Cassandra stood dumbfounded whilst a drenched Sophia breezed past her.
"Sophia." John blurted but Philip beat him to it and enveloped her in a hug.
"Where have you been?" Philip asked in a worried voice. "How is it that you were outside?"
"Thats what I want to know. How did you manage to leave the cabin without me knowing?" Cassandra questioned, her voice laced with suspicion.
"I don't know. When I left the basement and came to the living room no one was around. I thought you guys had all gone out and left me so I followed." She regarded Cassandra pointedly. "Why does it seem like you're accusing me of something?"
"I don't know myself. It's just that this all sounds very suspicious to me."
"Are you guys kidding me right now?" Alexandra screamed startling them. "Shawn's dead! And that's all you can argue about?" She went on to describe what she had seen outside, in a high pitched, angry voice.
Sophia put on the saddest face she could. "I saw him out there, his body actually and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for your loss."
"Sorry for my loss?" Alexandra repeated bitterly. "Sorry? For my loss?" She slowly stood up. "B****, this is all your fault!"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. This," She gestured around with both hands. "this is all your fault. If you hadn't suggested this stupid trip in the first place none of this would have happened and Shawn would still be alive."
"Shawn's death has nothing to do with me."
"Of course it does." Alexandra shot back.
"No it doesn't! It's not my fault that your drunkard and smoker of a boyfriend went out and got himself killed."
"What did you say?" Alexandra hissed before lunging at Sophia and pulling on her wet hair.
Sophia wasn't going down without a fight and also grabbed a fistfuls of Alexandra's hair. The struggle went on for a few seconds before the guys were able to pull them apart.
Alexandra eyed Sophia, then suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. The others stared at her as if she had grown another head while she threw back her one head and laughed.
"You know," Alexandra looked back at Sophia, a sneer forming on her face. "you're really are cynical. And I guess you deserve what's going to come to you next."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Alexandra glanced at Philip for a split second before turning her attention back to his girlfriend. "Remember the game we played earlier, Truth or Dare? When I asked Philip if he'd had an orgy before? I guess I forgot to ask one more question." She paused for effect. "Who exactly had he done it with?" Her eyes were locked with Philip's as she said those last words and there was tension rising in the room.
Sophia noticed it. "Who were they? I know you know them, just spill it already!"
Alexandra's next words knocked the air out of Sophia. "Shawn and I."
Cassandra gasped. John eyes went wide. Philip just stood behind Sophia, gritting his jaw in anger.
"Wh...what?"
"The day you went home for your grandaddy's funeral, Philip came over ... and we three had a great time." Alexandra said, taunting.
Sophia felt her heart hit rock-bottom. She turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Is that true? What she just said, is all of it true?"
Philip stood speechless.
"Hmph. I guess your perfect relationship is not so perfect after all." Alexandra spat walking down the hallway and going up the stairs.
"Say something. Say something!" She screamed hysterically, hitting his chest with her fists. "Tell me it's not true. Tell me that she's lying."
Philip's voice came in a whisper. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." He held her face and raised it up to his. "It was never my intention, I swear. I would never have gone through with this. It was all their idea, trust me."
Sophia pushed away his hands. "Stay away from me." Her voice was soft, tired.
Philip tried again. "Sophia I-"
"She said stay away from her." John cautioned, planting himself between the two, facing his best friend with disappointment written all over his face. "Leave her alone man. She wants nothing to do with you."
Philip tried to keep calm. "This has nothing to do with you, just mind your own business and stay away."
"I can't do that."
Philip losing his cool, grabbed John's collar. "Don't make me repeat myself, stay away from me and my girlfriend." The menace in his voice was apparent.
Sophia took Philip's hand and pulled it off John. "He's right. I want nothing to do with you, just leave. Leave!"
"Fine. I'm going to sort some things out but I'll be back and we're going to finish this." Philip took one last look at them and stormed down the hallway after Alexandra.
When he was out of sight, Sophia let out all the tears she'd been holding. John embraced her and allowed her to weep into his chest, stroking her hair tenderly.
From the corner of her eye, Sophia saw Cassandra regarding them and proceeded to cry even more causing John to hug her tighter, even daring to place a kiss on her forehead.
Cassandra's reaction was priceless - her features were a mix of worry and jealousy - and Sophia, though in pain, couldn't help but gloat. John was hers again.
...
Philip watched from the girls' bedroom whilst Alexandra brushed her hair in front of the mirror of girls' bathroom and didn't flinch when she caught him staring. She quickly wiped her face clear of her tears.
"You have something to say to me?"
"As I matter of fact I do." He strolled into the bathroom and stood at the door. "What right did you have to tell Sophia all that? I thought we agreed to put it all behind us."
"We did, but when I saw her face, how she cared less about Shawn's death I just wanted to break her. And what better way to do that than to tell her that the perfect boyfriend she thought she had was actually a cheating bastard."
"Don't call me that."
"Don't worry. You're not the only one guilty of cheating." She went back to brushing her hair.
"What did you say?"
Alexandra just shrugged, nonchalant.
Philip smacked the brush out of her hand and grabbed her arm. "What do you mean by I'm not the only one guilty? What do you know that I don't?"
"Look at you," Alexandra teased. "you look like you're going to explode from jealousy."
His grip on her arm tightened. "Don't make me repeat myself."
"Fine. Let go of my arm first." When he showed no signs of releasing his grip, she conceded and continued. "Your girlfriend has been cheating on you with your best friend."
"What?"
"I said-"
"I heard you the first time." He let go of her hand and run his hands through his hair. "You can't be serious."
"I wouldn't joke about something like this; Sophia has been cheating with John for a while now. I'm actually kind of shocked that you never knew what was going on with those two right under your nose. Even I could see through their masks." Her voice ridiculed him.
"Shut up." He reprimanded.
"Why should I? I've lost my boyfriend and it's all her fault. She even had the guts to pretend like she cared."
"I'm warning you, shut up!"
Alexandra folded her arms as Philip turned away from her and looked into the mirror. Anger coursed through his veins like fire. He was mad, no, enraged, and desperately wanted to punish someone, let out all the anger and resentment he was feeling at the moment.
He grasped the sides of the sink for support, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Something pricked his neck, felt like the tip of a sharp blade; it was hot and numbing and ... evil.
Alexandra noticed the change in his demeanor and drew closer. "Philip, are you okay? You don't look so good."
He didn't answer, merely stood there, eyes on the ground, hands firmly holding the sink.
"Philip, what is -" She stopped, fear seizing her.
Philip had raised his eyes, his gaze fixated on her reflection, on her, his eyes bloody red, like the lights she had seen in the woods. She gulped and took a step back. "Philip?"
He straightened, his lips drawn back in a snarl. "How about we shut that mouth of yours?" He growled.