———✰———
Leah
"The others, when do I get to see them?" Leah asked Faber who had entered her room telling her she could ask questions.
"Soon? I hope. The quarantine order aside, we can't have you conferring during the investigation. Keeping you separate it helps the account be less muddled, more honest. You really must miss them, huh?" Faber asked the blue-eyed girl.
"Yeah" Leah nodded thinking of the girls she had spent over a month trapped on an island with. "Maybe more than I thought I would. Maybe...like a... a lot. Maybe it was just the passing of time. But at some point we just sort of clicked. It wasn't like we were friends or anything but... for the first time we were an 'us'. We laid out rules we each had tasks. It sounds lame, but it didn't feel that way. The rules were fair and the... and the tasks were shared, and we were each entitled to one rest day because it was brutal out there and we all just needed a chance to mellow to be alone with our thoughts. Everyone except me. Ever since Jeanette's body went missing everything about the island just felt off again. Things got dark, in my head."
———✰———
Addie's job for the day was cleaning with Martha on day twelve. Addie liked cleaning it was a chance to keep herself busy without actually having too much considering the only thing that needed to be cleaned were their clothes. She also liked cleaning because she basically got to talk with whoever was with her.
But with all of the cleaning done for today Martha was sleeping with Marcus like they were a married couple. And Addie was sitting and talking with Fatin who was in charge of the fire for the day.
It was fairly calm until Rachel's voice screamed from above "hey, party people! Who's ready to fucking feast?" Before pulling out a swag bag full of muscles for them to eat making all the girls cheer and Rachel danced in celebration.
———✰———
It didn't take long before the girls to all start digging in once the muscles were cooked.
"Come to mama" Dot smiled as she ate another muscle. They decided it was a free for all they could eat as many as they wanted.
"Hell, yeah! You know, I can already feel my health meter coming back up to 100" Dot smiled eating another muscle.
"You true fucking feel. Please tell me that wasn't a gaming reference" Fatin teased as she too ate another muscle.
"Can't do that" Dot told her apologetically making them all chuckle.
"I know these are little animals and all, but they're so good and I can't stop eating them. What's wrong with me?" Martha told the girls unapologetically.
"You should give yourself a pass, like, for invertebrates," Nora suggested to make the girl feel better.
"And starvation situations," Leah added making the other girls hum.
"Yeah, and since Shelby's not eating any technically you're just having her portion" Addie commented when she noticed the blonde not eating any.
"Why aren't you eating any mussels, Shelby?" Martha asked sounding slightly worried for her friend.
"Mm, no, no, I'm good" Shelby rejected the idea.
"Why not?" Leah asked Shelby.
"Oh, I'm beyond allergic to shellfish. I had a simple popcorn shrimp at my cousin's birthday party. My windpipe shut like a trap." Shelby explained with a light chuckle.
"Well, you're missing out. I mean, ideally, these would be eaten with garlic butter and crispy fries on a terrace in Barcelona, but salut" Fatin shrugged as she clinked mussels with Rachel.
"Fucking one-percenters" Toni chuckled from where she was sat opposite Addie.
"Damn, Toni, you're ploughing right through them" Rachel joked as Toni ate yet another muscle.
"Just trying to stay on brand, you know" Toni shrugged before she started licking the mussel suggestively making all the girls let out noises of realisation.
"Well, I mean, okay, you gotta admit, all right, the shape of these things..." Toni told the girls.
"Shape and texture" Leah agreed as she ate another.
"Yeah, right. I mean, you know, it's kinda like a..." Toni trailed off suddenly unsure of how to say what they were all thinking.
"Like a pussy!" Nora shouted pointing to her own and everyone looked at the usually quiet girl in amused shock.
"I mean, if you wanna know how to eat this soft, beautiful treasure, I can show you, and it does not take garlic butter. All it takes is finesse." Toni said before she started her demonstration making the girls cheer.
