by Raathi Chota
“Leave me alone!” I pushed him away. “And don’t touch me!”
We stared at each other, and the look on his face made me scared like he was going to snap any second. Our heavy breaths filled the atmosphere, and for a second I thought we were alone, stranded with the trees towered over us. I finally squeezed my fists then spun back around and walked. Liam was ahead of us, but he looked at me with a sympathetic smile. I pushed up my glasses and focused on getting out of the forest. We walked in a single file but with significant gaps. It’s like the trees got taller because I couldn’t see the sun anymore and the sky slowly lost its color. I rechecked my phone, but there was still no signal. A few feet away, Liam stopped, his head lowered. I raised a brow and stopped too, but the crunches of leaves meant that Blake continued. Liam finally lifted his head then turned to us with his eyes widened. “Don’t move!” he yelled, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blake catch up to me.
“Why?” Blake asked, and I looked down to see when he walked forward that his foot triggered something. Everything happened so fast when he raised his foot. I was suddenly lifted into the air but pressed against someone. I shut my eyes as a gust of wind knocked off my glasses. It’s like I’m in a small space, and when I opened my eyes, I was met by Blake.
“What the hell?” I demanded then squinted my eyes as I realized that we walked on a net that was covered in leaves. Now we’re in a net, and Blake was right on top of me.
“Well then…” He trailed off, and I tried to move my face away, but it made matters worse when his face neared me.
“Y-You guys ar—are heavy,” someone groaned, and I realized Liam was underneath me.
“I’m sorry, Liam.” I frowned when I forcibly had to rest my butt on his back.
“This has Aidan Rowley written all over it!” Liam exclaimed.
“How do you know?” Blake asked.
“It literally says here on the label, owned by Aidan Rowley. That’s why he came into the forest,” Liam stated.
“Well, what do we do now?” I asked then stretched my leg. Luckily, I had small feet, so it fit right through the hole. I laid flat on Liam with my feet out of the net, but my neck arched against the inside of it. Blake was on top of me like a ball, and since he’s so big, he barely had space, so his face pressed against my cheek.
“Calling for help won’t work because then we’d all get into trouble because we’re not even supposed to be here,” Blake said as I kept in a breath. After that, no one spoke, and I was glad, yet I felt Blake’s eyes on me. I squinted my eyes and tried to blow in his face but had no luck when he moved his head to my neck. I got goosebumps when I felt his hot breath on my neck. It was ticklish, and I tried to move, which made Liam whimper.
“Aidan better get here soon or I—”
“Shh!” Liam cut me off. I remained silent then heard the snaps of branches on my left.
“Oh, shit,” Blake whispered.
“What? Is it a bear? Wolf?” Liam demanded, and I felt him move under me.
“Shut up!” Blake hushed him.
“Don’t tell him to shut up!” I muttered.
“You shut up too!” Blake hissed.
“Holy smurfs!” Liam commented, and I pouted because they’re lucky to be able to see.
“Blake…what is it?” I whispered in his ear. Instead of telling me, he raised his head and moved so that he rested his head on my chest. I oddly stared at him for a second then turned my gaze to the left. My eyes widened because I wish I’d unseen Marcus and Kelly’s make-out session a few feet away from us against a tree.
Chapter Thirteen
Lana
I was disgusted to hear them breathe, literally and figuratively. I didn’t understand why Marcus did it. He loved her. She loved him. I’d still remember when she’d brag to Melissa and me how her boyfriend was unique because he was a soccer play…and a cheater!
“They’ve been going at it for almost an hour,” Liam whispered. “Well, at least this increases my chances of asking Miranda to prom.”
“Ugh…when I get out of here I am goi—”
“Shh!” Blake cut me off since I raised my voice.
“Someone, take a photo,” I whispered but peered at Blake, who still had his head rested on my chest.
“I got it,” Liam whispered and as he moved the whole net shook. I let out a sigh then looked up at the sky. The sun gave a nice purplish effect along the landscape. The smell was organic and so alive, which made the nut-brown forest heart-warming. Yet the noise…the noise of Kelly West’s moans and Marcus Sanders’ cusses made me cringe. They were so into it that they weren’t aware of their surroundings even if a group of trees hid us.
