Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. A few months late… eek. Sorry about that. Now that it's finally Thanksgiving break I hope I can crank some chapters out quicker.
Just a note so you don't get confused, the italicized text is a flashback from Chris's perspective.
Guest: No, there is no evil for the group to face. I am also super intrigued by the story A Promise is a Promise, and I love asking "What if?" about games. I probably will do another Until Dawn fic, but I don't know if it will be an AU story or not. If I end up doing a fic, it will probably either be a story of what happened after the events of the game and/or an AU about Hannah and/or Beth surviving.
Chris
"Look, bro, you'll never know if you just go for it! There's no point in milling around."
Chris shook his head, feeling the tips of his ears heat up. "No way! She'll just shoot me down. There is no way this could end well for me." She doesn't like me, I know that for a fact.
"Just ask her out, dude! I guarantee you, there is no way she'd say no," Josh responded.
Chris shifted his weight to his other foot, his hands fidgeting. The two friends were standing at the base of the stairs, just outside the cinema room. About halfway through the movie, Josh had ushered Chris out of the room with him, finding the movie utterly lame and extremely cringeworthy.
"Would you people shut up? I'm trying to explain how Ray Bradbury foreshadowed events early on in his novels!"
Beth grinned cheekily at Chris and lobbed a pillow at his head. He groaned, gathering up his notes and his computer. "I'm going to the public library to actually focus. Thanks a lot for your help, though," he announced sarcastically.
He nearly tripped over Han's arm from where she lay on the ground, giggling as Josh pounded a pillow against her side.
Flash forward to 45 minutes plus lots of hair ruffling later, and Chris was nowhere further than he had been before.
"Hey, do you need help? You look like you've been struggling."
Chris spun around in his chair to face the girl who was speaking to him, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"
She was clutching a few books to her chest, a beanie perched precariously on her red hair. Chris suddenly swallowed, trying not to stammer.
"Is it really that bad?" he asked, grinning.
The girl smiled nervously. "Well, I just meant that… you know..."
Chris shook his head, chuckling. "No, it's fine. I am definitely struggling here," he admitted, gesturing to his computer.
She grinned. "Chris, right? I've seen you in the halls and stuff. And, you know, you have quite the reputation as the prankster of the school."
Chris nodded, surprised. "Yeah. And your name is…."
"Ashley," she informed. Her smile could light up a room, Chris noted as he studied her face.
"So, do you still need help?" she asked, pointing at his computer.
"Yes, please," he said, pulling up a chair next to his for her to sit in. She giggling, placing her book bag down on the ground.
"Yo, you'll have to tell her at some point!" Josh admonished. "Look, she likes you back! She's waiting for you to make a move!"
Chris scoffed. "Yeah, right. As if."
"Really! I'm not even kidding!"
Chris froze. "Really?"
"Dude, are you serious? Anyone other than you two blind fools could see it. Seriously, bro! Go ask her already!"
Chris swallowed nervously. Something weird was happening in his stomach, making him question the pancakes he had had for breakfast. Slowly, his feet carried him to the cinema room, where Ash was curled up in her seat, her gaze fixed to the screen.
"We spoke on the phone two days ago. I said I would find you," Liam Neeson snarled on screen.
Ash turned to Chris as he approached her, giving him a small smile. Even in the dark room, her smile was glowing.
He stooped down to ask her, "Could I talk with you outside?"
Behind him, Josh had turned off the movie. "All right people, this movie is way too cringey aaaaand it's lunchtime. Who wants to help me make lunch?"
Sam, Beth, and Addie tailed Josh out of the room, leaving Hannah, Jess, Mike, Emily, and Matt to clean up. Chris and Ashley made their escape before things could get real awkward.
Just outside the room, a few feet away from where Josh had given Chris a pep talk moments before, Chris twisted his hands together, feeling his ears heat up. He hoped desperately Ash couldn't see the apprehension swirling in his eyes. "Um, Ash…." he trailed off, nervous to no end.
