It took some time to gather and arrange the trip (what with all the selfies, accessories and… Wooden puppets. God, they were all weirdos).
But eventually Lori managed to organize it all, and most of the kids stood in line (some eager, some neutral, some not enthusiastic, some Whitney) waiting to start the hike.
Why most? Well, the drama club kids had opted to stay behind and play Spin The Bottle, and Lori figured that less kids to look out for meant less work for her (and less chance of anyone getting hurt), so they were allowed to stay at the picnic site.
Maggie, though, requested to be excused from the game, stating only that "Spin the Bottle" is a mindless exercise that promotes public shaming and allows bullies to thrive by embarrassing their targets".
She promptly joined the trip, as did Luan, who claimed that a hike, compared to "Spin the bottle", is a "walk in the park!" (Ha! Ha! Ha! Get it?), but really she just wanted a chance to figure this Maggie out.
Lori whistled loudly for attention.
"Everyone, listen up!", she called, and a group of disinterested and slightly interested heads rose up.
Lori cleared her throat, and, in a slightly pathetic way, puffed up her chest.
"I was appointed to oversee things and make sure you're all safe…"
Suddenly, Lori slipped on some leaves, which caused her to hurtle upwards onto the air.
A swarm of mosquitos flew into her mouth, and she fell back down onto the ground, a tree branch suddenly falling down on her.
After much pain and struggle, Lori finally got rescued by Carol, who got a little hurt too.
Lori brushed herself off and pretended that nothing happened, though from the burning sensation in her cheeks, one could tell that Lori was downright humiliated.
"As I was saying… I will be keeping you safe."
"Yeah, right…", Fiona muttered.
Again, Dana laughed at the barb.
"Good one, Fiona!"
Fiona rolled her eyes.
Why wouldn't this girl leave her alone?
Lori pointed towards the forest.
"Now, we've got to be careful: Despite this being a safe camping ground, you never know what you're going to find in the woods. Mosquitos, snakes, maggots…"
Maggie raised her hand. "An axe murderer?", she asked, almost hoping for ones arrival.
Lori shot down the possibility.
"Um, no. That's only in movies."
"What's only in movies?", asked Leni. "I wasn't really listening."
"Axe murderers.", Luna informed her.
"There's an axe murderer here?", Mandee asked, fear and panic in her voice as she shook in fright.
"We better get out of here! We're in no shape to fight an axe murderer! Least of all me!", Chaz said.
"Chaz, you don't have to say that. Being overweight isn't the end of the world…", Becky tried to comfort her friend, but he countered her.
"Becky, I'm not coming down on myself. I have no physical prowess. Thus, I would be useless in a fight with a killer. You know, I'm not in a constant angst.", Chaz explained, a little annoyed.
Becky sighed. "Lucky."
"Wait, so, like, who's killing the axe murderer? Because my nails were recently manicured, and mama is keeping them that way.", Whitney whined.
Lori interrupted the gaggle of voices to bring some reason into the room… Or, well, clearing.
"No, there isn't. That's about as likely as a bear attacking us. There are no bears in Royal Woods…"
"Wait, there's a bear?", Miguel shouted out, and he held onto Whitney, who got an intoxcicated grin.
"Victory!", she shouted wildly.
"Can the bear kill me first so I won't have to endure this stupid trip?", Fiona dryly offered.
Dana again snickered at the joke.
Fiona, with an annoyed glare, retorted. "Or perhaps it should kill Madam Yaps a lot here!"
Dana stopped laughing. "Owchie! I don't want to be murdered by a bear!"
"Wait, the bear is a murderer?", Sam asked, and she glanced from side to side.
"Bogus", she and Luna said at the same time.
"Guys, there's no bear, no axe murderer, no…", Lori once again tried to settle things down, but no one listened.
"OMG! GUYS, I FIGURED IT OUT! THE BEAR IS THE AXE MURDERER!", Mandee screetched.
