i could never hate you {toni shalifoe}

03 . jeanette

Later that day, as the sun was setting, the girls had tied up a blanket Fatin had brought to create a small stretcher to carry young Jeanette's body on as they made their way to a shallow grave they had dug for her, gently setting her down in it, all with solemn looks on their faces.

"I don't get why we have to bury her," Rachel started, "Rescue is coming for us soon and we'll just have to dig her back up."

"It's only temporary," Marley piped up in a strangely quiet voice, fear lacing her tone, Toni and Martha looked over at her worriedly but she ignored their glances.

"Just to keep the animals away." Dot said, agreeing with Marley though her tone was a lot stronger and authoritative.

"Shouldn't somebody say a few words?" asked Shelby, looking round at the group.

"Sounds to me like you're volunteering," Dot was the one who had replied.

"Well, I am an ordained youth minister," Shelby continued.

"Of course she is," Marley muttered.

"Lord," she started, clasping her hand in front of her chest, "Thank you for the gift of Jeanette. We didn't know her all too well but she had a bright, positive spirit. And because she was made in Your image, we can be sure that she was beautiful. Amen."

"Amen." the others uttered, in a domino like fashion. It was silent for a moment until Leah gained everyone's attention, singing a P!NK song.

"I think she liked P!NK." she muttered, wringing her fingers nervously.

"Yeah, she did," Nora added, having heard Jeanette ramble about her on the plane. Leah continued singing and, soon enough, the others all joined in, in a rougher cult-like sound, as they all crouched to cover young Jeanette's body before all standing, mumbling their own farewells and heading back over to the fire.

-----

The group soon found themselves morbidly surrounded around the fire, Rachel sticking to a workout just outside the circle.

"How's your stuff so dry?" a shivering Martha asked Fatin, all turning to watch her as she zipped up her furry coat for warmth.

"My parents paid a thousand dollars for this suitcase.. shit right sorry," she spoke up, before handing some spare jackets and sweaters round to everyone in the group, handing Marley and Toni a blanket which Toni wrapped around both of their shoulders.

"Oh that reminds me," Dot spoke up, pulling a sealed pouch from her pocket, catching Marley's eye as she immediately sat up straight. "This is yours right?" Marley nodded and Dot tossed it to her, Marley opening it immediately, checking that the contents were there and in tact, Toni peering over her shoulder as the other girls immersed in small conversation again.

"It's the bracelets you and Martha made me before everything happened last year. I felt guilty so I wanted to bring them with me." Marley said quietly, slipping the bracelets over her wrists.

"Just .. you didn't need to do that, Mar, we're not angry at you." Toni replied, helping to do up the bracelets when she saw Marley struggling.

"I know, I know," Marley reassured her with a small smile.

"I've hit rock bottom." Dot called out, gesturing to the 'More Issues Than Vogue' slogan sweater Fatin had given her, earning small chuckles which rippled through the group.

"So, how would y'all feel if I proposed a little ice breaker?" Shelby spoke up, "Never Have I Ever seems .. appropriate." At this, the group fell into silence, all but Marley remembering when Jeanette proposed the same game and was gushing over it on the plane.

"Alright," Toni spoke up, breaking the silence, "as long as you go first. And none of that lightweight shit."

"Fine." Shelby shrugged her shoulders. "Never have I ever had vaginal penetrative intercourse." Everyone except Martha and Shelby drank as Toni and Marley glanced over at each other with knowing smiles.

"So that's why your boyfriend's a cheat?" Marley wondered aloud, earning a slight nudge and smile from Toni as Shelby jumped to his defence.

"He is not a cheat." Shelby insisted.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," Martha said, sat cross-legged beside Shelby. "I would have felt so stupid." she continued, looking at the sand in front of her.

"It takes guts to save yourself, you know that?" Shelby reassured her, earning a scoff from Toni as Marley put a hand on her arm to keep her sat down.

"They're just talking, Toni," she mumbled, "It's okay."

"Alright," Dot spoke up, "Never have I ever had a threesome." Everyone watched as Fatin was the only one to drink. "With two guys not two girls." Fatin drank again, bringing smiles of disbelief to everyone's faces. "On my period?" Dot raised an eyebrow as Fatin brought the bottle to her lips again before smirking and not drinking.

"I mean, I'm not a freak." she stated, earning scattered laughs from the girls around her.

"I've got one," Rachel added, bringing the attention to her as Marley yawned and rested her head against Toni's shoulder, wrapping the blanket round them more. "Never have I ever thrown my own piss at someone."

"Drink up, Toni," Martha teased, as Marley looked between them with a smile.

"With pride, motherfuckers." Toni held the bottle up in a mocking cheers before drinking it, leaning her head to the side to rest on top of Marley's. The girls all erupted in disbelieving laughter at this and continued with the game until they had all run out of drinks before they all started to head to sleep.

"She deserved it." Marley whispered, not wanting to disturb the silence.

"Yeah, she did," Toni chuckled before they both laid down and went to sleep themselves, none of them hearing the ringing of a cell phone except for Leah.