Day 3 – The Sleep We Fought And All The Places We Got Caught


The morning dragged on in a blur. Emily had only been asleep for a few short hours when Hanna had shaken her from her slumber. The questions about her trip to the woods with the mysterious girl named Paige seemed endless as they readied themselves for the day. Emily was thankful for the brief reprieve she found while taking her shower beside Caleb's van. The water from the refill station was freezing compared to the already sizzling hot sun as it ran down her body. She had only packed one bikini, not even knowing if she would find use for it. The eyes of passing strangers left her feeling exposed as she washed her hair, but feeling clean was well worth the inconvenient location. She had just finished washing the shampoo out of her hair when she noticed a certain set of brown eyes on her from down the aisle.

Sure enough, Paige had just emerged from her miniature tent. The girl looked as if she'd been stopped dumbfounded in her tracks by the sight of Emily showering. Cutting off the hose, Emily stood there for a moment longer as the water dripped down her skin. Paige stared openly, an act that reunited Emily with the lustful feelings that had been so briefly satiated in the early morning light in the woods. Wrapping her towel around her body, she allowed herself one more glance in Paige's direction before ambling back to her shared tent. There was no question that she would have another run in with Paige; the bait had been set. The question at hand was how long it would take Paige to bite.

The group made it to the performance area in time for the headlining afternoon show: Kansas Small Talk with special guests Thomas White and Jolene Anne Holliday. The space they occupied on the outskirts of the crowd offered them quite a bit of maneuvering room. Spencer and Toby slow danced like they were made for each other; Ezra and Aria settled for a gentle embrace; Mona, Samara, and CeCe frolicked in circles around Hanna, who was once again on Caleb's bad side. Lucas, Holden, Alex, and Caleb had opted for seeing a different show across the festival grounds so Emily stood on her own, watching the show and her surroundings with equal interest.

The people at Explicit never failed to entertain. To Emily's right was a pair of boys in their mid-twenties sound asleep on a dirty bed sheet. Their nap was somehow both ironic and fitting. A little ways closer to the stage, a girl no older than fourteen was crowd surfing. Her neon shoes and pale skin stood out as she hovered across the sea of people. A boy with bright red hair weaved his way through the audience. He shouted loudly in an unidentifiable language, seemingly searching for someone.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Emily whipped around to see Noel smiling smugly at her. Holding back the urge to roll her eyes in his face, Emily settled for ignoring his existence altogether.

"Come on." He chuckled, moving to stand beside her. "Don't be like that. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. Really, honestly, sorry. I was out of line yesterday."

In the attempt to be the bigger person, Emily relented. "Apology accepted."

He gestured toward the stage. "So you like this band?" When she didn't respond, he inched closer. "I think they're alright. Not the best, but not bad, you know?" His smirk grew as Emily's silence held strong. "Ignoring me only makes this more fun."

She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I wouldn't have to ignore you if you would just leave me alone."

"Feisty." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I like that."

Disgusted, Emily glanced around for backup. "So where's your friend?"

His eyes fell to her cleavage. "Who? Maya? Probably off having a round of rock, paper, scissors somewhere."

From the look on Noel's face, Emily could tell that his answer hadn't been sarcastic. "And what's that supposed to be code for?"

He smiled. "Well, paper is obvious—there's some joints being passed around. Scissors, my personal favorite part, means there's some sweet lady loving going on. And rock, well…" He winked. "I can show you what that one stands for if you'd like. It's nice and hard, if you catch my drift."

Emily scoffed. "Not in your dreams." She hadn't realized that Maya wasn't gay, but that was neither here nor there. Her main concern was getting rid of Noel.

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong. See, you were definitely in my dreams last night. Want to know what we did?" His arrogance was repulsive.

She looked him directly in the eyes, an act he viewed as a minor success. "I'm going to ask you very nicely to leave me alone."

He chuckled. "But that would ruin all the fun!"