"Gotta admit, awesome plot twist.", Chaz said.
"Yeah, Mommy, Daddy, get me the fudge out of here, there is an axe murderer bear out for my nails!", Whitney furiously called her parents.
Lori shook with rage at the utter idiocy.
How was she supposed to take care of these people and have fun if they wouldn't shut up?
…No, no, calm down.
People make mistakes.
How many times had her siblings gotten carried away like this?
How many times had she?
Just calm down, Lori.
Let's think this through.
Be the good guy.
Be who you want to be.
She took a deep breath and she whistled for their attention.
"There is no axe murderer bear, but if there was, I'd get rid of it, ok? Now, let's enjoy this hike, please!", Lori begged her friends.
Everyone quieted down and began to walk, Carol looking at Lori with awe.
"Darn, girl! I wish I had that commanding presence! Can you actually take on an axe murderer bear?", Carol asked, as ever amazed by her only friend.
Lori waved it off, pretending to be cocky.
"Pshew, Carol! I can literally handle that!"
If only Carol had heard the last part…
"…I hope…"
Meanwhile, in the picnic area, the "Spin the Bottle" game was heating up.
The drama club kids left (Jackie, Benny, Leo, Lyberti, Amy, Rex, Shannon, Ruby, Spencer and Parvanna) had decided on a Truth and Dare version of the game, since no one was very interested in kissing anyone else.
Especially Leo and Lyberti.
"Hey, guys, should we play "Truth or Dare" or "Spin the Bottle"?", Jackie asked, flipping a plastic bottle around before goofily dropping it.
She tried to play cool by pointing at the bottle and saying "I meant to do that. It's cool to drop plastic bottles on the ground."
Amy gasped.
"Did I miss that trend? No! Now I'm… Behind the times!"
Shannon snorted.
"I find it hard to believe that anyone could be this thick headed!"
Amy whacked Shannon on the head, prompting a sneer from the girl with the hurt head.
"I find it hard to believe that you exist!"
Rex put a comforting hand on his GF's shoulder.
"Don't worry, babe. You're not thicc at all! Why, you've lost weight this summer!", he said genuinely, not realizing that he had missed the point.
Amy whacked Rex on the head.
"Jesus Christ, Rex! Really?"
Shannon snickered again, prompting another whack from Amy, which led to Shannon whacking Amy, and erupted into a full out whacking battle.
Parvanna stepped between the girls.
"Guys! Seriously?", she remarked with a scoff. "This is sad. You are surely better than this!"
Amy and Shannon turned their backs on each other, muttering under their breaths.
"Those frickin' barbecue chips were mine.", Shannon said.
"Little miss goody two shoes…", Amy remarked about Parvanna.
"Thinking she's better than me…"
Jackie cleared her throat.
"As I was saying: "Truth or Dare" or "Spin the Bottle"?"
Leo and Lyberti, suddenly realizing what the latter meant, threw their arms up in the air.
"NO KISSING! WE'RE NOT READY! SORT OF!"
Everyone just glanced at the two, except for Amy, who had a feeling about what's going on.
As Leo and Lyberti sighed in relief, "Truth or Dare" was chosen.
Jackie positioned the bottle in the middle of a circle they had formed, and she prepared to spin it (having been the one to propose the game, and also because she saw herself as the leader of the group, Jackie took it upon herself to kick start the game).
The circle went like this, from left to right: Jackie, Parvanna, Ruby, Spencer, Benny, Leo, Lyberti, Rex, Amy, Shannon.
"Quick reminder of the rules: A spins bottle and it points at B. B now must choose Truth or Dare. A then asks B a question or dares B to do something. There are no limits, except for really embarrassing stuff."
Spencer sighed in relief. "Thank god! I don't think anyone wants to see me in my underwear!"
Silence hit the field.
Jackie, shocked, protested. "Um, Spencer? Like, what kind of monsters do you think we are?"
