04: It’s Him!

“Now we’re going to break up into groups of five. It’s very important you remain with your group whenever out in the woods. Although the trails are supervised by park rangers, remember this is a nature reserve. Meaning there are still very dangerous elements around: wild animals, toxic shrubbery, jagged boulders and even hanging cliffs. Please avoid being out past the advised curfew and remain on the designated hiking trails at all times.” Professor Jones counted the heads of the number of students on the bus as Professor Chauncey addressed them.

“Alright, I want the left half of the bus to follow Professor Jones, the other half will remain seated and I’ll give you your cabin assignments.” Abigail and Jemma slipped off the bus and lined up with the other students. Abby began taking shots as the supervising professors handed out sleeping arrangements. 

“The students assigned will be your team for the next three days. When I call your name, please break off into your group. You may also go to your cabin and put away your belongings. The first group will be assigned Cabin #1, the second group Cabin #2 and so on and so forth. Kathryn Aimes, Belinda Anderson, Aurora Banks.”

“I really hope I don’t get stuck in their cabin,” Jemma leaned over and whispered to Abigail, “Aurora snores like a bear and Belinda smells like one.”

“Yeah well with our luck, we’ll get to be bunk mates with Sasha and her evil twins,” Abigail nodded in the direction the cheerleader stood with her closest friends Trina and Bridget.

“Janet Bailey and Faith Caffery. The next group is Abigail Carmichael, Jemma Crowe, Trina Lee, Sasha Madison and Bridget Parker. The guys, you get Cabin #3. Alright, take the next twenty minutes and get settled. We’ll meet back in the center of camp at 1:00 PM.”

“See?” Abby moaned and scooped up her belongings. “Maybe we should take turns sleeping to watch each other’s backs. I know they’re your friends and all but I just don’t trust them.”

“Friends might be a bit of a stretch. I don’t think those devils are allowed to have friends. I just hang out with them because they can get us into the best parties.  But don’t sweat it, Abs, I won’t let them hurt you. And if all else fails just remember what happened to Lisa Pierce!” Abigail laughed behind her hand at the mention of the name. Lisa was in their high school graduating class and had the misfortune of insulting Abby one too many times and Jemma put her in her place…and the hospital. Jemma coupled her arm with her friend’s and glanced over at the boys with a sly smile.

Knox winked at her as he grabbed up his bags and started in the direction of the cabin he shared with Zach, Kelsey, Jason and Mike. He could tell she was still a little upset with him, but he had plans to pull her out of her funk this weekend in the woods. “Hey you see who’s in the cabin beside ours?” he wiggled his brows at the other guys once the door shut behind Jason. “I’m pretty stoked about what’ll happen when the sun goes down!”

“You do know the Professor’s cabin is directly across from ours right? How do you plan on getting over to her after curfew?” Jason asked, laughing with Kelsey at Knox’s excitement. 

“I’ll figure it out, don’t worry.” 

The Professors recalled the students to the campfire circle and explained the rules about their trip and the intended curriculum to satisfy the Academic requirements. They were given the first day to explore their surroundings and get acquainted with their working group and were permitted to begin working their given tasks of collecting and identifying objectives off their species lists.

Later that afternoon Abigail found herself wandering along the granite boulder formations down the hills away from the campsite. The other girls of her group had stayed behind to delegate the work and she used the free time to get some establishing shots of the reserve.  It was a nice place to relax, she thought. Out here she felt free. Free from the pressures of socialization, free from the constant straining to fit in and free to wallow in her misery alone. 

As she walked through the tall pines, sequoias and majestic rock formations along the valley’s overlooking slope, she wondered if she would ever find a man who would desire her. Her thoughts quickly turned to the kiss she shared with Zach Ridgeway and instantly tingles buzzed through her lips and she reached up to touch them. If she was anything like Jemma she would have walked up to him that day at the library and spoke. Actually if she was anything like Jemma she would have done a little more than speak. But that opportunity had long since passed and with it the small amount of confidence of knowing the hottest guy in school even showed her an ounce of attention.

