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totalslvt · 1 year

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Alone Together

Max Brinly x Fem reader

Warning(s): Smut, Fluff, Max being fucking adorable

Summary: When a game of truth or dare goes a little too far and you’re forced to come clean about your feelings for Max, you can only hope he’ll either forget or reciprocate

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The fire in front of you kept you warm in contrast to the brisk air of the summer night. Your friends were gathered around the flames beers in their hands and smiles plastered on their faces. On either side of you were your closest friends, Max and Emma. The two of them were quite the opposites, Max was quite kind and a tad shy while Emma was loud confident, and playful. If you were being quite honest you had feelings for Max, it was hard not to when he was adorable. You’ve known Max since you were both fifteen and now in your early twenties. Somewhere along the lines, you had developed a crush on the boy; However, you never had the guts to tell him for fear of ruining years of friendship.

You were shaken out of your thoughts by a hand on your shoulder turning to the direction of the contact only to be met with Emma’s impatient expression glaring back at you. “Were you even listening to like, anything I was saying?” she questioned impatiently. “Oh no sorry, got lost in my thoughts I guess.” You answered her sheepishly, she could be rather intimidating at times. Emma sighed bringing her hand to her head and whipping it down her face “We’re gonna play truth or dare, are you in or not?” she inquired to which you nodded eagerly. With that Emma began “Well since I came up with this idea, I’ll go first!” she stated in a sing-song voice.

“Laura, truth or dare.” She said her voice dropping a few octaves at the word dare trying to scare Laura off, but knowing Laura she wouldn’t back down. Laura smirked “Dare of course.” she challenged falling directly into Emma’s trap. The brunette smiled mischievously “Show the most embarrassing photo on your phone.” Everyone around the campfire was immediately engaged, the blonde only giggled pulling her phone from her pocket, and scrolled until she found the victim of the dare. Turning her phone towards the crowd of young adults sitting around he. Her screen showed a photo of Laura presumably very drunk laying on the floor in what you recognized as the bar Max Laura and you frequent.

Everyone burst out in laughs at what they’ve witnessed, you even caught Ryan who was usually stoic holding back a laugh. Moving on Laura turned to the next victim “Dylan, truth or dare.” Dylan's face lit up with excitement “Uh, dare duh!” He exclaimed far too optimistic for someone who was leaving their fate in the hands of Laura. “Sit on Ryan’s lap for the next turn.” with that Dylan’s once smiling face dropped into one of fear, and he looked to Ryan for approval that he clearly assumed would be one of disapproval. But Ryan was just as emotionless as ever, but you swore you saw his lip quirk upwards momentarily.

Dylan stood and made his way over to Ryan, a blush covering his ears. He sat down carefully on his lap, surprisingly Ryan’s hand wrapped around Dylan’s stomach. Emma whistled at the display only egging on everyone else's applause. Dylan looked towards you visibly flustered and began “Y/n truth or dare.” You audibly sighed “Truth” earning a sound of disappointment from Max who sat beside you. “If you were to have sex with anybody here, who would it be?” The world seemed to stop as you went through all the possible escapes and excuses you could you to save yourself from the embarrassment.

Truthfully you could lie, but you knew that wouldn’t slide if Emma was here. She knew all about your infatuation with Max and you knew her well enough to know she would catch your fib and out you to everyone. Deciding it was better to just say it outright you took a long swig of your beer in hopes of gaining some courage “Max, I mean I’ve known him the longest and I’m not super comfortable having sex with a bunch of losers like you” You stated as confidently as you could considering the situation you’ve been put in. Praying you had played it off well enough you turned to Max and shrugged. His blue orbs peered back into your own, you saw a red blush tinting his freckled face. Jacob cheered “Hell yeah man!” raising his hand to Max for a high-five which he accepted apprehensively.

The night dragged on from there, and quite honestly you didn’t pay attention much as you were dragged back into your thoughts. Soon enough the fire began to die and everyone slowly headed in for bed until it was just Max and you. An awkward silence settled between you two as the last person left. The night air chilled your body as you began to shiver lightly, Max clearly took notice because he finally spoke up. “Are you cold?” He questioned, his voice noticeably quieter than earlier. You shook your head no, but Max knew how stubborn you were. He peeled off his jean jacket laying it over your shoulder like a blanket and wrapped his arm around your much smaller frame.

“Hey about what I said earlier, during truth or dare? I didn’t mean it in a weird way, it’s just a stupid game,” you assured him trying your best to do some damage control but Max only giggled beside you. “Really? I was hoping that was your way of confessing your love for me.” Your jaw slacked at his statement and now it was your turn to blush. You looked towards him, an adoring smile plastered on his face, the same smile he has always given you. And then it clicked in your brain, he held the same feeling you did for him. “What does that mean?” You asked rather dumbly, expecting maybe it was some sort of joke or even a miscommunication. But Max felt otherwise “It means I like you, no. I love you and have loved you for some time now.” His voice cracked slightly, he was clearly nervous.

You weren’t sure where the confidence came from but you leaned forward capturing his lips with your own. His lips were warm and they contrasted greatly with your cold temperature, the kiss was soft and slow at first but quickly became more passionate. Your bodies clung to each other, and the taste faint taste of alcohol was present on his lips. His breath tickled your face, he was so warm you almost felt you were going to melt right into him. His cologne was musky with a hint of smoke from the fire, and you could feel his touch roaming your body for the first time.

Then he pulled away, he was panting awestruck by the passionate kiss you just shared. You blurted “I love you too Max, I have since we were kids.” Max drew forward towards you again tilting his head to the side slightly allowing for your lips to meet again this time more heated than previous. Your jaw slacked a little allowing his tongue to make contact with your own. You grabbed for his hair, pulling gently enough so as to not hurt him. He hummed into your mouth, and you felt his hands grasp at your hips pulling you flushed against his lap.

You could feel his heart hammering against his chest, the closeness between you made you dizzy in the best way. The heat emanating from the red coals of the fire warmed you even further and an ache began forming in between your legs that were planted on either side of him. You felt the need to pull away, you knew that if this was taken any further you could never go back. But you couldn’t you needed this, you needed him. And after beating around the bush for so many years you felt it was only fate that this happened. Your lips parted a string of spit connecting the both of you, his breath was uneven and it fanned over your face. His pupils were blown and he was red as a tomato.

“Max, do you want to take this any further?” you queried gently rubbing your thumb up and down his cheek comfortingly. Max smiled sweetly “If you’re willing to have me.” He responded with raw emotion emanating from his words. You grinned “I’m more than happy to.” you giggled meekly, and he nodded slowly picking you up in his arms bridal style. Lowering you on a blanket that had been laid on the dirt prior, he hovered over you for a little bit just admiring you. Max lowered his body holding himself up with one hand as he made work of kissing and nipping at your neck. You whimpered the sensation, after every hickey he sucked into your neck he left a loving kiss on top of it.

His firm erection pressed against your own heat through the fabric of your pants making your stomach drop. You let your legs wrap around his torso in order to get some much-needed friction, grinding into him he let out a groan. “Shit hun, eager aren’t we?” he chuckled against your neck, and you hummed in response. Testingly rubbing against him again, you could feel his cock pulsate making your mouth water. He pulled away from your neck, placing his hands on your thighs drawing circles with his thumbs. “As much as I want to take my time with you darling you’re not making it easy.’ he spoke voice wavering. “We should make it quick, anybody could walk out here and see us,” you suggested warmly, Max nodded making quick work of your pants.

Slipping his hands under your panties and pulling them aside, he stared in wonder making you squirm partially out of nervousness and anticipation. He quickly snapped out of it drawing his finger towards your leaking hole, not yet making contact. Max looked to you for approval one last time before he dipped a finger into your tight slit drawing a moan from you. His finger pushed in and out slowly before adding another finger. His fingers curled hitting the spongy spot inside of you eliciting a yelp, you felt sweat forming over your body. “That good honey?” he cooed to which you jerked your head up and down vigorously. You were practically putty in his hands and you wished you would be given the opportunity to do the same to him.

Fingers pumping in and out of you had a familiar bubble in you forming, you didn’t want to cum yet. You wanted more than anything to reach your climax around his dick, so you grabbed his forearm making his movements halt. “You okay sweetie? I didn’t hurt you did I?” His tone was laced with worry “No I just, I need you inside me.” His face flushed as he nodded gently removing his fingers before he could begin to unbutton the pants you leaned forward opting to unbutton them for him.

You could feel him staring down as you slipped his pants down his legs leaving him in his boxers. You heard shuffling from above you, glancing toward him as he pulled his shirt off revealing his toned body, you knew Max worked out but you didn’t expect him to be so built. You must’ve looked surprised because he smirked down at you, “Like what you see?” he bragged but his cocky smirk was knocked right off his face when your hand cupped the bulge in his boxers making his knees buckle before regaining his composure. He kneeled back down to your level parting your legs with his own.

The two of you just stayed there for a while, admiring each other. Then you felt his warm hands slip under your shirt assisting you in taking off the article, now you two were both practically naked only wearing your underwear. His arms stretched behind your back to remove your bra, he struggled a little and you snickered much to his dismay but he got it off regardless. You were surprisingly comfortable to the point you had trouble believing this was your first time with him. Max immediately leaned forward to take your breast into his mouth but you stopped him “Max, as much as I would love to have you suck my tits, I think I’ll die if you don’t fuck me already.” He giggled and pulled his boxers down revealing his cock, precum dripping down his shaft.

You immediately felt apprehensive, sure you’d had sex plenty of times before and he certainly wasn’t the longest you’d encountered but his dick had sizable girth compared to most guys. Max observed your facial expression “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want. I’m happy to eat you out instead?” he whispered but you declined “No, I want this! I’m just not sure how you’re gonna make that fit.” He smiled leaning closer and pressing his forehead to yours “Just relax honey, I got you.” He cooed and you followed his instructions. You felt the tip of his cock against your entrance making you shudder in delight, he pushed in slowly. Thank god you were as wet as you were because you knew the stretch would’ve been excruciating if not.

He slid in you impossibly deeper until you felt his hips make contact with yours, you were already sweating and from the looks of it, he was as well. Max stayed inside you for a while waiting for permission to move, having his cock buried inside you unmoving was so intimate it made your heart flutter. After a while, you ground your hips into him letting your pussy tighten around his shaft. He moaned taking it as a sign to move, he began a slow passionate pace. Max obviously knew what he was doing, he didn’t just fuck you he made love to you. You let your legs wrap around him assisting him in getting deeper with each drive of his hips.

His sounds were angelic to you, deep groans mixing with your whimpers sounded so exotic you found yourself even more turned on than previously. Max fucked you with passion, kissing your neck and groping every inch of flesh he could get his hands on. “Fuck hun, you feel so good around my cock.” his words explicit only heightened your experience. He brought his thumb to your clit rubbing slow but meaningful circles into your sensitive bud, your body jerked at the sensation and you felt yourself tighten around him.

“Shit Max, it’s so good!” You cried a little too loud and his lips crashed into yours effectively shutting you up. His pace quickened leaving the both of you a sweaty mess. Pants and squelching sounds could be heard accompanied by the sound of skin slapping. He pulled away from the kiss bringing both of his hands to your hips and pushing you down onto his dick making you see stars. “Right there! Oh, shit shit shit!” You mumbled cock drunk by this point, his head leaned back and he let out a guttural growl. “You like that? Fuck baby me too you feel so good, so so good.” He moaned out as he continued to hit that spot inside you making you light-headed. You felt your orgasm building and at this pace, it was going to happen fast. His lips crashed into yours once again, heated and you had to part every few minutes gasping for air.

Your arms clung around his neck, nails racking through his brownish-red locks. He pounded into you at an impossible pace, you could tell he was also reaching his climax. “I love you so much, you’re perfect.” He practically whined, and at the praise, your eyes rolled back. “Max, I’m gonna cum!” You shrieked to which he replied “Fuck, me too honey. Cum for me.” That pushed you over the edge and you felt the waves of your orgasm crash over you Max leaned down holding you tightly. He fucked you through your orgasm and his thrusts became uneven letting you know he was also about to orgasm. “Where do you want it?” He asked “My stomach.” He abided and pulled out quickly.

Thick ropes of his hot cum shot out onto your stomach and he collapsed on top of you. You were both covered in sweat and your bodies stuck together, heaving for air. Your body was tired and weak and you were positive you’d have trouble walking tomorrow. His hands played with your hair as he covered your body in kisses over the red marks that would soon develop into hickeys. Your breathing stabilized and you spoke, “I love you so much.” Max pushed himself up to make eye contact with you, his eyes peering into yours with great affection, and his hair stuck to his forehead. “I love you too Y/n”

#max brinly x reader #the quarry x reader #the quarry #max brinly #skyler gisondo #skyler gisondo x reader

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kitkatscabinet · 2 years

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Hello, I saw that you’re accepting Quarry x reader requests, so I was wondering if you could write a Dylan x reader where they became a couple during the summer camp and are the children favorite Consulars. Also, so please mix Ryan, Kaitlyn, and some of the Consulars in there, I really love their characters.