Spencer shook nervously. "I'm sorry, but I thought these games go wild! I don't need the extra tension and pressure!"
Jackie was about to try to intervene and show Spencer there was nothing to worry about when suddenly Parvanna entered and did exactly that.
"Don't worry, Spencer! We're your friends! We wouldn't do that!"
"Speak for yourself. I don't care.", Ruby muttered from behind her phone, still hiding behind her cellular device.
While Jackie was annoyed by the interruption, she was even more annoyed by Ruby.
The girl was never that great to start with, but it's like the trip had made her even worse!
Jackie cleared her throat. "As I was trying to say…"
She gave Spencer a sympathetic look. "Don't worry, Spencer! We are totes not doing that stuff! This is a fun game played by friends! We're all friends here, right?"
Spencer looked around, seeing Benny sigh from clear loneliness, Leo and Lyberti still flustered and shy, back to back now, Amy and Shannon growl at each other while Rex whistled at Jackie, Parvanna and Jackie give each other tense looks, and Ruby not even look up from her phone.
"…Are you sure?", Spencer asked.
Jackie had to admit…
She wasn't sure.
But if she gave that impression, then they'd never bond!
"I… I am sure, Spencer.", said a decidedly unsure Jackie. "Now, like, let's play already!"
Jackie spun the bottle, and everyone looked at it with tense anticipation.
Sure, Jackie had just said this was to be a normal game.
But they all knew that something could go wrong.
Predictably, the bottle pointed at Spencer, who leaped into the air in fright, his sweat glands working overtime.
Not that they were getting paid properly!
#Spencer'sSweatGlandsNeedProperPayToPayThemBills.
Moving on…
While the other kids cringed, knowing where this was going to go, Jackie saw this as an opportunity.
Now she could show Spencer that there's nothing to be afraid of!
Jackie gave him a comforting look and she locked eyes with him. "Ok, Spencer, calm down, like, just chill, ok?"
Spencer nodded, but he was still clearly nervous.
Jackie raised a finger.
"Remember, you choose what happens. So all you have to do is choose what's easier for you to endure."
Spencer nodded again, now a little less unsure.
Jackie's plan was working!
She grinned satisfactorily, happy that her position as leader was undisputed, and she moved on.
"Now, personally, I think that Truth is easier…", Jackie continued, and she was about to tell Spencer to just choose what he prefers, but Parvanna suddenly cut in, looking worried.
"Jackie, what are you talking about? Truth is the hardest option! Allah knows how much I hate that option!"
Jackie rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Well, Parvanna, it was just a suggestion. And besides, I wasn't going to ask anything too tough. I was trying to ease him into it."
"Which I appreciated, by the way, but maybe Parvanna is right. I need a moment to think…", Spencer tried to inform, but the two girls continued to snipe at each other.
"Jackie, Dare isn't easy, but poor Spencer will fidget like crazy from any question!", Parvanna explained, narrowing her eyes.
Ruby nodded. "True that."
"Parvanna, you may mean well, but clearly Dare is harder! Being told to do embarrassing things… Shudder! You want Spencer to make a fool of himself?"
"Too late. He's been a fool for years now.", Ruby jabbed again, making Spencer look down, ashamed.
Benny, sensing the tension, stepped in. "Guys, it really doesn't matter. Let's just let Spencer choose. That is the way the game works, after all."
"Yeah.", Amy seconded. "Some of us want to play already."
Jackie and Parvanna stared at each other intensely, but they stepped down.
Spencer contemplated his choice, looking at Jackie and Parvanna's faces, the girls trying to convince him with a smile.
Spencer knew that both would embarrass him… But he felt that Parvanna was right.
"I think I'll take dare. Sorry, Jackie.", he added, already feeling bad.
Jackie scoffed as Parvanna fist bumped.
"Score!"
Jackie muttered under her breath.
