Alone {The Wilds}

Chapter Eight

The world seemed determined to prove Sophie wrong when she thought the day couldn't get any worse. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon as she finally reached the camp, hiding behind the distant hills and streaking orange flecks into the cloudy sky, casting the group in a golden glow as she made her way up the hill to where they were sat.

"Sophie!" Martha exclaimed, visibly brightening as the brunette appeared, "You're back! Guys, she's back."

"Yeah we got the message, Martha." Fatin sighed, "Please tell me you found a makeup bag out there-  I have more mascara on my cheeks than on my actual fucking eyes."

"Nice to know where your priorities are at." Dot snorted, gathering the supplies into the center of the circle, "But seriously, did you find anything good?"

"No," Sophie shook her head and dropped to her knees, her aching body sighing with relief as she sat down for the first time in what felt like an eternity, "You?"

"Well..." Dot smiled mischievously, reaching into her pockets, "Found these floating in the sea." She extracted various small bottles of alcohol and waved them triumphantly, much to the delight of the girls, and began tossing them one at a time, "You get a mini, you get a mini and you get a mini."

"Why would there be alcohol on a retreat full of underage teens?" Sophie murmured to herself as she studied the clear liquid with confusion. She thought nobody heard her, missing the way Leah's brow furrowed and how she glanced around in an almost accusatory manner.

"Hey, you guys partying without me?" Toni's voice sounded close-by, and Sophie raised her gaze slightly to see the basketballer approaching with her characteristic swagger. The simmering rage rose in her chest as she recounted their argument, her jaw clenching in an effort to bite back numerous swear words forming on her tongue. She didn't  take disputes lightly, often needing at least a few days to cool off, but when stuck together in the middle of nowhere there wasn't much chance of privacy. 

"You're back!" Martha grinned at the sight of her best friend, "Find any water?"

"Uh, no." Toni shook her head and sat down next to her, conveniently right in front of Sophie so she was forced to look at her, "You okay, Ryder?"

The actress didn't reply, shooting her a look which was a mixture both of anger and confusion. Why the hell did she care? Why was she so calm right now after what had just happened?

"Hey, where's Shelby?" Martha asked, unknowingly interrupting the tense exchange. Toni swallowed and glanced over at Sophie, stuttering slightly as she tried to conjure up an excuse for the blonde's absence.

"I- uh..."

"Shelby!" Painstakingly on-cue, the blonde appeared from the vegetation and fixed the group with a large smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She appeared slightly disorientated, dabbing at a large gash on her temple that was bleeding and Sophie saw a flicker of guilt cross Toni's features. "Your head?" Martha frowned as she saw the injury, unconsciously reaching out to touch it.

"Oh, it's fine." Shelby replied, jerking away with a wince, "Ran smack into a tree, if you can believe." The basketballer bit her lip and glowered at the floor, avoiding Sophie's knowing glance. She wasn't sure whether to be more angry that she now owed Shelby or that the actress was right in how the Texan responded, but she could feel the familiar bubble of frustration rising from the pit of her stomach and spreading through her veins. She couldn't lose control again- she begrudgingly recognized that Sophie made sense in how they needed to prioritize survival over these stupid arguments. 

"Really?"

"Yeah," The blonde grinned, meeting Toni's stoic gaze, "Very silly of me."

"Hey!" Rachel screamed in the distance, holding Dot's phone in her hand like some sort of trophy, "Hey, the phone's working!"