“I don’t got it,” Liam sighed, and a second later, I heard a thump, which meant he dropped his phone.
“Well, my phone is in my back pocket, but I can’t seem to get it,” I whispered.
“I got it,” Blake said, and I was about to ask where was his, but he already moved. He let out a sigh when his head left my chest, but he moved up so that we were face to face. He awkwardly smiled as I stared at him. I felt his hands run down my sides to the back. He let out a huff, and I swear my heart hit my chest when he pressed his forehead against mine so that he’d get to my back pocket.
“Sorry,” he mumbled as his hands were all over my butt in search of my phone. I raised my body and pressed it against his so that he’d take it out. Once he had it, he rested his head on my chest again. I blinked rapidly then swallowed the lump in my throat. I squinted my eyes then turned to Marcus and Kelly. It seemed like they finished since Marcus backed away and rubbed the back of his neck. If only I had my glasses on, I’d see the look on his face.
“Did you take it?” Liam whispered as they walked away.
“No,” Blake replied, and I looked down to see his stare on my phone.
“Do you know how to work a phone?!” I demanded since it was our only chance to expose them.
“Your phone is dead.”
“Well then,” Liam commented.
“Where’s your phone?” I asked.
“My phone’s in the cabin,” Blake answered as I scoffed.
“Well, looks like we have to tell Miranda. I mean, there’s the three of us…”
“Well, she’s not gonna believe me,” Blake muttered. “Or Liam.”
“What? Why?” Liam whined.
“Need I remind you, Sanchez, you punched him at Ethan’s beach house,” Blake said, and I groaned because I’d have to do it.
“I should’ve punched him harder,” Liam mumbled.
“Jennifer was right this whole time,” I said. “I tried to warn Miranda.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Lana, but if you need a witness, I’m here,” Blake murmured yet fanned my chest as he breathed.
“It’s getting dark, guys, and I don’t like the dark…” Liam whispered. “Help!”
“Don’t worry, Liam, I’m sure Aidan will come soon, and Benny should be looking for us by now,” I assured him.
“Okay, but in the meantime…” Liam said. “Aidan Rowley, get your ass over here! Help!”
“Shut up, dude,” Blake groaned in my chest. “This is so uncomfortable…”
I looked down to see him move again to get into a comfortable spot. The whole thing was uncomfortable, and being in the middle was the worst. Well, it probably wasn’t as bad as Liam, who was under both Blake and me. Blake moved up again, and the little hairs on the back of my neck rose when he rested his head in the crook of my neck. He let out a sigh of relief with his arms at my sides.
“I hope this doesn’t bother you.”
“A little, but what can ya do?”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, and I moved my face since his hair was in my mouth. “For everything, Lana. I’ll say it a million times if I have to. Send you a million texts a day if I have to.”
“Please don’t. Levi does that already,” I pointed out. At first, I ignored his texts, but then they increased, and now it’s annoying eve
n though I told him not to text me anymore. If he continued, I might have to block him.
“We’re genuinely sorry, Lana. I even apologized to Benny last night,” he said. “He barely said anything, but he didn’t have to. I’m just so fucking sorry.”
I stared at the dark sky and took in Blake’s words. I’m afraid that something might happen to fuck everything up again. I wanted to make peace, but I wanted to move on. How could I move on when I was a killer? That’s going to haunt me forever. Nothing would ever be the same.
“Well, well, well…what are you guys up to?” someone called out, and I looked down to see Aidan, Tiffany, and Benny.
“Haha, nice pun, dude. We’re just hangin’,” Liam said as he laughed with Aidan.
“Not funny…my back is aching. Get us down!” Blake demanded.
“Okay, let me just…” Aidan trailed off, and we watched as he took out his phone. He held it up and rolled my eyes when the flash went off.
“I’ll get you back, you ass wipe,” Liam grunted as Aidan took a selfie with us.