"Ok, whatever. I dare you to…"
Jackie tried her best to think of something that could build Spencer up.
As she observed her surroundings, she came up with a solution:
"Spencer! I dare you to climb that tree!"
Parvanna raised her eyebrow as Spencer took a deep breath and approached the tree.
"You sure? He could still embarrass himself."
Jackie frowned. "Parvanna, this may come as a surprise to you, but I know more about these kids than you think."
And she was right! Spencer easily climbed the tree and as he climbed back down, a small smile could be seen on his face.
"I… I actually did that! I didn't get scared, or worried, or anything! I really did that!"
Jackie, Parvanna, Benny, Leo and Lyberti showed their support, while Ruby, Rex, Amy and Shannon ignored the commotion.
"See?", Jackie said, sticking her tongue out.
Parvanna rolled her eyes, but she had to admit that Jackie was right.
Still, it annoyed her!
Parvanna was the nice girl!
She was the one who tried to help people!
Where was Jackie when Spencer felt bad on the bus?
She wasn't responsible enough!
Not like her!
Especially since…
But Parvanna didn't have time to finish the thought, it was her turn to spin the bottle.
Lo and behold, it landed on Jackie!
Jackie, of course, asked for truth, and Parvanna wished it was the opposite.
How she'd love to knock that poser down a peg!
"Well, Parvanna, whatcha got for me?", Jackie asked, sassy and confident that nothing could shake her.
Parvanna shrugged, not really knowing what to ask.
"I don't know… Why did you join the drama club?"
It was a simple question.
It should have had a simple answer.
In fact, if Parvanna had asked a thousand other girls, they would have all shrugged like her.
But Jackie…
Jackie was one in a thousand.
But not in the way she'd like.
Jackie turned beet red and nearly choked on her own saliva, which startled the other kids.
"I… I… I just did! It doesn't really… Matter, right? I mean, why are any of us here?", Jackie asked.
"You mean in the drama club or in the world?", asked Ruby. "Because I don't know about both."
Everyone glared at Ruby, who suddenly smiled. "Kidding! You should have seen the looks on your faces!"
No one noticed her small frown once she hid it behind her phone.
Parvanna and Jackie looked at each other, and they felt an odd moment of…
Understanding.
It passed though, and the bottle was passed through to Ruby.
"Geez, do I have to?", Ruby asked, so not up for this.
Amy, frustrated, protested. "Come on, Ruby! Some of us are waiting!", she said, giving Shannon an evil look.
Shannon glared back. "Don't you dare, you jerk!"
"Amy, it's really unnecessary."
Amy sighed and looked at her boyfriend. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"
Unfortunately, Rex was again distracted by Jackie, and her wavy hair that made Rex want to float.
"She's clearly nicer than Amy… Maybe I should…"
Amy whacked him.
"When will he understand how good he has it with me?", she thought, when suddenly she got a nasty grin.
Maybe…
Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone…
Ruby spun the bottle and it landed on Spencer, who was now less scared.
"Oh, boy! Me again! Dare, please!", Spencer cheered, confident for the first time in his life.
Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes.
She was SO not interested.
She had better things to do…
At least, she thought she did.
They probably weren't better.
Nothing was better.
Ruby sighed and she got on with it.
"I guess… I dare you to…"
Ruby didn't really care, so she said the first thing that popped into her mind.
"I guess I dare you to kiss who you think is the prettiest here."
Spencer turned a shade of red never before seen.
He gasped and panicked, and he ran and hid behind Jackie and Parvanna, who stood up simultaneously.
"Ruby! We said no embarrassing things!", they scolded.
Ruby merely scoffed as she returned to her phone.
"Like, who cares?"
Spencer angrily pointed at her. "Like, I do! You can't just force me to do that!"
Ruby angrily grunted. "Spencer, are you, like, a total idiot? That's the point of the game!"
Spencer continued his accusation. "Why would you care? You keep saying you don't!"