I'm sorry, I didn't end up including too much of the other counsellors but I hope this was still ok.

Word count: 721

Genre: fluff

Dylan’s voice ringing out over the PA system had you smiling to yourself as a bunch of overexcited kids jeered good naturedly at you. Some of the younger girls had taken to enthusiastically tugging on your or Dylan at any available moments, desperate to know all the details of how you’d gotten together. You weren’t sure why the kids were so interested in your dating life but it was better than Emma’s constant suggestive looks. Finally managing to wrangle the kids inside the lodge to eat you sat in anticipation waiting for your boyfriend to arrive. Your boyfriend, even the just thinking the word made you giddy like a child with their first crush. The dorky counsellor had wormed his way into your heart embarrassingly fast and obviously. Between the kid’s insistence that you kiss the nerdy counsellor and Kaitlyn constantly pushing you together it hadn’t taken long for the both of you to hook up. An arm wrapping around your shoulders alerted you to the fact the man in question had arrived, and the chorus of giggles from children confirmed the multiple pairs of eyes watching your every move.

“Hey babe” he said in greeting, planting a kiss on the top of your head. Causing you to smile in response

“Hey, I missed you,” you grinned back with a lovestruck impression, purposefully ignoring Nick’s groan of annoyance. Snuggling into Dylan’s side the two of you lost yourselves in conversation as at that moment no one else existed outside of him. Only being broken out of your little bubble by Nick clapping his hands down on your shoulders, informing the pair of you that lunch was over and the little hellions needed herding.

Now as the second month of the camp was drawing to a close Kaitlyn found herself groaning in disgust at your pathetic lovesick staring. “It’s been over a month, how are you still in the honeymoon stage?” Kaitlyn asked incredulously, her voice vaguely registering in the back of your mind but you tuned it out in favour of watching your adorable boyfriend interacting with the kids. You could hear the joyous laughter from where you were sat, sighing at how perfect he was. “Oh my God” Kaitlyn’s exasperated voice finally pulling your eyes from the man you had fallen so hard for to her disturbed face. “If I had known how disgustingly in love you were gonna be the whole time I wouldn’t have pushed you together” she rolled her eyes, but you knew her well enough by now to detect the fondness.

“Oh please” you scoffed “you know you love us” you singsonged, finally swinging yourself onto your feet to jog over to the group of kids surrounding Dylan. His face lighting up when the kids had pointed out your arrival and reaching out a hand that you happily grabbed. Content to just watch, you stood by his side as he returned to regaling the kids about the various times Jacob had screamed at the sight of a spider. Feeling a little bad for him as you knew the little gremlins kids could be you interjected, starting to tell the group embarrassing things about Dylan. Including the time he had sleepily tried to pull you into a kiss and misjudged the distance, accidentally knocking a bunch of books off the shelf and gave himself a nose bleed. At this point he was desperately pulling you away from the laughing children, trying to regain any dignity he had lost in their eyes.

“Why would you tell them that” he whined out “I’ve totally lost all my coolness in their eyes.”

“Don’t worry babe” you assured “you were never cool anyway” your serious façade breaking as you burst into cackles at his offended face, making a run for it as he chased after you. The kids all cheering for their preferred counsellor as you waved at an incoming Ryan, laughing in delight as some of the kids joined the chase wanting to be included. Eventually you slowed to a halt allowing two of the older girls to tackle you to the ground, lying in mock defeat under the slowly growling pile of kids. Making eye contact with Dylan from where he was jogging up to you, you decided that nothing was going to ruin your memories of this Summer.

#dylan lenivy #dylan lenivy x you #dylan lenivy x reader #the quarry requests #the quarry oneshot #the quarry #the quarry dylan

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chezzywezzy · 2 years

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Yandere Ryan Erzahler (1/6)

Word count ; 4.0k

*Edited:3

I leaned against Ryan’s shoulder, zoning out completely. We were in the main lodge, sitting by the doorway, sharing earbuds. I wasn’t surprised when the first thing he wanted to do, upon the ‘official’ return of our phones, was listen to Bizarre Yet Bonafide in the open. I knew he was eager to finally listen to the podcast about Hackett’s Quarry itself - even if it was just the retelling of a silly campfire story. I was a fan of the podcast, but I always thought Ryan was the better storyteller.

Ryan was not a very open individual, but I could tell I’d made his summer a lot easier by being his roommate. Again.

Ryan was humming along, and my eyes flitted up to his expression. He was relaxed. Eyes shut, head back, lips slightly parted. I was an extroverted person, so I liked it when Ryan was happy. That was when it was either when we were together hanging out privately, or he was alone.

Ryan had his legs extended, and mine were pulled to my chest, my arms hugging them. In one hand, he held his phone, and the other was drumming on my knee softly to an invisible tune. We made momentary eye contact, his dark orbs swirling with fondness, before they flustered shut again. However, now that his mouth had shut, a smile tugged at his generally stoic face.

I was about to shut my eyes again, tuning back into the podcast. I loved horror, but I preferred other true-crime podcasts. The two speaker’s voices just… rubbed me the wrong way. It was too high-pitched and annoying. However, Ryan adored them, so I couldn’t help but not voice my opinion. If anything, Bizarre Yet Bonafide was to thank for our friendship at all.

It was funny. The memory of when we first met was fuzzy. However, whenever I asked Ryan, he always recited the same story, as though he knew it like the back of his hand: I walked up to him in the campus cafeteria, where he was sitting alone. I sat next to him and stole an earbud. From there, we bonded over our shared love of mystery, crime, and horror. He was more than excited to introduce me to the podcast.

I suddenly became alert at the sound of distant chatter. Ryan tensed immediately, looking at me with a quirked brow. A grin slowly pulled across my features. I nudged his shoulder, and with half-lidded eyes, he quirked a brow.

“What?”

“I think it’s time to go! Everyone else sounds like they’re out front,” I exclaimed.

Ryan knew better than no-one that, as much as I loved nature and kids, I missed my family and the privacy of my own bedroom. Ryan probably did too, even though he had a close connection with the Hackett family. We were roommates back in our college town, but I was sure he looked forward to having his own room. Apparently, I snored.

Ryan exhaled quietly and collected his things. We rose to our feet and, out of habit, I entangled my arm with his. He tucked the phone into his pocket and we grabbed our suitcases. As I caught wind of the conversation, though, I tugged on Ryan to make him stop. I’d heard his name. We hovered in the doorway, just out of view from the campers below.

“…Oh, yeah. He’s probably off being all brooding and mysterious and alluring somewhere while Y/n tags along,” Dylan spoke up from below.

I nudged Ryan again, muttering to him, "Hear that? You’re mysterious and alluring. The camp bad boy.”

Ryan only scoffed playfully, and we listened some more.

“Alluring is right,” Kaitlyn seconded. “The girls and I all agreed, Y/n included, mind you, that Ryan was the hottest councilor. Followed by Chris, then you, Dylan, yotta yotta…”

“And where am I on that list?” Jacob piped up.

“The bottom,” Emma snickered, although I already knew the poor guy would take that comment to heart.

“So, you think I’m the hottest?” Ryan mumbled, sending me an amused glance.

I sent a stern look up, since Ryan was incredibly tall. I quipped in return, "No comment.”

“God, where are those two? Making out in a bush?” Kaitlyn complained. Which was enough for me to kick myself out of the doorway and drag Ryan with me.

“Here!” I called from the porch. Everyone’s eyes were glued to us, and I felt Ryan shrink in discomfort. He’d confided in me about his social anxiety before, so it was more of a reason to pull him closer. We arrived at the base of the stairs, and Dylan snickered.

“What were you guys doing up there? Having a party?”

Ryan shrugged, his graphic tee-shirt wrinkling as his arms bobbed. “Uh.. we were listening to a podcast, actually.”

“Oh! A podcast, nice. That’s cool,” Dylan hummed, nodding in a friendly manner. I sent him a smile, which he returned whole-heartedly. Other than Ryan - obviously - I really got along with the boy. Everyone thought he was a braindead himbo, but we’d shared many conversations about biochemistry during our time at camp. We were both total science geeks.

“What’s it about?”

“Yeah, what’s it about? Is it about lo-o-ove?”

The entire summer, the other councilors got a kick out of shipping us together. Ryan always got tense and embarrassed, but I always shrugged it off. I would’ve found it funny if it didn’t make Ryan so embarrassed. His eyes shifted to me, so I could tell he was done talking.

“As if. What would that even be about?” I chortled. “It’s actually a paranormal podcast. The episode we were listening to was about this place, actually. The… Hag of Hackett’s Quarry.”

“The who of the whatsit where now?” Kaitlyn inquired further, quirking a brow. “What’s the Hag of Hackett’s Quarry?”

“You don’t know about the Hag of Hackett’s Quarry?” Dylan sarcastically added. “Tell her about the Hag of Hackett’s Quarry, why don’t you?”

Ryan chuckled, and I was glad Dylan’s positivity was infectious. I continued, "It’s just this campfire story for the kids. It’s, um… the one Ryan told at some point. There’s supposedly an old lady who died in a fire a few years ago. She haunts the woods looking for her lost son. Pretty basic horror stuff. Ryan’s definitely the better story teller.”

“Yeah, uh,” Ryan started, "There are, like, reports of whispers, or whatever, and this figure that floats around. You know, textbook ghost stuff. Some people say that if she catches you alone, she’ll try to turn you into her son. Or, kill you, or something. I don’t know. It’s never really been clear. Anyways, Hag of Hackett’s Quarry.”

I unlinked my arms and did some ecstatic jazz hands when he finished. Ryan chuckled, although he made sure to wrap his arm around my shoulders loosely.

“Y - you made that up,” Kaitlyn stuttered, somewhat rattled from the explanation. Again, Ryan was a great story teller.

“It’s right here in the podcast, man,” Ryan retorted, pulling his phone out momentarily.

“Cool story, bro,” Jacob chided.

“Seriously, though, Y/n’sright. You should’ve seen the first time he told the story at the campfire. They were scarred for life.”

A laugh bubbled in my throat, and Ryan quickly defended, "I mean, not for life…”

“What’s the hold up, Hacketteers?”

Our conversation was cut shot as our attention was drawn up to Chris Hackett, who was leaning on the rails above us. He still adorned his camp uniform and his keychain was strung around his neck. He had a friendly smile on his face, hands clasped together.

“Hey, yeah, uh - we’re nearly done, Mr. H!” Jacob called back, waving enthusiastically.

“Nearly done, huh? Get those butts in gear!” Chris playfully remarked.

“Sorry, Mr. H, we had to liberate some luggage,” Emma agreed.

“Shut up!” Abby hissed in embarrassment.

“Maybe if somebody didn’t spend so much time trying to impress his lady with his ghost story…” Kaitlyn chuckled.

“You asked!” Ryan shot back defensively, and pulling me closer. I had to hop and readjust my footing, not commenting on his tenseness. I knew that, even when spending time with the group all summer, he was still not too familiar with them. Minus Dylan, since he tried really hard to break the barrier.

“Ghost stories?”

“The Hag of Hackett’s Quarry.”

Chris exhaled sharply, rubbing his forehead. “Ugh.”

“Hey, do you still have the van key, Mr. H?” Kaitlyn asked.

“Why, yes I do!” He stood straight and shuffled through his pockets. He sighed, though. “You know, I’d lose my head if it wasn’t stuck on. Back to the office I go. Give me a hand, wouldn’t you, Ryan?”

Ryan and Chris finally returned, and Ryan had the keys in hand. I stood up straight, crossing my arms in anticipation. As nice as a nature retreat was, I was eager to be in the modern world again. Oh, and to be away from all of the petty camp drama. And, no, I do not mean the kids. I meant the councilors, who had acted like middle schoolers all summer.

“Oh, okay,” Ryan agreed, reluctantly separating from me. He sent me one last glance as he went on his merry way. I watched in amusement as Dylan tried and failed to get his phone charged before we left. While I waited, I hoisted my suitcases into the trunk of the van and leaned against the car. I took note of how my fellow councilors were with each other. Nick and Abby would send fleeting, abashed glances at one another, Jacob looked miserable, Emma was… Emma, and Dylan was talking to Jacob about something silly.

“Wait, how did you get our phone back before the rest of us —" Dylan started.

“Because I never turned it in,” Ryan smugly interrupted.

