Scream of Sorrow [ON HOLD]

NINE

The evening was greatly uneventful for Reagan and she spent her time wishing she hadn't agreed to come. All she did was sit and take pictures and currently they'd all abandoned her on the sand and were playing a game of throwball.

It seemed to her like they'd forgotten about her existence and she took it as her chance to leave but just as she got to her feet and brushed some sand off the back of her thighs, Tate turned to her.

"Where you going?" he yelled over, his dripping hair covering his eyes.

"Restroom," she called back, gritting her teeth. He threw her a thumbs up and turned only for the ball to smack the side of his face.

Reagan snorted and left her camera on one of the towels they had laid before moving to the restroom signs far away from the beach. The restroom was thankfully empty and she sighed, slumping against the wall. 

She wished Austin or even Nick were there, they would've made it better. As much as she loved Audrey and Tate, things weren't the same anymore. They'd parted ways as best friends and met again as strangers. They'd missed so much from each other's life that she wondered if trying to mend anything was even worth it.

"But this was Tate," something whispered in her. "The same Tate that helped you clean your wounds all those years ago, the same guy that had sent his parents to talk to yours when your face was swollen."

But it was hard.

His group of friends just didn't go well with her. None of them liked her as much as they pretended to. Even outgoing, extroverted Evan didn't actually like her. They put up with her because she was staff now, she worked with them.

When she walked back to the towels, her heart dropped. 

Aria, Jai and Violet stood in a circle, yelling at each other, all of them dripping with water. Her camera was in Violet's very wet hands and she felt her lungs collapse at the sight. 

It was Austin's camera.

She'd promised to return it just as she took it.

"What are you doing?" she snarled, marching towards them and wrenching the camera out of Violet's grip.

"We wanted to see the pictures but it sort of shut down and it doesn't turn on again—" Jai rushed out.

Her eyes snapped to his. "You tried turning it on again when you leaked water into it?" she snapped, her glare lethal.

"We're so sorry, we didn't—" said Jai, his cheeks pink.

"Get over it, they'll buy you another one," scoffed Violet already walking away.

"It's not even mine, you bitch," yelled Reagan after her. "Do you guys know nothing of permission? You just destroyed something that's worth years of savings. We're not all superstars with a shitload of money, okay? Some people have to actually work to get their shit instead of just posing in front of cameras and fans!"

"What's going on here?" said Tate, a towel wrapped around his shoulders.

"Nothing," seethed Reagan. "I'm leaving. See you tomorrow."

"Reagan!" he called, grabbing her arm.

"Don't touch me," she snapped. "Your friends destroyed the camera, Tate. It's Austin's, what am I supposed to tell him now?"

"It can be fixed," he said hesitantly.

Her eyes flashed. "Because you know so much about cameras, Tate, don't you?"

"I'll buy you a new one," he promised. "Just don't be mad. I'm sorry, okay?"

She faltered, forgetting how kind and goodhearted Tate could be sometimes. "I'm not mad at you," she muttered. "And you don't have to get me anything."