Ruby resumed looking at her phone. "Like, whatever."
Spencer sighed and returned to his seat.
"Let's give Spencer a pass on that.", Jackie suggested, and everyone kind of nodded.
Spencer twiddled his thumbs. "It's not like there's anyone I like."
He flashbacked.
He felt the emptiness inside.
"Or anyone who would like me.", he said quietly, but not quietly enough.
Ruby caught the sad admission, and she felt bad, despite herself.
But it was easier to ignore it, so she did.
The bottle was handed over to Spencer, and he spun it, and of course, it pointed at Ruby, who sighed wearily.
"You've gotta be fu… Fudging me!", Ruby nearly swore, and she kicked the ground in frustration.
She glared at Spencer, who nearly felt guilty for something he had no control over.
"Well? Give me a dare!"
"Why not truth?", asked Spencer. "Wouldn't that require less effort?"
Ruby growled. "Like, how many times do I have to say this?"
She emphasized every word, to make it really clear this time.
"I. Don't. Care!", she spat out.
Spencer whimpered. He couldn't figure her out! Thank god he didn't need to work with her in the play in the end!
He would have had a heart attack!
Oh, if only she was…
Suddenly, Spencer got an idea.
An idea that might help the others.
He was constantly needing help.
Maybe he could finally give back!
He pointed at Ruby, a hopeful smile on his face, that ticked Ruby off.
"I dare you to be nice for a week!"
Everyone ooohed in anticipation.
Now this was a dare!
Ruby's eye twitched as she stared at Spencer. "…What?!"
Spencer, now less confident, but still resilient, nodded. "You have to be nice for a whole week. That's the dare."
Ruby looked like she was about to explode, so Spencer, afraid for his own skin, added an extra clause.
"And you can come back to not caring after that!"
Ruby still frowned, but she mulled it over. Sucks as this does, she could find a way to fake it.
Like, then, she could, like, be rid of all, like, this caring crap!
Perfect!
"Fine, like, I'll, like, do it! But, like, that's it!"
Ruby and Spencer shook hands, and the dare was finalized.
Benny's truth barely challenged Shannon ("Most embarrassing thing to happen to me? My freakin' barbecue chips being stolen by a sour cream girl!"), and after Shannon and Amy were separated, Leo and Lyberti were next.
"I gotta say… I think Truth is kinds pointless.", Leo said as the bottle pointed at Lyberti. "What do I not know about you?"
Lyberti giggled, and a whistle came out from her tooth gap, which made her laugh again.
Damn.
There were a few things Leo loved: His Mom's cooking (how did she make meat loaf exciting?), Television Shows from the late 90's to the mid 2000's, Memes, Classical Music and of course, Theatre. Or, well, the non acting features of theatre.
But Lyberti's laugh…
It was like the laughter of angels, and it made him feel…
Safe.
In fact, Lyberti's laugh ranked higher than Lyberti's hair and bow, and only just below Lyberti's smile…
…Oh boy.
Leo sweated nervously as he stared agape at his best friend of years, who he had no idea how to talk to suddenly.
How could he ever be good enough for this artistic, brave, athletic, and hilarious angel?
Lyberti, who had finished laughing, now gave him an odd look.
Everyone else also stared, impatient and confused, except for Amy, who as ever, just stared bored.
Lyberti edged closer to him, making Leo yipe nervously.
"Dude, I know things are awkward, but just give me a dare."
But hard as he tried, Leo couldn't muster an idea.
The wall between them was truly there.
Leo just couldn't talk to her.
Not without remembering all the years she'd stuck by him.
Not without remembering all the years he'd been such a burden.
Not without remembering that walk they took together but a month ago.
Not without remembering how enchanting she looked that night.
Not without remembering the soft warmth of her…
And… Leo fainted.
Lyberti sighed, and said "I guess he's really tuckered out. Poor guy has a sweating problem, sleeping problem, and he thinks nature was a mistake, so… He might need some help."
