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chapter viii ; ❝look for the girl with the broken smile...❞
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the black-haired man takes y/n by the wrist, leading her from the entrance of the building, down a few twists and turns into certain insignificant hallways, and into his own little office quarters.
"i took you back here because, well-" he gently leads her to one of the two seats positioned in front of his desk as he intricately shuts the door with a soft click and whirls his body to the h/c-haired girl fully, indicating a hand to the very visible 'hidden' cameras that were able to be made out from the windows. "-but you're sure about this?"
"i-i am..." she nods to the host, her e/c eyes quivering, her slightly-chapped, fleshy lips pursed as she harshly swallows down on a nervous gulp under the authority figure's unreadable gaze.
"so," chris starts, clearing his throat, walking around the girl's seat to his own spinning chair behind the desk, and pulling out a small stack of documents from one of his cabinets. "which side do you choose?"
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you slept pleasantly the last two nights, comparatively to the first ones since you came to the island. you probably had to attribute it to the fact that you had lifted a huge burden from atop your shoulders when speaking to chris on saturday, but izzy's selfless proposition to sharing a comfortably-uncomfortable twin-sized bed did more than wonders for you too.
of course, at first, you felt quite burdened by izzy's strange sleeping patterns, but as the days passed by, you were just happy to have somewhere adequate to sleep in; embracing her ugly-looking cuddles and the misplaced conjoined limbs between the two of you.
she is a great roommate, or bedmate, to have. izzy would pamper you with affection, whether through words or actions. the activities usually included; braiding flowers into your hair, giving you tender massages (or cracking your bones violently), hyping you up whenever you were feeling insecure in an overly-cluttered conversation, opening up to you about the copious stories of running away from the rcmp or how she got onto the 'top 10 most wanted' list, as well as simply complimenting you for any chance she could get.
izzy made sure to look after you, and you could give a large portion of credit to her for your growing self-confidence - that's for sure. you and she were honestly more similar than you would actually like to believe, but... anyway- she truly was just a great person to have as a friend.
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it was currently sunday, on the night before the second shoot, and the gophers invited you personally to one of their hot tub outings. you never wanted to prod into their parties since you preferred spending your nights drawing, reading, playing music, or sleeping, and you weren't even a part of their group - or any group, much less - but izzy, owen, and cody insisted, stating that everyone who wanted to be there would be there.
music was already played when you stepped out of the cabin in your orange swimsuit and oversized t-shirt yet again. you stepped off the patio and turned the corner, sighting justin, geoff, noah, and izzy already in the jacuzzi, trent playing his guitar atop the ridge with his feet in the water, and cody, duncan, and leshawna leaving the communals in their own swimming suits to rejoin the party.
"y/n! hey girl!" leshawna shouts, waving her hand over from her spot between the miniature-sized nerd and the pierced punk prior-classmate of yours.
"oh, hi!" you wave back bashfully, smiling prettily as you linger in front of the ladder up the wooden steam bath, waiting for the self-confident lady to reach you.
"'sup gorgeous?" cody swaggers to you, cutting in front of both duncan and leshawna, and moves onto the staircase. "so happy you came to join us!"
"you have no chance dude, she's out of your league." duncan replies shallowly, ripping cody off the platform and replacing the smaller boy with himself as he enters the outdoor piece of furniture.
"you didn't have to wait for me, hun!" the curvaceous black beaut moseyed over, placing a couple of beach towels she got from the bathrooms onto the side railings of the gopher cabins, and afterward, gifting you a welcomely side-hug.
she waits for cody, who had easily regained his composure after the mohawked bully's push, then climbs up the steps of the tempered sauna. you followed after her, stopping as soon as you got to the edge of the tank to undress yourself of the shirt and reveal the light-colored two-piece to your acquaintances. you toss the article into the safety of the grass, then plummet yourself carelessly into the hot pool slightly below you.
CLICK.
you briefly dunk your head underneath the water, coming back to the surface with a light bounce, and pushing all of your h/t, h/c hair out of the way of your face.
"wow..." a few voices admitted and the music came to a sudden halt, but you tried to think nothing of it - just put the exclamations up to be a coincidence.
