This is Me Trying ⭑ Rafe Cameron

twenty one

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
[21]
song: televised mind by fontaines dc

"Hey!" Was all anyone could get out, all standing at the edge of the waves, swinging their arms, jumping like that would make a difference.

The plane was small, and far away, and if it were even flying in their direction in the first place, it'd be a miracle if it spot them.

But Pope and Cleo had climbed up on the cliff, lighting the pile of sticks and coconut hair on fire, an attempt to send a smoke signal.

"Down here!" Cassie heard Pope yell from the cliff. "We're down here!"

She looked around, wondering if it was too late to write SOS in the sand. Hating herself for not thinking to do it ahead of time, like Pope had with the fire. Maybe then they would've gotten rescued long before this.

"Wait, hold on—" John B starts.

"He sees us— guys, he sees us!" Kiara says frantically, tugging on Cassie's arm as she looks up to see the plane turning around.

"Holy shit," John B lets out. "He's going to the pond!"

Cassie didn't really have a moment to register what was really happening, all she knew was that she was running with everyone else to the pond. Listening to Pope and Cleo scream and cheer from the cliff.

She ran off from the group for a second, quickly gathering up what little remained of her things. She grabbed her jacket, and her shoes, quickly scrambling through the sand to catch back up with everyone.

"We did it!" Cleo screamed excitedly as she ran into Cassie.

"I can't breathe." Cassie let out with a smile, trying to catch her breath around all the commotion. "Like I actually can't breathe."

"Really?" Cleo stopped, looking at her concernedly.

Cassie let out a laugh, "No, no— in a good way. That's— come on!"

Seeing the plane turn around for them was one thing, watching it land was another. It skid across the pond, which acted as the perfect landing strip.

"Hey!" Pope yelled, as the plane doors open, everyone rushing towards it.

"We did it!" Cleo repeated.

Pope about tackled Cassie to the ground, grabbing onto her shoulders and shaking her. "Hey! We're getting out of here!" He spoke, out of breath. "We're finally getting out of here!"

The pilot stepped down a step, examining each person he'd just landed to rescue. He was an older guy, wearing clothes you'd see on any guy in The Cut. Drug-rugs, khaki shorts, aviators and tattered flip-flops.

"What do we got here?" He spoke, leaning against the plane with his arm, and squinting his eyes forward at everyone.

"Uh— you know, just some castaways." John B says, looking behind him as JJ and Kiara caught up.

"Well, I'll scratch that off the grocery list." The pilot says, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "Hang on, I uh— I got just the thing for y'all."