Part VI
"But I don't wanna go camping!" Newt complained.
Jack sighed and continued to load the packed bags into the car. "Look, you can invite Lauren if you want".
Newt looked up. "What? Like her dad will let her go...Not to mention her mum".
"I can have a word..." Jack shrugged.
Newt scoffed. "Right...".
Jack closed the boot over with a sigh. "Look...Frankie thinks this camping-trip will help you—".
"Fit in?" Newt interrupted "Are you kidding? You think I'll fit in...In the woods!".
"I was going to say" Jack began "Help you learn more about life...".
Newt snorted.
"Look we're going, okay?" Jack sighed "We're leaving when everyone's packed...Go see if Lauren wants to come".
Newt turned. "Who else is coming on this thing?".
Jack went quiet. "Me, you, maybe Steph...".
Newt nodded and turned to leave.
"Oh and Newt..." Jack added.
Newt turned again. "What?".
"Darren's coming" Jack said quietly, waiting for the bang and shouts of protest.
Newt smiled slightly. "Good idea Jack...We can take him to the woods, shoot him and then maybe throw him in the canals...Nobody would ever know...".
-
"Camping?" Lauren frowned.
Newt nodded slowly "Jack's idea of maturity".
Lauren snorted. "Ha..! And Darren is coming?".
Newt nodded again.
"Well, I can't miss this" Lauren grinned, pulling a black bag out of her wardrobe.
Newt watched with fascination as Lauren began packing stuff and he turned beetroot red when she pulled out several bras, most of them designed with red lace, glitter and fish-net materials. Lauren's back was turned as she packed them, oblivious to Newt's embarrassment.
She zipped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Newt, what is it?" she spun around to find Newt staring up intensely at her.
"Nothing" he replied huskily.
Lauren nodded and opened her bedroom door. "Coming?" she asked, already out the door and down the stairs.
Newt stood and walked over slowly, trying to get his thoughts together. He followed out after Lauren, closing the door behind him. Newt walked past Danny's room and down the stairs to the living-room, where he could already hear the protests.
"Wait til your father gets back here" Valerie cried "He'll have none of this!" she glanced at Newt "And I knew I shouldn't have let you in here either!".
"Mum!" Lauren screamed "You let me go on the camping trip or I tell dad about the Italian man you had an affair with, even though you knew that dad still wanted you...".
Valerie gasped "What!? How do you know about that?".
Lauren glared at her. "See you soon, mum...Come on Newt" she strode past, Newt following after her.
"Lauren!" Valerie shrieked. "You're not going anywhere!".
Lauren picked up the phone and stared at her mother. "What's dad's mobile number again?".
Valerie sighed and watched as a smug Lauren dropped the phone and strolled out, Newt closely behind.
-
Jack pulled up to a half empty green field that was right next to a wooded area.
"Hey Newt" Lauren smiled "This is the place we came yesterday...—".
Newt gave her a look.
Jack, Darren and Steph turned around and frowned at the teenagers.
Lauren coughed "I mean...In the dream that I had yesterday where me and Newt were in that big forest place and I...".
"Anyhoo" Darren grinned, getting out. "Emos-in-the-outback...Does that have a ring or is it just me?".
Newt rolled his eyes.
Lauren fake-grinned "How about Moron-Gets-Killed-In-Hunting-Accident-forward-slash-A-Hunter-Thought-He-Was-A-Fox-And-Shot-Him..?".
"Aha" Darren mocked "You're so funny..!".
They all got out the car and stared at the already built tents further off on the field.
"Do people actually do this all the time..?" Steph winced, squishing in the mud.
"Why are you really here?" Darren blurted out happily.
"I was bribed" Steph replied "Mum's not as cheap as you'd think...".
They all helped Jack unpack and carry luggage out into the field.
"Let's stay close to the car" Steph muttered "In case of any psycho-paths showing up...".
Jack scoffed and began putting up a big tent. "Can I get some help?".
Steph and Darren sighed and walked forwards.
"You only have one tent!?" Darren moaned.
There's 2 more in the boot" Jack muttered. "Steph can have one and me and you can share...And Newt and Lauren—".
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Darren interrupted "I mean—".
"We know what you mean, Darren" Steph whined "But, just because you'd sleep with any moving creature doesn't mean Newt and Lauren are gonnah have underage, not to mention unsafe sex...Just grow up".
Newt and Lauren couldn't have sunk further down into the ground or gone any more redder.
Darren shrugged "Well yeah...But I was really just gonnah say you think it's a good idea letting two suicidal emos alone together in a tent where they can do their witch-craft and voodoo dolls and stuff...".
"Oh" Steph blushed "Right...".
Jack sighed "Could we all get on please? I promised Frankie I'd do some bonding with you lot...Things have really been hard on her, with Charlie...".
"I'll help you set the tent up" Lauren told Newt quietly. They stood and went to the boot.
-
"And he was coming at me..." Jack murmured "So, I right hooked him and...".
"This is kinda nice...Look at the sky..." Lauren whispered to Newt.
The sky had darkened and Jack and Darren had miserably failed to get a fire going, until Steph gave them the lighter that Frankie kept in the car compartment.
They had their 3 tents set up around the fire, making a view available to the other campers at the other end of the field.
Newt glanced at Darren; he was lying down, his upper body in the big tent him and Jack were sharing and Jack, sitting next to him.
Steph was filing her nails by her tent, checking her cell every five minutes to see if the signal had picked up.
"I really miss Max...And Tom! I usually give him a goodnight kiss..." she whined, interrupting one of Jack's stories about when he had been young and free.