CLICK. CLICK.
meekly, you swam to the opposite side of the tub where the last remaining spot was left unreserved; next to a reading noah, a resumed guitar-playing trent and his legs, and an izzy behind those legs.
"hey izzy. hey jumping partner..." you said softly, waving towards izzy as you accidentally brush your body up against noah for only a second before readjusting yourself to sit on the seats of the spa bath. "...whatcha readin'?"
CLICK.
the south asian's hollow and dull eyes look up soullessly until he realizes who was talking to him; his expression lightens immediately, pending just before those dark-colored oculars bend down to your neckline, then contrastingly, his deep honey skin darkens an orangey-red.
"o-oh! hey-" he cheeses, slowly lowering his guard down...
...as a wave of chlorinated riverwater washes over his hands, soaking his book in the clear blueish-green substance from the new additions moving about the container to find a free area (i.e. you).
"-oh my god, i'm so sorry noah!" you bring a digit to your teeth, biting down on a nail nervously as you await for a reaction from him. "i absolutely did not mean to do that!"
"no, ugh... it's whatever, y/n, really." the dark-skinned boy stands to his feet, holding his new read above the water. "i'll just hang it somewhere outside to dry."
"i can do it for you!" you stand alongside him, offering your hands out for him to place the book in them, but he refuses.
"y/n, i said it's fine. i probably shouldn't have been reading in the water anyway..." he gives you a petty half-smile, holding one hand out to stop any more movements from you while the other utilizes the hardcover to scratch the back of his head, dwelling for the time being on the embarrassing thought.
"yeah, 'probably'." you rolled your light/dark e/c eyes, sighing heavily as you sit back down before facing back up to him. "if it doesn't dry properly, i'll buy you a new copy."
he smiles wholeheartedly now, and probably the first time you've ever seen him do so. "sure, it's your money... partner." and he takes his leave (but not before shooting a nasty look at the scowling delinquent - who was the actual cause of the mishap - creating a big swoosh behind you as you traveled towards the know-it-all).
and, almost instantaneously, geoff slides in from his spot on the otherside of the bookworm to sit next to you. "orange is so your color, little dude." he casually throws a beefed-up arm around your neck, letting you use it as a sturdy throw pillow.
CLICK.
"op-! w-well," startled by the sudden movement as well as compliment, you looked down at yourself shyly...
...and, in turn, you take notice of the low dip of your top, so you pull the cups of your bra piece higher in order for it to shape yourself correctly.
"th-thanks!"
CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.
"no, u-um, p-problem bro." a goofy grin broadly plays out on the blonde's features as he tilts his cowboy hat down to shadow over his overly red face.
"'bro'!?"
you raise a hand to hide your contagious laughter at the himbo's adorable reactions - your colored optics trailing temporarily to peep at his washboard abs - before quickly making eye contact again.
geoff simpers awkwardly under your scrutiny, but before he has a chance to say anything else, everyone picks their head up from their own conversations to redirect their attention onto the musician.
CLICK. CLICK.
the boy strums his acoustic guitar intricately, memorizing the chord placement with sweet, tender eyes, and mumbling a familiar tune.
❝beauty queen of only 18, she had some trouble with herself...❞
his fingers come to an abrupt end at the realization that another voice had joined him.
"heh, wait. you know the song too?" his olive eyes flickered with admiration as he gazed down to his feet where you sat nearby, swaying along with 'the funniest guy around' to the rhythm.
"well, yeah-" you craned your neck up (unknowingly snuggling right into geoff's side) to peer up at the cool guy. "it's, like, only a staple to every 90s to 2000s kid. one of the first songs i learned on the guitar too."
you glance at the person across from you before drawing your line of vision back towards trent, putting your hands on your hips cheekily even though it wasn't fully visible due to the water, and playfully exhaling a large breath.
CLICK.
"true, true... but that's so cool! it's actually-probably my favorite song of all time." he smized, lightly plucking his beloved possession. "want to - maybe? - sing it with me?"