"Harassing people isn't fun." She shook her head. He was unbelievably stubborn in his attempts to annoy her. "Leave me alone."

He took a step closer, which he regretted the moment Emily's fist collided with his nose. A whirlwind of pain shot through Emily's knuckles as Noel's body hit the ground. He stared up at her in disbelief while a stream of blood began flowing from his nostrils. Emily's friends were on them the moment after it happened. Toby and Hanna glared menacingly down at Noel, daring him to retaliate, as the others questioned Emily about the encounter. Security ended up being alerted, escorting them to a designated holding area behind The Big Stage. Rather than a tent, it was a small concrete building that looked as if it had seen far better days.

Emily gave her account of what happened; she told the two sweaty members of Security all about Noel's persistent harassment. He confessed to provoking her, had his nose looked at, and was sent on his way with a warning that if he bothered anyone else they'd have him removed from Explicit by actual police officers who wouldn't be nearly as friendly. Emily was given an ice pack for her swollen hand before being sent out to her patiently waiting friends.

Hanna linked her arm around Emily's. "If we see that guy that again, I swear I'm going to rip his pretty face off."

Spencer laughed. "It's not all that pretty anymore, is it? Nice right hook, Em."

Emily smiled. "Thanks." Though her hand was throbbing with pain, she was content with her actions. Being the bigger person wasn't always the best way to handle things; some people, like Noel, required a more direct approach.

The group was whole again as they reorganized for a vegan food truck dinner. Emily found herself in the company of Caleb and Holden while they ate. The boys admired her bruised knuckles, discussing with her at length varying fighting techniques in case Noel came lurking around again. From there the group ventured to the EDM stage. Caleb, cursed with the selfless need to provide the world with drugs, had run out of pills and tablets to offer everyone. With his previous hookup from the woods unreachable, the group settled in for what promised to be a very sober night as the sun began its descent beyond the horizon.

Hanna crossed her arms over her chest as her pouting routine began. "Can we at least get some booze up in here?"

"No one has a fake ID." Spencer pointed out. "And I seriously doubt anyone would sell us alcohol without jacking the prices up."

"I don't think I can handle this sober." Hanna grumbled.

Emily was in the middle of opening her mouth to add to the conversation when out of the corner of her eye she spotted a familiar face.

Noticing Emily's hesitation, Spencer tried to follow her gaze into the crowd. "What's up?"

"I might know someone who could fix our problem!" Emily had already started making her way out of the crowd by the time she finished her sentence.

Hanna chased after her. "Em, hold up! I'm coming with you!"

Once they had managed to break free from the gathering, Emily and Hanna caught up to the face that Emily had recognized.

"Hey!" Emily stopped the girl. "It's Maya, right?"

The short girl nodded, glancing between the pair of them curiously. "You're not here to break my nose too, are you?"

Emily had nearly forgotten that Noel was Maya's friend. "Oh! Um, no." She gestured to her purple and yellow knuckles. "I already used my one good punch."

Maya cracked a smile. "He probably deserved it."

Clearing her throat, Emily tried to find an appropriate way to go about her endeavor. "So…where are you headed to?"

She shrugged. "To hang out with some friends. What about you guys?"

Emily and Hanna glanced to each other awkwardly. Hanna, never afraid to be blunt, said, "We're looking to get really fucked up."

Maya nodded, understanding why they had approached her. "You're in luck. As it just so happens, I'm on my way over to The Land of the Fairies."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "The Land of the Fairies? What is that code for?"

"There's a secret clearing in the woods where the queers go to party. It's hard to find if you've never been there before. It's really nice; gays definitely know how to decorate a party. At night it basically turns into a giant orgy." Maya glanced to Hanna. "They're very strict about the 'no straight people allowed' rule though."

"You know, I've always wondered what it's like to get with another girl." Hanna replied, linking her arm around Emily's.

Maya chuckled. "We could work with that. Just follow me."

As they trailed after Maya, Emily turned to her blonde friend and whispered, "Do you think we should tell the others?"

