Liquid Feels - Book 3 - DP Series - Complete

8. Girls Are Awful

We hike for two hours. Two hours! And I believe we're more lost than I've ever been in my life. That's a huge statement considering how directionally challenged I truly am. Not one to whine, I continue to trudge behind the two survivalists in front of me, freezing to death under the weight of my heavy, wet clothes. Neither of them seems willing to admit we made a few thousand wrong turns, and rather than forfeit their masculinity, they pretend they know where they're going.

"There!"

Jamison's voice breaks through our lack of conversation and Seth and I glance up.

"What?" I ask, coming to stand beside Jamison in hopes of seeing what he sees. "Wow... more trees! Exciting."

He grabs my head between his hands and—none too gently—jerks my head a few inches to the left.

"There!" He mutters again, pointing through the trees. "Lights. See, I told you."

His smug tone grinds my nerves as I strain to see what he's seeing. I shift my head slightly until a small twinkling catches my eye. A town must be just through these trees.

"Oh, so you really did know where you were taking us," I tease. "How foolish of me to think it might have been a coincidence."

"Cool it, Merc."

Seth's voice startles me and I glance in his direction. We're all tired and on edge, but his admonishment stings my pride. It's enough of a sting to smudge the effect my nickname might have normally had coming from his lips.

I rub my eyes, picking up my pace and leaving the two boys behind me. It's almost three in the morning and this little adventure lost its excitement about three hours ago. Now, I'm just dying to be in bed. Heck, I'd settle for a pallet of hay or a nice flat rock for all I care. I just want to sleep somewhere I know the bears and coyotes won't be able to snack on me.

It takes us forty minutes to find a hotel and the only one of us smart enough to have their wallet with them is Seth. We get one room and then Jamison and I take the two twin beds since Seth insists on sleeping on the narrow couch. There is no arguing. We don't even bother turning on lights or brushing our teeth, we just drop into bed and fall asleep.

——— 

I wake up to the slam of a door. My blurry eyes scan the still room, searching for the source, but it seems there's no one here. My hand flops to the side table to check the time on my phone but it's not there. Hands fumble with the blankets, diving into the crevices only to realize my phone is still in Jamison's Land Rover—wherever that might be.

Groaning my way out of bed, I peer around the corner to find the bathroom door wide open, the light off. The bed beside mine shows evidence of someone having slept there, but is now vacant. My lips vibrate together as I let out an exaggerated sigh. Seems I've been left behind and now the only thing I can do is hope they come back for me.

Voices from outside draw me to the window and I squint into the blinding light. There's some yelling and I see two figures appear from the room beside ours. They've clearly had a rough night, based on the edginess in their voices. They swing their door shut so hard it causes ours to rattle. I watch them pass the window, arguing until they're out of sight, and then I drop the curtain and turn to face the empty room. Might as well do something with myself.

I know I must smell like river and stale breath, so I opt for a shower. I've never been more grateful for the little bottles of shampoo and pre-packaged toothpaste and toothbrush. By the time I'm finished freshening up, I feel like a completely new person. Snatching the hairdryer off the wall, I get to work fluffing my normally limp locks.