"y'really need to rely on backing vocals that badly, huh?" winking, you stuck your tongue out at him, feeling a bit zany from the heat rush you were getting by the steaming basin of water.
CLICK.
"no," he coughs out a cackle at the audacity, but secretly enjoying the uprise in confidence you were now emitting from the last the two of you spoke. "you just have such a nice singing voice... i could get used to listening to it more."
"i should be saying that to you; i hear you singing down at the pier every night... it's beautiful."
❝i could play for you all night, just ask me and i'll do it.❞ his signature toothy smile alights whilst he turns to his guitar again and continues to strum to the famous '04 hit song. "so, shall we continue?"
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'Confessional: Y/N L/N.'
"these cameras are on, right? it's two right now, so i assume they should be since it's the next day..." one of your hands covers the camera hanging from the top corner of the outhouse, tampering with the angle of where it shoots from, as your other readjusts the damp towel covering your body. "if not, it doesn't even matter; i just need to vent..."
you sit down on the loo as comfortably as you can, staring dead into the lens of the camera. "okay, so! w-what if- like, um..." you try to break out into an easy smile but it comes off more maniacal than anything. "...who cares if everyone on the island is nice, and hot, and sweet?"
"it's fineeee! i-i'm cool with it." ogling downwards, you pick at the dirt that has collected underneath your fingernails. "i guess... well, not really though. they're just being friendly; they all are..."
"...right!?"
you fix your posture, biting the corner of your lip, looking at the new, yet familiar, carvings drawn on the wooden outhouse.
after a while, you finally let out a sigh. "i shouldn't even be thinking about this. eyes on the prize, y/n, eyes on the prize."
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you laid cozily, bundled up with a certain-someone that was facing yourself as her hand settled lazily on your waist, and yours on her hips. it had to be around 5 to 7 a.m. as your internal alarm clock was forcing your body to rise up to the odd hour in the morning. your drowsy optics - not wanting to be invaded by the sharp glare the sun emitted - decided against opening up. you wanted to soak at the moment, the environment, already dreading the day that would come in, inconceivably, the next few hours as izzy's warm-toned hand falls down to the center of your lap restlessly.
at least, that's what you thought...
"HOOOONK!"
groans and murmurs could be heard, reverberating along the walls of the cabins, and announced themselves to the outside world. numerous heads from their bottom cots consequently thudded against the top ones, jittering and crying out in pain as a result.
"ow!" leshawna shouts in agony as she raises her polished hand to rub at the aching pain that the wood from the top bunk had caused. "it's 7 in the morning!"
if people weren't awake then, they definitely were now.
she whips the blanket off of her form, revealing her purple-violet chiffon lingerie and voluptuous body, and stomps straight towards the window, shooting death glares to the culprit outside the campgrounds. "do i look like a farmer to you?!"
gwen - from her still-extremely broken bottom bunk - lets out a big yawn, stretching her arms, then walks over to the few centimeters/inches shorter, riled-up lady, and places her cold, icy hand atop her shoulder to slowly pull her back from the windowsill.
"hurry up and get ready, you have ten minutes to meet in the front!"
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neglected articles of clothing, accessories, and other feminine products were scattered about as you tried your best to dodge and walk over them, not wanting to seem rude and/or accidentally step on a person's belongings.
you filtered through your own clothing, deciding on a boho-like festival outfit: a white airy, lace-trim crop tank top, a high-waist, denim mini skirt with belt accent in brown, and a pair of beige embroidered chunky heel-tall cowgirl boots. for accessories, a patterned maroon-and-black ascott, and a light brown mini crossbody bag to store your phone, notepad, and a few other necessities.
seeing as the gopher girls' cabin was empty, you inferred it would be safe to undress in and so you proceeded to do so - starting with your shirt and bra, then presuming to your pyjama bottoms as the door suddenly opens.
"AAAHH!!"
you cover your nude bits with your clean clothes, screaming at the voices who had intruded, which also coincided with yours.
"woahhhh-" beth's jaw seemingly unhinges as she ganders at your physique, but she ultimately shakes her head and bats her eyelids to awake herself from the trance she was in. "i-i mean, s-sorry... y/n."