"Hey, Chris," she interrupted, her beautiful green eyes meeting his. "Whatever it is, we can sort it out Monday-"
"No, no. I just want to say that…. I like you. I love you," Chris finally blurted out, trying to block out any disgust he might find in Ash's face.
A blush covered her cheeks, but she ducked her head. "Is this a prank?"
Chris shook his head furiously. There was no turning back now. "No, after what happened last year I wouldn't prank anybody over that stuff. I really do actually love you, Ash." Anxiously he sneaked a peak at her face. What if Josh had lied to him? What if he got his info wrong? What if he was pranking Chris? Distressed scenarios swirled in his stomach, making him feel like his insides were caving in.
But her beautiful smile was glowing on her face again. "Chris… I like you too. Like… really like you."
Chris chuckled nervously. "You're - you're serious about that?"
"Of course I am, Chris," she responded seriously.
Chris laughed again, rubbing the back of his neck. "So… what do you say we start dating?"
Now it was Ash's turn to giggle. "I don't see a problem with that."
The familiar scent of Josh's grilled cheese sandwiches reached Chris's nose, reminding of him of just hungry he was. "Should we go up? I think lunch is ready."
Ash nodded, gleaming.
Sam
Sam giggled over her soup, nodding at the new couple. "So, Chris, where did you finally get the nerves?"
Chris chuckled nervously and Ash ducked her head, blushing. Sam could tell she was making both of them uncomfortable, so she stopped talking.
Hannah, however, picked up on her line of questioning. She clapped her hands and giggled, reverting back to a nine-year-old. "Tell us everything!"
Chris and Ash glanced at each other hesitantly. "Oh… well…." Ash stammered.
Sam smiled warmly at the two. "Well you don't have to tell us about it, but I think we can all agree that this was long overdue."
This provoked murmurs of assent along the table, everybody nodding and smiling cheekily. Sam took the opportunity to make a face at Hannah, discouraging her from prying more. Hannah stuck her tongue out at Sam in response.
Sam watched as Josh finished the last of his grilled cheese, then glanced around, observing that most everybody else had finished their lunches well. He raised his voice, making a proposal: "Do you all want to go out for a game of tag in the snow?"
Everybody cheered, chairs scraping as they headed for the foyer like a mad stampede of elephants. Sam threw on her scarf and slid on her hat, arm in arm with Hannah as they made their way outside. The cold wind and frosty flakes bit at her exposed face.
"I'm going to give you ten seconds!" Josh called, still inside the foyer. The rest of the gang ran outside, tripping over themselves. "Nine… eight… seven…."
He stepped outside, startling Sam, who had been too preoccupied with Hannah's squealing to pay attention. "Sam," he leered, although his eyes were still mirthful. He cracked his neck. "Sa-am."
She gave a little shriek and stooped down to grab a snowball. She lobbed it at Josh, who blocked it with his arm. She ran away, laughing as she heard his footsteps crunching behind her.
She hesitated at a large snowbank, debating what to do. But Josh's slow, methodical footsteps behind her incentivized her to move faster. She clambered over the snowbank and hurried behind a tree, trying to hide. Through the thin branches, she could see him facing the other way, and she tried to keep still. But the air on the mountain was thin, and she knew Josh would hear her breathing. She took flight again, glancing behind her and dodging as Josh threw a snowball at her. It missed and struck someone up ahead.
Sam whipped her head around, catching sight of a snow-covered Jessica. "Hey!" she yelled, bunching up some snow and exchanging fire. Sam laughed and ducked as the snowball sailed over her head and hit Josh, who doubled over exaggeratedly. The girl had good aim.
"Oh, is that how we're playing now?" Beth giggled from behind a tree. Sam could hear the mischief in her voice. Suddenly, Sam had a faceful of snow and Beth's evil laughter rang through the air.
