Blamed

Chapter 15 - Slimeball

She clung to the back of his shirt, and I knew, even without looking at her face, that tears were spilling from her eyes - but they would be tears of happiness, not pain.

When he finally pulled away, gazing tearfully into his eyes, the last thing he expected to get was - her knee smashing painfully into 'where the sun doesn't shine'.
He keeled over, falling to the floor, hunched over his injured... Area, while the other boy and I stared at her in shock.
"You stupid twat!" she screamed at his unmoving figure. "Do you know how worried I was, when you just took off without saying a word to me!"

One could practically see the angry steam spilling from her ears as she yelled at the boy on the floor.
I did feel a little bad. It had been me, after all, that said we'd need to leave them behind.

Evidently, though, she had missed him, for as soon as she was finished venting out her anger, she gasped, in shock of what her anger had done, and quickly dropped to the ground to pull the 18-year-old boy into her arms.

Certainly, I had seen Carlos cry many times before, along with Evie and as much as he continues to deny it, Jay. However, I hadn't seen him this upset since the days he spent under his mother on the Isle.
Now, both Carlos and Jane were curled up together on the forest floor, comforting each other, reminding each other that they're there.

I couldn't help but smile softly at the display of affection unfolding before me, yet at the same time, I couldn't help but wish it was Ben down here.
Sure, it hadn't been a ridiculous amount of time since I last saw him, but I regret the way I cut him off last time we talked.
It's time for me to fix what mess I've made.

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The torch lay disgarded on the forest floor as the four of us leaned our backs against the trees of the enchanted forest surrounding the enchanted lake.
Originally, I had wanted to send Jane back to the castle with Chelsea, Carlos had insisted that she stay.
That we tell her everything.

So we told her everything.

We told her all about the villains, the fight with Cruella, the run-in with Jafar and the disappearance- no, kidnapping of my Still-missing best friend.
We told her all about the plan to get to the Isle of Doom, and the plan to get Triton to grant us access.
We told her all about the plan to lure Ben down here, so we could get that stupid turtle shell.

Then she told us that she'd be willing to try.

It didn't take much thinking.
Jane can swim, she's innocent, and the daughter of the Fairy Godmother, for Auradon's sake!
Surely, she'd be perfect!

And everything would be going perfectly, despite the plan, which had jumped out the window the second the new VKs were arranged to be taken over at this particular time, on this particular day.
If only there wasn't another party out in the woods tonight.

It made us all jump, when yet another voice rang through the woods.
Expecting her to have some idea, the three of us looked over to Jane- but she looked just as startled as we did.

"W-What was t-that?" she stammered. "Lonnie was helping me look for Chelsea, but.. That didn't sound female."
I shook my head, agreeing with her. The voice was definitely male.
I looked over to the rest of my group, and quickly signed to Jay and Carlos the plan.

'Obviously, there's someone out there. It sounded as if it came from the direction of the Lake, so we should go check it out.'
Jay signed back, 'do you think it's Ben?'
I shook my head. 'That sounded too menacing to ever be Ben. We need to check it out.'
They both nodded once, determined looks crossing their faces.