“You should’ve turned it off before you handed it in, Dylan,” Chris stated. “Them’s the rules, you noob.”

I had a hard time resisting laughter from Chris’s attempted use of modern slang. I figured he got it from the kids. Chris handed Jacob the keys as he walked past. Ryan was quick to saddle up next to me, crossing his arms. Although he was comfortable with Mr. Hackett, it rubbed off now that he’d returned to the group.

“I try not to dwell on the past, man.”

“Good, because it’s time to dwell on the minivan and get on with our respective lives!” Jacob hopped into the front seat and I opened the side door, preparing to hop in. “Move it, let’s go!”

However, the van started making odd noises, and I took a step back with furrowed brows. It kept churning and the engine didn’t start at all. I tilted my head as Chris vocalized everyone’s thoughts.

“What’s the problem?”

“Ugh… dude, I don’t know. I - I think there’s something wrong with the engine, Mr. H,” Jacob answered, waving his arms expectantly.

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“Yeah, dude, it’s just like… kaput!”

Ryan frowned, walking up to the the window immediately. “Alright, let me try.”

“What? Dude, I’m telling you, alright, it’s busted!”

“‘Well, maybe you’re doing it wrong.”

“Duh, 'well maybe you’re doing it wrong’!” Jacob mocked, and Ryan froze in place.

“The fuck, dude?”

“Enough! Enough, both of you,” Chris intervened. “Shit. Come on, let’s go.”

“Alright, dude, chill!”

Chris and Jacob changed places, although it only yielded the same results. I walked over to Ryan, peering into the window with him. I rubbed his back, and his shoulders drooped just enough to satisfy me. However, another problem had clearly arisen as Chris’s expression morphed into stress.

“Damn it! I thought I told you kids to check everything!” he scolded angrily.

“We did! It should be working…” Kaitlyn squeaked.

“Yeah, well, could and should doesn’t mean it is, does it?” He kept trying the engine, cursing even louder. He finally stepped out of the car, his hands trembling furiously. “Okay. Okay.”

“Well, what’s the big deal?” Jacob mentioned. “We’ll just have to spend another night here. It’s no biggie.”

“No. No!” he boomed. “Just stop. Let me think.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed in disscontempt. He paused, and we all watched and waited expectantly. I already knew Ryan wasn’t happy about the prospect. Also, in the back of my mind, I suspected Jacob had something to do with the engine in a frivolous attempt to chase love.

Chris finally halted his pacing. “Okay, okay. You’re right. Yeah, you're right.” He suddenly tossed the keys our way, and Ryan caught them with ease. Confusion was plastered over all of our expressions at his outburst. “Hey, Ryan. Come here for a second.”

As he fled to his jeep, he beckoned the man over. Ryan followed, leaving me and Jacob in awe at the change of plans. I couldn’t hear much of what Chris had said, but as the jeep started up, I assumed Ryan would relay the information. Ryan was uneasy as the jeep sped away.

“Lock the doors!” Chris shouted. “And for god’s sake, keep the noise down!”

“So… what was that all about?” I inquired, and everyone’s attention went to Ryan.

“He, uh… said to stay inside. That we’re not leaving until the morning,” Ryan answered, scratching the side of his head in bewilderment.

“Are. You. Kidding. Me?” Emma sighed in irritation.

“Em-m-m,” Jacob flirtatiously cooed.

“Are you kidding me? What are we supposed to do?” Emma boomed suddenly.

“Well, we should go inside. Like he said,” Ryan insisted.

“We could go inside until morning,” Dylan agreed. “Or… Or we could do something else.”

“What… are you talking about?”

“No Mr. Hackett. No screaming kids. Just a bunch of grown-ass adults ready to cut loose and get down with their animal side.”

“Oh-h-h, hell yeah!” Jacob cheered, catching on immediately.

“P-A-R-T-Y. Why the fuck not? It seems like the stars have aligned for us, no?”

Ryan was shaking his head insistently. I distanced myself from the van, joining the circle. His jaw was clenched and I could tell he was not on board. However, I clapped my hands in excitement, earning a glare from the boy.

“I’m totally down!” I agreed instantly.

“Okay, okay, okay…”

“One last epic bonfire blowout for all time,” Dylan continued.

“Jesus Christ,” Jacob grumbled.

He allowed us to collect our thoughts. Nobody was disagreeing, much to my joy. However, that was cut short by Ryan. “I don’t think he was just trying to freak us out, Jacob. I think he was really freaked out by something.”

“Chris seemed really serious about this, guys.”

Dylan shook his head. “Y/n, you’re in, obviously. Come on, Ryan. Just say you’re in. One last night won’t hurt any of us. He won’t even know.”

“Yeah, but I promised —"

“No, no, dude. It’s all good. Alright, we get it, you know,” Jacob taunted. “You, uh, don’t want to disappoint ‘daddy’.”

“Someone’s got to give a shit, dude —" Ryan aggressively continued, but I cut him off.

“He’s in, guys.” Ryan sent me a glare as I placed a hand on his shoulder. I sent him a reassuring smile. “Ryan, it’ll be fine. What do we have to worry about, bears?”

“Alright, alight, alright, Hacketteers! Party planning committee. Let’d do this! Um, okay,” Jacob began. “First things first. Nick and Abby, you go get some firewood. Um, Emma and I will go to the store for some supplies. And, uh, Dylan and Y/n, you just… I don’t know, figure out how to charge the phones or something. Alright, let’s do this!”

I was completely hyped for the party, a grin spreading on my face. Ryan still had a firm frown, but Dylan and I exchanged glances. We knew exactly what to do.

As the group dispersed, I grabbed both Ryan and Dylan’s arms, pulling us together. Ryan tug for freedom, suspicion laced in his eyes. I didn’t give him the chance to be a negative Nancy, though. “Ryan, you have the keys to Mr. Hackett’s lodge. Care to escort us?”

Ryan scoffed. “We’re already breaking enough rules as it is, Y/n —"

“Rules were meant to be broken, my friend,” Dylan chimed in, tugging us in the general direction of the office.

Ryan sighed, caving, and we were off. Dylan was bursting with excitement, vocalizing his hopes that Jacob and Emma stumbled across some alcohol. Ryan was silent the whole walk. We finally arrived at the office and he pulled out the keys, unlocking the door. It swung open.

Dylan hopped into the room, leaving me and Ryan to linger in the doorway. “Alright… the inner sanctum!”

“It’s just an office.”

“This is where the magic happens,” he insisted, holding up his phone.

“Yeah. Let’s just make this quick.” Ryan ushered me in, closing the door behind us.

I wandered over to the desk curiously. I couldn’t help but pick up a family portrait of Chris and his kids. Ryan talked about them often, since he had a close, personal connection, but I’d only met them a few times. They seemed sweet, though.

“So… podcasts?”

I set the frame back down, turning and leaning on the desk as I watched them engage in conversation. I appreciated how Dylan was trying to break down Ryan’s walls. He was going down the right path, too, since it was the same podcast that did it for our friendship.

Ryan nodded, straining a smile. “Yeah.”

“Alright.” He paused, trying to find a way to continue the conversation. “Uh, what’s it called? The one you’re listening to right now?”

“Uh, Bizarre Yet Bonafide.”

“So, like, ghosts and stuff?”

Ryan scratched his neck. “It’s like… the weird and wonderful.” Dylan had opened the dam, much to my joy. “Digging up weird mysteries and discussing if they’re, well, bonafide.”

“‘Boner’ fide. Get it? Boner? Heh.”

“God, you’re such a child,” I giggled, embarrassed by how much he’d secretly made me laugh. Ryan glanced at me, while Dylan sent me finger guns.

“Your wit knows no bounds.”

“So… should we check out what Mr. H keeps in his private den of sin?”

“Ah, I don’t know, man. I feel weird going through his stuff.”

“Okay, well, I don’t. I mean, come on, what kind of dirty secrets does the owner of a summer camp have anyways?”

Ryan scoffed, his eyes sending me a plea. “You’ve got my back, don’t you, Y/n? It’s a little mean to snoop around.”

Both of their eyes remained on me. I bit my lip and shrugged. “I always have your back, Ryan. Except now. Because I have a hunch that Mr. Hackett has a secret stash of beer in this room as we speak.”

“Hell yeah, he does. Or maybe a sex dungeon!”

“Escandelo.”

Ryan sighed, leaning against the wall. The keys were dangling in his hand. Dylan walked around the desk, inspecting the contents. I went over and plopping in the wheeled chair, laying back to relax. I for one would leave the exploration up to Dylan and his beautiful brain. And I would leave the brooding to Ryan, because at this point, he was pretty darn good at it.

I giggled as I spun in the chair, which made Ryan join me by the desk. “I could get used to this chair, baby-y-y.”

Ryan snickered, gazing at me fondly. “You better hope Mr. H doesn’t catch you taking his baby out for a joyride.”

Dylan went over to the bedroom door, but to his chagrin, it was locked. He tried the handle again with a pout. Ryan’s attention was brought back to the man, all fondness from his eyes fading. It wasn’t hard to tell he wasn’t having a good time.

“Yo, my guy, toss me the keys.”

“Uh, so you can poke around in Chris’s private area?”

“I’m sorry, is that something that only you’re allowed to do?”

Ryan scowled.

“Come on, what’s the harm in looking? You’re not a little bit curious? I’m not going to touch anything.”

“Sure you will, Dylan,” I chuckled fro the sidelines.

“…Fine. Don’t let me regret it.”

Ryan tossed him the keys, which Dylan caught with ease. He unlocked the door before tossing them back. I leaned my head against the chair and shut my eyes. Ryan walked off, but ruffled my hair before doing so. I wasn’t surprised that he was accompanying Dylan.

I was convinced that if Ryan was a little more openminded, he and Ryan would have great chemistry.

“Woah, hey…!”

“Hey, hey! Maybe we shouldn’t…”

I listened from the sidelines as they explored the other room. The conversation quickly died off. I still heard it from a distance, but it seemed they were exploring some sort of bathroom. I let them explore. I was planning on saving a nap for the ride home, but now that that wasn’t happening anytime soon…

“Hey, we’re all done here.”

I gasped, startled at the close proximity Ryan was at. He was right beside the chair, while Dylan was cheekily standing with his phone in hand. Ryan laughed at my reaction, but I was quick to hop to my feet.

“It’s not that cool —"

“God, Y/n, you won’t believe what we found —"

“Mr. H has a secret room in his closet! All sorts of security cameras are set up around the camp. Plus, he has all sorts of blueprints. Isn’t that weird as hell?”

“Damn, really? I want to see —"

“No, nope,” Ryan interjected again, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “We should be off then. For someone who’s looking to party, though, you can’t seem to stay awake.”

I pouted, sending the man a playful glare. “You guys were taking forever. And Dylan, you can’t tell me there wasn’t even one bottle of beer around?”

“Nope. Notta. Except for his deep dark secrets, Mr. H is incredibly dull.”

I groaned, allowing the pair and I to leave. I was still little tired out, but once we joined the group again, I knew my energy would be up. There was a pep in my step, although Ryan always made sure to calm me down regardless. We sauntered up to the campfire, where Kaitlyn had just finished taking a photo.

“Hey Kaitlyn, guess what! Mr. H is a voyeuristic creep,” Dylan declared, separating from us. Ryan immediately sighed, but I giggled, indicating that the man had been doing. “He has hidden cameras everywhere, and a secret room.”

“No, that’s not —"

“Back up. What?”

“His eyes are everywhere. He’s always watching us.”

“Well, actually, he just watches the trails,” I spoke up. “He’s probably keeping an eye out for stray campers and bears.”

“Exactly, Y/n. Thank you.”

“Oh.” Kaitlyn backed down, no longer caring about the new information.

“So, uh… what’s going on here? Everything ready?” Ryan inquired awkwardly.

“I did see a weird light in the treehouse across the lake,” Kaitlyn admitted. “It was pretty spooky. Maybe it’s that Hag you’re so obsessed with.” Ryan laughed haughtily, but Kaitlyn continued, "You know, I just realized we may never see each other again after tonight. I mean, other than you two, since you literally live with each other, but…”

“You’re just realizing that?” Dylan chuckled.

“I’m just trying to set the mood!”

Dylan plopped down on some wood, fetching a playlist on his phone. Ryan pulled me over to sit too, and I leaned against his shoulder as we waited. It was just in time, too, because Nick and Abby rejoined the group. And right after, with a goddamn wheelbarrow, Jacob and Emma appeared.

#yandere #x reader #x y/n #self insert #the quarry #max brinly #laura kearney #kaitlyn ka #abigail blyg #ryan erzahler #ryan ezrahler #ryan x reader #yandere ryan #yandere the quarry #yandere quarry #ryan x dylan #yandere x reader

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devine-star · 1 year

Text

Summer Sweethearts

Dylan Lenivy x reader

Warning: Blood, gore, death,

Note: So good to get back into writing! Thank you so much!