She expertly picked him up and carried him on her shoulders, as she had done numerous times before.
That didn't stop the other kids from being surprised though.
How was Lyberti so athletically capable?
As Lyberti left back to camp, she sighed and looked at her knocked out bestie with an expression of pure sadness.
"Oh, Leo… I should never have kissed you. This is my fault. I ruined our friendship."
She shed a tear or two as she carried her friend into his tent and covered him with his blankie (which she had hidden for him, as ever).
He began to suck his thumb, but Lyberti softly stopped him.
"Ah, ah, ah. You don't want that mitten again, right?"
She giggled as she remembered the memory, sitting by him and running her hand through his hair.
"You hated it so much! We used to go out on adventures burying it in the sandpit, remember? You were Captain Ogie, and I was First Mate Kamali."
She covered him a little more, and he held onto her hand, content.
He closed his eyes and he smiled brightly, safe and warm.
Lyberti almost wanted to kiss that sweet face, that face that didn't realize how much it had helped her over the years.
Leo thought he dragged her down, but the opposite was true.
Leo held her up, he supported her when no one else did.
Who else would entertain her hyper fixations? Who else would help her with her art projects? Who else would help her train for the football team?
Leo was always there, cautious, afraid, concerned…
But always there because he believed in her.
And she went off and kissed him, when she knew how scared he was!
She knew that he didn't want to ruin their friendship, and she kissed him still!
A part of her wanted to build a time machine, stop herself from kissing Leo, and then maybe go and check out the 80's.
Afros were so funny!
But another part of her kind of wanted to kiss him again, and hope that this time, he'd see that she meant no harm.
But she knew it would only make things worse.
Lyberti sighed and left the tent, looking back at the greatest person she knew.
"…Good night, sweet prince."
She smiled softly, and went to her tent, not feeling up for much of anything.
She closed her eyes, and drifted off, her dreams still haunted with the one she loved most.
And how she had hurt him.
Meanwhile, back at the picnic tables, it was Rex's turn to spin the bottle.
It pointed at Jackie, and Rex grinned, his chance popping up.
Amy eyed him suspiciously.
What was he planning?
"I'll take Truth again.", Jackie answered, and Rex leapt at the opportunity.
"Well, Jackie, I must ask:", he started, flexing his muscles and kissing his guns. "Do you think I'm… Hot and funky?"
Silence spread, as everyone digested the weird question.
Rex looked at Jackie with unbridled anticipation, hoping for a positive answer.
It wasn't that he didn't like Amy, just…
She was tiresome.
Now Jackie was a woman!
Hot, popular, even kind of smart: She was the ultimate package!
Winning her over would help Rex so much with his status back at school! No longer would he be just a jock: He would be number 1!
But if Jackie was interested, she was definitely playing hard to get.
You know, since she was laughing so hard at the question, she started coughing.
"OMG! That is, like, totes the funniest thing I've heard in forever!", Jackie chortled, finding it hard to believe that Rex was this sad.
She took a deep breath, wiping a tear of mirth, and she let Rex down easily.
"Hot and funky is definitely not what I'd use, Diet Casanova. And may I remind you that you are dating Amy.", she pointed out, a slightly sassy look on her face. "You may know her: Light brown hair, freckles on her cheeks, steam coming out of her ears…"
Rex gulped and looked back, greeted by a growling and fuming Amy, who was outraged at this betrayal.
"Do you not have a single, solitary loyal bone in your body, Rex Lee?!", she spat out, tears threatening to sky bomb down from her face.
Rex, startled at the emotional reaction, tried to save his hide. "Amy, it's not like that: I just want to know if everyone sees what you see!"
Amy continued to growl, a massive death stare peering into Rex's soul.
"…Honeybear?", Rex tried to no avail, and his GF snatched the bottle.