“Who am I kidding?” she sighed aloud as she stopped to take a candid shot of a small garden near the mouth of a large cave. “He didn’t even know who I was.”

That much was obvious from the way he looked at her; no one had ever looked at her with such lustful intent. As a matter of fact it was often the opposite. Abigail felt invisible most days and certainly the quarterback didn’t know her name or the fact she even existed. Even with her best friend dating his best friend, the two had never even shared an exchanging of glances. Outside of a cordial greeting, there was very little ever said. She again sighed in discontent.

The dark thoughts occupying her mind proved a terrible distraction, finding herself turned around in the hills. As she walked the trail, Abigail marveled at the many different formations created out of the granite stones. Large flat rocks sat beneath even larger cliffs and mountains. Some of them even formed caves large enough to shelter one from the rain or worse, a landslide.

The idea of slipping into one of the caves briefly crossed her mind as a large drop of water hit her shoulder from the black cloud that had appeared overhead. Funny enough it hadn’t looked like rain just moments ago, but this was Devon County; a place known for their gray skies. A sudden downpour or black cloud could seemingly appear from nowhere and did quite often. As she toyed with the strap of her camera bag, she noticed movement up the hillside accompanied by a familiar voice.

It’s him! Zach’s voice floated over her like a cool summer breeze causing goosebumps to form on her arms and she immediately turned towards it. With a nervous smile she stepped back onto the trail in front of him coaxing herself to form a word, a noun or even a full sentence! “Hi.” Success! Though the small victory was short lived when he spoke back and she found herself enraptured by the megawatt smile that complemented the word.

“Hey.” 

His smile only added to the striking beauty that was his face and instantly she felt her heart flutter. The strength in her knees gave way and she melted like snow in the summer sun. “H-hi,” she stuttered and swallowed hard to get past the lump in her throat.

“You said that already.” His stride was slow and confident as he made his way over to where she stood. Abigail wanted to shrink, hide like she’d done on so many occasions but she was alone. Caught off guard by the man of her dreams in the woods some distance from the cabin her group occupied.

“Oh, right, um…h-how are…are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. How about yourself?” Zach continued moving closer to her until he stood barely a foot away. Abigail shrugged but never verbally responded to the question and Zach continued speaking. “You know we’re supposed to stay with our groups right? It’s a little dangerous to be out here alone.” Reaching a hand towards her, he gently touched her chin and pulled her gaze up to his but Abigail did her best to avoid direct eye contact. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

“I-I don’t think so.”

“ZACH!” Knox shouted from behind him as he ran to catch up, breathless and sweating. “Dude, what the hell was that about? You trying to give me a heart attack? We’re supposed to stay in group!” He heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Looking up, he caught sight of the meek girl staring at her feet in front of his best friend and chuckled. “Oh I see; trying to get a little something, something while the professors ain’t looking. Dude, you could have said something! I could have been like lookout or something. Just so you know though, you shouldn’t bother with her. She’s like a permanent virgin.”

“KNOX! Don’t you have some beer cans to bash open with your skull?” Zach growled and turned angrily towards the ignorant athlete. “Get lost!”

“Geez, dude, what the hell crawled up your bunghole? I was only kidding. She’s good people as far as book stuff go but you won’t get much else out of her.”

“I-I h-have to go.” Abigail stammered and quickly withdrew down the trail heading back to the cabins.

“Wait!” Zach shouted to her retreating back as he watched her flee through the woods. “Dammit, Knox, you fucking moron! I swear your mouth is not connected to your brain! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What?” he asked, completely oblivious as Zach started back in the other direction, “What did I say? Hey?” 

Abigail burst through the door of her cabin and slid down to the floor with her back against the wall. Hot tears dripped down her face as she sobbed into her hands. It wasn’t enough that she made herself look foolish by forgetting how to speak, but Knox compounded to her embarrassment by announcing to the hottest guy in school that she was a virgin!

“God, Abby, why are you so pathetic?” she verbally scolded herself as she battled another flurry of tears. She felt a chill on her damp leg as a breeze blew into the room from an opened window. She wiped at the spot as well as her face before a loud clicking sound made her look up. Standing beside her bed with her phone in hand, Sasha smirked at the crumpled Abigail on the floor.