The night started out bad.

The car that was supposed to take them home was broken.

Mr. H seemed to be acting a bit worried and frantic and that gave you a pit of anxiety in your chest.

But when Jacob mentioned having one last hoorah party all the anxiety you felt melted away.

You got to spend another day with your summer sweet heart Dylan.

He was an adorable, dorky, loud, and funny guy.

Dylan caught your attention on the first day and you seemed to catch his too.

By week 2 you two went on a cute little picnic date near the river after dark to watch the stars and be alone.

The both of you hit it off really quickly and started dating soon after that first date.

With you being the medic of the camp you'd often get Dylan waltzing into your medical cabin holding his wrist complaining that he fell and hurt himself. He only did this because he wanted to see you but didn't want to get in trouble with Mr. H.

You went with Dylan to find some wood for the fire and you both talked about your plans for after summer and how you planned on keeping in contact since you both didn't mind long distance.

Soon enough the fire was started and everyone was sitting around with a beer in their hands. The idea of truth or dare came up and everyone agreed.

A pit of jealousy opened up in your stomach as Emma dared Ryan to kiss either Dylan or Kaitlyn.

Watching Ryan get up and walk over to Dylan was too much for you so you got up and walked away as anger and jealousy mixed in your chest in a fist to fist combat to see who would win.

"Y/N!" Dylan called in the distance as you kept angrily walking, stepping over sticks and rocks.

"Y/n! There you are," Dylan smiled as he saw you sitting on the ground next to a boulder.

"What?" You snap.

Dylan frowns and sighs "Look, I couldn't deny him the kiss-" "Why not??" You interupt.

"It's part of the game!" He snaps back.

This was the first fight you've had and you already hated it.

Sighing you slowly stand and shake your arms to get rid of the feelings you were having.

"Just don't do it again Dyl, okay?" Dylan grinned.

"I wouldn't dream of it, you're the only boy for me baby," The sweet moment was cut short by a twig snapping in the forests around you.

The both of you freeze as you listen for more sounds.

You can feel the energy, something like prey being circled.

"We should run," Dylan whispers and your frantically nod before you both take off running.

Dylan was faster than you. Always has been when it came to running.

There was a terrifying growl and the sound of feet pounding against the ground and it was getting closer.

You didn't dare turn around to see what was chasing you, it was possibly a bear.

But when you were tackled to the ground, you rolled with the beast to try and keep it away but this was no bear.

It was almost hairless, skinny, large teeth, and a wide mouth.

You screamed as you twisted and turned to try and get this beast to leave you alone.

A louder pained scream ripped from your throat as it sunk it's teeth in to your neck, right where your main vain was.

Blood spurted out everywhere as the beast rips a chunk of your neck out, swallowing it quickly.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Dylan swung a large log he found at the beast's head causing it to yelp and run away.

Dylan turns back to you as fear fills his eyes "Y/n!! NO!" he drops to his knees pulling you into his arms as you begin to choke on your own blood.

"Dy-" You cough. The pain ripped through your neck and body. Tears flowing freely now.

"HELP!!! EMMA! JACOB!! SOMEONE!!" Dylan cries with his own tears sliding down his face.

Your body started the go cold. Starting at your feet and moving upwards in your body.

"Y/n please! Stay with me okay?" Dylan begged.

You couldn't speak, the best you could do was reach a bloody hand up to Dylan's face, holding it gently.

"I..love..you" You mumble as black spots cloud your vision. You could feel your heart beating less and less.

Dylan watched as your eyes lost their sparkle and your body goes limp in his arms.

Your eyes were still open but they had no color or emotion.

You were dead.

Dylan carefully picks up your body as he sobs and slowly walks back to the campfire.

Everyone there was taking care of Nick's wound but when they turned to face Dylan with your body in his arms they froze.

"S-Something attacked-" He fell to his knees sobbing while hugging you close.

His summer sweet heart was gone.

#dylan lenivy x reader #Dylan lenivy x male reader #The quarry x reader #the quarry x male reader #angst #death

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barelyoksometimes · 2 years

Text

My final opinions on the quarry characters because why not

Laura: a bit trigger happy but shes badass and I love her. Scary women <3. Bestie still needs to understand the difference between calling and leaving a message. The most badass character, carried the team tbh.

Max: sweet himbo, I love him. He's doing his best. I love him and Laura and their scary strong woman x malewife. I loved his crop top fit and how much he cares about Laura.

Emma: I thought she was kind of mean at first but once she opened up I loved her. Girlboss. Wouldn't have flirted with Jacob and sent mixed signals. I ended up thinking she was really cool tho and I related to wanting to be entertaining and flamboyant for the sake of others.

Jacob: he's so, so stupid. I thought I'd hate him at first. But I think hes doing his best. He really liked Emma and he didn't know there were fucking werewolves. He has no critical thinking skills I love him. Seeing him cry and express his emotions as a jock was really cute and I liked that about him.

Abi: I wish she had more to do because she was so sweet and I loved her. I wish she had more scenes and was more useful to the team. My favorite tbh. I loved her little eeeeee and she was adorable the whole time. Plus I loved her style.

Ryan: this man does not deserve the hate he gets. I loved him and his relationship with Dylan. He has a monotone voice and doesn't understand sarcasm and same. And autistic comrade.

Dylan: also my favorite. He's literally so funny and carried the game. Every scene he's in is immediately better because of it. Him and Ryan have my whole heart. He actually cares and hides behind his sarcasm and me too tbh.

Kaitlyn: ALSO my favorite, she's so cool I love her. She has the one brain cell they all share. I trust her with my life. I like kinda mean short people who are the most badass in a group of tall people. She's so supportive of Dylan liking the same guy as her. The fact that every let's play I see calls her tiny is hilarious to me as me and Brenda Song are the same height.

Nick: I thought he was really sweet and funny and I wish we got more time with him before he became a wolf and we never see him again. Thought he was really cool honestly but he wasn't in the game enough for me to get as attached to him.

Travis: I still think he's unnecessarily creepy but I apologize for calling him so many names. He didn't deserve that he's just trying to protect his family and not get yelled at by his bitch ass mom.

Bobby: I think there was a lot of potential for him to be used more. I thought he was really funny and there was a lot of potential for him as a sloth esc character who is a good person who's just trying to help a toxic family that doesn't respect him.

Chris: I'm still sad we got so little scenes of him. I thought it would be cool to explore his father figure role at the camp and I thought he seemed like a good dude who cared about he kids and wanted to keep him safe. Wanted more content of him tbh. I thought he was really cool. Maybe it's just the daddy issues but I wanted more of the father figure man taking care of the children

#the quarry #kaitlyn ka #laura kearney #max brinly #abigail blyg #nicholas furcillo #emma mountebank #ryan erzahler #dylan lenivy #jacob custos #chris hackett #travis hackett #bobby hackett

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thefanficmonster · 2 years

Note

Oh PLEASE i need hcs for a trans guy reader coming out to Dylan, Ryan, Kaitlyn, and Abi? Or maybe just some hcs for a trans male reader coming out to Dylan who they've been dating?

Awwww this is such an adorable idea! Enjoy the headcanons darling 💕

Pairings (can be read as either platonic or romantic): Dylan & Reader, Ryan & Reader, Kaitlyn & Reader, Abi & Reader [The Quarry]

Warnings: None :)

Genre: FLUFF

Dylan

You and Dylan entered a sort of tease-off the second you exchanged your names upon arrival

Ever since then, it’s been an endless teasing/mocking, friendly fire back-and-forth between the two of you

It helped that you’d constantly get paired up for activity supervision together so you’d snag more ammo for your tournaments

That’s not to say there haven’t been times where your teasing didn’t have seriousness to it

Childish as the two of you might be, you both know when to get serious

So when Dylan came out to you one night when the two of you stayed behind to clean up the aftermath of the bonfire gathering, you knew to lower the playful tone and increase your more mature side

How you’d landed on the topic is not something you remember, probably got led to it by some other tangentially related subject

Regardless, when you saw the glint of semi-fearful uncertainty in his eyes as the confession left his lips, you knew that as serious as you wanted to be, you needed to keep it light-hearted as to allow him the comfort you could tell he desperately needed

After all, that’s who the two of you were and anything but would throw your whole dynamic off-balance

So the conversation went a little something like this...

“I’m gay, you know.“

Your heart swelled with warmth, stomach filling with butterflies but your cool guy persona never slipped as you fauxed an eyeroll

“Wow, never would’ve guessed“ You drawled, gathering a few strewn about snack packets into the garbage bag in your hand

Dylan eye-rolled right back at you, the smile on his face back to being its confident self, his eyes shining with a more exhilarating emotion

You trusted the guy, it was hard not to

The second you kicked off your shenanigans you knew you’d found your person

Soulmates, you believe is the word

So, it didn’t take a lot of hesitation for you to make a confession of your own

“To even the playing field: I’m trans, you know.“

The confidence of his smile is replaced by something alike adoration even when he whips out your own guns against you, “Wow, never would’ve guessed”

It made you both laugh

“Jokes aside, good for you, man.“

“Thanks, Dyl. Good for you too.”

Ryan

It was a scorching July afternoon and you were helping Ryan with the sailboats and canoes so he’d have at least a sliver of chance of getting done with it by the time the dinner bell dinged

He was the mystery man of the camp, the talk amongst the counselors who liked to play guessing games about him like the students would about Patrick in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You

You participated at times though you weren’t too keen on digging into the guy’s bubble therefore you didn’t attempt to initiate any sort of personal conversation to try and get to know him

He did it for you

Surprising as it was, you didn’t bat an eye and had quite a nice time holding a conversation with him

You came to know plenty of things about him and vice versa

“I saw you the second day of orientation. You’re quite the sailor.“ He’d told you, the comment forcing your gaze away from the equipment you were packing up

You felt yourself get a bit flustered but didn’t let it bleed into your demeanor and speech

“Yeah, I actually applied for your position first and the writing course second. Can’t say I’m complaining I didn’t land the job but I do think I would’ve made a pretty good instructor.“ You even had it in you to wink, causing Ryan to laugh

Which was also the first time you’d heard that sound

“My, my, so we’re rivals, huh? What else you got up that sleeve of yours?“

“Tough luck, Erzahler. Why’d I tell my rival anything about myself?“ You quirked an eyebrow, getting a chuckle in response

“That’s fair, but how does a deal sound? I tell you my dirty laundry, you tell me yours?“

Now that’s something you couldn’t just pass up like come on! You’d get the inside scoop all the counselors have been hankering for

“The floor is yours.“

It landed you a pretty good picture of the guy

Where he grew up, where he lived, what he was planning on studying, some hobbies, his pet hamster (yes, he did show you a picture)

And then he got to the interesting part

“Relationship status: single and not exactly looking.“

Bummer

“If you were looking, what would you be looking for?“ You’re not one to beat around the bush, at least mot much

And he seemed to have caught on because he smirked, “A person around my age who enjoys podcasts and likes hamsters.”

Wonderful

“Your turn to hold up your end of the deal.“ He urged you, reminding you that he wasn’t doing a one-sided show-and-tell here; that you had to open up in return

You had no problem with it now that you felt like you knew him probably best among the counselors

When you got to the interesting part yourself, it sounded a lot like his, “Single pringle with intentions of mingling but it’s not like I’ll cry myself to sleep if I don’t find anyone. Speaking of, that someone better be able to appreciate classic movies and literature as well as a good romcom or else we won’t click.”

Ryan chuckled, “Some criteria you got there.”

You rolled your eyes, “It’s not like you yourself are Mr. Picky either.”

The whole time you were talking you’d been pondering of how to go about telling him you’re trans

Thus far in life, all people you’d come out to had been nothing short of supportive and loving

But none of them had been Ryan Erzahler yet so...

“Oh, and one more thing, I’m also trans.“ The plenty of pondering led to a simple approach that ended up working wonders for your comfort because there was no time for you to feel anxious

No, the second the words left your lips, Ryan’s turned his smirk into a smile

“You just keep getting cooler, don’t you?“

So Mr. Tall, Dark, Handsome and Broody can flirt, huh?

“I like hamsters too.“ You aided your case, making him laugh

“Yeah, you just got even cooler.“

SCORE!

Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn and you have been a snarky pair of frenemies since day one

Take that in a more ‘friends’ than ‘enemies’ sense by the way

She found her match in your sarcasm and snarkiness and that clearly set her off

But at the end of the day, one would cave and sit next to the other around the bonfire with a s’more already prepared for them

Truth is, you had not formed a connection like that with anyone at camp yet

There was a great dose of comfort and safety to your dynamic because you understood one another like no one could ever

So, you wanted her to be the first one to know

“Hey!“ She greeted you upon entering the dining hall with the intention of helping you clean up, “You said you wanted to tell me something?“

“Yeah...“ your confidence levels had been bouncing up and down but regardless you decided to buy yourself some time by pointing out the obvious look of aggravation on her face, “What’s up with that scowl, grandma?“

That was what popped the cap off the shaken up soda bottle and sent Kaitlyn down a ranting spiral about how many brats there were in the group of kids she had taken fishing earlier that day

The theatrics with which she described all the trouble they landed themselves in, putting her in some hot water as well, damn near made you start tearing up from laughing so hard

“But anyways....“ her spiel came to an end eventually, with a heavy sigh at that, “What did you want to tell me?“

Oh....right

“Well, Kate, I’ve decided you’re finally worthy of being told this national secret, a conspiracy greater than you could ever imagine. I finally trust you enough to....“

“Bud, whatever it is, I’m sure it won’t beat the time you told me you don’t like Mad Max.“

“I’ll let you be the judge of that.“ You chuckled, putting away another plate, “I’m trans, that’s what I wanted to tell you.“

Her scowl lifted almost immediately as she looked up from where she was cleaning another table opposite you

“Oh this definitely beats it. In a good way.“ She clarified, giving you a smile that she had only reserved for very few occasions previous to this one, “Good for you, man, I’m proud of you...“ she trailed off for a second, her smile faltering as some realization hit her, “Wait, does everyone else know but me? You said you just now finally think you can tell me? Does that mean I’m the last to know?!“

Surprised but also amused by her reaction to a detail so small you yourself had not picket up on, all you could do was raise your hands up in surrender to oppose her wrath, “No, no, I was being dramatic, I swear. You’re actually the first to know.”

She seemed to drop the grudge right away, her easy sly smile that just screamed ‘that’s what I thought’ making a grand return to her features, “It better be that way or else I’m not making you s’mores for a week.”

“Oh, what a tragedy.“ You mused dramatically

And therefore earned yourself a plastic spoon thrown your way

Bottom line: that went well

Abi

Once you had finished you own activity for the day, you decided you had plenty of time before dinner and wanted nothing more than to pester the one person who you really could never truly pester

Abi

As annoying as you purposely tried to be, she’d always welcome you and your shenanigans with an eye-roll and an easy smile

It’s no wonder you and her became so close so quickly

You helped her slowly inch her way out of her shell while she helped you stay true to yourself even when you were playing your outlandishly outgoing role to match the energy of your fellow counselors

With her, you could comfortably be 100% yourself

“Abs! I’m bored! Let’s do something fun!“ You whined, limbs noodle-like and limp due to the heat in contrast to your energetic tone as you entered the art cabin to find your favorite redhead

She was sat atop one of her desks, scribbling away in her sketchbook, a magenta curtain of curls preventing you from being able to see what she was drawing

“Sure, just give me a sec.“ She mumbled absentmindedly, not lifting her gaze from the white page

Before your unbridled curiosity could get the best out of you and make you sneak a peek at her drawing, she herself handed the sketchbook to you, “There! Now you’re officially a part of my collection.” She announced with that adorable sparkling smile lighting up her face and the vicinity around her

Accepting the handed item, your jaw nearly hit the floor when you saw what was on the page

You, a portrait of you

You’d known she had started drawing you but you only saw the early stages of what is now an immaculate masterpiece, therefore you have every right to be absolutely stunned and flabbergasted by its beauty

You’d also known Abi would do you justice beyond belief, but she damn near turned you into a model

“Abs, this is amazing! Holy crap, I might need to use this as my Tinder profile photo.“ You said, making the girl laugh, “Scratch that, it would be catfishing.“

“Glad you like it, Y/N/N (A/N: your nickname). Now, before you take off running with my sketchbook, I’ll need you to sign it.“ She handed you a pen which you barely registered but managed to subconsciously take

Before you got an idea...

“Hey, you got a pink and a blue color pencil?“

Mildly confused, Abi nodded and handed you the requested colors

When you handed the sketchbook, pen and pencils back to her, you were nothing short of giddy with nerves and excitement as she took in the detail you’d added

You’d drawn a small trans pride flag at the top right corner of the page, on top of which you’d jotted down your signature

Looking up from the sketchbook and at you, the look of adoration in Abi’s eyes had your heart warming up.

You gave her a wink, “Trans pride, babe.”

Squealing with excitement, she threw her arms around you before you’d even noticed the distance between the two of you lessening

“That’s so great, Y/N! I’m so proud of you.“

Your own arms soon got the memo of what a hug is and returned Abi’s, resting your chin on top of your head as you let out a tiny relieved sigh, “Thanks Abs.”

Then again, did you really expect any other sort of reaction from this adorable human being? No. Didn’t think so

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bazwillendinflames · 11 months

Text

1. Crush Culture (The Quarry au)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Read on AO3

Maybe it was conceited but the truth was that Emma, with her charm and good looks, had never been the one doing the chasing. But after falling for cool, confident Kaitlyn, suddenly getting a date isn’t as easy.

After confiding in Ryan, who has an equally daunting crush, they decide to help each other out. After all, it can’t go any worse than facing it alone.

Jacob’s party started to die off around two and by three, it was only their inner circle still there. Once the pizza was gone and the alcohol had almost run out, leaving only a few lukewarm beers, the only thing keeping Emma there was her friends.

Emma had kicked off her heels and curled up on the lumpy coach, her legs tucked underneath her. Someone’s jacket had been left on the couch and she had pulled it over her legs, slightly regretting her short dress.

Abi and Nick were slumped together in a similar way on the loveseat across from her. They were talking softly with their heads tucked close together. Nick’s hand was on Abi’s knee, tracing his fingers across along the lace of her tights. Emma wasn’t a jealous person but there was something so intimate about the easy way they were curled together that it made her chest ache. Emma wasn’t jealous of Abi or of Nick exactly - although she’d made out with both of them at other parties like this before - but of AbiandNick as a unit.

They whispered together, inaudible under the music coming from the kitchen. Emma was happy for Abi, who deserved to be adored like that, but the familiar pang of jealousy was heavy on her chest. For all her teasing, she was in the exact position Abi had been months ago, quietly pining for someone from afar. It really wasn’t Emma’s style - at least it hadn’t been.

So maybe it wasn’t just her friends Emma had stayed so late for. It was one friend in particular. At least Abi was too distracted with Nick that Emma had angled herself perfectly to have a view into the kitchen.

Or at least she had, because suddenly someone was blocking her view. It took a moment to place the Thrasher shirt blocking her to Ryan. Maybe she hadn’t sobered up as much as she thought; Emma blamed the cheap vodka.

“Hey,” Emma said, pretending he hadn’t startled her. “Still here?”

Ryan looked between the two couches and sat by her. A wise choice.

“Yeah,” he said, quiet and mysterious as usual.

Emma was surprised Ryan was still there too, he didn’t seem to like parties. He had a whole ‘too cool for this’ aura to him. She still wasn’t entirely sure on how he knew Jacob.

“Do you have a phone charger?” Ryan asked. “Dylan needs one.”

“Always,” Emma answered, digging through her purse. “Having fun?”

Ryan turned his head, as if she was talking to anyone else. “Uh, yeah. You?”

“Amazing night! You’ll see the Insta reel I’ll post,” Emma said.

Ryan rolled his eyes, but she didn’t take it personally. Ryan was just like that with everyone.

“Hey, we’re going to head out,” Nick interrupted. He and Abi had got up from the loveseat but hadn't untangled themselves. “Abi is falling asleep.”

“I’m not,” Abi protested, although her eyes were half closed, leaning against Nick for support.

“Goodnight lovebirds,” Emma called as they left, blowing them an exaggerated kiss.

Abi blushed. Nick flipped them off. Besides her, Ryan snorted in amusement.

“See you,” Ryan added, as they slinked off. Dylan and Nick’s rowdy goodbyes echoed through the house and Emma could swear he actually smiled.

“I’m so glad they figured their shit out,” Emma said.

“Even if they’re sickening?” Ryan teased.

“That’s love for you,” she said. “I wish I had that.”

“Had what?” Ryan asked.

“Like real, mushy, heart-eyed love shit,” Emma explained.

“Don’t let Jacob hear that.”

Emma winched. Their ill-advised fling had almost imploded their entire friendship group. Emma didn't want anything serious but Jacob had caught feelings. It had been messy. They were friends now but it still complicated things.

She played it cool. “Just because I didn’t want it with him doesn’t mean I’m immune to romance. But it would be different if I met the right person.”

Emma looked down at her phone screen which was an unflattering picture of Kaitlyn dropping ice cream down her shirt. Maybe she had already caught feelings. But in every way possible Kaitlyn was the wrong person - mostly because she was Jacob’s best friend and hadn’t forgiven Emma for breaking his heart.

Ryan seemed amused. “Damn Emma, I didn’t think you had such big feelings.”

He probably meant it as a joke but Ryan’s joking-tone and his normal voice were the same. Still, his joke touched a nerve Emma hadn’t realised was exposed.

“Well I do, okay!” She snapped. “Uh, I mean- fuck off.”

“Sorry.”

They sat in silence, filled only by the distant laughter of whatever game the others were playing in the kitchen.

“I wasn’t trying to be an asshole,” Ryan tried again. “You just play it cool.”

“Well it hasn’t gotten me far,” Emma said, crossing her arms.

“So there’s someone?” Ryan asked, suddenly very invested.

“Kinda,” she admitted. “But they’re not-”

“Not what?” Ryan asked when she didn’t elaborate further.

Emma was saved from answering by Dylan popping out of nowhere. Despite the now vacant loveseat, he instead perched at the end of the couch by Ryan, draping over him like an oversized cat. Ryan was surprisingly tolerant of it, not even an eye roll in sight.

“How’s operation phone charger going?” Dylan asked.

Emma passed it over. “All good.”

“I knew I could count on you Emma!” Dylan said. His face was flushed pink and his words a touch too loud. “Ryan-Ryan, you get a B grade for the mission. Your timing needs work.”

Ryan looked like he was trying not to smile, although his lips twitched a little anyway. “Thanks man.”

Dylan lingered a moment longer. “Can I convince you to play charades yet? Come on, we’ll put in some of your cool, underground stuff too. I can try to mime Velvet Underground.”

Ryan shook his head. “I’m good.”

Dylan pouted. “Fine.”

He headed back to the kitchen, not so subtly looking back twice. His already pink cheeks seemed to darken when he noticed Emma catch on.

“Ryan-Ryan?” She repeated, when Dylan was out of hearing range.

Surprising her, Ryan looked away, almost shy. “Inside joke,” he murmured.

Emma hummed, suddenly invested. Dylan liking him was old news but there was something about Ryan’s sudden shyness, the way he’d bit back a smile… almost as if-

“Holy fuck,” Emma said, “you like Dylan.”

Ryan shushed her. “Don’t say it so loud.”

“You didn’t even deny it!” Emma gloated. She grinned wolfishly. Now that Abi was with Nick she had been looking for a new project to distract from her own miserable love life.

Ryan tried to stand up, “hey, maybe I’ll join that game after all-”

Emma pulled him back down. “Want to have this discussion in the kitchen?”

He slumped back. “Not you too,” Ryan groaned. “I get enough shit from Laura.”

“Laura knows?” Emma said.

Ryan really was full of surprises - she hadn’t even known he and Laura were close like that. They spent most of their time together bickering. It was a good thing that Ryan wasn’t joining the games in the kitchen after all. There was a reason they were both banned from Max’s games night.

“She’s Laura,” Ryan said, as if the implications were obvious. He huffed, picking at a loose thread in a cushion. “It doesn’t matter. I missed my shot with Dylan anyway.”

“How?” Emma asked, her tone softer. “In case you missed it, he’s totally still into you.”

As if to prove it, Dylan waved at them, earning a nudge in the ribs from Kaitlyn, miming something that involved animal ears.

Ryan continued to avoid eye contact. “Can we leave it?”

“I’ll tell you about my crush,” Emma offered without thinking.

That got him to look up. Even the cool, stoic Ryan wasn’t immune to gossip. “You will?”

She nodded, stealing another glance at Kaitlyn, still acting out a card that must be Cats.

“Dylan’s asked me out before. I kept saying no.”

“Dude, why?” Emma asked.

“I didn’t think he was being serious. Dylan flirts with everyone and it’s hard to pin him down into a real conversation. But we had this… moment, I guess. I thought-” he paused and shook his head. “Nothing happened. I think me turning him down five-“

“Five!” Emma repeated, loud enough to interrupt the game in the kitchen.

