𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 │𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧

𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

ONCE EVERYONE HAD EATEN AND the sun dipped low behind the treetops, the warm golden light slowly gave way to night. The air grew cooler, and that familiar scent of campfire began to settle into the breeze. It was time to start the fire.

While the guys collected firewood, dragged chairs into a circle, and worked on lighting the flames, the girls gathered up thick blankets and oversized hoodies from inside the cabin. Emberly grabbed a soft gray one, wrapping it around her shoulders like armor. She was starting to feel colder than the night warranted.

Not long after, the group gathered around the flickering firepit, laughing and talking as they launched into a round of Heads Up.

Spencer had the phone against his forehead, and his word was Avocado.

"Healthy!" Olivia said first, gesturing enthusiastically.

"Come on. Something I eat?" Spencer asked, glancing around at them all.

"Uh, white people like it," Emberly added flatly from her seat.

A few people chuckled. The truth was, she had tried avocado toast once and instantly regretted it. Never again.

"Avocado!" Spencer shouted, and the group erupted into cheers and claps.

Emberly smiled with the others, but her mind didn't linger on the game.

She wasn't trying to be sour—she really wasn't. But ever since earlier, ever since seeing Olivia and Spencer talking on the dock, something inside her felt unsettled. And it was like every laugh, every glance, every little shared moment between them only twisted the knife further.

Next up was Jordan, who stood and held up four fingers.

"Okay, four letters," Layla said, narrowing her eyes. "Let's do this."

Jordan suddenly started miming something, grabbing at his back dramatically.

"What the hell is he doing?" Simone whispered beside Layla, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Time, time!" JJ called, cutting off the round.

"Damn!" Jordan dropped the phone and flopped back down.

"Babe, what was that?" Evelyn asked him, clearly confused.

"Back to the Future," Jordan replied, brushing his hands off.

"What?!" Spencer asked, eyebrows shooting up.

"Back to the Future?" Evelyn repeated, blinking. "I've never seen that movie in my life."

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"Whoa! What?" Jordan said dramatically, looking at her like she just confessed to murder. "You're kidding."

"Nope," Evelyn shrugged. "It's giving... forty-year-old nostalgia. For the record, the greatest movie of all time is Parasite. Come on now."

"Thank you," Layla chimed. "Someone with taste."

"Yeah, Jordan doesn't do subtitles," JJ added with a snort. "Have you met him?"

"Seriously?" Simone asked, staring at Jordan like he just betrayed her. "Who are you?"

Evelyn laughed. "Girl, it took me two months to get him to watch Get Out without skipping scenes."

Jordan looked at all of them like they'd ganged up on him. "Okay, wow. Attacked."

The next round began. This time it was Vanessa's turn to stand in the middle.

"Ooh, okay, um... he's an actor," she began, holding the phone up. "Pretty famous. Very sexy."