The next day, we decided to go to the beach and hopefully forget all about the day before.I still felt so horrible about what had happened to Victoria, and I could tell she was just trying to forget all about it, so I didn't bring it up.Thankfully, the beach was the perfect distraction.It stretched out before us like an endless canvas, the sound of waves providing calmness to our day. The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot outside. It was as if we were blessed with the perfect weather today.Everything seemed to feel that way until the tension slowly crept into our midst.Lucas's phone buzzed, shattering the calm like a rock thrown into a still pond.When he glanced down at his phone, his face shifted from unbothered to concerned. He frowned as he picked up the phone, "Hello?"As he listened to the voice on the other end, his frown only deepened. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."Immediately, I realized it was Kendrick. No wonder his face had turned so sour.A cloud seemed to form over his fe
James's idea for everyone to drink ended up being one of the best ideas he'd ever had.By the time the sun was beginning to decline into the horizon, we were all feeling comfortably content.Everything was funny and stories floated out of our mouths carelessly.It was safe to assume that everyone was buzzed, especially James who became even more talkative and bubbly -- if that's even possible."Should we head back?" Lucas asked, pointing out how the sky was starting to turn golden orange. "I'm starving.""Hey!" Lucas jumped up, slinging an arm over Lucas's shoulder. "That's my line!"Our laughter from the beach still echoed in the air as we packed up our things and walked back to the beach house.I couldn't wait to get all the sand off my body, shower, and put on clean clothes. There really was no better feeling than spending all day in the sun and cleaning yourself afterward.I was already imagining the amazing sleep I would get tonight.Lucas unlocked the back door as we filtered in
The next morning, I woke to the sun blinding my eyes through the open blinds. However, I didn't mind.How could I when the view outside my window was crystal blue water and pearly white sand?I wished I could wake up to a view like this forever. I guess James had a point when he said he'd want to buy a house like this someday. It was the perfect place to escape from reality and just feel completely at peace.As I gazed out at the clear waves, I realized that two days had already passed by and I still hadn't spent any time catching up with Lucas.I mean, don't get me wrong, we'd hung out in a group with everyone else on the beach or at the beach house during meals... but we haven't had any quality time together just the two of us.We were only here for another three days and I wasn't sure if there'd be any opportunity for us to spend that time together.I decided that I would make it my mission today to steal a moment with Lucas, away from everyone else.Yesterday, he seemed tense afte
For dinner later that day, we decided to visit the busy little beach town. It was bustling with activity as we stepped into the lively restaurant, and I was surprised to see so many people out.Everyone was dressed in breathable clothing, like flowy summer dresses or white linens.I was looking forward to enjoying a delicious dinner with all of my friends, old and new. As much as I loved James's cooking over the past few days, I was ready to just have a meal where all of us could relax without dirtying up the kitchen.We found a cozy corner table, and as fate would have it, the seating arrangements hadn't changed. James was once again next to Victoria and Emily, and I couldn't help but wonder if their conversations would result in another clash.After their movie this morning, I thought that they had settled their differences once and for all, but unsurprisingly, the two of them got into another argument. Except then, they were fighting over the remote.After about forty-five minutes
At the restaurant last night, we overheard multiple locals mentioning a nearby trail with waterfalls and stunning views of the ocean.So today, the five of us decided to take a break from the beach and go on a hike.It was midday, the hottest time of the day, and we weren't even five minutes into the hike when James started complaining about his sore muscles."Ugh, why does this hike have to be uphill?" he whined, pouting excessively. "My thighs are killing me.""It's not even that bad," Victoria rolled her eyes at him. "This is what you get for eating all our food and not exercising after.""Are you calling me fat, Vic?" James fake gasped, clutching a hand at his chest.Although, the gasp might've been real due to the way he was currently struggling to breathe from walking so much.Thinking about Victoria's comment, I figured that there's she actually thought that James was overweight. Despite eating like an entire family of four, James was incredibly in shape. It was almost unfair h
I couldn't believe it.The mountain hike seemed like a fantastic idea at first with the promise of breathtaking ocean views, but now, as Lucas and I stared at each other with equal signs of worry, I was beginning to think that maybe we had underestimated its challenges."Lucas..." I started then glanced around at the seemingly endless trees.I couldn't hear any sounds or see any signs of which way was the right way to go.We were completely lost."It's okay, Shana." Lucas immediately denied our predicament, trying to comfort me instead. "We'll find our way, we just need to head back to the trail.""Which is... where exactly?" I swallowed hard, looking up at him. "I don't know where we are right now, Lucas."Lucas frowned, studying the surroundings. "I know, Shana. It's hard to tell... The trail was clear before, but now everything looks the same."I hoped James was happy, wherever he was. He had successfully managed to split us up, leaving Lucas and me alone. And now here we were... L
When Lucas said those eight words, my stomach twisted in knots. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the night in these unknown woods, but it appeared as if we had no choice.We couldn't find the trail, and even if we could, we had no idea where the others were. It would take us forever to find them in the darkness.Spending the night in the woods seemed to be the only option.Lucas and I tried searching for the trail for a few hours with no success. It felt as if we were walking in circles, or deeper and deeper into the woods.Slowly, the night crept over the woods, leaving Lucas and me in a state of growing unease. As the light dimmed, so did our hopes of finding our way back to safety.My stomach growled loudly, showing me just how dire this situation was.Lucas sighed, his expression full of frustration and worry. "Shana, we can't go on like this. We need to have some water, at least."I leaned against a nearby tree, rubbing my arms to ward off the chill that was slowly creepin
As the paramedics sat us in the back of their vehicle to assess our condition, I tried to get Lucas's attention."Lucas," I called softly. When his eyes met mine, I gestured toward Kendrick with wide eyes, hoping that he'd see him.Lucas's eyes followed my directions, and I knew the moment his eyes locked with Kendrick because his entire demeanor went stiff and rigid.His eyes flashed back to mine, fear and panic taking over. I couldn't even blame him.What was Kendrick doing here? And how did he know what had happened?I looked back over at him standing around the police officers he was currently talking to. He kept gesturing toward Lucas with his fingers as if he was letting them know that Lucas was his son.Surprisingly, his usually stern expression was replaced with... worry? I almost rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing things correctly. Maybe the lack of water and exhaustion had me hallucinating things.But no, I wasn't seeing things. Genuine concern was on Kendrick's face,