Hanna shook her head. "They'd set off the red flags; we'd never be able to get them in. And I bet Samara already knows about this place anyway. Just keep a low profile and we'll blend right in."

Emily withheld a dramatic sigh. "I'm not the straight girl that's getting sneaked in, remember?"

Hanna shrugged. "Making out with some hot ladies sounds like way more fun than putting up with Mr. Hot and Cold all night."

As they entered the woods, it dawned on Emily that this was the second time in under twenty-four hours that she was being led into a shadowy forest by a girl that she barely knew. They hiked for a good ways, following a beaten path that was hard to pick out in the night. They could see the clearing in the distance, nothing more than a small fiery glow in the darkness. Once they reached the glow, Emily realized that it was caused by dozens of strung up lights that arched above their heads from tree to tree. The clearing was large, mostly grass with a few lonely trees spaced out. The moon lit up that which the tree lights missed. There were people everywhere, of all ages and styles. A live band played in the corner on a small wooden stage, their speakers and instruments were connected to the same gas generator that supplied the electricity for the tree lights. Down a ways from the entrance was a large collection of tents, camping chairs, and small fires.

Maya stepped into the clearing, turning around to face the pair of friends. "Welcome to The Land of the Fairies."

"Is this where your camp is set up?" Hanna asked. Her eyes were wide as she took in the scene. It was as if they had stumbled upon a magical place.

"Sort of." Maya answered, leading them further into the clearing. "I go back and forth between a friend's tent in here and Noel's tent back in parking. Come on, I'll introduce you to the crew."

Emily and Hanna followed Maya through the maze of tents. The atmosphere of the clearing was remarkably different from that of Explicit. There was something homey about the twinkling lights overheard, something relaxing about the friendly circles among the campfires, something whimsical about the conga line of men in rainbow underwear.

Maya led them to a small group near the edge of the clearing. Their fire was full of freshly chopped wood and a few of them roasted hotdogs over the flames. Maya greeted them with a cheery smile before introducing the pair of friends she had guided through the dark. "This is Emily and…wow, sorry, I don't think I ever actually got your name."

Hanna waved off the comment with a charismatic smile. "I'm Hanna."

"Hanna." Maya nodded. "Well, Hanna, Emily, this is Wren, Shana, Jenna, and Lyndon."

Emily and Hanna took seats on the ground beside the fire, observing the five friends interact and partaking in the conversation when they could. They were an odd bunch; that much was obvious. Shana had a precarious aura about her. She sat on the edge of her folding chair, as if she were ready to bolt at any moment. Next to her was Jenna, a girl whose intense personality reminded Emily and Hanna all too well of a friend they once had. The boy Lyndon looked as straight as an arrow but the others swore up and down that he was the gayest man they'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. Wren, who must have been nearly ten years older than the rest of them, muttered occasionally from his drunken stupor. Emily and Hanna found it hard to believe they told them that he was a medical doctor visiting from England.

Shana stood, addressing the new guests as she spoke. "We've got liquor in the tent, if you guys want something to drink?"

Hanna hopped to her feet immediately. "Yeah, that would be awesome."

Shana gave her a suggestive look, one that Hanna understood perfectly as they disappeared into a large tent together.

"How's the hand?" Maya asked, drawing Emily's attention back to those around the fire.

"Oh, it's fine. Thanks."

Maya turned to the others. "Emily is the one that broke Noel's nose."

Jenna clapped her hands together and giggled eccentrically. "That was you? Man, I wish I could have been there to see that."

With all eyes on her, Emily struggled to find something to say. "It all happened so fast. I don't even remember thinking about it…I just sort of did it."

Lyndon shook his head. "That douchebag has tried every night to get back here. Kept going on about how he wants to see chicks making out."

Maya nodded towards the tent as Shana and Hanna reemerged. "Speaking of chicks making out."

Sure enough, Shana returned with a satisfied expression as Hanna resumed her place by Emily's side with flushed cheeks.