"I was planning on doing this anyway, and I see that I was right!", she shouted, and she spun the bottle, praying it lands on the right person.
Rex, nervous for his own skin, tugged at his collar and sheepishly asked a question. "Um… What do you mean, Passion Panda?"
Jackie and Parvanna tried to calm the atmosphere.
"Amy, we know you're upset…", Jackie started, only for Parvanna to cut in yet again.
"But surely revenge is a bit much!"
Amy snapped, rage in her eyes. "I'm not going to kill him!"
She glared at him. "Not that he doesn't deserve it! Trying to win over some other girl the entire night!"
Jackie nodded. "Hey, we all agree that he sucks total ass, but still!"
Rex protested the insult. "Hey!"
The bottle finally pointed at Amy, and Amy cackled, laughing manically, her hands shaking in the air and her mouth contorting to an evil grin.
Rex shivered. "I don't like this."
Benny nodded. "I don't like you, man, but I have to agree: Yikes."
Amy pointed at Rex. "So, I'm just sooooooo bad, huh?"
Rex shook his head. "I never said that! Though, you can be a bit… Much?"
Amy spat out venom. "MUCH?! MUCH?!"
She jabbed him in the chest, her face getting green. "YO''RE LUCKY I EVER TOOK INTEREST IN YOUR SORRY ASS! BUT NOW, REVENGE IS MINE!"
She cackled again, thunder crashing in the background.
Rex had to admit…
"Amazing timing."
Spencer, hiding behind Jackie and Parvanna, agreed. "You said it."
Amy grabbed Rex by the coller. "WELL, SWEETIE PIE, IF IT'S SOOOOO BAD TO BE MY BF, AND IF YOU WANT SOMEONE ELSE SOOOO0 BADLY, MAYBE I SHOULD TEACH YOU A LESSON!"
She suddenly lunged at Shannon, who had been busy enjoying the stupidty of it all, and was now schoked to be a part of it.
"Hey! I was sitting on the sidelines, like the background character I am!"
Amy grinned maliciously. "NO MORE, MY PRETTY! CAUSE FOR THE NEXT WEEK, MY ADULTURUES BOYFRIEND AND THIS ENVIOUS DWEEB WILL BE INSEPERABLE!"
Rex, reaility dawning on him, shook his head in fright. "No! NO! It's IMPOSSIBLE!"
Amy grinned, enjoying her revenge. "YOU WISH! REX LEE, I DARE YOU TO DATE SHANNON GRIFFIN FOR ALL OF NEXT WEEK!"
Shannon, who had never been interested in the dumb jock, and Rex, who had considered the nerdy loser to be the most disgusting thing on the planet, both screamed in agony and terror.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Suddenly, just when the drama had reached its point, frownin' frank picked up his cell, and, with a face that spelt alarm, called for attention.
"LISTEN UP, KIDS!", he screamed, causing all the teens to turn, surprised.
The little they had seen of frank made this one hell of an irregularity.
He looked at them with cocnerend eyes and he let out the bomb shell:
"The rest of your friends are trapped in a warehouse. They're being surrounded by wolves…"
To Lori, there were many things that weren't ok:
Siblings entering her room without permission.
Her conversations with Bobby being interrupted.
Anyone lifting a finger on her family.
Being alone.
Not being needed.
Broccoli on Pizza (seriously, what kind of monster does that?)
But being chased by wolves because of a lack of concentration?
Yeah, that kind of took the cake!
Leaves and branches were trampled as the teens fled, panicking from the intense danger they were in.
The bared teeth foamed and shook violently as the hungry wolves chased our heroes, drooling at the mere thought of flesh stuck in their fangs.
With evening falling, all the teens could see was the fleeting specter of the moon and the spine tingling shine of the wolves teeth.
Dirt, muck and sweat covered everyone, and their hearts pounded in their chests.
How could the day take such an ugly turn?
Lori cursed them as she pulled Dana up from the ground, and looked for Luan.