"Hey, that was uncalled for!" Sam shouted, kicking snow in Beth's direction. She wiped the snow off her wet eyelashes.
Chris emerged from the trees, watching the snow settle. "Josh!" he called. "You still it?"
Josh laughed and straightened. "Maayybe."
In response, Chris hit him with another snowball. "Keep him busy!" he yelled. "And he won't have time to chase us!"
Matt, Mike, and Chris bombarded Josh with snow, burying him underneath the white. Josh yelled and flailed his arms, making a spectacle of himself. Sam laughed watching him, feeling something warm rising in her chest. This was quickly doused as she felt something freezing inching its way down her back. She gasped and turned around, facing Hannah with a handful of snow.
"Oh, you asked for it!" Sam laughed, running after her. Behind her, she could hear Chris screaming, "He's coming! He's after us!" so instead of following Hannah she ducked behind a bush.
She peeked around the frosted leaves, trying to see Josh.
He was nowhere to be found.
Sam furrowed her brows, confused, and retreated back behind the bush.
"Ha! Gotcha!" screamed a voice behind her, and Sam shrieked as she was tackled to the ground. She ended up on her back on the snow, feeling the cold seep through her leggings. Josh was on top, grinning down at her.
Sam stared into Josh's eyes, getting lost in the green, a summery contrast to their wintry surroundings. He smiled, drawing her eyes down to his lips. Before she realized what they were doing, she was craning upwards and he was bending down. Their lips met softly, then they parted. Sam giggled, equal parts disbelief and ecstasy crowding her head.
Emily
Emily sat in the guest room, where she and Matt had slept last night. She tried to ignore her stomach and the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. She had to make sure her nails looked okay first.
Behind her, she could hear hesitant footsteps and a tentative knock on the door frame. "Em?" a timid voice asked.
Emily's entire body tensed up, her spine stiffening. It was her. Beautiful, bubbly, backstabbing bitch. Emily did her best to suppress the emotion in the pit of her stomach. Whether it was rage or jealousy, she didn't know and she didn't care. Em turned around slowly, her eyes darting to Jess like magnets.
"Don't call me that, Jessica," she hissed, making her voice as frigid as possible. She could see Jessica visibly cringe at her words.
"Emily, I came to apologize -"
"Stop. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear you."
"Emily, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, all right? There's no point in holding this grudge! We said we were inseparable, that we were sisters, that we were family!" Jess said, near shouting. She blinked furiously, and the wateryness in her eyes gradually faded away.
"Families aren't permanent, Jess! And families - they don't go around betraying each other and backstabbing! They aren't two-faced, lying thieves!" Emily yelled, feeling a lump in her throat. No, she would not cry, she would not cry over Jess. She told herself this a long time ago.
Desperation crossed over Jess's face. "What good will it do to hate me forever? Nothing! A long time ago, we told each other, 'sisters before misters'. And look at us now!"
"Yeah, look at us now. Look at who broke what we said. That was a once upon a time, Jessica. Fairytales don't exist anymore in this world."
Jessica drew in a deep, shaky breath. "Why would you keep hating me? It's easier to forget, Emily. It's easier to move on."
Emily's rage flared up. "Don't you dare talk to me like you're wiser, or smarter, or some shit like that! Don't you dare tell me what to do, you bitch! You were the one who ruined our friendship for a fuckboy! If we switched roles, would you forgive me?"
"Emily, if you knew how many times I had switched our positions in my head, if you knew how often I stay awake at night mulling over what went wrong, this- this whole thing would be different." Jess lowered her head. "Every time I forgive you in my head because what we had was too amazing to just toss away."
Emily did not speak for a long while. Most of Jess's words bounced off the armor around her heart, but a few of them found their way inside, to the most tender part of her. She was careful not to show any of this when she finally spoke, not addressing Jess's words or the heart behind them. "I think dinner is ready."