"What happened?" Emily whispered as Hanna passed her a half empty bottle of vodka.

Hanna smiled. "You don't even want to know."

"You were gone for less than a minute." Emily pointed out before taking a long swig from the bottle in her hand. She cringed as the harsh taste burned its way down her throat. "What could possibly have happened?"

Hanna wiggled her eyebrows. "I don't kiss and tell."

An hour of drinking and storytelling passed by quickly. Emily and Hanna made easy friends with the others, even the British Dr. Wren who had sobered up enough to ask for another beer. When the live band across the clearing put away their instruments, an amateur DJ with the stage name Dykealicious took over. Jenna suggested that they go dance, to which everyone but Wren and Lyndon happily joined her for.

A tad past tipsy, Emily found herself having to hold on to Hanna to avoid falling over as they made their way over to the DJ. An intimate crowd danced to the music that Dykealicious played from her laptop. It was so unlike the fancy sets at Explicit. No strobe lights, no lasers, no giant screens or famous musicians. There was actually room to dance, as opposed to the usual stand in one place and jump up and down routine that the massive crowds allowed. Letting the warm feeling in her stomach smooth over her inhibitions, Emily moved freely to the beat. After a few songs, Hanna nudged her and said that her "early morning fuck in the woods" was creeping nearby.

Emily just about gave herself whiplash as she searched the clearing. Twenty yards away, Paige leaned casually against a tree with a beer in hand. Determined to get Paige to make a move, Emily continued swaying her hips to the music but kept her eyes firmly planted on the other girl. Her strategy proved to be extremely effective. Paige tossed her empty bottle to the side, trudging through the mob of dancing bodies until she reached Emily. She didn't greet her with a smile or a friendly hello, but rather with a territorial kiss. When their lips parted, Paige grabbed Emily's hand and led her away. Glancing back to Hanna, Emily was relieved to see her friend give her a thumbs up. The last thing she wanted to do was abandon a friend.

Paige unzipped a tent and crawled in before pulling Emily in behind her and closing it back up.

"Is this yours?" Emily asked as she sat, noticing how spacious it was compared to the small tent she'd seen Paige use the previous night.

"Nope." Paige answered, kissing her again.

Paige's arm brushed against Emily's hand the wrong way, causing her to gasp in pain. The other girl shot back, her eyes wide as they searched for the source of Emily's pain. "What? What happened?"

"My hand." Emily sighed, showing off the bruised knuckles. The orange glow in the tent gave the purple hues an even more grotesque appearance. Paige gently took Emily's hand in her own. She ran her fingers over the bruises so softly that their skin barely touched. Locking eyes, Emily knew that there was so much more to Paige than just the tough exterior she presented to the world. "I punched a guy in the face. He wouldn't leave me alone…so I broke his nose."

Paige cracked a breathtaking smile, the first that Emily had ever seen her make. "That's pretty badass."

"It was worth the pain." Emily flashed her own smile. "Just, uh…try not to touch it too much."

Carefully releasing Emily's hand, Paige resumed her task of kissing Emily. Soon they were horizontal, Paige's hips grinding against Emily's slowly as their kisses grew rougher. As Paige's lips moved to her neck, Emily felt the overpowering need to talk.

"Is this where you go every day?" Emily asked. She did her best to keep her voice steady as Paige's kisses on her neck became wetter and more sensual the lower they trailed. "Is this where you looked for me?"

"Yes." She muttered the word against Emily's skin as she discovered the sensitive areas along her collar bone.

"I didn't even know this place existed until tonight." Emily admitted. Her breathing became more erratic with each move Paige made. "It's so beautiful here. It's like something right out of a movie. I wish I could've known about it sooner."

