cruel summer | ray hall [panic]

chapter 29

chapter 29 - RETURNS

☀︎☀︎

An exhausted Grace pedaled on her bike from the morgue to the Home Away Motorlodge and Inn early the next morning. Heather had messaged her and wanted to talk to her before all the Panic competitors, eliminated and finalists, were to meet in the motel bar. So Grace sent Ray home, and though he put up a fight, attempting to persuade Grace to let him drive her home, she won out. She could tell how exhausted he was after his challenge and told him that he needed at least a few good hours of sleep before the morning.

Grace was groggy as she rode, not sleeping very well herself, but she made it in one piece. After parking her bike outside, Diggins directed her up the stairs and told her which room was Heather's. After she softly knocked on the door, Heather let her in. The pair sat together on the queen bed that sat in the middle of the room. From the puffiness of Heather's eyes, Grace could tell that Heather had been crying throughout the night.

It didn't take long for Heather to start venting to Grace, sharing her side of the past night's events. 

"She was lying the whole time," Heather huffed, explaining how Natalie had a deal with Dodge to help each other win Panic while also working with the other girls. "The things she said were just... awful." Grace could see the strength that stood within Heather as the girl kept her composure, willing tears to not leave her eyes. "It was horrible, hearing what she really thought about me."

Grace reached out, grabbing Heather's hand in an attempt to comfort her. 

"Did she say anything about me?" Grace wondered aloud. She was empathetic for Heather, but if Natalie could really say such horrible things she couldn't help but be curious if she said similar things about Grace.

"Just something about you being distracted," she shrugged. "That you're not really invested in the game. Because of Ray." Grace frowned at the girl's words. It was blatantly untrue. She had cared so much about playing Panic. Sure, Ray had taken over a lot of her time during the summer but that didn't mean she hadn't wanted to win just as much as the other girls. She had to admit to herself though that her elimination ultimately had to do with Ray.

Grace sighed at her thoughts. "Doesn't matter that much now anyway, right?" Heather offered a sad smile, tightening her grip on Grace's hand.

Grace was disappointed and ultimately shocked at Natlie's behavior and words, but she had very little energy to put into being too upset. She was out of the game now, and summer was coming to an end. It stung, Natalie's betrayal, but at the same time, Grace had felt the group growing apart throughout the summer.

The two girls put on brave faces as they made their way downstairs to the lounge of the inn. When they walked in, the eyes of everyone in the room flashed to them. Grace noticed Natalie, who started to wave at her until she noticed the disappointed look in her eyes, her smile slowly falling. Heather continued to walk into the room to find a seat, while Grace stood planted in the middle. Her eyes flicked between her two friends, debating about whether she should follow Heather or approach Natalie - maybe she could hear her side, get a better understanding of what was running through her head. Her eyes bounced between the girls until she felt a tug on her hand.