"Please, please." Jess backed up, her hands out, as if she wanted stop Emily from leaving. Emily pushed up against her, ready to leave. "I just- I just want my friend back."
"I don't care. I stopped caring when I realized you stopped. All right? We may have been inseparable before but what you did was unacceptable. The moment you hooked up with Michael, the moment we stopped being friends."
Jess bit her lip, starting to break down. Em watched as a tear, and then two, rolled down her face. She wiped furiously at them.
"Em…" she whispered, crouching down until she was sobbing on her knees. Emily knew how much she loved drama class. The bitch was just acting so she could play Em again.
Emily brushed by her, heading to dinner. Before she left, she glanced at Jess one more time. Her hair was draped over her shoulders, leaving the back of her neck exposed. The light caught on a silver line on her neck.
Together Forever. Our necklace.
Memories flooded back. Jess at the mall, Jess in her apartment, Jess with Michael, Jess with a tiny green pendant around her neck in the halls.
Emily had never realized what it was before now.
And with her flood of memories - was that sorrow?
She stepped back around in front of Jess and stooped down so she was eye to eye with her former best friend.
Jess looked up, her eyes meeting Em's. And Emily finally spoke the truth. "I want to forgive you, Jess," Em whispered. "I really, really want to."
Jess wiped away some of her tears, being careful with her makeup. "I came to you, Em, because when Mike and I left to the guest cabin last night, Hannah was there. And that's when I learned - she'll never stop loving him."
Em bowed her head.
Jess continued. "And then when I saw you in my bedroom doorway, looking betrayed and confused and so, so hurt, I realized you'll never stop loving him. And… after I realized I couldn't let him go, even to save our friendship… that's when I realized I will never stop loving him." Jess looked at Emily. "I hope you see that, Em. I love him. And I'll never stop."
Emily nodded and wordlessly helped Jess up. They leaned against each other for a moment. For the first time in months, the two understood each other.
Beth
Beth exited the kitchen, holding a big steaming dish of fried chicken that she had just taken out of the pot. The steam blew into her face as she carried it to the table, where Addie was hurrying around, setting the table. Beth smiled as she watched her girlfriend interacting with the rest of her friends, melding in seamlessly.
Josh was already placing a large plate of vegetables that he had steamed and seasoned in the center of the table, smiling at Sam who was just sitting down. "For the vegans," he grinned. Sam gave him a warm smile back.
Beth narrowed her eyes at the interaction. Josh was acting a bit more confident than usual around Sam, and although Sam was known for her compassionate smiles, there seemed to be a secret hidden in the one she just gave Josh.
His dish joined a few bowls of potatoes, roasted and mashed and boiled, that Ash had made. Beth put the chicken down beside Josh's vegetables, then sat down to join everyone else.
She snagged some choice pieces of chicken and mashed potatoes during dinner, and laughed with Addie through the entirety of the meal.
After everyone felt full and content, they all headed to their respective rooms, changing into swimsuits. Beth threw on a sweater and jacket over her gray bikini, gearing up for the second time that day for the cold weather outside. She smiled at Addie and hooked arms with her, and they both headed downstairs.
Stepping outside, Beth shivered at the chill in the night air, five times colder than it was during their snowball fight. The entire group set off as one loud party down the trail, laughing and shrieking loudly. They could be as loud as they wanted - the whole mountain did belong to them.
Beth smiled, walking with Addie on one side and Han on the other. Hannah picked up a snowball, ready to lob it into Beth's face, but Beth shook her head. "Not now, Han. Maybe when we get to the hot tubs."
Beth walked on in amiable silence with Han and Addie, tuning into some of the conversations nearby. Josh was walking with Chris and Ashley, nearly interrogating them on their relationship. Sam was walking a bit behind them, not a part of the conversation but still listening in. At some points she was nearly stepping on Josh's heels.
