It took a while before Chris and Josh opened the door.
Artemis sighed and sat down on the couch. She saw everyone enter in the lodge. She smiled lightheartedly, remembering all the fun times they had together.
"Home, sweet home," Josh smiled as he walked towards the fireplace.
"Sweet is not the word I'd use," Matt scoffed.
"Oh my gosh it's SO GOOD to be inside. Even if it's still kinda freezing in here," Ashley sighed as she plopped down on the couch.
"I'll get a fire going," Josh remarked.
"This place barely looks any different," Matt said as he looked through the lodge.
"Nobody's been up here."
"Even with all the police coming in and out?" Ashley asked.
"Not a lot of action up here lately?" Chris questioned.
"Nope," Josh chucked a few firewood into the fireplace.
"What's up party people!" Mike walked in with Jessica.
"Heeey!" Jessica waved.
"Hey!" Josh said as he stood up from his crouching position. "Make yourself at home, bro."
"Will do,"
"Yeah! Come on in. Take a load off. Have whatever you want. You just take whatever you want anyway, right?" Matt snapped as he walked towards Mike. Artemis stood up and looked at Josh, signaling to stop the fight if it escalates any further. "What the hell were you doing with Em out on the trail, huh?"
"What?" Mike scoffed.
"I saw you and Em. Through the telescope." Matt growled.
Mike raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. "Before? We just ran into each other. It'd been a while so we hugged and I said hello. Is that against the law?"
Matt sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right... yeah... Duh. Sorry, it's been kind of a long day. I overreacted."
"Nah, man, don't worry about it." Mike smiled.
"We cool?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Totally." Artemis sighed in relief. At least that is taken care of.
Matt sat back down the couch farthest from Mike and Jessica with his head hung low. Josh and Artemis exchanged looks before resuming what they were previously doing. It wasn't until Emily walked in that things went downhill.
"Oh. My god. That is so gross," Emily grimaced. "Are you trying to swallow his face whole?"
"Em . . ." Matt huffed, not really ready for another fight.
Emily chuckled, "Seriously can she be any more obvious? No one wants in on your territory, honey." Josh and Artemis once again stand by to defuse the cat fight.
"Excuse me, did you say something?" Jessica scoffed.
"Oh did you not hear me? Was your sluttiness too loud?"
Jessica stood up and put her hands on her hip, "Sounds like someone's bitter she didn't make the cut."
"Yeah. It's all a big cattle call with that dreamboat. Congrats, you're top cow," Emily folded her arms with annoyance.
"Cuts real deep calling Miss Homecoming a cow." Jessica laughed.
Matt kept his cool and tried his best to calm everyone down, "H-hey, you're making everyone uncomfortable, Jess-"
"Jealous much? Emily too frigid for you, too?"
"Hey that's... uncalled for... look-"
Jessica waved them off with a middle finger in the air, "Whatever. I don't give a crap what you think."
Emily pointed at her head with a big smirk, "At least I can think. 4.0, bitch, honor roll. Suck on that when you're trying to sleep your way into a job."
"Who needs grades when you've got all the natural advantages you can handle?"
"Oh please,"
"You couldn't buy a moldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass."
"Are you serious? Do you think that's insulting?"
"That bitch is on crack or something,"
Matt stood up with annoyance, "Jessica, you need to shut your mouth, okay?"
"No, you're the one who needs to keep your nose out of other people's business!" Jessica shouted.
"I'm about to get right up in your business you bitch-" Emily sassed.
"Are we about to get real? Cause I am down to get real." Jessica answered sourly.
Josh shook his head and stood up, "STOP IT! This is not why we came up here. This is not... helping. It's not what I wanted," Artemis looked at him sympathetically. "If we can't get along for ten minutes then maybe we need a little bit of a break, right? Mike - why don't you check out the guest cabin. The one I told you about?"
Mike held Jessica by the waist and nodded, "Yeah... Yeah, alright. Want to go do that?"
"Any place without that whore," Jessica scrunched her nose with clear disgust.
"It's right up the trail," Josh sighed.
Mike smiled uneasily and left with a hot headed blonde.
Matt let go a long held exhale. "So Josh... Uh, should we get this fire going?"
"Yeah," Josh muttered as he continued to stack the logs. Artemis walked over to Josh and patted him on the back lightly.
"Hey are you okay," Artemis asked as she squatted next to him.
"I'm . . . I'm fine," Josh laughed weakly. "I just don't like it when we fight." He lit a match and started the fireplace.
"Josh I'm sorry for that, I should've-"
"Stop saying sorry for them!" Josh growled.
"I didn't mean to say sorry for them, I meant-," Artemis winced.
"Just don't . . ." Josh murmured. "Artie why are you so nice?" Josh looked at Artemis for an answer, but when she didn't Josh continued. "There are some people who don't deserve kindness yet you still give it, I don't understand why,"
Artemis smiled weakly, "I could tell the difference between people who do and who don't deserve kindness," Artemis hugged Josh, "and I think, the people here do need our kindness." Josh said nothing and continued to stare at the fire. "I'll be in my room to unpack my stuff. I'll come back down, but I'm gonna take a bath soon after Sam,"
Josh chuckled, "Need some help with that?"
"Oh I'll call you right up when I get there big boy," Artemis winked. Josh snorted as he watched Artemis walk up the stairs.
Isn't she a piece of work? Josh thought.
~•~
"Hey Sam you done with your bath yet? Kinda wanted have a bath too you know?" Artemis said as she poked her head in the bathroom.
Sam laughed sarcastically as she turned the water off, "Hardy har har Artie, you're such a laugh." Sam walked up to her with her arms folded. "Sorry, there's no hot water so we'll have to call in the bug guns to help us out,"
"I'll go and ask, you can stay here and hog the bath," Artemis retorted.
"Oh Artie you know me so well," Sam smirked as she sat on the bath.
Artemis smiled as she walked down the stairs.
"Hey Josh. No hot water's kinda major oversight doncha think . . .?" Artemis said.
"Yeah yeah, just gotta fire up the boiler. It's in the basement," Josh looked towards Chris and Ashley, "you guys see if you can find the spirit board."
"Chris, let's go find it! It'll be like a scavenger hunt!" Ashley tugged on his sleeve excitedly.
"Ummm... okay... guess so." Chris laughed nervously.
Josh smirked, "Rad. You're not gonna regret it." Josh turned to Artemis, "You up for a ride-along?"
"Let's go," Artemis said.
"Hey. You notice how I gave Chris and Ash a mission together? Yeah I was thinking they could use some alone time."
"Nice!" Artemis fist bumped Josh, "They are very sweet together. I wish they'd just freakin' get on with it already."
"I swear they just need like... something to bond over, y'know? Some sort of traumatic event to send them into each other's arms."
"Uh," Artemis hesitated. "Or . . . ! Or we can make this a romantic experience for them?"
"That too," Josh mumbled as they walked down to the basement.
Artemis glanced at Josh, worryingly, what in the world was he doing? What was he thinking?
Josh is a complicated person. So complex, and layered there is no telling what he'll do or why. And sometimes, it scares Artemis to think that she doesn't know everything about Josh, what secrets he holds, his true intentions.