Paige glanced up to meet her eyes as she lifted Emily's tank top up to reveal a toned stomach. The kisses continued, sending a shudder of arousal straight to Emily's clit each time Paige's lips met her skin. "So what's…your name? Like, your last name? We're at the point, where I can ask that and it not be creepy, right?" Paige ignored Emily's rambling questions, leaving her conflicted. While Paige's body felt so incredible on top of her own, Emily had an equally strong desire to at least know a few of the basics about her. "Are you this antisocial with everyone?" Again, Paige disregarded her. Emily swallowed hard as Paige unbuttoned her pants.

"Paige." Emily breathed the girl's name, surprised to see that she had even heard her. Paige stopped all movement, staring up at her expectantly. The sight of Paige hovering over her unzipped shorts, patiently waiting for the okay to give her everything she physically desired in that moment, sent Emily's thoughts into a whirlwind. She cleared her throat, trying to keep her wits about her. "The whole silent thing you've got going on is really hot, I'll admit that…but I would really like it if you could at least pretend that you're interested in me as a person and not just for my body."

Paige moved swiftly, her powerful shoulders and biceps moving her body above Emily's with ease. She looked down at the girl beneath her with an exhilarating intensity. "We agreed that we can't get attached. That works a lot better the less you know about the other person."

"We also agreed to be friends." Emily was determined to get answers. "Friends share things." When Paige remained resolute in her silence, Emily decided to pull out the big guns. "You know, you could get with any girl out there, but you searched everywhere for me. We have a connection or something—I don't know, but I do know that you feel it too. Maybe we're destined to just fuck in the woods for a weekend and never see each other again, that's cool. It's whatever. I'm fine with that. But I can't stop thinking about you. I can't stop looking for you everywhere. That might not mean anything to you, but it means something to me. And I'm going to enjoy this while I can, so just…indulge me."

Paige's voice, unlike her unwavering intensity, softened. "McCullers. My name, it's McCullers."

"Nice to meet you, Paige McCullers." Emily felt a smile creep across her face, Paige's eyes pensively glancing down her lips. "I'm Emily Fields."

Paige hesitantly opened her mouth to reply, still struggling with her wish to keep things informal between them. "That's strange."

Emily's brows drew together. "What's strange? My name?"

The girl backtracked. "No—well, yes. What I mean is…your name is so…simple. Or humble, I guess. I don't really know how to put into words what I'm trying to say but you…" Paige's eyes roamed Emily's body admiringly. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen. You just…you seem so…I don't even know, so exceptional. I guess I just expected you to have a unique name, like Cleopatra or Pocahontas or something like that, you know? Something no one else could ever have." A blush blossomed across her cheeks. "I sound so stupid."

Emily shook her head, smiling widely. "You're cute when you ramble." She wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and pulled her in for a kiss.

Paige pulled away, her jaw clenching in a way that sent a shivers down Emily's spine. She all but glared at the beautiful girl under her. "Don't ever call me that again."

"I won't." Emily's promise barely reached above a whisper. Paige's brief vulnerability was gone, a large wall of steadfast apathy covering any trace of softness. Their lips met again, rougher and harder. Paige wasted no time in kissing her way back down to Emily's waistline. Together they slipped her shorts off, her shoes kicked to the side as Paige followed suit. Emily wasn't surprised to see that Paige had on boxer briefs in lieu of traditional feminine underwear.

Paige resumed her place between Emily's legs, grinding against her sensually as their lips met. Emily moaned into her mouth from the sensation of having only two thin materials between them. Careful not to harm her bruised hand, Emily wrapped her fingers around the bottom of Paige's tank top and pulled it over her head. She was more than pleased to see the muscular torso above her. There was no doubt that Paige was an athlete, a topic she made a quick mental note to ask about later. Emily's tank top was the next thing to go, followed by both of their bras being tossed to the side.

Paige's lips journeyed across Emily's collar bone before dipping down to teasingly lick an already hard nipple. Her hands cupped and caressed Emily's breasts as her mouth continued its travels south. Tangling her hands in Paige's hair, Emily was nearly buzzing with anticipation as the other girl's kisses met the thin fabric of her underwear. Paige's eyes locked with Emily's as she kissed her clit through the material. Emily took in a shaky breath. She knew Paige was only going as slow as she was in order to torture her, but she wouldn't give in; she would not beg.