Jess and Emily were walking next to each other, whispering. Beth frowned, puzzled. She was under the impression the two hated each other's guts. But even though they were talking to each other like they did before the whole Mike mega-drama, they weren't giggling or talking loudly like they used to. They were whispering quietly, solemnly.
Matt and Mike were laughing loudly, joking about the events of the NFL. Although they had had that hilarious catfight last night, they seemed to be back on good terms. It was hard for Beth to imagine Matt holding a grudge for longer than 12 hours.
Finally, after Beth's nose had become numb from the chill, they reached the hot tubs. There were two, hexagonally shaped. They were still covered, and the Washington siblings got to work setting them up. Soon they were two bubbly pots of water, inviting everybody to take off their scarves and coats and boots, revealing their bathing suits.
Beth eased into one of the hot tubs. It was slightly hotter than bath temperature, making it all the more inviting against the bitter cold. Jess followed her, trailing her hands in the water as she sat down across from Beth. Mike settled in on Jess's right, wrapping an arm around her exposed shoulders. Beth noticed Emily tense at this, already halfway into the tub, but she relaxed and sat on Jess's other side. Matt went to sit between Beth and Emily.
Finally, Addie eased into the water right beside Beth. Beth snuggled up against her girlfriend, her neck and face still cold. Behind her, she could hear the rest settling in.
They talked for a while, making jokes and telling stories. Beth looked around, observing the white snow, before she was struck with an idea.
"Hey Hannah!" she called to the other hot tub. "If I go into the snow like this, will you?"
Josh grinned and Hannah blushed. It was a thing Beth used to tease Hannah about, during their trips up here as a family, when Hannah refused to go into the snow while everybody else did.
Beth did not fail to notice Hannah glancing at Mike. "Fine, I'll finally do it," she grumbled, but there was a smile on her face.
Beth gestured at Addie, silently asking if she wanted to go as well, but she shook her head, smiling. "No thanks, babe." She shuddered. "Way too cold for me."
However, Mike followed Beth out of the hot tub. From the other tub, Josh, Chris, and Sam trailed after Hannah, who was reluctantly dragging herself out of the hot water. Her feet made contact with the outer stairs, and she gasped.
"Suck it up, buttercup," Beth called to her sister, having barely noticed the steps. "You haven't even reached the snow yet."
She took her first step into the snow.
The cold bit into her toes, her heels, her ankles. Beth sucked in a breath, staying still. Then she ventured out a bit further. Behind her, she could hear Mike cursing under his breath after the crunch of a footstep. Hannah was standing completely still, shivering. Josh and Chris were pushing each other, laughing, each daring the other to push him into the snow. From behind, Sam helped Chris execute an attack on Josh that toppled him over into the snow. Beth laughed watching, forgetting the cold in her feet for a second.
Josh popped up, cursing loudly. Everyone laughed as they watched him hobble back to the hot tub, followed closely by Hannah. They both entered the water with loud gasps. Sam and Chris followed more slowly, still laughing hard. Mike went back to his hot tub, going straight to Jess and complaining about his feet.
Beth was the last one back into her hot tub, eager to get rid of the ache deep in her feet that came from the cold. As her feet touched the water, she felt the familiar sensation of her feet being burned off, but in a good way. She snuggled back up with Addie, wiggling her toes with ecstasy.
It took some time, but the group finally had sleeping arrangements that they were satisfied with. After a series of showers, they were all about ready to collapse inside their sleeping bags and bedsheets.
Beth was settling into her sleeping bag in Hannah's room, next to Addie. Sam, Ash, and Hannah were in a corner of the room, talking quietly, and Emily and Jess were still in the bathrooms. The boys were all crashing in Josh's room tonight.
The real fun of the night was about to begin.
Whoo boy, that took waaay too long to finish. Glad I can finally get this chapter out for you guys! Lots of tea in this one!
Thank you so much for reading, especially since my updates have been so sporadic! I'll try to be better about that!
