the wilds • toni shalifoe

Day Six

Everyone moved out of the cave and back to camp. It was freezing during the nights, and it was pretty clear they couldn't reside there anymore. A bat shitting in Dot's mouth was the last straw for her. On the bright side, Martha's ankle had healed.

"Hey," Lana made her way over to Rachel who was setting some stuff down. The athlete nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Thank you." Rachel looked at her in confusion. "For what happened in the first night in the cave. I was completely in the wrong. I guess I'm just not exactly the best at accepting people's help."

Rachel let out a breathy chuckle. "I couldn't hold a grudge against you for that, because I know what that's like all too well, so don't worry about it. It's in the past now."

Lana and Rachel smiled at each other in understanding. "I'm sorry for your cut."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's healing well. Nothing I'm not used to already anyways," Lana muttered the last part, but Rachel still caught onto it.

She was starting to take a liking to the blonde and see that she isn't just some cheerleading, rich bimbo that has no worries in life. She has a past, just as, if not darker than her own.

"Well, I'm glad we got this sorted out. I should go and apologize to Shelby too," Lana looked out into the ocean where Nora, Fatin, and Shelby were walking towards.

Rachel nodded before Lana waved and made her way towards the three. "Hey guys." The two girls exchanged greetings back, while Shelby just smiled shyly, not knowing where she stood with the girl.

"Shelby, can we talk?" Lana caught her off-guard, but the girl still responded kindly. "Yeah, of course."

The two walked a little further away. "I just talked to Rachel, and we sorted everything out, and I want to do the same with you. Um, I'm trying to say thank you, and I'm sorry for yesterday. You were just trying to help, and you're right. I shouldn't be taking them anymore."

"That night scared me. More than anything in my life. I almost lost my best friend, for forever. I just want you to be happy and healthy, Lana Banana. I don't want you to end up like," Shelby stopped talking, feeling a lump forming in her throat.

"Like Becca? Shelby, I promise that I'll never try something like that again. Thank you for saving me that night, and I am so sorry that I basically ghosted you for months. You deserve such a better best friend than me."

"I could never ask for a better best friend than you, Lana Kate," Shelby pulled the girl in for a hug.

That was the moment that the two blondes friendship was officially rekindled.

"Let's just start over, alright? Because I need my best friend by my side if I'm gonna get through being stuck on this island," Shelby told her.

Lana nodded her head eagerly. "That sounds amazing."

The two made their way back to the other to girls. "Aw did the besties make up?" Fatin teased. "Yes, we did," Shelby smiled.

After a little while of just walking or swimming around in the water, Fatin spoke up.

"Fuck, I miss my socials," she groaned following with agreement from Lana. "Feels strange to say this, but I sort of don't," Shelby countered.

"Oh, come on. The fans, the haters, the memes. The thirst-traps. It's all happening somewhere, but... without us."

"You know what my daddy always says when he thinks I'm looking at my phone too much?" "You'll never spot a rainbow looking down," Lana recited remembering what Shelby's father said to them in the past.