“Man, I couldn’t have put that any better myself!” Sasha remarked and took another picture of the desperate girl. “That’s so going on MyBook! What do you think about this caption: ‘Pathetic Nerd Girl Cries Self to Sleep, Forever Alone’?” She cackled hysterically and watched Abigail pull up from the floor and race back out the cabin door.

“Hey, Abby, I was looking for…what’s wrong?” Abigail blew past Jemma who waved at her approaching friend. “ABBY!” She watched as she disappeared around the bend and started after her.

“Not so fast, young lady,” Professor Jones replied, pushing her back slightly. “There’s a storm coming in and everyone was instructed to get back to camp.”

“But my friend is out there, I have to go get her.”

“No, you have to do as I said. We have very capable rangers rounding everyone up, don’t worry they’ll get your friend back safely.” Professor Jones moved back to where Professor Chauncey stood as she announced over her megaphone about the incoming storm.

“All students are to return to their cabins and remain inside until instructed otherwise!”

Jemma looked back towards the cabin Abigail had rushed from and saw Sasha pass by the window. “That fucking bitch!” She stormed into the door and immediately shoved the cheer captain in the shoulder. “What did you do to Abby?”

“Geez, take a fucking Valium and chill would you?”

“Don’t tell me to fucking chill! Abigail just ran out of here in tears and I’m willing to bet it was because of you! What did you say to her?” Jemma demanded. Shoving the girl with more force, she fell to the floor.

Instantly she jumped on top of the girl, slamming a fist into her right jaw until she heard a crack, “Answer me bitch! What did you do?”

“I…” Sasha started and turned her head to spit out a mouthful of blood. “I was only kidding with her! Is it really my fault she can’t take a joke? Get off me you crazy, white trash whore!”

Jemma’s eyes opened wide with a crazed look and she closed her hands around Sasha’s throat. “You dumb slut!” She shouted and squeezed tightly. The sounds of her choking alerted the other two girls assigned to the room and both Trina and Bridget rushed inside and helped pull Jemma off of their friend.

Angrily she shoved them away and wiped Sasha’s blood off her hand on the girl’s shirt before noticing more people heading down the trail and exited the cabin. Pushing her way through the crowd, she scanned the faces of each student that passed her, in search of her friend. “I’m looking for Abigail Carmichael, have you seen her?” Jemma asked frantically to each group of students reentering the campsite and receiving no’s from each. 

Looking up, she noticed Knox and Zach approaching the trail with a ranger behind them and darted in their direction. “Jemma, babe, what’s wrong?” Knox asked as she collapsed in his arms.

“It’s Abigail. Sasha said something to her and the next thing I know she was running off into the woods and they won’t let me go after her! She stormed off upset a few minutes before they announced the incoming storm and hasn’t returned! I’m scared, something might happen to her out there!”

“Which way did she go?” Zach asked concerned, hearing the desperation in her voice. Jemma pointed to the opposite trail from which they approached and Zach followed the direction. “Ok here’s what we’re gonna do. I’ll retrace her steps and see if I can find where she got off to. You stay here and have Knox call me if she returns. Knox, see if you can get everyone’s attention so that I can slip out.”

“Hey don’t worry, Bro, you’re talking to a professional class clown,” Knox pounded his chest proudly with a smile on his face.

“What does your friend look like?” Zach listened as Jemma described Abigail in detail down to the clothing she was last seen wearing and he gasped. “I saw her earlier.”

“Yeah, Dude, you were like talking to her up in the woods and stuff,” Knox chuckled and slapped his palm on his forehead. “Duh!”

“How was I supposed to know who she was? Look just, go distract everybody.”

“Alright, Bro, chill.” Knox gathered Jemma’s hand in his and pulled her back towards the cabins as Zach lingered near the top of the trail. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he waited for Knox to make a fool of himself, something of which he was an expert, and quietly started up the trail leading towards the granite formations. 

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