Addie just couldn't make eye contact with the whole thing. She found it highly amusing, but it also made her blush at the thought of what Toni was demonstrating. Fatin noticed this and nudged her teasingly and Addie stuck out her tongue in retaliation before the two girls began to laugh along with the others.
"This is the most action any of us have gotten." Nora reminded the other girls as they laughed.
"I have never wanted my phone so fucking badly" Fatin announced wanting to video the whole ordeal.
"Would you stop" Shelby practically shivered in her spot making the laughter turn slightly awkward.
"That was hilarious, and Shelby has no chill" Dot laughed trying to get the laughter back up.
"Excuse me. I have chill. I guess I just... I don't see the humour in that kind of thing" Shelby explained.
"What do you mean that sort of thing?" Toni snapped as she and Addie shared a look kind of knowing where this was really coming from.
"You know. Pornographic gestures. I'm a Christian, all right? Form a very Christian home so I'm allowed to be a little sleeved out." Shelby defended herself.
"Get the cross out of your ass. It's fun to be filthy." Fatin told the girl lightheartedly.
"I mean, that's not all that's going on here. Don't bullshit me, Shelby. 'Cause the vibe that's coming off you right now, I've felt it a few too many times not to know what it is." Toni began her rant but was cut off by a confused Martha.
"What are you saying, Toni?" Martha asked.
"I'm saying that she can't stand that I'm gay, Marty. That's what fucking skeeves her out." Toni informed her and the others who hadn't worked out what Toni was saying.
"That's not true." Martha defended with a smile that quickly fell when she looked at Shelby who didn't defend herself.
"Look, I'll be as honest as possible because y'all deserve that. I do believe that way of life is a sin." Shelby confessed avoiding eye contact with the others.
"I can't fucking believe this," Toni exclaimed standing up from her seat.
"I'm sorry, but everything that I've ever known has taught me that. Hey, look, there is no hate in my heart. I just feel sorry..." Shelby was cut off by an angry Toni as Addie just looked down feeling kind of awkward and sad.
"Fuck you!" Toni exclaimed before storming off leaving the others to feel awkward and Fatin to look at Addie who looked upset at the whole thing.
Addie cleared her throat before getting up "I, uh, I think I'm just gonna, go...get some air." Addie awkwardly announced leaving the camp and avoiding eye contact with Shelby.
"What?" Shelby asked when she saw the looks she was getting from the others. "Am I not allowed to have my own beliefs?"
"Not those ones." Dot shit the girl down grabbing another mussel and Shelby hugged before leaving.
———✰———
Addie and Toni at some point in their trek to avoid Shelby had ran into each other and decided to avoid Shelby together.
"Come on let's talk about something to get our minds of the whole...Shelby being homophobic...thing" Addie said to Toni who she was holding hands with as they had wandered around.
It had been almost a week since there first kiss and the pair had been very coupley in the way they acted around each other and had kissed a few more times as well. At first, the other girls were curious about it on the first day of them acting all cute with each other, but now anytime they showed any type of PDA the teasing started.
"I do, have a question...about the...kissing," Toni told the girl quickly grabbing her attention.
"What? Do you not want to do it anymore?" Addie asked shyly suddenly thinking that Toni had changed her mind.
"No! No nothing like that. I guess I was just wondering...you know... god I sound like I'm twelve" Toni muttered the last part before speaking up again "what we are? To each other?"
"Toni, are you asking me if we're a couple?" Addie teased likely but the only response she got was a ticklish pinch of the waist from Toni which made her laugh "Okay, okay. Yes, Toni if that's what you want, we are a couple"
The two girls smiled at each other before Addie started to feel dizzy and sick-making her hold onto Toni and claiming "I don't feel so good" before throwing up making Toni's eyes widen.
"Hey hey" Toni stroked Addie's hair off of her sweaty forehead "Okay, we're gonna take you back to camp, okay, get you something that will make you feel better" Toni reassured the blonde as she started to feel ill but didn't let that show.