When Things Go Wrong

Chapter 3: Recipe for Disaster

The car bumped and bounced on the dirt road as they pulled into the campground. Tubbo's phone camera panned the area. He was recording a mini-vlog before they disappeared off the internet for three days. As they rolled down the narrow road searching for their site, Ranboo's excitement grew. He had never gone camping and was ecstatic for his first wilderness journey to be with Tubbo. Of course, they weren't intensely camping, since they had tents, cooking supplies, and readily available bathrooms.

Birds chirped, and leaves crunched as Ranboo parked the car. They both got out and stretched, stiff after the car ride. It was already late afternoon, so they decided to start setting everything up. All their things had been stuffed clumsily into the back of the car, so when Tubbo opened the back door, various bags tumbled out. It took a little while, but he finally got everything out of the car and organized it into piles. Yet, to Tubbo, (who was watching Ranboo with an amused expression on his face) it looked like a mess. Ranboo brushed the dirt off his hands. "So, do you want to set up the tent or the kitchen area?" For context, the duo had gotten a small kitchen set on their way, with a little stove and some counter space. Tubbo scanned the pile and decided on the kitchen bit. He investigated the piles of items while Ranboo dragged the tent bag over to a flat space. After a few minutes of searching, he had found nothing. "Uh, bossman, where is the kitchen stuff?"

"What do you mean? It should be by the sleeping bags,"

"Nope," a small smile was tugging at Tubbo's lips. "I think we forgot it."

Ranboo's mouth opened as he almost tripped over the tent. "At least we have a picnic table," he said, pointing to the bag of kitchen items he had thrown in at the last minute. They dissolved into giggles. "Peanut butter sandwiches for dinner, then."

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After a very nutritious dinner and some s'mores, Tubbo was bouncing off the walls with energy. Or, rather, bouncing off the trees. "Ranboo!" He pumped his arms in excitement. "Let's go exploring!"

The tall boy grasped Tubbo's shoulders. "Yes, but calm down first." The small boy only laughed maniacally, flipped him off, then continued running around the campsite like a buzzing bee. He put on a sweatshirt, then grabbed his long socks and pulled them over his sweatpants. (Which Ranboo's raised his eyebrows at)

"Swimming?" Tubbo asked hopefully. Ranboo immediately shook his head. "I don't know how."

The small boy gazed up at him in surprise. "You're serious?"

"Yup."

"My mum threw me into our pool when I was a baby," Tubbo deadpanned. When he saw Ranboo's concerned face, he giggled. "I'm only joking bossman!"

Ranboo laughed cautiously at first, then it escalated into them both dissolving into a fit of laughter together. They weren't paying much attention to their surroundings, so they didn't see the group of kids about their age walking towards them, smirking. The duo slowed their chatter, as you do when a group passes you, but the kids didn't. In fact, they got louder. As Ranboo heard snippets of their conversation, he got the sense he was being mocked. Tubbo didn't notice, so Ranboo protectively walked in front of him. His confidence melted but, as some of the bigger guys got closer. The whole group laughed and pointed at them. At this point, Ranboo got the sense they were mocking Tubbo, and he could do nothing about it. There was a slightly open area in the path, so Ranboo wordlessly guided Tubbo towards the edge.

"Bossman?" The small boy had a confused look on his face. Before Ranboo could open his mouth, one of the guys responded. The group stopped in their tracks. "Can you actually just shut up, for like one second?"

A girl from the group gasped sarcastically. "Oh my god, Hunter, he probably doesn't even understand you! He can't even read."

"Chubbo."

"What a freak."

Tubbo's eyes filled with fear and Ranboo frowned. As the group passed them by with smug looks, they each gave a remark. Ranboo wanted to punch all of them in the face. He wanted to push them to the ground, and tell them how dare they speak to Tubbo like that and what childhood trauma caused them to act like this. But his confidence had drained from his body. He stood with a stony expression on his face, and turned to flip them off, but only when they had walked away. He went to go with Tubbo back to the campsite, but he was gone.

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Escape.

Tubbo frantically looked around for some way to get out of this situation. Off the main path, he spotted a thin dirt path that forked left into the forest. The small boy brushed tears off his face as he tore through the narrow path. He hadn't even realized tears were falling down his face and blurring his vision.

Finally, he stopped at a clearing and tumbled onto the grass. His face glistened with sweat as he gasped for air in the cool evening. His shoulders shook and his head swirled. How did they find him? Then, he had a realization. It must've happened during the mini-vlog they recorded when they arrived. Stupid. He accidentally flashed the name of the camp as they pulled in, assuming he could edit it out. Careless. But he got so caught up in getting settled in and spending time with Ranboo, he didn't bother editing it and posted it. Tubbo's voice cracked as he yelled into the dark abyss again. No matter how far he ran, or how much he covered his ears, their voices were always there, echoing around his head. Tears fell in fat droplets down his cheeks as he tugged at strands on his tangled mop of hair. The broken boy repeated this over and over, screaming and yelling, not caring how loud or who heard. He squeezed his eyes closed as he caught his breath, wishing things would just be a little bit different.

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Ranboo crashed through the forest, branches snapping as he called Tubbo's name. He stopped short when he heard an ear-splitting scream echo through the forest.

"TUBBO?'' he yelled frantically, squinting out for any sign of the small boy. He heard another scream and continued jogging down the thin path. The screams were getting louder and louder. Ranboo reached a clearing with tall trees, scattered rocks, and his Tubbo in the middle.

Ranboo dropped the flashlight and his phone in shock. He sprinted over to him and tore off his sweatshirt. Tubbo immediately scurried away from him, but when he looked up to see Ranboo, he stopped. Ranboo crouched down next to him, wrapped his sweatshirt around him, and rubbed his shoulders. "Tubbo," he said sympathetically. He couldn't bear to see his best friend shaking, crying, with a puffy face. Ranboo shifted his position so he could grasp the small boy's body and hold it in his arms. Tubbo was limp, but let Ranboo squeeze him tightly and whisper into his ear. "Don't you listen to them for a second,'' he said gently. Tubbo nodded weakly. "Thank you, Ranboo,'' he whispered. They sat for a while longer, Tubbo slowly feeling better.

"C'mon, let's go back to camp, I have something for you," Ranboo stood up and reached out his hand. Tubbo took it carefully and gave him a small smile. They trekked back to their camp, following the dirt path and stopping occasionally to point out interesting plants. The moon was peeking out from the tall trees, and darkness had swallowed the forest. Despite the darkness, they walked in silence, enjoying each other's company.

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Ouch. That was kind of rough. PSA: DON'T BE MEAN TO TUBBO OR ANY OF THE YOUNGSTERS 

okay. Frequently asked questions time:

Did I completely forget about the existence of this book? Yes.

Am I going to blame it on how I've been swamped with schoolwork? Yes. (To be fair, I have)

Am I back and motivated to finish this? Somewhat. But I do have the ending written and there's only going to be one or two more chapters :)

Sorry to keep you waiting <3