With one hand still teasing one of Emily's nipples, Paige slipped the other hand down and used it to slide Emily's underwear to the side; a move that she hadn't expected. Emily's eyes rolled back in her head as Paige's tongue ran slowly across her clit. Tangling her hands in the other girl's hair, she focused on keeping her moans quiet. Paige proved to be as equally skilled with her tongue as she was with her fingers. Occasionally, voices passing by the tent or cheers from the dancing crowd across the clearing would remind her where she was, but Emily was otherwise completely consumed by the indescribable ecstasy that was Paige McCullers.

It didn't take long for Emily's toes to curl and for her eyes to shut and for her back to arch and for her hand to fly up to her mouth to stifle the moan that slipped past her throat as her body shook with orgasmic waves of pleasure. When she opened her eyes again, Paige's face was only inches from hers. She pulled the girl down for a lengthy kiss.

Things had just started heating up again when Emily's phone began vibrating. With Paige's help, she found where her shorts had been tossed and retrieved the phone.

"Hanna?" Emily tried to contain a smile as Paige's lips kissed along her jawline; solely to distract her from the intruding phone call. "Are you okay?"

"I'm drunk, mothafucka!" Hanna's voice was shockingly loud as it shrilled through the phone speaker. "Listen, I know you're probably fucking somewhere right now, but you've got to get back out here, man. The British doctor guy just pulled out a shit load of Jell-O shots. Some of them are shaped like dicks! Trust me, you do not want to miss this. You can go back to fucking later."

The phone call ended abruptly, leaving Emily glancing between the phone and Paige.

"I should probably make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." Emily laughed. Her smile faded when Paige didn't join in. "You should come hang out with us…if you want to."

"I don't know." Paige mumbled. Despite the tough exterior, Emily could tell there was a world of insecurity hiding inside her.

"You don't have to talk to them. They're all so drunk they probably won't even notice you." Emily lifted Paige's chin, kissing her lips gently. "Don't go. Not yet. I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

They put their clothes back on, a decent struggle to manage within the space available, before popping out and finding the group Emily had left. The crew hadn't changed much since she'd last seen them. Shana and Jenna were making out, Lyndon was dancing up against a random boy, Maya was smoking out of a rather large bong—in plain sight, and Hanna was sitting in Dr. Wren's lap with a Jell-O shot in both hands.

"Em! And friend." Hanna wiggled her eyebrows, winking at Paige. "You have to try this shit."

The party raged on late into the night. Between Hanna untiringly handing out the never ending supply of Jell-O shots and the lighthearted conversation around the fire, both Emily and Paige proceeded to get incredibly wasted. It only took a few ill-fated attempts to include Paige in the conversation before everyone just stopped trying. An hour before dawn, the party began to die down. The music had stopped, replaced by the sound of crickets and the crackling fire. The warmth from the flames that had been unwelcome earlier in the night was now comforting as the cool forest air settled in. Most of those who had been out and about in the clearing had disappeared into their tents long ago. The only ones still awake by the fire were Emily, Paige, and the somehow still conscious Dr. Wren. Hanna was beside them, though she was slumped over sleeping in a chair peacefully.

"Are you two together?" Wren's question caught both of the girls off guard.

"No." Emily answered, noticing the uneasy glance she received from Paige.

"Shame." He muttered. Taking a final swig from his cup, he lethargically tossed it to the side. "So, what's the deal, eh? What's your story? Your individual stories, that is. I always find people's stories to be rather interesting, don't you? Even the boring ones. I have a boring one. You see, I was brought up in England by a pair of very rich and very neglectful parents. Being a medical doctor was their idea; they paid for every last bloody class. Nothing but the best for little Wren. There was a time not so long ago when I thought, why not do something I actually like, you know? Live a little. So here I am, smashed in a forest with some Americans." He looked at them keenly. "What about you?"