"Those idiots!", she thought angrily as she tried to keep track of everyone. "Why the hell did they wander off? They should have thought of it! They should have been more careful!"
She kicked a log away, a wriggling of maggots crawling out of it and scurrying into the night.
Lori's face, drenched with sweat, relaxed from her previous rage as she saw an abandoned warehouse, just big enough to hide them for the night.
"Guys! I've literally found shelter!", she cried, and she approached the door.
Drat, it's locked!
The rusty lock taunted Lori, mocking her for her failure to protect the ones she loved, but Lori would not give up!
She would persevere once again!
Her eyes darted around, looking for a solution.
The other teens, meanwhile, started climbing the trees to escape the dreaded beasts that wished to destroy them.
"Lori!", Luna called, a little annoyed. "For literally found shelter, it's kind of literally cutting it close!"
"I'm doing it, Luna!", Lori yelled as she continued to search.
The darkness made it hard to see, and Lori squinted through it, making out nothing but a hard surface.
She began to feel the warehouse with her hands, and finally, she struck gold!
"An air vent!", she exclaimed, relieved. Her heart stopped racing and her tensed up body relaxed.
"EVERYBODY! IN HERE!", she ordered loudly, and everyone followed suit: Leni, Luna, Sam, Maggie, Carol, Whitney, Becky, Dana, Fiona, Miguel and Mandee all raced in, with only Chaz and Luan failing to get in at first.
Chaz was again stuck in the doorway, and now, with the tension at a razors edge, and a pack of blood thirsty wolves after him, he cursed his life choices.
Perhaps his friends were right…
Perhaps he should shed some weight…
But no! Only food understood him!
Why should he change his lifestyle choices?
This was his grandma all over again!
Always haunting him when he least expects it!
Just like the time she barged in on him putting on a horse mask and rapping "It's Party Time" from Titanic: The Legend Goes On.
Look, Grandma, memes are a legitimate lifestyle! I have a right to be dank!
While Chaz spiraled into… Whatever that was, Luan shrieked at the sight of the wolves as they neared her, their snarls the stuff of nightmares.
The moonlight shimmered off their black coats, and Luan felt truly afraid for the first time in her life.
She screamed as they approached slowly but ravenously, and Lori, who was still pushing Chaz in, saw this happening.
"If they had just listened to me, this wouldn't have happened…", Lori began, but as Lori's eyes landed on the scene, her heart stopped and her face went pale.
Suddenly, all her anger, all her frustrations, all her fears disappeared.
With one mighty shove, Chaz squeezed in through the air vent, and he hurried inside to the building, feeling bad for the delay he had caused.
"Lori… Run! They'll get you too!", Luan cried, but Lori didn't give a shit.
Her arms spread wide, her mouth contorted with rage, her eyes red and her body straight, Lori leapt in front of the wolves, her entire self devoted to saving Luan and Luan only.
Self preservation kind of jumped out the window when your little sister who was always smiling was now crying for her life.
Lori scooped up her sister, almost like she was a baby again, and as she dashed to the vent, Lori's memories of Luan flashed through her eyes: Luan preforming her comedy act at Lori's 11th Birthday, 9 year old Lori and 6 year old Luan watching a movie together, snuggled up in a blanket together, Lori hugging Luan just today, and finally, Lori, at the age of 3, looking at baby Luan in her crib, Lynn Sr. and Rita telling her that she has to watch out for her baby sister…
And as Luan ran in to the vent, Lori couldn't help but realize: If she hadn't been so busy trying to get the perfect forest selfie, they wouldn't have strayed off, thus they wouldn't have accidentally alerted the wolves…
Which means…
Her sister could have died…
Chaz could have died…
They all could have died…
Because of her…
No one noticed, but as everyone tried to settle down, Lori began to weep.
How…
How could she have been so selfish?
She…
She had to compensate them for this!
She had to do be better!
Much better!