𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 | 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐳

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

it's a long chapter

She places the wood in the firepit and watches the brothers push a log towards the cave. She raises her eyebrow and receives a quick response from Sean.

"Protects the base," he groans. Cherry gives a quiet "oh," nodding her head in understanding.

"Nothing can get in here now!" Daniel exclaims, a large grin plastered on his face.

"Damn right."

"I'll go check the river." Daniel leaves without another word, leaving the teenagers in a pit of awkward silence once more.

"Hey," Sean says, gaining Cherry's attention. "Since we're all going to be together for a while, maybe I could learn more about you?"

"Is your conscience making you feel bad?" she asks. He lets out a small laugh before looking away for a moment.

"Not going to lie, a little bit."

"At least you're honest about it." She sighs as she lays down on the laid-out blanket, staring up at the large boulder above them. "What you like to know, Detective Diaz?" He scoffs, rolling his eyes before moving to lie next to her.

"Well, do you have siblings?"

"Older sister. She's out of the picture, though. Haven't seen her in years."

"Do you miss her?" She takes in a deep breath before humming a no. "Guess you weren't close, huh?"

"Something like that." He can hear the sadness and guilt in her voice, but he doesn't say anything further.

"Why did you start playing soccer?" He watches a grin form on her face.

"My mama. She told me when I was a kid that since I'm black and Mexican, I'm going to play either basketball or soccer." She laughs lightly. "Basketball didn't work out for me, so I've played soccer ever since."

"Wait, you're Mexican?" She looks over at him, her brow raised. He opens and closes his mouth like a fish before she starts laughing.

"It's okay. I don't look like the stereotype so-" she shrugs, "I'm used to it."

"Do you speak Spanish?"

"Yeah. I'm rusty, though. I haven't had a full conversation since Mama..." she trails off, biting her lip softly. "It's been a while."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing anybody could've done. Drunk driver," she simply states, picking at her hands. "Dude pretty much got off with a slap on the wrist."

"Is that when you started, you know, disappearing?" She looks over at him, a sad smile on her lips.

"No. But that is a story for another time, my newfound friend."

"Newfound?" he scoffs.

"Let's be honest, we only started hanging out 'cause I helped Lyla get your drunk ass home." He feels his face warm with embarrassment and guilt.

"I'm still sorry about your jacket."

"It happens. I needed to throw it out anyhow. Besides, we're cool now, right?" She grins softly at him. He feels his chest tighten in response. "Well," she breathes out, getting up after a bit of effort, "we have all the time to get even closer, don't we?" Sean lets a moment pass before giving a quiet hum. It's enough of a response for Cherry, who nods her head before getting up and walking towards Daniel, seeing the boy struggle skipping rocks. His eyes linger on her form before he follows the two, finding a rock to sit on.

He pulls out his sketchbook and looks up at the scene before him. He sees the smile on Daniel's face, happy he was able to skip the rock. He can also see the grin on Cherry's as she tells him to do it again. She grabs a rock as well, wanting to do it with him. The spectacle in front of his eyes puts a smile on his face. He doesn't notice it until he's sketched the two out, placing details on them. He places shadows over Cherry, finding himself staring at her for more than just the sketch.