Summer Girl || A Shourtney Story

.08 quiet when i'm coming home

The morning had been a quiet one, mainly because I purposefully slept in. The idea of avoiding Shayne was far more intimidating than I'd like to admit. Even thinking his name twisted my heart.

I stared at the woodgrain of my bunk for at least an hour, contemplating whether or not I could grab a coffee from the kitchen unscathed. I decided against it in the end. Olivia promised me she would save me a cup, anyway.

Luckily, we were filming at the back entrance of the cabin today. There was a patio area behind our temporary home, shielded from the sun with a wooden overhang. Ryan, Sarah, and Matt had set up two rows of chairs facing each other, panel-style.

The chairs were empty, though most of our production crew and cast were already here. I scanned my options. It was probably best to sit in the last seat, as far away from Toxicitea as possible. Everyone else would serve as a buffer. I took my place in the back row decisively, offering morning smiles to those around. The remaining cast members filed into their chairs, Noah choosing the seat next to me.

"Hey, Court," he greeted, adjusting his position on the chair. "Missed you at breakfast today!"

A phony smile plastered my face. "Sorry, bud. Decided to sleep in."

He nodded understandingly and continued the conversation with Kimmy and Keith, who sat nearby. It seemed like the rest of the cast was already here... but a familiar head of sandy hair was missing.

Where is he? My heart panged.

As if on cue, Shayne's muscular figure burst through the back door. "Sorry," he muttered towards the crew. "I lost track of time while plotting against Matt Raub this morning."

Some of the cast and production cackled at his ridiculous excuse. With bright eyes, he chuckled along, glance flickering toward me. A confused smile graced his features when he realized I wasn't laughing, too.

To be fair, it was a funny joke. But I didn't really feel like joining in. I averted my gaze. His eyes would lure me in if I looked for too long. I already had learned that the hard way.

Olivia tossed me a water bottle on the way to her chair. She offered me a smile in passing. "Coffee later, okay?"

I nodded. Even though my heart hurt, it was time to focus. I had to set aside my emotions to come up with good content for the video - I was here for work, after all. A deep breath filled my lungs, and I imagined my negative energy releasing with the exhale.

I took a quick sip of water to prep my voice but was left with no time to swallow.

"Action!" Someone yelled. Well, shit. I guess I have to run with this.

"Smosh Summer Games: Apocalypse!" everyone cheered.

"AAAARRGHHHH!" I growled, letting streams of water spill out of my mouth. Many cast members stared, shock etching their features. My sudden outburst caused a few stray chuckles.

"What is wrong with her?" Lasercorn asked in an accusatory tone.

"Are you okay?" Matt chimed in, clearly amused with my antics.

"Yeah," I replied as if nothing just happened. I could barely maintain my grin.

"Okay..." Matt warily continued.

From the far corner, Joven stared at the ground, oblivious to filming. After a beat, his line of sight rose. His brow wrinkled with confusion as he stared at my fuchsia makeup. "Are you crying pink?" Joven asked.

"I'm just so ready for this game," I smiled enthusiastically.

The group, obviously used to these sorts of bits, replied with scattered applause. Matt Raub, decked out in his usual apocalyptic costuming, took center stage to begin.