Ryan winced. He waited until the game started up again, continuing on in an even lower voice. “Yeah. Five times. I think it gave the impression I’d never say yes. So he won’t ask and I don’t know how to.”

“Come on,” Emma said. This would be easier than she thought. “If you walked over five feet and asked him now you’d have a boyfriend before the sun rises.”

Ryan shook his head. “No, I mean I literally don’t know how.”

“Oh,” Emma said, “so like-“

“Like-“ Ryan gritted his teeth. “I spent my whole life being asked out and never having to do the asking. I don’t know how to ask someone I like out.”

“Fuck, me too,” Emma said. “I knew there was a downside to being hot.”

Ryan rolled his eyes at that. “This is the stupidest problem ever.”

Maybe it was conceited but the truth was that Emma, with her charm and good looks, had never been the one doing the chasing. “The struggle is real,” she settled on.

“Who is it? Your… person.”

“Girl,” Emma corrected. Her eyes betrayed her, darting to the kitchen once more. “Funny story-“

Ryan caught on. “Ah…”

“Kaitlyn,” Emma confirmed. She slumped against Ryan in a dramatic sigh, staying there when he didn’t immediately shrug her off. “I know, I know. I have a thing for jocks. Guys are easy, I just flip my hair and smile. But Kaitlyn is so cool and unruffled and out of reach.”

“And she’s Jacob's best friend,” Ryan added.

Emma nodded. “I know. It sucks. Why couldn’t I just keep in my pants for once!”

Ryan huffed in what could be a laugh. “What now? We watch from afar?”

Emma had a brilliant idea. She grabbed Ryan’s hand, startling him a little. “Let’s help each other!”

“What?”

“You can get a read if Jacob would be cool with me and Kaitlyn. And I can push Dylan to ask you out again.”

“You’ll be my wing… person?” Ryan asked. “I don’t need help-“

“Don’t you?” Emma challenged. “Let me ask one question. How long ago was your little ‘moment’ with Dylan?”

For once, Ryan’s expression was perfectly clear: the platonic look of annoyance, scrunched eyebrows and scowl and all.

“Finals week but-“

“That was months ago!” Emma squeezed his hands even tighter. “Come on Ryan, let me help.”

“If I say yes, will you let go?”

Emma’s squeal of joy made him regret it already.

#the quarry #ryan erzahler #emma mountebank #dylan leviny #kaitlyn ka #radioheads #the quarry fic

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dreamqueenkala · 10 months

Text

FROM PARTY TO PERISH

Previous Chapter

Laura Kearney is my best friend and is currently missing.

Max Brinly is my best friend and is currently missing.

Ryan Erzahler is appreciative towards me.

Jacob Custos is concerned for my health and attached to me.

Abigail Blyg is distasteful of me.

Dylan Lenivy finds me adorable.

Emma Mountebank greatly enjoys my company.

Kaitlyn Ka is entertained by me.

Nicholas Furcillo is protective of me and concerned for my mental health.

Travis Hackett has no relation to me.

Chris Hackett finds me reliable but aggressive.

I am alive, sane and burned but otherwise healthy.

Tarot Visions:

Temperance

It was dark, the fire lit before me, my friends surrounding me. Jacob tossed a beer can my way, a pocket knife in his outstretched hand. I debated it for a moment as I caught the beverage, then stood and accepted the blade so I could shotgun the beer, pocketing it afterwards.

Strength

I held my breathe, back pressed to a boulder with Abigail beside me, hands over each other's mouths. A silhouette clambered above the boulder beside us, it's glowing red eyes searching the earth, snarling as it's saliva dripped against my shoulder and made me shudder.

Branches:

•Skeptic BFF: Having been best friends with Max and Laura, I knew they weren't okay. With their absence, I grew skeptical of Chris Hackett and his promises.

|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|

Tape loading...

Load complete.

Playing Tape #13

Hackett's Quarry Summer Camp Entrance

18:55 August 22–Carter Rhodes

As Jacob finished deciding the group, I cut in quickly with a stammer in my voice. "G-Guys, wait." All eyes fell on me and my breathe caught in my throat, my anxiety spiking.

"What's up, Carter?" Jacob hummed, tilting his head like a lost puppy.

"You're lookin' kinda spooked, dude. Chris really freak you out?" Dylan added, brows furrowed despite his playful tone.

"N-No it...it's not Chris." The tone of my voice must've been terrified because Nick stepped forward with his hands placed on my shoulders.

"Carter, is it about when you collapsed?"

Emma stood to attention at that, her yes frantically searching my face. "Woah woah woah—you collapsed?"

"Yeah, in the cabin when Jacob went to get the bags."

"Uh, he collapsed out here, too, when we gave out the phones." Dylan added, his own brown eyes now full of concern.

"Seriously!?"

I trembled as the group grew collectively louder, my breathing becoming erratic. "G-Guys! GUYS!" As they fell silent I fumbled with my inhaler, taking a breather from it and holding it before exhaling. "It's my clairvoyance."

"Your what?"

"It's a sixth sense. It's the kind of thing that causes people to feel a sense of Deja Vu." I explained, fumbling with my sleeves. Ryan, familiar with the term, leaned in beside Dylan, eyeing me curiously. "Basically, I've been getting these visions. You guys know I had a weird sense for things that were happening around camp."

"Yeah, like when you stopped that one kid from throwing a rock at the boathouse. Remember, the dock collapsed?" Jacob hummed thoughtfully, nodding along as if he understood.

"R-Right, well...I-I started finding these tarot cards around the lodge. Every time I find one it just burns up in my hand, for some reason, but then I black out and see...stuff." I continued, eying my slightly ashen palm.

"See stuff? Like what?"

"Like danger. I-I don't know if any of it'll happen, but I'm just anxious." I tried to drop the subject quickly, shrugging my shoulders. "It's no big deal, c-can you guys just be careful? It's got me on edge..."

Branch Selected:

•Honest Seer: Deciding to share my clairvoyance with the group, they appreciate my concern and will be more cautious.

"Duh! Can't have any fun if we're getting hurt, dude." Jacobs kind smile had me relaxing slightly, nodding as the others quickly agreed.

"Thanks guys."

"Alright! Let's go, party committee, we've got shit to do." The group disbanded, but not without a few concerned looks sent my way. Deciding to head off with Kaitlyn, Ryan and Dylan, the four of us headed inside the lodge for a bit.

"We might as well charge our phones a little. Think Mr. H will get mad if we slip into his office real quick?" Dylan inquired, fiddling with his phone in his back pocket. Kaitlyn, already knowing where this was going, shook her head and raised her hands defensively.

"Whatever you dorks get up to, I was not a part of it. See you at the fire pit, losers." With a peace sign and wave she made her way out through the back doors, heading towards the fire pit. Blinking owlishly, I turned to face the other two only to discover they were half way to the office already. With a yelp, I scampered my way to their side, bumping lightly into Ryan's left arm on accident.

He shot me a shy smile as he opened the door, allowing me to enter first before following, Dylan hot in his heels. "Alright...the inner sanctum."

"Just an office." Ryan replied, shutting the door behind us. Turning on his heel, Dylan was quick to raise a brow at the deep-voiced male.

"Uh...this is where the magic happens." He waved his phone around to add to the joke, grinning.

With a playful scoff Ryan shook his head, directing Dylan to the wall plug. "Yeah. Let's just make this quick."

"Sure. Just gimme a sec to get this going..." The brunette took our phones and set them up to charge, fiddling with the outlet for a moment. "And...engage."

Facing Ryan and I, Dylan smiled almost bashfully at the guy, glancing at me only for a second before his gaze met Ryan's. "Podcasts?"

"Yeah."

"Alright."

Rolling my eyes at the awkward vibes between the two, I started to move around the office, examining the items on Mr. Hackett's desk whilst making use of the first aid kit in one of the drawers.

"Uh, what's it called? The one that you're listening to right now."

"Uh, 'Bizarre Yet Bona Fide'."

"So, like, ghosts and stuff?"

"It's, like...um, yeah, the weird and wonderful." Ryan seemed to be struggling to explain to Dylan, probably already aware the brunette didn't have as much interest in the topic as he did himself. "Digging up weird mysteries and discussing if they're, well, bona fide."

"Heh. 'Boner' fide? Get it? Boner..."

"Ugh, your wit knows no bounds, Dyl." I cringed at Dylan's joke, shaking my head as I picked up a photo frame from the desk.

"Right...um, so, you already checking out what Mr. H keeps in his private den of sin, Carter?" Dylan hummed, moving to stand beside me as I examined the three people in the photograph.

"Hey, uh, I dunno, man. I feel kinda weird going through his stuff..." Ryan did indeed feel uncomfortable, but I suppose that's due to his long relationship with the guy prior to becoming a counselor.

"Okay, well, I don't. Carter obviously doesn't." Moving around the desk and examining the drawers, Dylan continues. "I mean, come on, what king of dirty secrets is the owner of a summer camp full of impressionable young children gonna have anyway?"

"Your sarcasm is blatantly clear, Dylan. Maybe tone it down? You know Ryan and Mr. Hackett are closer than the rest of us." I hummed, setting the photo frame down.

Dylan is annoyed with my response.

Ryan is pleased with my defense.

"Not Mr. H. I know. He's cool."

"Always been cool to me..."

"Woah, look at this old thing." With a small sigh, Dylan's eyes found the phone the same time mine did, his hand already grasping the receiver. "Hey, gimme your number. I wanna try it out."

"Why?" Ryan furrowed his brows at the implication, jaw taut and shoulders stiff.

His quick wit succeeded once again, though the words he used made my shoulders tense. "Uh, so that I can ask you out on a date. Duh."

Granted, all of us were aware how attracted to Ryan Dylan truly was, but it didn't hurt any less. I'd spent a lot of the summer pining after some of the others with the smallest of crushes, and yet they never seemed to go anywhere. Because of that, I'd kept the personal aspects of my mind and feelings mostly to myself, hiding the pain and sorrow of watching them flirt with each other behind shy smiles and sweet banter.

"Mmm, smooth." His tone was playfully sarcastic, but the glint that formed in Ryan's eyes told me he was amused.

Leave it to me to find a way to fucking third wheel, again. I always want the people I can't have. I thought with a sigh.

Dylan's sudden surprised 'hello?' startled me from my thoughts, blinking as I watched him furrow his brows. I furrowed my own brows as his expression showed utter confusion, watching him fiddle with the dial.

"What? Who is it?"

"Uhhh, hello...?" Slowly setting it back down, I watched him shrug it off, but my stomach rolled with discomfort. "That's weird. I thought I heard someone."

"Maybe you should've asked them out on a date?"

"Dammit, I missed my shot!"

I moved to stand by the phone as Dylan moved around more, pointing out other objects along the way that lined the office. My left hand twitched, reaching up to grasp the phone. "Hey Dyl?"

He turned away from the shotgun on the wall he'd been ogling, facing me with his hands on his hips. "Yeah? What's up, Car?"

I grasped the phone lightly and lifted it, hesitating to put it up to my ear. "You're sure you heard something?" He shrugged, seemingly over it already, though Ryan's gaze lingered on me. Gently, I pressed the phone to my ear and inhaled sharply, eyes wide.

"Silas..."

With a yelp, I dropped the phone, the plastic having suddenly felt very hot in my hands. It clattered off the desk, the dial and receiver smoking slightly as I cradled my red, blistered palm to my chest. Ryan stepped forward, alarmed by my cry, whilst Dylan knelt down to examine the phone.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

"Are you okay?" I nodded slowly, eying my palm with wide grey eyes as the skin boiled an almost unsightly pink. "You need to run that under some cold water."

"I'll be fine..." Glancing up, Dylan seemed to perk up as he circled the desk again, moving the chair.

"Hey, look at this." We both stepped up to peer behind him, eyes gazing over the darkened wood in surprise.

"A...trapdoor?"

"Guess it goes to the basement." Dylan set his hands on his hips, turning to look at us with suspicion in his doe eyes. "But why would Mr. H have a secret trapdoor in his office...that goes to the basement?"

"Maybe it was here before this was his office?" Ryan suggested, though I felt inclined to agree with Dylan.

"If it's nothing...off it's most likely used for storage." I hummed thoughtfully, rubbing my palm lightly. "Though...this whole office feels off to me."

"Uh, yeah...so he can make a quick getaway when the heat comes down, maybe." Dylan suggested, eying the wood seems apprehensively.

Ryan, already irritated by the implications, scoffed and replied rather aggressively. "Uh, or...it's for storage. Go ahead, open it up."

Though hesitant, the brunette crouched down to lift the door, heaving slightly at the heaviness of it. "Alright, well, it looks like a pit of eternal darkness, so..."

"You're being dramatic."

"Climb down, take a look—look, you can squeeze through there."

