Sitting in the front seats of the dirt-caked Jeep, neither girl said a word nor made any indication of an intent to move. It could have been attributed to a lack of energy – it had been a long day, or the peacefulness of the moment – the only thing that could be heard was an owl off in the distance, but both girls knew the real reason.

Once they stepped foot out of that car, once the sound of sneakers against gravel hit their ears, reality would set in. They would no longer be protected by four wheels and a barrier of plastic and metal. They would be vulnerable. They would be weak. They would be human.

Spencer glanced out of the corner of her eye at the girl to her right. It was barely perceptible, but Ashley noticed the movement and slowly turned her head to meet the blue eyed stare. Neither girl said anything for a moment until a small, almost uncomfortable smile broke out on both girls’ faces. This lasted for a moment until one of the two, neither was sure which, let out a slight giggle which initiated the avalanche. Not a few seconds later, the sound of belly-originating laughter echoed throughout the car as four eyes watered, two stomachs ached and two smiles were as wide as they could be.

Just as quickly as it had began, the laughter subsided back into a giggle and then into the occasional hiccup and then all that was left was the panting of two out of breath girls.

Blue eyes caught brown once again, but this time there were no smiles, no giggles and Spencer was instantly brought back to the occurrences earlier in the day.

“Alright Ashley, here’s one of our lovely hospital gowns, and before you ask, no, you cannot keep it.”