Violet
The screams are deafening, so much so that it's made everything else blur. I can feel my body ache although every nerve seems to be frozen. I've never been so scared before, about anything. I close my eyes, unable to watch.
My fingers are sore but I don't know why, they clench around something that makes me feel safe, but I'm burning. I'm burning from the touch.
"Hey, y'all!"
My eyes snap open at the sudden American twang, and the screams die down a little. Through the darkness, lit up with a flashlight, are two adults emerging from the trees. They come to a stop in front of us all and look at us with wide eyes.
"Oh, heavens! Did we scare you?"
My heart almost stops beating, but I'm totally relieved. Because it's just a couple from the camping ground. I don't know what else I thought it would be, but it certainly had me terrified.
Someone's still screaming and it takes me a while to realise it's Niall.
"Shut up!" Zayn turns around and then sees Niall cuddling into Zayn's shoulder, gripping his arm tight and fearing for his life as he continues to scream. Zayn immediately smacks him. "Oh, my god! Get the fuck off!"
I laugh and then Zayn looks at me, his eyebrows creasing as he looks down, then back up, then down; more slower, then back up; really, really slowly. He gulps.
I follow his gaze and see that I am in fact holding onto his arm. And not just holding it, I am gripping onto that thing like it's my only lifeline in a deep ocean. My fingers are white, my nails sunken into his shirt fabric, and my heart, oh man, my heart is doing somersaults.
My lips form a small 'o' and I casually unwrap my fingers from him, my entire face as red as a tomato. How embarrassing! I know he's looking at me, but I can't meet his gaze. I have no explanation for this.
"Um," Zayn says awkwardly.
"Er," I say back.
"Yeah," he says.
"Mhhm," I reply.
We both look quickly away.
"Oh, no," Harry says, finally giving the woman in the loud shirt an answer. "We just always scream bloody murder this hour of the night. It helps us sleep."
"I think we scared the children, Betty," the man says to his wife.
"Oh, I am so terribly sorry," Betty cries, holding a hand to her chest. "George, I told you we should've called out. Didn't I tell you?"
The man sighs, his green Hawaiian shirt billowing in the wind. "You certainly did. You always do."
Betty waves him off. "We were just coming over to ask if you had some sugar," she smiles sweetly.
"Sugar?" Louis spits. "That's what you came for?"
"We have some," Avery smiles, standing to her feet. "Follow me."
She leads the couple into the food tent and everyone's left in an awkward, embarrassed state. It's no lie we just screamed our hearts out before.
"Well," Liam says, and I had totally forgotten he was even there. I try and search for him and then my stomach drops as I realise he's sitting next to me. Right next to me. Why didn't I grab his arm? I hope he didn't see me clinging onto Zayn's arm like a leech. "That was interesting."
Avery and the couple walk back out and they bid a hundred goodbyes and apologise a hundred more times before disappearing through the bushes. She doesn't help the awkward silence.
"How much sugar did you give them?" Niall asks her.
"All of it," Avery smiles proudly.
"All of it?!" Louis shrieks. "You idiot! We need that!"
"Hey!" Niall cries in defence. "Don't you ever call her that."
"Relax, we can get some more," Liam reasons. "It's been a big day; I think we all desperately need sleep. You know, after our little scare."
"I wasn't scared," Harry snorts.
"Oh, come on," Zayn says. "Don't try and act cool."
"Oh, and you're one to speak?" Harry cries.
Zayn just looks at him. "Excuse me?"
"You think we all fall for this I'm-so-cool-I-wear-a-tacky-leather-jacket shit? We all know you're no where near who you claim to be."
Zayn stands up. "You wanna go, mate?!"
"I'd like to see you try, man," Harry snaps back.
"I'll take you on and your cat. I know you have one," Zayn fights.
"Okay," I stand to my feet, getting in the middle of the two, "let's just calm down."
"Calm? How can we be calm with all that's happened today!" Louis cries. "Those fucking Americans-"
"America is a great country!" Niall defends.
"How would you know?!" Louis throws his hands up in the air. "YOU'RE FUCKING IRISH!"
"They just wanted some sugar," Avery pipes in, crossing her arms.
"And you gave them all we had," Harry says. "Nice going."
"She was just trying to help," Liam softens.
"Oh fuck off, Liam. Go back to your knitting. No one cares," Zayn snaps.
I gasp, my anger pointing towards Zayn. "Don't speak to him like that!"
Zayn smirks. "You fighting his battles now, too, Princess?"
"Uh, what did you just call my girlfriend?"
"It's a nickname. You wouldn't get it," Zayn spits at him.
"It sounds like a pet name to me," Niall says.
"Yeah, well you're stupid so you would think that," Louis says.
