Hesitant Hospitality

Prologue

(y/n) had always been very close to her friends Eric and Candice, though she's never had an emotional one on one with either of them- they  were the closest to friends she had. They had always hung out with her outside of school, and occasionally bought her gifts.. She was grateful to have the two in her life- though she did feel like a big of a third wheel, there was some obvious romantic tension going on between the two, and (y/n) had teased them individually about it. (y/n) was surprised they hadn't gotten together yet, though she figured it was only a matter of time before they did... she worried it would hurt their friendship.. but shit happens. She had known the two a lot less long than they knew each-other after all

(y/n) had brought a small bag, since she only planned on camping out with them over the weekend

She stepped out of the car she'd drove over with, before her stood a large forest.. she felt somewhat nervous, maybe she should've came with her friends, but she had some business she needed to attend to- so instead she was showing up late, trying to find their location via google maps. She picked up her phone, placing it up to her ear as she rang Eric's number.. no response, she figured their phones had died, since there weren't exactly any cables in the forest.. she sighed, she wasn't sure if she could bear going the weekend without her phone.. but Eric and Candice insisted she had to come

She groaned, walking towards the forest, the ground grew softer as the muddy ground of the forest squished beneath her feet. Unfortunately, google maps wasn't the most reliable source.. she couldn't pinpoint their exact location.. but she figured they couldn't be too far away- they said they'd set up camp near the entrance of the forest so she'd be able to easily locate them, there was no need for her to worry...

5 minutes passed, then 10, then 15

(y/n) started to get nervous.. they said they'd set up camp near the edge of the forest... well this certainly didn't seem like the edge to (y/n). She kept alert, hoping she would recognize the voices of her companions and find their campsite... nope- no voices. The forest was completely silent. (y/n) was now starting to realize how stupid it was to rely on luck to find them.. she was going to look for only 5 more minutes, and then turn around. She prioritized her own safety over her friends enjoyment... she looked around, there were only trees, no people in sight.. (y/n) groaned, figuring she should turn around- she was pissed she wasted so much time and gas on this failed trip, but there was nothing she could do about it now. (y/n) huffed, re-checking her location... oh god-

she'd drove to the wrong location.. that one fatal typo she made caused her to drive hours out of her way.. she was nowhere near the campsite, she cursed to herself.. chucking her phone at the ground in frustration. Why did she have to be so stupid!? She looked around, trying to find the way she came so that she could leave... the mud she had walked through returned to its original state.. there were no footsteps she could follow... she chose to make another brash decision.. walk in one direction until she finally found a way out of the forest.. there's no guarantee it would be the correct direction to her car, but at least she'd get out of the damned forest

She was not in a good mood, she was pissed at her friends.. and herself.. how could she be so stupid- how could her friends let her do something so stupid!?

She picked up her phone, it was now caked with mud.. she should at least tell someone else about the predicament she'd got herself in

She felt embarrassed by the idea of calling the police over something so small, so she dialled her mother's number, it didn't go through, she looked at the corner of her screen.. her face paled- no service.. just great- she should've known

Looks like she'd have to go back to her plan of walking in one direction until she found a way out,-and that's just what she did... she walked for hours, her knees begged for her to stop but she ignored the agony she was feeling, pushing herself to find a way out... she glared at the birds as she walked by, their calls mocked her. They sang and chirped happily, while she suffered.. swamped with regret, anger and exhaustion.. her legs weren't all that muscular, and her stamina was lacking

She stared up at the sun, which was now starting to set, she felt frustrated tears start to form in her eyes. The cold night air blew through the forest, and (y/n) started to get cold, despite the coat she brought along with her

(y/n) was starting to give up... she was tired, cold, itchy and overwhelmed with emotions, and was starting to feel dirty, she figured she'd rest and continue searching in the morning.. but she first had to find a suitable resting place, she wasn't planning on laying in the mud after all.. (y/n) could barely see anything now as darkness engulfed her surroundings, she pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight, she pointed it around various areas of the forest until she saw a patch of grass.. it wasn't a 5 star hotel or anything, but it was better than the dirty wet mud. She placed her bag down as a pillow, and lay in the grass, closing her eyes. It didn't take long for her to fall into a deep sleep. Maybe this horrible experience was a dream, maybe she would wake up in a warm, cozy bed.. and walk downstairs to pancakes on the table.. the things she took for granted, now seemed like luxury to her in this moment, but she had hope that she'd be able to get her way home soon