𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 ; 𝐬 . 𝐫

𝟔. 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐲

-y'all this is crazy. i started this a day ago as something just to do, thinking nobody would see it. but now we're at 1.8k views? hOLY SHIT!! the amount of support in such a short amount of time is unreal and pls comment if i should do something else after i finish this <3-

also, TW next chapter. there will be a short summary of what happened without much details in ch 8 (: 

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it was only the 3rd day into the team trip. tensions between you and spencer were high. you barely saw him during the parties and hangouts the team would have, and if you did, you would attempt to talk to him. except he'd shut you out. every time.

you didn't really know what to do, considering that the bet was still live. emily and penelope were definitely onto you, no doubt. they'd push on you and ask questions about what happened, but you would deny any of their conspiracies even if they were right. the trip hadn't been as fun since you and spencer weren't really talking. you'd seen him staring at you when you would dance, or laugh, or really do anything. you didn't make a big deal out of it, though. he was probably planning to get back at you or something.

ever since y/n closed the door on him, spencer had spent the next few days beating himself up for thinking something could happen between the two of you. yea, he did admit that he did kinda ignore you and shut you out when you attempted to talk to him. he knew he shouldn't, but he just couldn't get over himself. on the 3rd night, there was a plan for a big bonfire with some locals they'd met and the team. he knew you were going, which made him slightly nervous. he shook it off, mustering up the courage to go.

 you checked your phone as you lounged on the beach, alone. the digital clock flashed across your screen and read 3:36. you figured you should head back and freshen up, considering the bonfire started at 4:30. you stood up, taking your towel by the end and shaking the sand off of it. unfortunately in the path of your sand was a man. he stood about 5'11, black hair, dark brown eyes, and a light skin tone. you gasped as he covered his face to shield himself, 

"i'm so sorry!" you said, dropping the towel and walking towards him in a hurry. he smiled and laughed it off, 

"no, it's no worries, it's okay." he said, looking down at you. you winced and rubbed the back of your neck in embarrassment, 

"i'm james." he said, nodding at you. your left eyebrow twitched upwards in curiosity,

"uh, i'm y/n. nice to meet you." you said, nodding slowly as you looked him up and down, studying his body language and the way he stood. he blinked slowly and smiled again, striking up small talk, like if you were from around here, what your job was, etc. you figured it'd be nice to make a friend, just to talk to. 

why not?

after a few minutes of talking, an idea popped into your head, 

"hey, would you wanna come to a bonfire tonight? my team's holding it at the private firepit down here at 4:30." you said, thinking it'd be fun for him to come. he smiled charmingly and shrugged,

"hell yea, why not?" he chuckled,

"great! i'll see you there." you said with a small smile and a wave. he returned the favor, waving to you as well. you grabbed your towel and turned, walking back to your suite. you felt his eyes piercing into your back, but not in a good way.

did you make the right choice?

you got to your suite and quickly locked all your doors and windows out of paranoia. you set your towel down and stripped of your tank top, shorts, and undergarments. you decided to put a bathing suit on, just incase if you decided to take a small dip into the water. you decided on a light orange, 2 piece swimsuit. the bottom covered your front well, with thin straps that tied together on either side of your waist. the top hugged your breasts flatteringly and had a low cut, scooped neck. you grabbed a pair of high waisted, white washed shorts and slid them on. you fumbled through your suitcase for another moment to find a simple, long sleeved white shirt that was slightly see through and had a collar that fit loosely around your neck, falling on the middle of your shoulders. you only buttoned it up a little, letting your cleavage show. you tucked the front of it into the front of your shorts as you sighed with content. you then turned to a small bag on your dresser that you had packed full of jewelry. you put on a few gold layering necklaces on, along with a few rings and bracelets. you looked at yourself in the mirror for a moment, your heart heavy with guilt and fear.

you had an idea about how to get spencer's attention tonight.

spencer spent nearly no time getting ready, simply throwing on a pair of black swim trunks and a green patterned shirt. he moped to his bathroom and quickly ran his toothbrush through his mouth. he spit the excess out of his mouth and rinsed his lips off, looking up at himself after. he ran his tongue over his top teeth, sliding his hands into his pockets,

"you'll be fine, spencer." he muttered to himself, looking away and walking out of the bathroom, then out his back door to the beach walkway. 

you left your suite with a woven tote bag hung on your arm. you walked down the beach and to the bonfire. to your surprise, james had actually shown up. you greeted him with a side hug and then walked over to penelope who had been eyeing him like a predator spies on it's prey,

"who's that?!" she whispered with a mischievous grin on her face. you rolled your eyes with a smile,

"i met him at the beach and invited him for shits and giggles." you sighed, setting your bag down. penelope nodded,

"was he the reason you had that big hickey on you?" she whispered. you stood straight up, your body going rigid, 

"um, no. and it wasn't a hickey." you scoffed, trying to play it off, "i was grabbing something from my cabinet and hit my collarbone in the wrong spot. its a bruise." you sighed. penelope raised an eyebrow, reluctantly nodding, 

"alright, well, you and your boyfriend have fun. i need a drink!" she teased, stalking off towards the drink stand. you watched her go with a slight frown, turning and grabbing a cold beer from the cooler. you weren't in the mood for anything else. 

you weren't in the mood to come in the first place. 

spencer was there earlier, tucking himself among people as if to hide. the first thing he noticed was you and the man, which made his heart sink with disappointment. he tried shaking it off as, 'oh, it's just her friend,' or 'they probably know each other from somewhere else'. he sent a glare at the man before returning to his conversation with a couple of locals. 

 you mingled around a bit, and so did james. you two eventually made your way back to each other, talking for a while as you stood next to the bonfire,

"hey, do you wanna get out of here for a bit? take a walk? there's just a lot of people.." james sighed heavily, looking around. you blinked a few times, opening your mouth to answer,

"oh, uh, sure. yea, sure." you said with a small nod,

"great." he said quietly with a small smile. he tilted his head to the side slightly, then nodded to you, beginning to walk away from the crowd. 

you reluctantly followed him, feeling a pair of eyes watch you.

spencer?