!" Ishaan countered.

It was true. Yvonne was unrecognizable! Her oversized hoodies and messy ponytails were gone and replaced with glam styles. Her light brown hair was dyed purple at the tips and hung freely against her back. Her make-up was stunning too. Yvonne basically looked like an "it" girl! Luckily for Maria and Ishaan, her bubbly personality stayed put.

"Come on, why is everyone so quiet!"

"Um," Maria almost burst out laughing, "I thought this was a festival, not a beauty pageant?" She pointed to Yvonne's extravagant jewelry.

"Oh, uh about that-"

"No, I'm kidding. Look at Jake!"

Yvonne glanced behind her. Sure enough, Jake was in a deep conversation with another passerby. He seemed to be showing something off, which the other person quickly lost interest in.

"How did flexing your muscles go?" Ishaan asked as he approached.

"Eh, better than last time, " Jake answered, "anyways where's the food?"

"Screw the food, but where's Ray?" Maria asked, "He said he'd be here by now."

His expression suddenly changed, like he tasted something disgusting. 

"I...don't really know? Whatever, I'm going to get those hotdogs over there." 

Jake walked off, with Yvonne trailing behind him. Maria stared at Ishaan.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Did you notice anything strange about Jake?" 

"What, is it his hair?" 

"No, not his hair! Okay, when I asked him about Ray, how did he respond?"

"He said he didn't know?"

"Yeah, I know he said that! My question is, why did he say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Seriously? You actually didn't notice his face?"

"No, I was playing snake."

"..."

"What?"

"Well, do you have any idea why?"

"No, but I do know that the competitions are starting soon!"

Maria rolled her eyes and tried her best to keep up with him.

Two hours later...

"ISHAAN, MARIA, COME QUICK!" Yvonne screeched.

Maria was there in a flash, "What's wrong?"

Ishaan fell a few seconds behind her, "What are you yelling about?!"

"Over there!" Yvonne pointed four arm's length away from her. Then they saw it.

Jake and some other guy were tugging at each other like lions. Blood spurted from their mouths. Jake's fist was clenched, and he glared directly into his opponent's eyes. His rival had a similar stance, except his left leg was behind his right.

"Oh god, " Ishaan muttered, "they're going to die today if someone doesn't do something!"

"Then you do something!" Maria suddenly yelled, surprising herself.

"Wha-what do you want me to do? Look at me, I can't pull them apart!"

"Well, you could get someone who...nevermind."

Maria put down her drink and braced herself. She stiffened her shoulders and did something she never thought she'd do. She bolted in, grabbed both boys by their collars, and using all her strength, she shoved them on opposite sides of the park.

"Stop fighting, it won't get you anywhere, " she told them.

"Maria, are you okay? I've never seen you be part of a fight before," Ishaan asked.

"I'm fine. Sorry, I couldn't handle it. The thing is, I was looking forward to a peaceful party, 'cause you know..."

"College's hard, right? I get it, there's lots of pressure there. I just didn't know you were so stressed out about it."

"Yeah, thanks. Also, sorry I yelled at you 10 minutes ago."

"It's good."

Bouns:

"Well, where's the car?" Yvonne demanded.

"What car?" Ishaan asked.

"The car to get to the airport?"

Everyone paused and turned to face Jake. Like a sitcom, they all groaned when Jake stared right back at them.

"You didn't actually forget to rent a car, did you?" Yvonne demanded.

Jake shrugged and smiled nervously, "Sorry?"

Maria rolled her eyes, "I'll call a taxi..."