"I'm tired" Newt announced; he really couldn't be bothered listening to Steph the Barbie whinge about her life. He stood, letting Lauren in first before he mumbled a goodnight and went in, zipping it up behind him.
"Watch them like a hawk" Darren's voice came from the tent.
"Well, I'm tired too" Steph yawned "See you in the morning..." she scooped up her make-up bags and pushed them in the tent, taking all her luggage in with her.
Jack sighed and finished his juice box, turning to Darren. "Budge over son..." he made his way in "Have I ever told you about the time my brother and I hitch-hiked over to Ireland...".
-
"How am I gonnah change?".
Newt froze and turned to Lauren. W-What?".
"Into my pyjamas" Lauren stated, smirking "How am I gonnah change? Or even change into new clothes tomorrow..?".
"I could leave" Newt began "And you could just tell me when I've to come back in and the same for me...".
Lauren smiled, nodding. "Great..." she glanced over to his lap, where he had his sketching pad. "What you drawing?".
Newt shrugged "Nothing really...".
Lauren nodded. "Well, I think the pyjama changing can hold off tonight, what do you say?".
"Sure" Newt agreed quietly.
Lauren lay down, turning her back to Newt. "Y'know what Darren said earlier on...".
Newt sighed "He's a moron, I know...Emos-in-the-out-back..? How lame is that?".
Lauren smiled slightly and turned over, revealing a smooth piece of skin that made Newt swallow.
"No" she began quietly "I meant about the other bit...About how us sharing this tent would somehow lead to...".
Newt froze, studying the way she bit her lip and twirled the ring on her middle finger. He closed his sketch-pad and nodded. "Yeah, like I said, he's a moron".
Lauren nodded back in agreement and fell silent, turning back over. "Night, Newt" she whispered.
"Same" Newt muttered back, turning off the torch and falling down beside Lauren. He pulled his own cover up and sighed softly.
"Did you kiss me?" Lauren blurted out.
Newt turned on his back, as she was doing and looked up the tent.
"Please don't lie to me" Lauren whispered "When I woke up after you pulled me out of the pond and you were there...My lips felt warm and soft and...".
Newt glanced at her and then looked away. "Yes...But, I was trying to give you CPR...".
"Oh" she sounded disappointed. "Thanks anyway..." she yawned.
"Lauren" Newt began, not looking at her "When you were in that pond and I couldn't get you out, it was so horrible to think of you, not being able to breathe and maybe...I think a part of me wanted to kiss you and I know it's awkward, us being best friends and how we're lying in the same tent right now but I really want you to know that..." he sighed deeply "That I think...I..." he glanced over at her to find she had fallen asleep.
Newt smiled softly and pulled her cover up to her body. "Night, Lauren" he turned on his side and closed his eyes, ignoring the little smug voice in his head telling him he should never ever say those words to her again, conscious or not.
-
"Get it off me!" Steph shrieked, running around and messing up the bags, burnt logs and jackets. "Get it off me!".
"Well if you'd stay still then I would!" Darren replied in a huff.
"What's all the racket?" Newt and a tired Lauren opened their tent and walked out into the cold dark night to find Darren slowly peeling off a small insect from Steph's back.
"She got scared of a cricket" Darren answered smugly, he laid the cricket down on the ground and smirked.
"It was huge!" Steph cried.
"Jack not up?" Lauren yawned.
Darren shrugged "He's a heavy sleeper...".
Suddenly a distant scream erupted from the other end of the field and everyone jumped.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Darren asked.
Steph shrugged and looked suspiciously around. "Psycho-killer coming to get you...Hopefully".
"Oh ha ha Steph, shut up" Darren muttered.
"Scared?" Steph pouted.
"Pack it in" Newt muttered, looking over at the other end of the field that led into the woods.
Another scream was heard and they all looked up.
"I'm going over to see what's going on" Lauren announced, picking up a flash-light. She turned it on and glanced back.
"What? Are you crazy!?" Steph shrieked.
"Probably" Lauren muttered.
Newt sighed and pulled on his jacket, also picking up a flash-light.
"Please me you're not going as well?" Steph moaned.
Newt shrugged and began following after Lauren, who had already set off.
"We'll be back soon" Newt told them "If we're not back in an hour..." he hesitated "Wake Jack".
Steph sighed as she and Darren watched them trek off.
She moaned in frustration. "We're gonnah have to go, aren't we?".
Darren picked a flash-light and shrugged. "Coming?".
Steph watched him walk off, glancing from Darren, Newt and Lauren to Jack.
She sighed and fished the ground for another flash-light. "Wait up!" she whispered loudly.
The three dark figures turned and watched as Steph winced her way through the mud and towards them.
"15 minutes" she told them "Then we're going back".
"Don't be such a wuss" Darren smirked "What could possibly go wrong?".
-
"Well well well...What do we have here?".
Darren, Steph, Newt and Lauren all raised their flash-lights up to see a very big bulky man. He had a messy white beard and wore thick black over-alls.
"We don't have anything" Darren replied "And we were just leaving—" he turned to go but the man reached out and pulled Darren back.
Steph gasped. "No no...Mr. Sir...We just—".
"Got lost" Newt interrupted "We should be going now".
Lauren nodded "Our...Police parents will be worrying about where we got too".
"What?" Darren frowned. "We don't have— Ow!".
Steph stamped on his foot. "That's right...Our Head Of Police parents will be wondering where we got to...".
"You hear that, Johnny?" the man grinned "These are kids of police parents".
"Head Of Police" Steph corrected quietly.
Suddenly, several figures appeared.
The youngsters all gulped as the figures revealed them-selves to be big bald tattoo-covered men.
"Great..." Lauren sighed "Just my luck...".