“Yeah, right.” Aidan laughed then put his phone in his pocket. “Come on, Benny, help me.”
“Wait!” Tiffany squealed, and I watched as she jogged under the net. A few seconds later, she held up my glasses and Liam’s phone. I didn’t know what Benny and Aidan did because my back was faced to them. I heard grunts, and Liam encouraged them in the nicest way possible.
“Get ready,” Benny said, and I immediately felt Blake wrap his arms around me. A few seconds later, the branch shook, and we dropped. Liam must’ve been horizontal because my head landed on his butt. He wiggled himself from under me, and I opened my eyes to see Blake stare at me. I exhaled deeply from the impact then tore my gaze away from him. He stood up then outstretched his hand for me to take. I slowly took it then let him pull me up. Benny approached me and handed me my glasses. As I put them on, he wiped off the dirt from my clothes.
“Mrs. Singleton is pissed,” Aidan said as we walked. “Don’t even know why she came…it would have been fine if it was just Coach, Mr. B, and Miss Rosa.”
I blocked out Aidan’s rant about Mrs. Singleton as I walked beside Benny. Liam was on his left, and once Blake, Aidan, and Tiffany were ahead of us, Benny and Liam spoke.
“So? What’d you see?” Benny asked.
“Too much,” I muttered.
“The ground is still fresh, bro. James must’ve dug up the jacket, but my theory still stands on it being Marcus because of yesterday while you were in the cabin and we went out to the bonfire…Marcus disappeared,” Liam whispered.
“Maybe he dug it up with Kelly,” I whispered mostly to myself as I remembered she went on this morning about her army.
“That’s a bit crazy, don’t you think?” Benny questioned.
“Nope, while we were in the net they were sucking each other’s faces off.” I rolled my eyes. Benny seemed surprised then turned to Liam.
“Okay, maybe your theory isn’t so bad,” he admitted.
“Curse those luscious blue locks…acting so innoce—innocent my ass!” Liam exclaimed as Blake, Tiffany, and Aidan looked at him.
“What if he is working for James?” I whispered to Benny. “What if both of them are?”
“Well, he loves to use teenagers,” Benny muttered, and I turned to see that he gave me a weary look.
After that, Benny and I were silent, but Liam spoke to himself, mostly about the whole situation. He also mentioned the word luscious and Smurfs. Thankfully, Blake, Aidan, and Tiffany had their conversation to acknowledge us. After another ten minutes of walking, we reached the camp. There were two fires, one near us and another near the lake where people swam. Music played through the canteen, and I watched as people walked around with food and drinks.
“You three! Where have you been?” Mrs. Singleton demanded as she pointed at Blake, Liam, then me.
“We got lost.” Blake shrugged.
“You are not supposed to leave this area without our permission! You are our responsibility, and if something happens to one of you…it’s on us!” she yelled then pointed to the other teachers.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Sorry is not going to cut it,” she said then rested her hands on her hips. “Tomorrow you can give the staff a break and do the dishes after lunch.”
Everyone “oohed” at us, and I groaned as Blake cursed under his breath. I glanced around for Uncle Griff, but he was too occupied with his guitar by the fire in front of a few seniors.
“Ooh, do we get to wear those hair nets?” Liam asked.
“Yes, it’s a lot of dishes,” Mrs. Singleton said then walked away.
“Fucking hell,” Blake muttered, and I watched as he walked to the cabins. I turned to the campfire to see everyone roasting s’mores. I sat down next to Jennifer then glanced up to see Miranda and Marcus laugh at something that Uncle Griff said. My left eye twitched as I tried to hold it in and tell her when we’re alone.
“You were right…Marcus is a cheater,” I said to Jennifer. Benny took a seat next to me. He handed me a s’more, which I thanked him for, then hovered it over the fire.
“How’d you—”
“Saw them in the woods…they were so intimate that they didn’t even notice us.” I scoffed then elbowed Benny, and he almost dropped his s’more. “I told you to keep an eye on him!”
