THE WILD

Chapter Two - Matt

Amber and Jessica had finally shown up. Alex had been here all morning, and I got here a little before Amber and Jess. "What's that?" Alex looked into the rustling green bushes. He had a stunned look on his face and he looked as though he was a little afraid. An alluring girl emerged from a break in the bushes where I had come through. Her straight, chestnut brown hair streamed smoothly like a waterfall down her shoulders and straightly postured back. Her golden fair face was perfectly complemented with her full strawberry toned lips. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the tree-dimed forest. Thin slender arms and legs emerged from her slim torso giving off dainty hands and blue painted nails. She seemed so delicate, unlike my scarred and battered skin. Her leather jacket and jeans were tight like a designer skin coating her body. I wondered how she wasn't dying from the heat in that outfit. Even her Vans looked tight and were black to match her outfit and the trends of the common teenager.
"Who are you?" Jessica said smugly, confidence and pride nearly leaking from her deviant eyes, as though this mysterious girl was unimportant to her. I shot her a glance and she looked regretfully down at her feet without losing the half smile resting in place. I walked over to the mysterious girl.
"Are you lost?" I wanted to reach my hand out to her but that would be weird and I was too far away anyways.
"No." She said shyly.
"Wait I know you. Your... Cameron, Right? You live a few doors down from me!" She seemed surprised that I knew her name. "These are my friends. Alex, Jessica, and Amber. My name is Matt." As I said their names they nodded. Jessica stayed and just stared at Cameron as if she had ruined Jess's life; Although Jess's life was already ruined. Jessica and Amber had been friends since Jess was eight and Amber was ten. Jess's parents had abused her for as long as she could remember. When Jess turned eight, the Child Services found out about her parents and they went to jail.
Her family had always been out of touch, so she went to a woman who was friends with her mother in college. The woman had a daughter, Amber. Amber and Jess became best friends and sisters. Two years later when Jess was ten and Amber was twelve, the girl's mother died, and the girls didn't want to go into foster care, so they ran away into the woods. They had gone to a homeless shelter and had been living there ever since. Two years ago they found Alex who was friends with me.
Alex had lived with his grandfather, a true outdoorsman. One fateful camping trip four years ago Alex got lost while out looking for frogs to make frog legs with his grandfather and took his life into his own hands. He lived alone for six months then met me and we became friends. He lived in the woods while I lived with my parents. He slept over a lot.
My parents hate each other, they're always fighting and sometimes dad or mom will be gone for weeks on end. Sometimes my dad will leave and when I go inside my mom will have fresh bruises and cuts. My dad has a drinking problem. I don't think either of them ever wanted a kid. I was just the result of a good time. I used to get worried about it. But I don't care anymore. It doesn't matter.
"Hey, beautiful." Alex went over to Cameron and put his arm around her. Jessica's eyes widened with anger and jealousy. I walked over to them and pushed him off.
"Hey!" The word came out before I could think to stop.
"I was just kidding man!" His eyes shone with hurt and disapproval, but it did not last long. His playful nature soon returned and he walked back over to his spot on the fallen tree. Cam's face showed confusion and she looked from Alex to Me. I gave a compassionate face, but I felt my face getting hot, as I was blushing profusely.
Jessica walked to the willow tree. It started with a single large trunk that split into two. Its limbs then became much less steep. The tree was covered with wart-like bumps. The tree's leaves were on thin vines that would bend with the wind. It really did look like the tree was weeping; That must be why it's called a weeping willow. Jessica crawled up the tree placing her hands on the bumps climbing effortlessly. She crawled onto the left branch followed by Amber who climbed onto the right branch.
Jessica threw another ungrateful and unwelcome look to Cameron.
"I think I should go." Cameron looked at her shoes and then back at me
"You don't have to!" I realized I responded to quickly and desperately. "You can stay..." My voice drowned off.