Spring break was always made out to be an insanely wild time. That has not been the case for me. Every year spring break was nothing more than a week off from school. There was never anything crazy about it. All I did was stay home or hangout with friends. I was not the partying type, so I was content. This year was only slightly different. For the first time in my life, I was going on a short vacation during spring break. It was my senior year of college and I felt like celebrating! My best friend, Ashley, begged me to do something big and go on a trip with her. I wasn't sure at first because I'd never hear the end of it from my mom. She was one of those moms that wouldn't stop talking if she found out you were friends with a girl. Ashley and I were just friends but that did little to stop my mom from acting as if we were a couple. I decided to lie and say the trip was with several friends just to avoid that whole fiasco.
The trip was to Mexico, except it wasn't to any of the stunning beaches like most spring break vacations. No, us nerds picked a new vacation destination that recently popped up. We were heading to a newly discovered temple believed to have been built by the Aztecs. It's possible that it was built by the Mayans but so far researchers are leaning toward Aztec. Either way it looked like an amazing experience.
I met up with Ashley at the airport. She was a short Asian girl with the skinniest, most petite body you could imagine. In fact, she would often get picked on for her tiny stature or for being as flat as a bored. That's mostly because you couldn't make fun of anything else about her. Ashley was a fashion major and she looked like one too! Every outfit she wore was absolutely adorable or breathtakingly beautiful. On rare occasions she would even look irresistibly sexy and that's a big compliment coming from me because I have always preferred thick girls with voluptuous breasts and curves; the opposite of Ashley. She was an expert with makeup. Sometimes she'd dabble in cosplay as her prowess in clothes and makeup could transform her into anyone or anything. I was lucky to be her friend. Despite me being the calculus major, I often had to turn to her for help. It was clear she was special.
"This is it!" Ashley exclaimed as we arrived at the tour. She brushed a lock of hair out of her face. Although her short black hair barely reached her shoulders it still got in the way. There was always a lock of hair that seemed to settle right in front of her left eye. It looked super cute but annoyed the hell out of her.
Large temples surrounded us on each side. They were clearly ancient, dilapidated, and overgrown with vegetation. It was a shame they weren't discovered earlier it may have been possible to preserve them better. Trees and vines split the stonework apart as years of neglect allowed nature to take over. They were smaller than the ones you see in pictures. I wondered what secrets they hid. Ashley poked me in the side. The tour guide was moving us along. We were coming close to the end of the tour for day one. Each day the tour continued as we explored new sites and learned more history of the area and ancient culture. The last part of the tour was a massive buffet-style dinner.
"What a cute couple! You two should try these out," one of the tour staff members beamed as he handed us strange fruit. Before I could correct the man that Ashley was just a friend, he was already helping the next couple. Ashley didn't care, she was too busy admiring the cute little spiky red fruit we were given. It matched her red crop top and the spikes were similar to those on the leather belt that ran through her white shorts.
"It's delicious! You have to try it," Ashley squealed with glee. We didn't even sit down and she was already eating her fruit. I didn't even know how to eat it. The spines on the exterior kept pricking me. When she noticed I was having a hard time, Ashley snagged the fruit from my hands and peeled it for me. It was truly incredible. Without exaggeration, it was the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted. By the time we made it to the table our little fruits were completely devoured. I couldn't wait to dig in. The best part of any vacation was always the food. Nobody talked for the first few minutes of our meal. Everyone was stuffing their faces with a little bit of everything. Except Ashley who only took a little bit of chicken and a small portion of rice and beans. I know she's tiny but I don't know how she could resist all that food back there.
Ashley was the first to speak up. "Where can I get more of this fruit? I don't see it out there?" she asked gently. At first the tour guide smiled. That was most people's first reaction whenever Ashley spoke as her voice was sweeter than candy. The tour guide's smile soon faded.
"You didn't eat that, did you?" the tour guide snapped.
Ashley looked scared for a moment. "Yeah, one of the staff members gave it to us," she protested.
"Who?" the tour guide looked around the table. The entire tour was seated along with all the staff members but the man who gave us the fruit was nowhere to be found.
Panic consumed Ashley. She looked like she had seen a ghost. "What's wrong? Is it poisonous?" she gasped. Ashley gripped my hand in fear.