"HEY!" Avery screams, feet firmly on the ground, finger pointed in Louis' direction. "Niall is beautiful and loving and kind and sweet and smart! So damn smart! Don't you dare insult him! Do it again and I will come down on you like fucking World War Three, bitch!"
"Yeah!" Zayn agrees. "Don't insult Niall!"
"Oh, just go back to whatever Middle Eastern country you came from, Zayn," Louis rolls his eyes.
"Can I just say that I don't do knitting," Liam cuts in.
"What was that? Did I just hear somebody, whom nobody cares about, speaking?" Zayn holds a hand to his ear.
"Oh, you are such a jerk," I hiss.
"Oh, just stop!" He cries, eyes right on me. "Just stop with it all, alright?! I know how you feel towards me, Princess. I get it. And I don't fucking care. So just go back to shopping at Gucci and Chanel with your daddy's gold credit card. I get that you're better than me."
I slap him. I slap him before I even know what I'm doing. I bring my hand up and bring it across his left cheek. How dare he even think he has the right to speak about my father. That stupid, lowlife, unbelievable, arrogant, prick.
"Did you just slap me?" He looks at me as he clutches his cheek, which is already starting to redden.
"She slapped you because you deserved it!" Avery screams from the corner, even though I'm a hundred percent sure she doesn't even know why I did it.
"Maybe I should slap you for giving away all our sugar," Louis says.
"You didn't just say that," Niall says. "Oh hell, son. You did not just say that!"
Louis holds out his arms. "Come at me, boy."
"I think we all just need to-"
"SHUT UP, LIAM!" We all chorus.
"You know, Louis, your sweatshirt is really ugly," Avery gags.
"So is your mum."
"Don't you bring mothers into this!" I cry. "Avery's right, what even is that colour?"
"Fucking mustard, what's it to you? You're the one that wears wrap around thing-a-lings," he snaps.
"Wrap around cardigans are very stylish," I sniff.
"Yeah, to the blind," he snorts.
"That is very disrespectful. My great aunt is blind," Avery says. "But of course she is dead, too."
"Do you even think before you say something?" Louis asks, eyes on Avery. "Because then maybe you'd know how dumb you are."
"Hey, I won the best effort award!"
"Point totally proven."
"You're such a douche," I snap, coming to Avery's defence. "The only thing you can play is soccer."
"Says the girl who thinks she's a good luck charm," Zayn annoying speaks from behind me.
I spin around. "Would you just drop that already?! Oh, my god!"
"What's so funny about Violet being my good luck charm?" Liam pounces in.
"Like, everything," Zayn snorts.
"It's perfectly true," Liam counters.
Zayn's eyebrows raise as he looks at me. "So you didn't tell him about the last time he played?"
Liam looks at me as I give Zayn evil looks. "No, I didn't. Because I was still in the seat."
"Bull freaking shit. Liam, Violet's a fail. That last game you won? I sat in your precious seat."
"No!" I cry. "No, that's not true! I was right beside him, so it still worked!"
Liam looks from me to Zayn, and he looks a little sad. But it's for an entirely different reason than I thought. "I thought one would be enough for you," he says to Zayn, voice shaking. "But you just needed to steal both my girlfriends, huh?"
Zayn and I let out a collective snort. "Oh, my god. Never in a million years would I ever think about even laying a hand on Violet."
"Uh, likewise," I snap. "Liam we've already talked about this. Can't you just let it go?"
"You've already talked about this?" Zayn cries.
"You weren't invited into the conversation because nobody likes you," I tell him.
"Uh, Princess, sounds like the whole conversation was about me," he shrugs.
"Seriously, can you stop calling her that?" Liam says, a little pissed.
"Yeah. Stop calling me that."
Zayn crosses his arms. "I will when you stop being one."
I narrow my eyes at him. "I hate you so much."
"I hate you, too!" Avery cries, rushing over to us. "I hate you all because you ruined one of the best weeks of my life. I really fucking hate you."
"Hey, it was you who gave away all our sugar."
"What the hell is it with you and the sugar, Louis?!" Zayn cries. "It's sugar. It is literally tiny white grains in a packet."
"You don't know me, Zayn. You don't even know."
"I blame Zayn," I pipe up. "I blame it aall on Zayn."
"Yeah! Me too!" Liam hisses.
"Me three," Louis adds.
Zayn gasps. "Louis!" He then recovers. "You know what? Fuck all of you. Fucking white people."
"I'm technically Irish," Niall cuts in.
"Irish people are the whitest god damn people you can get," Harry snaps.
"I hate Irish people," Louis mumbles.
"I hate you, too, Louis. I hate you, too," Niall says.
"You know who I hate? You," I point at Zayn.
"Oh, well you know who I hate? All of you!" Zayn snaps back. "But especially you." He points right back at me.
"What are we even fighting about?" Avery quizzes.
"The sugar," Louis says.
"Really, Louis? Really?"