"maybe lock the door next time, are you thick in the head?" heather quickly shuts the door behind the two of them, locking the cabin as you hurry to put on a clean bra and skirt before their prying eyes return back to you.
"no, but she is in all the right places..."
"shut the fuck up beth!" the tallest one in the room reaches around to smack her acquaintance in the side of the head, then turns back to face you with a smug look on her face. "you don't want other people seeing you like this, do you?"
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"you look like lindsay right now." heather snickers beside you as the two of you (plus one more, if you count a lingering beth from behind) make your way to the front of the cabins.
"is that a bad thing?" you gander up at her, cocking your brow cunningly as you stop right next to the few others who finished early.
"no, it looks good on you, obviously." she rolls her greyish-black slender eyes, gaping at you bewildered as if you had just asked the dumbest question ever.
"anything would look good on you, y/n..." beth's googly eyes transcend her bulky prescriptions, holding her clasped fists up together against her cheek in awe.
"hush!" heather raises a digit up to her pale, plump lips in order to silence the shortest contestant on the show; which she does by parting from the two prom queens and to her only other popular friend at the other end of the line. "that was the fucking point, idiot."
soon, a cloud of people trickles in, but your sight is only set on the emcee as he gets the signal from the producers to get on with the recording.
"morning!" with arms behind his back, chris walks over to the front end of the cluster of people and chirps giddily. "hope you all slept well."
"hi, chris!" heather shines her pearly whites, waving a delicate hand to the host, then gesturing a lazy finger towards the man's thighs. "you look really buff in those shorts."
you chuckle breathlessly at heather's obvious attempt to curry chris's favor, as well as the disgusted face being spread right next to you by gwen.
"i know." the older man settles for a wink and a finger gun to shoot at the manipulative flirt whilst he wanders halfway across the row of participants. "m'kay- i hope you're all ready, because your next challenge begins in exactly... one minute!"
owen, with a terribly disturbed semblance on his face, raises his hand to speak. "oh, excuse me! i don't know if that's enough time to eat breakfast!"
"ohhhh, you'll get breakfast owen..." chris smizes jesterly, leaning into the childlike soul with a hand atop his plush shoulder. "...right after you complete your twenty-kilometer run around the lake!"
the crazy party guy rubs his stomach satisfied, but once he registers what had just been confirmed, he grits his teeth, widens his optics, and arches his brows to his hairline.
"oh, so you're funny now." a hangry eva, who had turned her music down to hear this, snarls violently at the similarly-sized man ahead of her. "y'know what i think would be funny!?"
she stomps over to the complacent mclean, raising shakey fists up in the air, all while geoff and duncan hold her back, and courtney dashes to the female bully's side to calm her down: "eva, try to control your temper!"
"you're enjoying this, aren't you!" the permanent scowl on the 22-year-old's face crinkles and deepens greatly, giving one last thrash against the two boys' tactful grasp before relaxing her posture completely.
"a little!" chris smirks insanely without a care in the world, pointing at the designer watch on his wrist. "you guys have thirty seconds."
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(i hate maroon 5, particularly only adam levigne [obviously, who doesn't?], but THIS IS ALL FOR YOU TRENT!!! & i don't really like boho-styled outfits, they literally give me late 2000s tumblr/polyvore vibes... and that's not a good thing lmao [iykyk]-- anyway, i love trent sm, it's not even funny. also, lol, yes i'm back.
for now.
i've been brainstorming ways to incorporate romance between the other characters, and tbh... some of them i have no idea how to write around, like tyler, noah, owen, and how to break up the romance between gwen & trent, owen & izzy, and courtney & duncan. but, we'll see...
Q: what is your personal aesthetic?
A: honestly, i don't really abide by any. i just like to wear what i like, and it changes every day. i find it boring to commit to one style at a time, but i guess the aesthetics i stick to the most is grandpa-core and kidcore/sanrio-core lol.
i'd love to hear your responses so that i can maybe apply them to y/n. i'm also a huge fashion person, if it wasn't already obvious enough by my writing lmao.)