"You opened it. You take a look."

Dylan hesitated and I bit my lower lip, slipping past him just as he moved to shut it. "I'll look."

"Wha—hey, Carter!"

Slipping my smaller frame through the gap, I grasped the ladder and began to make my way down, hitting the ground with a gasp. Glancing around, my eyes adjusted and I could barely make out the shelves lining the storm cellar, boxes piled along the walls I could see.

"So, uh...what's down there?" Dylan called, his voice echoing slightly. Feeling a cold veil of dread slip over my shoulders, I backed into the ladder slightly, inhaling sharply.

"It's, uh...dark as hell down here. Can't really see anything..." I replied, flitting my gaze around frantically. Something was off—really off—and this basement/storm cellar made my skin crawl with terror.

"Just come back up, then. This things making my arm tired." Nodding slowly, I turned to face the ladder, beginning the climb. My foot slipped on one of the rungs, the metal creaking as I yelped. Just as I clung to the bars again, my fingers touched something familiar. Curiously, I pulled the card from the wedge in the rungs, gazing over the surface of the Justice card. A woman, clad in a long red dress with a gold crown on her head, waved a sword in her right hand, the left occupied by some form of a bird.

I gripped the rungs tightly and winced, struggling against the uproar my brain created. My vision blurred and my ears rang loud, like sirens, my blood pumping faster through my veins. I clenched my teeth and whined, though this time I remained semi-conscious.

Abigail stood with her back to a set of lockers, a shotgun in hand. As the creature leapt towards her I shoved her out of the way, taking the brunt of the force as the beast slammed me into the lockers and it's teeth clamped around my throat.

Shaking my head, I found myself still clinging to the ladder, my head swimming, and practically raced up the metal, the tarot card nothing but ash in the air. "Nope. No. Nu uh. Nope. Shut this fucking door right now, I swear to God, Dyl—" I stammered frantically, accepting the brunettes outstretched hand and scrambling from the gap. The trapdoor slammed shut behind me and I panted, pressing myself back into Ryan's chest. "Holy—this place is giving me the heebie jeebies right now."

Dylan stepped past us as I calmed down, settling husked in Mr. Hackett's desk chair. "Ooh, that's a nice chair. I could get used to this." He cooed, spinning it slowly as he relaxed against the back.

"You better hope Mr. H doesn't catch you takin' his baby for a joyride." Ryan snapped back, a faint grin on his face as he patted my shoulder.

Dylan scoffed, coming to an abrupt stop in the chair as he smiled up at Ryan. "Ring-a-ding-a-ding—Ooh, sorry bud, gotta take this. One second." He reached over and grabbed the burnt-out phone, pressing it up to his ear now that the smoke had died down. "Hello, Hackett's Quarry Summer Camp! What doesn't kill you will make you stronger. What can I do for you on this darn-tootin' doozie of a day?"

I snickered softly as Ryan's grin grew, both of us thoroughly amused by Dylan's playfulness. "Is that your impression of Mr. H?"

Dylan raised his hand to silence Ryan, humming thoughtfully. "Uh, yeah...uh-huh, yeah...yeah I—You're absolutely right, he does need to be nicer to Dylan." His gaze flicked up to meet Ryan's again, though I felt myself slink away from the adoration in his eyes. "And uh, what's that? You want him to give Dylan his phone number? That's a little forward, but I can see what I can do..."

"Smooth." Ryan took it with a grin, shaking his head as Dylan set the phone down. He dug through the drawers, retrieving a notebook from the left side. Flipping through it, he tilted his head.

"Oh. Laura Kearney and Max Brinly." I stiffened at the mention of their names, gazing at the notebook with wide eyes.

"Oh, yeah. Those are the ones that never showed up." Ryan seemed suddenly intrigued, facing Dylan slightly as the brunette continued.

"...yeah? It's because of these goobers that we had to work extra shifts this summer." He stuffed the notebook away, standing from the chair with a huff.

"Did...did it say why they didn't show?"

Dylan paused by Mr. Hackett's bedroom door, glancing at me over his shoulder. "Ah, no...no, it didn't say."

I pursed my lips and nodded, folding my arms over my chest. I could feel their eyes on me but made no remark, moving to join them by the door.

Dylan and Ryan are suspicious of my behavior regarding the missing counselors.

"Right..." Dylan grasped the door handle and gave it a wiggle, unsuccessfully as it was locked. "Yo, my guy, toss me the keys."

"Uh, so you can poke around in Chris's private area?"

"It's not like we'd touch anything, Ryan. Don't you wanna learn more about him, anyway?" Ryan gave me a glance and pursed his lips, tossing the keys to Dylan, whom caught them easily.

"Fine. Don't let me regret it."

"Not likely..."

Dylan opened the door and I peered around his shoulders as we entered, gazing around the practically barren space. The walls were bland and there were no photos or personal items decorating the room. The only thing I could see was the bathroom to our right, the bedroom to our left, and a small closet ahead of us.

Dylan immediately began to sift through the closet, eying his clothes. "Fashion icon!"

"Mr. H knows what he likes."

"Yeah, I'm sure he does—"

"W-Wait, Dylan, look!" I pressed my hand against the wall behind the shirts, sliding the hangers to the side with wide eyes.

"Yo..." I pushed at the wall and watched as it opened, a faint white light peering from the secret room. Dylan came up behind me, a hand on my shoulder as we trekked deeper, disregarding Ryan's warning.

"Ryan, you, uh...might wanna see this." Dylan muttered, watching as I stepped up to the table.

"What...the actual fuck is this!?" My eyes darted between each screen, wide with shock and disgust. "He's been watching us! What kind of creepy shit is this?" Dylan grasped my shoulder as Ryan joined us at the desk, squeezing lightly in an attempt to calm me down.

"These monitors...this is the camp." Dylan was dumbfounded, his voice soft as he bent over to examine the screens individually.

"He's spying on us. Perverted little—"

"No no...I mean—No, no...he can't be..." Despite how quick he was to reply, even Ryan seemed incredulous to what he was witnessing. "These are just...They're all different trails in the woods around camp."

"Uh...sure."

"Most of the cameras are pointed away from camp, so it's not like he's spying on the kids, unless they wandered out into the woods." Ryan's explanation seemed more for himself then us, Dylan and I sharing a glance. "You know, these are just...they're probably just...trail cameras."

"What are trail cameras?"

"They're used by hunters to track live game on open land. If that is what this footage comes from, then it's probably prep for the hunting season now that summers over." I eyed the cameras apprehensively, leaning against Dylan's side as my breathing started to spike again.

"Hey, you okay...?" He muttered, petting my hand. I nodded, eyes still locked on the live feed displayed before me.

"This shit's just sketchy as hell, Dyl."

"I'm with you there..." Dylan cleared his throat, standing up to face Ryan with sarcasm lacing his tone. "Alright? So, trail cameras, weird random shit...I'm going to upgrade Mr. H from 'super creepy pervert with spy cam' to, you know, 'super crazy conspiracy hunter'."

"To be fair, Bigfoot is not a conspiracy..."

"Okay, fine, how about an aspiring cryptozoologist?" Eyebrows raising, he gestured to Ryan with a smug, taunting expression. "Hey, maybe he likes that podcast you listen to..."

"Sure, yeah, let's go with that."

"Doesn't make this any less creepy." The two turned their attention back to me as I leaned over the desk, eying the monitors with distaste and discomfort. "I mean, look...it's Abi and Nick...." The duo barely crossed paths with a trail camera before disappearing from view again.

"Freaky." Dylan shuddered, pressing his hand once again to my back, this time the small of it. I couldn't resist the shudder that wracked my body at the unintentionally intimate gesture. "Okay, but....why go through all the trouble of hiding this room...through a secret door in the closet?"

"Ahhh...I mean, it's not exactly secret, right? Like it's just...hidden by...stuff."

"Your argument is flawed, Ryan. You can't tell me you aren't at least slightly creeped out by this."

"Yeah, that's what a secret is, Ryan. It's weird. It's major league weird—"

"Okay, yeah, I don't disagree with you, but—"

"Oh my God, stop defending him! This shits probably recorded, and with Jacob and Emma disappearing half the summer to go have a quick fuck in the woods, there's no telling what Mr. Hackett has seen!" I snapped, palms pressed to my temples incredulously as I glared at Ryan.

"I-It's none of our business, okay?" Ryan seems just as done with this uncomfortable conversation as I was, trying to urge Dylan out of the room. "A-And if you really need to know you can ask him tomorrow. I'm sure that won't be an awkward conversation, like, at all."

"Okay, yeah. Maybe I will." Dylan conceded and I groaned, watching Ryan began to make his way back to the door.

"Alright. I-I'm leaving the 'secret lair'. Have fun."

"Hey, you just admitted that it's a secret lair!"

"Dylan...." He turned to face me, glancing behind himself quickly before scampering to my side.

"Hey, hey, chill. It's fine. I-It's just some weird shit we gotta deal with, alright?" The brunette attempted to reassure me, hands on my shoulders as his thumbs caressed the pulse points in my neck.

"I-I know, it's just...freaky." He sighed and patted my head gently, smiling reassuringly as he guided me away from the monitors.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. Let's just get out of here, yeah?" With a nod, we made our way to the door but I stopped short, gazing over at the wall opposite the door with furrowed brows.

"Gimme a sec." I muttered, moving over to the boxes. On top of one, rested a small pile of letters, one with Max Brinly scrawled across the mint envelope.

Branch Updated:

•Skeptic BFF: Having been best friends with Max and Laura, I knew they weren't okay. With their absence, I grew skeptical of Chris Hackett and his promises.

•••

Because I stayed with Ryan and Dylan in the lodge, I discovered clues as to my friends disappearances.

Pursing my lips, I grasped them and slipped them into my free pocket, turning back to the door. "Les go."

Dylan led me back through the closet and put the door, making our way over to Ryan. "So, uh....gotta anything going on back home...? School or...?"

"Eh....Jury's out." Ryan seemed deeply displeased with the two of us, though at the moment I didn't care.

"Right. Understood."

"Can we get the fuck out of here—"

"Girlfriend?" My head perked up, mouth dry at the almost desperate tone in Dylan's voice.

"Uh...not...exactly..." Ryan, as confused and flustered as I was but for totally different reasons, gazed at Dylan skeptically.

"Boyfriend...?"

"Oh my god, stop fucking flirting in front of me, for fuck's sake! I'm already emotionally distraught and don't need this background rejection shit in my head, yeah? Jesus fucking—" Completely oblivious to the red hues on their faces and the baffled expressions they wore, I moved out of the office quickly, hands in my hair as I breathed heavily.

Dylan is baffled and hurt by my outburst.

Ryan is startled and worried by my outburst.

Feelings fucking sucked. I hated it. I completely forgot my phone in my haste to escape and groaned, kicking the wall outside on the way out the back door before stomping down the steps. Heavy footsteps behind me and the slam of a heavy door indicated the other two were catching up, but I didn't turn around. I couldn't look at them—more specifically Dylan—when I'd already let my emotions get the best of me and spilled such private shit.

"Hey! Carter, wait, jesus—" He stumbled across the dirt path, grasping my arm and extending his arm out with my phone in hand. "Here, you left this."

I glanced at his hand and snatched the device, shoving it in my other back pocket without a word. Dylan sighed, Ryan just behind us a few yards as the brunette reached for my shoulder. I brushed him off, taking longer strides in an effort to escape the situation, my face flushed.

"Dude, c'mon, I didn't—"

"You didn't, what, Dylan? Didn't mean to make me feel like a fucking third wheel? Didn't mean to just blatantly flirt with one of my close friends despite the fact that I'm so obviously attracted to you? Didn't mean to eye fuck Ryan like a dog in heat!?" Dylan seemed mortified at my outburst, stepping back a bit with his hands raised and eyes wide.

"Woah, woah, dude, what the fuck—?"

"Yeah, what the fuck! I like you, dipshit! I've told you that twice in the past week and you've blown me off in favor of seeking out Ryan like it didn't fucking matter." My eyes were burning, vision blurred by the tears building in them as I clenched my fists. "I get it, if it's not reciprocated, but don't make me feel like shit and treat me like a goddamn shadow."

I spun on my heel and marched away, aggressively wiping at my eyes. I could hear him and Ryan start talking yards behind me and held back a whimper, ruffling my hair. It didn't matter. I regretted being such a dick about it already, but it didn't make it hurt less. I just couldn't help the way I felt for him, or Jacob, or Max. It's the way my life had been. I was just so tired of being hurt.

I sniffled softly and huffed, smacking my cheeks lightly and shaking my head. "Stupid fucking feelings, fuck—" With a breathy sigh, I plastered a smile on my face and waved at Kaitlyn, whom had already set up the large logs in the fire pit and was snapping photos of the island and the sunset.