"YOU KNOW WHAT?!" Niall suddenly yells, standing up on the log to make himself heard. "EVERYONE CAN GO GET FUCKED. THAT'S RIGHT. YOU ALL SUCK. I HATE YOU ALL SO MUCH. YOU'VE RUINED IT. YOU'VE RUINED IT ALL. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR THING. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN AND BONDING AND HAPPY AND YOU ALL JUST RUINED IT. SO FUCK YOU ALL. YOU'RE A LOUSY GROUP OF FRIENDS."
We all just stare at him, realising he's right. I guess the emotion just got the best of us and we took it all out on each other. And I don't even know why we were fighting, but in that moment it seemed like the only best option; the only thing we could do. But it's too late now, it's too late to forgive and forget and apologise and sheepishly laugh and awkwardly handshake - because it's gone. Whatever we had, the memories, the unstoppable laughter and smiles, it's all gone. And it's no one else's fault but our own.
"We leave tomorrow morning," Niall says softly. "We were supposed to have another week, but I can't be with you all anymore." He pulls on Avery's arm and the two stalk off.
The rest of us just look at each other, but we're nowhere near the forgiving stage. If anything, Avery and Niall leaving just means two less people to fight with.
"What a fucking pussy," Harry mutters.
"I didn't even want to come on this stupid thing," Louis groans.
"I didn't even want to come in your piss-ass car," Harry snaps at him.
"Wait, what car do you have? Oh, that's right, a non-existent one."
"I'd rather never have a car just to avoid getting your one."
"It really is a shitty car," Zayn adds.
"Fuck off, Zayn. What even species are you?" Louis shoots.
"The one your mum likes, oh, what up," he sings.
"Oh, good one, Zayn," I say sarcastically.
"Why don't you strangle yourself with your wrap around cardigan?" He shoots back.
"That's not even possible," Liam says.
"Oh, let me try. I'll make it work," Zayn smirks.
"Fuck this place, the trees are really getting on my nerves. They're all treey," Harry groans, looking around at what surrounds us.
"Don't be mean to the trees!" I cry. "What did they ever do to you, huh?"
"Oh, great. Now you're a hippy, tree hugger?" Zayn gives me an eye roll.
"Hey, didn't you kiss Mia Walker?" I shoot back, giving him a satisfied smirk as his cheeks go red.
"Mate, what?" Harry cries.
"I told you that in confidence!" Zayn yells.
"Violet, isn't Mia your sister?" Louis asks.
Zayn bursts into laughter and I smack Louis across the arm. "What? No!"
"She's lying," Zayn says. "The two are twins."
"I totally see it," Louis says.
I frown, pouting my lip. There is no resemblance between Mia and I, right? Oh, my god, there isn't, right?
"But maybe we should ask the guy that kissed her," Harry shoots a curious look at Zayn.
"It was a pity kiss, fucking hell."
"Oh, the kind Louis' mum gives him?" Harry grins.
"You're just jealous because your mum wanted to get you out of the house and so she sent you to Westlake," Louis snaps.
"My mum loves me." Harry sticks his nose in the air.
Louis laughs. "Yeah, okay."
"If we're going to talk about jerky things," Liam says, "I think we need to bring up the fact that you, Zayn, and you, Louis, set up a prank on us all."
"Yeah, but it didn't even work!" Harry laughs. "Idiots."
"We were trying to bring some life into this cemetery," Zayn scoffs. "So sue us for trying."
"Next time you try and play a prank, make sure the woman you tell the truth to doesn't come spill the beans," I smile.
"Idiots," Harry says again.
"Harry, you don't even know how to spell 'definitely'," Louis turns to him in fury.
Harry's eyes fall to the ground.
"Seriously, dude?" Zayn asks.
"It's a hard word!" Harry cries.
"Go. Spell it," Louis taunts. "Oh, god. It's hilarious."
Harry glares at him. "Fuck you, Louis. There's so many things about you I could just happily share, but I don't. Because I'm a good friend."
"Are we forgetting the time you called my sister fat?"
"That was one time. One time!"
"Mate, that is uncalled for," Zayn shakes his head.
"She was wearing layers! I didn't know!" Harry throws his hands up in the air. "You all suck. I'm going to bed." And with that, he storms off.
"You don't get to go to bed! I'm going to bed!" Louis cries.
"Babe," Liam pulls at my arm. "Sleep with me outside tonight."
"It's cold," I tell him. For some reason, I don't want to sleep outside with him. I don't want to do anything. Every action of his annoys me, every word, everything he does and thinks and feels. I just want him away from me.
"Babe, come on."
"Liam, no," I say in a cold tone. I pull away from him. "I said I didn't want to, alright?!"
Liam just looks at me, wondering where he went wrong. But for once I don't feel sympathy. I don't feel anything. I just want to be alone.