“We were, but then he went into one of the cabins and never came out,” he said then positioned the s’more so that it wouldn’t fall.
“Kelly went to the bathroom. She was gone for a while, but nobody noticed,” Jennifer added.
“That asshole.” I shook my head.
“Tell her later, though. It’s going to be too much drama now, plus everyone’s in a good mood…even Mrs. Singleton,” Jennifer said, and I turned to see the other teachers laugh.
“How long have you been playing guitar, Mr. Bronx?” a girl asked, and I turned to see that he gave his guitar to Ethan.
“Wow, well, for years, I guess.” Mr. Bronx laughed.
“You taught Levi, right?” Carter asked, and Mr. Bronx nodded. As I took my s’more and ate it, Ethan played the guitar. Everyone else seemed to notice it too as they encouraged him to play.
“No…” He shook his head, and I noticed his face turned red.
“Come on, Ethan, you’re good,” Miranda piped up, and I remembered in sophomore year when she had a crush on him, how she used to stalk him. That’s how she knew he was good.
“Yeah, dude, play that one song…” Carter nudged Ethan with his shoulder. While Ethan decided to play, Blake came up behind them and sat down next to Carter. Ethan and Carter shared a look then turned to Blake.
“I guess I’ll play one song,” Ethan mumbled then got into position. I knew the familiar tune as he began to play. I glanced over at Blake, who I knew loved the band. He seemed to recognize the song too as he turned to Ethan. “I’ll need help with the lyrics, though.”
“No.” Blake scrunched his nose up then stared at the fire.
“Come on, Blake,” Melissa whined as Ethan continued to play. “Don’t be a spoilsport.”
Blake rolled his eyes then looked at Ethan. He bobbed his head to the beat, and then, on cue, he sang “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. He had a beautiful voice; it was different, so gentle and peaceful. Total opposite of when he spoke. Carter stood up and clapped, soon everyone followed in sync with Ethan and Blake. I felt a tap on my shoulder then turned around to see Aidan gave me his phone.
“It’s for you.”
I raised a brow as I took the phone and got up. I walked away from the campfire and near the cabins. I put the phone to my ear and used my other hand to block out the noise so that I could hear. There were heavy breaths at first and faint sounds of car honks.
“Hello?”
“L-Lana?” Levi breathed out.
“Levi? Why are you ca—”
“You weren’t answering your phone, and I just really need to talk to you.”
�
��My phone died,” I stated. “What do you want?”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m so fucking sorry. I know how much you care about him, but I just can’t…I’ll never like him.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious, but I don—”
“I tried!” he cut me off. “I can’t like him. I picture you crying…in my arms. I’m trying, Lana, trying so fucking hard to put my life back together, trying to make things right, trying not to be the fucked-up dick that I a—”
“Levi, you’re no—”
“I’m acting like I don’t give a fuck anymore, but deep down it’s killing me!”
“Levi, where are you?” I asked. “You’re drunk.”
“Things changed, people changed…you changed. When I came for the summer, we’d spend every minute we could together. Now I’m living here, and I don’t even see you that much. You wanted to be with me. Now it’s like you’re avoiding me…I remember everything—the nights when we would sneak out, races, go fucking shopping, and do the bucket list, and I bet you don’t remember those.”
“Levi, of course, I remember that stuff. I miss it too, honestly, but things have changed, and it’s never gonna be the same.”
“I miss you,” he whispered. “I miss us…I love you so much, princess.”
“Levi, you’re drunk.” I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me.
“Yeah, but when I’m sober, I’ll still be in love with you,” he said as I bit the inside of my cheek.
“Please stop,” I whispered. “Stop drinking, stop apologizing, please…just stop. You and Blake are confusing me.”
“Will you forgive me?”
“I don’t know, because you won’t remember any of this. Where are you, Levi?”
“In my car. Parked in front of your house…waiting for you so I can say sorry in person.”
“Don’t go anywhere,” I said because he dragged his words a lot, which meant that he was drunk. “I’ll call Keene.”