A Second Chance - A Peyton and Asher Fanfiction

Chapter 9

Peyton's POV

'You ready to go?, Ash asked once he had picked up a fairly good amount of sticks. Collecting wood is dirty, my clothes have mud and moss all over them. It was getting pretty dark so we needed to start heading back. We're not so deep into the woods, we can still see our camp from here.

'Yeahhhh, I think so. I was trying not to pick up any dirty ones since I'm already messed up.' It was so dark I could barely see where I was going and my head torch had started diming, good thing I packed extra batteries. I tried stepping on a log hopping it was stable, but that was a mistake, it was so hollow my left foot went straight through and my angle twisted.

'Oww, ow, ow oh that hurts', my sticks drop out of my hands and I lose my balance. I landed hard on my butt and an excruciating pain flooded my body. My eyes are shut tight but I can hear Asher's feet running toward me. He knelt down next to me and used his head torch to check for injuries.

'Peyton! Are you ok?', he said as slid his hand on my back and lifted me up to his eye level. I could barely see his face but I could see the worry in his eyes, I should be happy that Asher is finally showing some sincerity to me but the pain is to much to bare, not enough to make me cry though.

'My foot...it's stuck', I said wincing between the sentence. He then finally notices my leg in its awkward position inside the log.

'Ok, this is gonna hurt ok so bear with me, be strong', his words instantly made me feel safer, I knew I shouldn't worry much. He steadily helped me stand on my right while holding me tightly. Once I gained my balance he pointed the torch onto the log so I could remove my leg as easy as possible. I let out I sigh of relief when I saw my leg was crocked.

'Oh thank god, I thought my foot would come looked messed up or something', I smile at Asher. 'Oh whoa your torch is so bright. So how are we going to get back to camp? And what about the firewood'.

'Don't worry I carry you back, don't get to exited. I'll come back with someone to collect the fire wood.' He places his right under my knees with his left hand securing my back. With as much strength as he could conjure his lifts me up and begins his trip, carefully minding his steps.

'Your kinda heavy Peyton ever consider exercising?'

With that insulting remark I hit him hard on his chest, it was sort of painful that's when I remembered that Asher's does in fact workout.

'Shut up, we can't all have six packs. I, however do have a social life so I don't get to exercise.'

'Pffft haha what social life, I bet you just sit around with messy hair in sweatpants, procrastinating while eating coco-pops and watching vampire dairies again for the fif----', he suddenly stops in the middle of his sentence and also stops walking. He just perfectly described how we usually spend our Saturday night. I could tell he was confused as to why he knew all that, but I just pretend I didn't know.

'Ash you ok? Why'd you stop?'

'What? Uh nothing, forgot what I was talking about?' He then continues his journey back to camp. A bright orange light was shining through the trees, indicating that we were close to camp. Wait, how is there camp fire with no firewood? Exiting the God forbidden woods, I breathe a sigh of relief feeling a lot less scared. Everyone was sitting around the fire roasting marshmallows, how rude they didn't wait me.

'Since we can't really go to our cabin right now, I'll just sit you down near the fire and try to find some ice for you'.

'Thank you, for not leaving me in the woods to die.'

'I would never leave you, alone', his eyes suddenly shift from the camp fire to meet mine. I lift my hand over my face to shield myself from the torturing bright light, I could still see his eyes which were locked on mine. Those words were lies, he did leave maybe I'm not as alone anymore but my heart still flutters at his words. He clears his throat without looking away.

'I mean, uh, karma and stuff. If I left you behind who knows what would have happened to me.' Seriously karma that the best he could come up with, I roll my eyes at his lame attempt to act careless. We get closer to the everyone and they start noticing us, some people are focused on their roasting marshmallow or just hypnotized by the fire. Others are looking at us without saying or doing anything, but Sofia and Josh come running.

'What happened? Peyton are you ok? Ash, what'du do?', Sofia cries out sounding like a worried but angry mother. She's possibly the loudest person I've ever meet because with that people were looking else where now had their eyes on us.

'Me? Your idiotic, clumsy, and unfit little friends did this to herself. Now excuse I should but her down, she's getting heavier and I don't her leg swinging around is good for her'. I'm surprised he noticed that I was in pain. He makes his way to an empty camp chair and sits me down.

'I'll go find some ice or something cold ok?'

'OK.'

After Asher brought me an ice pack he had found in the cooler box, the cooking group brought us our dinner. It was a chicken stir fry served with ramen noodles, so good. Following Mr. Lindeman's instructions, Asher and I stalled and make excuses just so we could be the last ones to go to our cabin. After everyone had left and Asher and I just staring blankly into the fire, he finally stands up and comes towards me.

Once again he slides his hand under my knees and the other around my waist as I wrap an arm around his neck. With almost no effort, he swiftly picks me up and starts towards our cabin. Ugh 'our' cabin, something is seriously wrong with my school, how could they make a mistake this dumb. When we reach the door step and the turn the handle, pushing the door in and revealing a basic looking cabin. Concrete floor, two single beds with sheets already aligned and a window on each side. In the center lays a brown patterned rug, I think that brown is dirt.

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Months been months