"Okay," he replies, total sadness in his voice. "Whatever. Night," he says, more icily. He walks off to his tent.
And then there were two.
"Nice," Zayn says once we're alone. "Best Girlfriend goes to you!"
I glare at him, clearly not amused. "Just piss off why don't you?"
"You know, I think I might stay around."
"You never should have come on this. You ruined everything."
"I ruined everything? Princess, take a look at yourself. You really think everyone likes you? You're bossy, you're naive, you take everything so seriously. God, it's a wonder you even have Liam." He pauses. "Oh wait, you don't. You scared him off, too."
I clench my jaw. I'm angry now, totally angry. What right does he have saying that about me? "And you think you're the favourite! Nobody likes you! When will you get it through your thick head that nobody does, Zayn? Stop trying. Just stop."
He squints, eyes as dark as our surroundings. "You're a bitch," he says simply.
I laugh coldly. "And you're an asshole."
"You really annoy me, you know that?"
"Oh, believe me. Feeling's mutual."
"I've never met someone as irritating and stuck up as you."
"And I've never met someone as obnoxious and ignorant as you."
"You drive me insane."
"I never want to talk to you again," I snap.
"Fine by me," he says.
"Fine," I reply.
"Fine!"
"FINE!" We both chorus before spinning on our heels and storming off to our tents.
------
In the morning we all pack in silence, none of us saying anything apart from snappy remarks like 'pass me that bag' and 'can you, like, move?'. We all have one thing in common though, and that's how badly we just want to get back to Westlake and never see each other again.
"Who's pink bag is that?" Niall angrily asks, pointing at the bag in the middle, by our campfire.
"Oh, mine," I reply. "I-"
"Pick it up," he snaps, walking off through the bushes to Louis' car.
I pull a face at him and pick it up, heaving it over my shoulder. I follow the others through the forest track and we finally arrive at Louis' car. I'm not very eager to get in it.
No one says anything, just hops in the car by themselves. We sit in the same seats, much to our disapproval. No one really wants to sit next to each other.
I hover by the door, waiting for Zayn to sort his shit out and just put down his bag so that he can jump back out, and I can climb over to the back seat. He puts his bag down by his feet and then sits down.
"Um, excuse me," I say.
He looks up. "Oh, sorry? Are you speaking?"
"I need to get to the back and you're just being an asshole. More than you already are."
He puts in his headphones and pretends not to hear me.
I smack them away. I literally smack his MP3 out of his hands. "I said move!" I yell. The others look at me.
"Just move, Zayn," Liam sighs from behind me.
"There's nothing wrong with your legs," he snaps back. "Climb."
"Climb?" I cry. "Climb over you and the seat?" Who does he think I am? Spiderman?
Zayn's answer is putting in his headphones again.
I let out a frustrated sigh. Fine. If he wants to play this game, I'll play it. I put my foot on the edge of the car and purposely step up to his seat and onto his leg. He shrieks in pain and yells at me to get off, but I ignore him. I move my way over him and kick his head with my knee as I climb over the backseat and successfully sit in my own. He spins around and gives me the finger, to which I return.
The prick moves for Liam.
This time Louis doesn't ask if we're all ready; he just drives. Zayn doesn't play his shitty music or that shitty Nirvana song. It's not even a good song. And Niall doesn't ask to stop for snacks. In fact, the whole ride home is scarily silent. Not even Niall and Avery talk to each other.
When we reach town Liam says something to me.
"Can you please pass me my bottle?" He asks.
I turn to him. "What?" Why the hell is he asking me?
"My water bottle. It's in my bag behind you."
I'm just in such a shitty mood, I don't even know why. But everybody just pisses me the hell off. Never again am I going on a stupid camping trip like this.
But I sigh, because it's really, really hard to be so rude to Liam. But I'm also not in the mood for smiling. I haven't gotten proper sleep in days, and it's starting to pay off. "Sure," I say, reaching back and grabbing his blue bag. I zip it open and hand him his water bottle.
He takes it and kisses my temple softly, and it's enough to break me from everything. It's enough for a small smile to form on my lips. But I quickly look out the window to hide it.
"We're here," Louis says numbly as he pulls into the parking lot. "Get your shit, fuck off."
We don't need to be told twice. We all hop out of the car (I hit Zayn's head until he moves) and retrieve our bags from the back. We then walk towards the dorms, walking a fair distance from each other. And when it's time to split up, neither of us say goodbye.
Well, apart from Niall, who's voice kind of makes my stomach fold.
"Hope you all had a good camp."
**I seriously hope the amount of swearing doesn't put anyone off in this story (I know there was a lot in this chapter) but I swear a whole fucking lot I believe it just completes a sentence ja feel. Love reading all your comments! They really make my day! And haahah I just laff because I have so much exciting stuff planned for this story and it hasn't even happened yet and y'all just don't know what you're in for lova ya xx**