Emily shrugged, not sure where to begin or how much to even say. "My friends and I wanted to do something fun together. We graduated from high school a month ago, and we're all going off to different universities soon. This is our last adventure together."

"Keep going." Wren encouraged. "Don't shy away from the dirty details now. We're in The Land of the Fairies, after all. What happens here stays here…or at least we've bloody well forgotten it by the time we've woken up."

"Well, uh…my dad is in the army. He's in Afghanistan. I haven't seen him months. He missed my graduation. My mom is a little on the overbearing side, but it could be worse I guess. She's alright." Racking her brain for something less boring to share, she knew exactly the kind of story Wren would be interested in hearing about. "A few years ago my best friend went missing. They found her body in her backyard after a year of looking for her." Understandably fascinated, both Wren and Paige eagerly listened for more. "Her name was Alison. I was…hopelessly in love with her. I tried to kiss her the week before she disappeared. She had been leading me on, but I guess that was just too far for her. We both said some things that we shouldn't have. I don't think I'll ever stop regretting our last fight. It was the last time I ever saw her alive."

"Well." Wren ran a hand through his messy hair. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Emily waved away his comment, suddenly wishing that she hadn't talked about Ali. One of the great things about strangers was that they didn't know about your past. "It was a long time ago."

Wren nodded to Paige. "Up for sharing, Silent Bob?"

At first, Emily was sure that Paige wasn't going to participate in their little round of storytelling, but then the girl sat up straight and cleared her throat. She had taken Wren's question as a challenge. "Parents divorced at five, mom died of cancer at seven, sent to a boarding school at eight, expelled for starting a fight at ten, sent to live with the grandparents at eleven, expelled from a private Christian school for homosexual activities at fourteen, sent back to live with my dad and his wife, arrested at fifteen for underage drinking, arrested at sixteen for violating parole, expelled from public school for excessive absences at seventeen, got my GED through night classes at eighteen, then I skipped town one night and never looked back." She glanced between her attentive audience. "Now I'm here."

"Homosexual activities." Wren shook his head with a grin. "America never fails to exceed all of my expectations." He picked up a previously forgotten bottle and took a sip from it. "Land of the free…home of the brave? This country is a bloody mess."

Paige raised an empty cup into the air. "I'll drink to that."

By morning light, only Paige and Emily remained awake. Wren snored quietly from his folding chair, a bottle still in his hands.

"I'm so tired." Emily groaned, rubbing her heavy eyes. "When this is all over, I think I'll probably end up sleeping for a week straight."

"One day left." Paige murmured as she stood and put out what was left of the dwindling fire.

"One day left." Emily repeated. Time was running out. They had approximately twenty-four hours to go before the thousands of tents would be packed up. "By this time tomorrow, everyone will be heading home."

Paige shrugged. "Not me."

"Where are you going instead?" Emily asked curiously.

"I don't know." Paige offered Emily a hand to help her up from the grass. "I don't really have anywhere to go."

The conversation ended there as Emily shook Hanna from her sleep. "Hanna, wake up. We have to go back to our tent. The others are probably worried about us."

"Fuck 'em." Hanna muttered, her eyes straining to stay open in the morning light. She reeked of booze and perfume.

After a long battle of convincing Hanna to get up, the three of them were finally able to make the trek back to the parking area. The hike took forever, as they were all exhausted. Their first stop was for a much needed visit to the port-a-potties. They'd been peeing in the woods all night, which was more or less just as uncomfortable as using a "portable shit box", as Hanna so delicately put it. The next stop was Paige's tent, where Emily bid her goodbye with a tender kiss.

"Find me tomorrow." Emily whispered, earning a grin from Paige.

"I'll find you." She promised.

When Hanna and Emily reached their camp, they slipped into their tent as quietly as they could manage. Too tired to even change their clothes, the girls fell asleep the moment their eyes shut.