Chapter 275: Fun Without the Boss
They all went and skipped the line to the haunted house with Jayden's VIP pass, the people waiting in the long line looking at them all walk by with eyes of envy that Ray found unnerving while Jayden did not even bat an eye like she was completely used to it.
The ride itself played out less than what they anticipated. The projections and props of monsters and beasts seemed extremely realistic yet it left them all unphased while the people sitting behind them were screaming their asses off like they were going through hell it's self which they found extremely annoying.
So, they decided to completely ignore everything around them and delve deep into their mind-link. The ride was not going to end anytime soon and they might as well use it to get to know each other better.
They all took turns, starting with Jayden who chose to be completely honest about her past but disavowing most of her actions as she decided to move forward in the future.
The other two did not have much to say; it was no secret about what she usually did at school, everyone knew the rumours. But, getting to know her she seemed to be completely different from what she was described which now explained everything.
Next was Ray, his story was far tamer and rather depressing. But, their expressions took a turn the second he mentioned that he was the one who invented most of the gravity technologies used in this park and how his life spiralled into a deep pit of hell after his ideas were stolen by a man he both trusted and looked up to.
They knew Ray was a very useful member of the group when he managed to hack into the school watch but now his value suddenly became even more apparent.
Lastly was of course Nags, who seemed to have no problems sharing who he is.
All that he mentioned was that he lived an ordinary life until the war when his sister died, which split his family apart. His parents divorced and he took out his anger on training and found out he was gifted with his ability. His father took him under his wing as a former soldier and trained him in the art of the barrier.
And, when he was asked why he had joined the gang, he slightly shuddered before yelling back.
"I was bored and did it for fun okay! I wanted to fight people without consequence and the gang provided protection even from the teachers! I regret it! I can't believe I actually stooped that low to be the puppet of a disgusting shalker!"
Jayden and Ray knew that Nags was not telling the complete truth but they decided not to push any further with it since they had a feeling they would get nowhere doing so. And, before they even knew it, they were thrust back into the sunlight outside of the ride that felt more like an eternity.
"So, that was very insightful… glad to get to know you guys better. Now, where do you guys wanna go next? We can literally go anywhere!"
"How about bumper cars? Then maybe the ring from hell? Demon stuff you know..."
Ray suggested in a slightly shy, monotone voice, which they agreed upon.
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The sky was starting to turn a tint of orange. They had been on rides all day long, and other than the kid rides, they went on every single ride except for the molten drop that they promised they would wait for Moby to ride but he still was not there and they had received no updates from his end.
Even if some of the rides were admittedly quite fun, especially the ones that required a high power-level to enter where Nags and Jayden were forced to keep Ray behind so he didn't die due to his weak body, for the entire time, they did not talk much other than basic questions and interactions, cracking some jokes and laughing, although some were quite awkward.
Nags especially seemed to be trying to keep his distance for some reason, only for Jayden to try and lure him back in everytime.
Things were not the same without Moby, Jayden's task of replacing him proved to be a monstrous one beyond her wildest dreams.
He was like the glue that kept them all together and without him, they were barely hanging on. All of their personalities and interests were simply too clashing.
"So, that's everything? That wasn't so bad after all wasn't it guys?"
Jayden laughed as they got out of their final rides, smacking them both in the back trying to be buddy-buddy.
Moby, Alex, and Abby were the only friends she ever had, but they were the ones who tried to be friends with her. Making friends was something completely out of her toolset and she hoped she did a good enough job.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind coming back some other time,"
The 2 boys were smiling seemingly genuinely, still far less enthusiastic than the girl towering over them.
"We don't have much left to do and it's getting pretty late… Why don't we get a drink and some food?"
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They had the choice of sitting in a VIP area in the outdoors restaurant however they decided against it as to not attract too much attention seeing they would be the only ones there at that time.
The plates of food on the table were completely different: Jayden's plate that was the largest by far was unnaturally fully balanced and healthy consisting of Ceasar salad, a large veggie burrito, chicken soup along with a protein bar as well.
She had already told them she was working out and pushing herself to get stronger but they didn't know she was taking it so seriously since it was not the type of meal they imagined her ordering.
Ray ordered a small order of fast food that consisted mostly of fries and chicken nuggets. It was a shock he could keep his thin figure with such eating habits as they could tell it was all he ate. Burning all the fat by stress was the only thing other than his metabolism that came to mind.
And, finally, Nags had the most ordinary plate, a fat slab of rib-eye steak with a small side of mac and cheese.
The three silently ate their food with no voices entering their ears other than the ambient noises of the crowd around them.
Jayden looked civilized and calm as she ate but in her mind, she was raking her head around to think of something to spark a conversation. However, she seemed to have used up everything in her arsenal and was left with nothing.
That was when she saw an opening, looking at Ray who was slowly nibbling on his chicken nuggets in one hand and his other hand twitching under the table, his eyes looking lifeless.
"Hey, Ray, what is that your playing with under the table? Can I see what it is?"
Jayden said with a smile like Ray was doing something naughty.
"O-Oh! It's not what you think…"
He slightly panicked, springing the life back into his eyes.
"It's just something that I've been holding out on and I didn't want to show it until Moby comes but I guess I can show it now…"
Out of his hands, he pulled out a folded piece of paper with slight wet spots.
"What is that?"
"This… This is Alex's final words… It explains things that I was-"
"Did you read it?"
Jayden interrupted almost instinctively.
The air fell silent, almost like time froze, before Ray slowly nodded back.
"Yeah… I did… It's almost like he went in fully expecting to die so he thought ahead… I wanted to share this earlier, with his parents too but I couldn't let myself talk about it until now…"
That was when a voice came in that they did not at all expect, completely breaking the ice and the mood.
"Hey guys! I'm back! Hope you didn't miss me too much!"
Although the sound seemingly came from their head, when they looked at where the voice came from, they noticed a man wearing a jacket and a hat, sunglasses around his eyes.
However, although his looks looked slightly different from what they were used to, they knew exactly who it was.
"You guys won't believe how hard that was! Those guys literally asked me endless questions that I had to bullshit my way out of so hard! I wanted to teleport away but I don't want to reveal that ability for obvious reasons, so I had to wait until they got bored for me to come out. I hope you guys had fun without me! So what did I miss?"
They simply looked at him quietly, with sombre eyes which only further added to his confusion since he thought his friends would be excited to once again see him after he had gone through hell and back.
"Are you guys okay? What's with that look? Is it my new outfit or something? Did I come at a bad time?"
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