"Hey Kait."

"Hey! Took you guys long enough."

"Yeah..."

"Hey Kaitlyn. Guess what—" Dylan started with a flourish, Ryan behind him a few feet as I came to stand directly beside the small woman. "Mr. H is a voyeuristic creep. He has hidden cameras all around camp and a secret room."

"No—No, that's not..."

"Uh...woah, now. Back up. What!?" I snickered at Kaitlyn's reaction, but my expression quickly fell when Dylan met my eyes. I scowled slightly, then it dropped to a sad frown, and I forced myself to look away.

"His eyes are everywhere. He's always watching us."

"Knock it off, man. He—he's just got...trail cameras set up. Y'know, forest surveillance. That kind of thing." Kaitlyn seemed to relax almost immediately as Ryan explained more, shrugging lightly.

"Oh."

"Wha—you don't think that's weird?"

Obviously not based on her immediate response. "Well he's got a perimeter to check, kids to protect. Yeah, probably just gotta keep track of wildlife."

"You guys have no imagination." Dylan sighed, slumping slightly.

"So, uh...what's going on here? Everything ready?"

She fidgeted with her phone for a moment, scrolling on it before showing it off to the two boys, then myself. "I-I did see a weird light in the treehouse across the lake. Yeah, that's pretty spooky. Maybe it's your girlfriend, Ryan."

"'The Hag of Hackett's Quarry'." He hummed, his tone just as teasing.

"Ugh, I told you never to say 'Hag of Hackett's Quarry' again."

"What's wrong with saying 'Hag of Hackett's Quarry'?"

"I'm gonna be the 'Hag of Hacking up a lung' if you guys don't shut up about it." I fake gagged, eliciting chuckles from the trio as Kaitlyn shared a small smile with me.

"You know, I just realized, we may never see each other again after tonight." Kaitlyn mentioned, shifting her weight. Dylan, ever the sarcastic quip prepared, blinked at her.

"You can't have just realized that."

"Just tryna set the mood."

"What mood?"

"The mood. The vibe. Y'know."

"Speaking of setting the mood...I have work to do."

Dylan interjected, setting himself down on the nearest log. "Okay? Because playlists don't make themselves...I mean, I guess they do, but..."

Kaitlyn giggles softly, shaking her head as turned to Ryan. "Alright Ry-guy. Time to get wood."

"Yikes. Wording."

"Oh, I know what I said." I coughed beside her, cheeks aflame with the innuendo, though it only brought back the memory of back at the lodge and I huffed. Two familiar figures appeared through the trees, arms laden with long branches and small sticks. "Abi. Nick. Just in time."

"We got wood!" Abi practically sang the words, her high pitched voice making me gag dramatically out of her line of sight. Dylan snickered softly and Ryan gave me a disappointed expression, though he was fighting his own grin.

"Nice. But we've already done that joke."

Abigail seemed confused, and Nick quite flustered. "It's more just...kindling."

"Oh, that's all we need. There's already a big pile of logs here." Kaitlyn made it look easy to reassure people with her way with words. Sure, I was pretty charismatic but I was also kind of shy, whilst Kaitlyn was very outgoing. She had a sense of presence I often lacked.

"We could've gotten more but there was a hog—or a boar...but Nick was very very brave and took one for the team." Abigail smiled softly at Nick, though I couldn't help but screw up my nose at the way she worded it.

"You've miserably failed to make that sound charming, Blyg." Her gaze snapped to me and she frowned, scoffing.

"Oh my gosh, it's can't be! The Hog of Hackett's Quarry!" Kaitlyn gasped, and I rolled my eyes once again, though sincerely from the amount of cringe I felt from that comment alone.

"What?"

"Idiot." I coughed, shuffling over to sit on Ryan's left as I did so.

"Thought you hated that phrase." Ryan piped up, raising a brow at the short woman with curious interest.

With the most serious expression she could manage, Kaitlyn replied. "Big jokes take big sacrifices."

"You're so brave."

I tuned them out for a moment, letting my head fall into my hands as I gazed at my feet. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the woods and the fire pit as it sank further beyond the horizon. My shadow cast across the ground, to me, appeared very disheveled and weak, as though it had been worn down. That was probably likely to be more true later, when whatever weird ass premonitions I'd seen came true.

A sudden high pitched whining startled me, my head snapping up as two orange streams lit up the sky before bursting. Fireworks. That didn't sound very careful, but somehow, I fell that dread that had been gouging at my heart settle slightly.

"Special delivery!" Emma called as she and Jacob appeared, a wheelbarrow guided by the latter. It was chock full of small watermelons and beer, and a shotgun was slung by its strap over Emma's shoulder.

Immediately noticing the dangerous device, Kaitlyn stepped forward with her palm up, cautious but alert. "Whoa, whoa whoa! Where the hell did that gun come from?"

"Wha—dude relax! It's not even real." Jacob was quick to reply, quickly altering his words at Kaitlyn's baffled expression. "Well—I mean, it's a real gun but it's just for shooting bears."

"We found it in the storage room." Emma shrugged. At the blatantly disapproving and stern look on Kaitlyn's face, Jacob relented.

"Okay. Okay, we'll put it down."

"Thank you. Guns are no joke, dipshit."

Despite the seriousness of the discussion, Jacob easily turned things fun again as he hyped up something else in the wheelbarrow. "And...AND...we bring you a hand-picked selection of only the finest that Hackett's Quarry has to offer..." Nick and mused moved closer, the boy grasping at an orange bag that rested on top of the watermelon pile.

"No freaking way!"

"Yes, freaking way—"

Jacob and Nick immediately broke into song, both of them dancing like lunatics as they sang. "'Pop pop, Peanut Butter Butter Pops! Pop, pop, pop 'em in your mouth!'"

"Pop!" Jacob added, shimmying his hips as Nick waved the bag around.

"I didn't even know you could still find these anywhere." Nick murmured in awe.

I leaned over towards Emma, giving the two curious but disturbed looks as they bantered over the bag. "These two will probably never get any weirder." I murmured.

"Yeah, they're like clowns." Emma snickered and I shook my head, resting it against her shoulder.

"How're you doing, Em?"

Emma appreciates my concern for her emotional state.

She exhaled softly and shrugged lightly, reaching up with her other hand to gently thread her fingers through my hair. "I'm alright. He's still hooked and I just...ugh."

"I know." I didn't really. She had such an amazing guy pining after her—a true teddy bear with a heart of gold and love and kindness to spare for everyone—and she was throwing it away simply because she didn't want long distance? I couldn't understand why. Jacob was, in my blatant opinion, well worth long distance.

"Emma?" We both turned our gazes to the tall ravenette, whom held his large hand out to the blonde. "Please hand me the shotgun."

"Wha—so you're going to shoot me over them?"

"No, dumbass! Okay, we are going to...shoot for them." Jacob smiled as he held the shotgun in his hand, waving the peanut butter treat bag in his left.

"Nah, dude. Absolutely not. No." Nick was quick to backdown, obviously uncomfortable with the weapon, though I couldn't decipher why.

Kaitlyn swooped in as the testosterone spiked once again, shaking her head. "Okay, there is no way I'm leaving you dillweeds alone with a gun."

"Kaitlyn, there is a designated practice range over past those trees there." I pointed out, earning a skeptical glance from her and a surprised one from Jacob. "What? I was the wildlife instructor—I had to carry a tranq gun!"

Blinking, Jacob continued, waving his arms wildly as he tossed the bag back in the barrow. "You and me. Old fashioned shootout. First prize: Peanut Butter Butterpops, all to yourself."

Hesitant, Nick narrowed his eyes and inhaled. "Dude..."

"I guess you don't want them then, huh."

Nick glanced behind him and shrugged, suddenly very stoic. "Fine. You're on."

"Oh, dear lord, I do not like the aggression in his tone." I hummed, though the blonde beside me had a different reaction to share, nibbling at her lower lip as she eyed the Aussie's form.

"Oh, I do."

Kaitlyn stepped up with her hand outstretched as she demanded for the gun, causing Jacob to pout like a kicked puppy. Watching Jacob try to convince her to side with him was entertaining only for a moment before I moved to sit down again, returning to my place beside Ryan.

"You guys have fun and try not to shoot each other in the face." I called, then paused, turning on my heel. "Actually, don't shoot each other. At all." Nick and Jacob raised their hands in defense before the latter punched the former in the dick, quickly moving to follow Kaitlyn while Nick was down. The rest of us settled for chilling out around the fire pit, Dylan setting some tunes and all of us idly chatting.

It wasn't until the orange in the sky had just dissipated that the trio returned, shotgun slung over Kaitlyn's shoulder and both the boys seemingly awed but dejected. "I take it Kait surprised you and whooped your ass when you, inevitably, dicked around?" I cooed playfully, alerting the rest of the group to their arrival. Jacob rolled his eyes at My greeting, moving to sit on the log between Ryan and Dylan. Kaitlyn took her place on Dylan's right, setting the shotgun beside her, whilst Nick took the spot to my left.

"Hardy har har. Why are you guys so mean to me?" Jacob pouted, and I took that as evidence they'd bullied him a bit too much.

"Aww, sorry bud. It's not your fault, Kaitlyn and I just have proper training, that's all. I'm sure she'll share." I reassured him, sending the tall jock a smile he returned after a moment of thought.

"Yeah. I don't even like peanut butter." Kaitlyn quipped, Nick's head whipping around to gaze at her.

"Then why'd you even shoot!?"

"To teach you a lesson, numb nuts." I snorted at her quick wit, rubbing my side as Nick elbowed me, his cheeks flushed. Jacob grabbed a beer from the ice chest he'd brought along, popping it open. I blinked, a sense of Deja Vu settling over me, and held out my hand.

"Jacob, toss me one? I wanna shotgun it." His eyes lit up, Dylan and Ryan both turning their attention to me at those words.

"Hell yeah, dude!" Reaching into the ice chest, he tossed it my way, fishing in his pocket for his pocket knife and extending it to me. I reached out and grasped the handle, slipping the blade out and puncturing the can. Shortly after, I switched the blade back into its safe position and pocketed it, the side of the can pressed to my lips as I shotgunned the alcohol.

Swallowing and tossing the can down at my feet, I grinned, head already swimming. I was an extreme lightweight so I couldn't handle more than three cans, but it felt good to let go a bit. "Hell yes, dude! Woo!"

"Nice shotgun, Car." I grinned slightly at Dylan as he spoke, licking my lips. I barely caught his gaze following my tongue as his eyes darkened slightly for a moment.

"Okay!" Clearing his throat, Dylan clapped his hands together and glanced around the group. "New idea. Party game." The reaction he received was less than approving, but he didn't let that stop him. "C'mon people, we might never see each other after tonight! Let's make some memories."

Rolling her shoulders, Kaitlyn faced him, whether genuinely curious or just tired of the silent boredom. "Well, what do you have in mind?"

"How about the ultimate game of secrets and lies...Truth or Dare, but Dylan style." With his hands raised slightly, he tossed the suggestion out there. When nobody objected, he continued. "Okay, house rules are...someone asks you truth or dare...then you choose, and then you do. And there's no ifs, ands or buts."

"So, like, normal truth or dare?" I tilted my head, confused as to where the 'Dylan style' came into play.

Dylan hesitated and then nodded, pursing his lips. "Yes."

Immediately growing excited, Kaitlyn smiled shyly. "So we can, like, make people kiss?"

"If they choose dare, yeah. As long as everyone consents, of course."

"Yeah, keep it in your pants until it's your turn, horndogs." I directed my gaze between two people in particular, huffing slightly as I was still agitated with the brunette even though it'd been an hour since then.

"Who does get to go first?"

"Well, it's house deals, so..." Dylan glanced around the group before settling his gaze on the second quietest of the group. "Abigail! Truth or dare?"

She sucked her lower lip in and glanced between Nick and Emma. "Ummm...truth."

"Really dodged a bullet, huh?" Dylan could read how agitated her pussy-footing made me, it seemed, because he was just as done with her as I was. "Alright, here goes. Have you ever slept with anyone?"

"O-Oh, I-I..."

Ryan rolled his head to face Dylan, shaking it slightly. "Hey! Take it easy man, that's too far."

"I don't think it's far enough." I muttered, rolling my eyes as he turned his glare on me.

Ryan is disappointed in my spiteful behavior.

"You, too. Quit it." I scoffed and folded my arms over my chest, glaring at the firelight.

"Come on, I'm not...finished." Dylan scrunched his nose with annoyance and altered his question slightly. "Have you ever slept with anyone...at this camp?"

"Ah, no. Nope. Sorry."

"Thank god."

"Shut up, Carter."

"'Shut up, Carter.'" I mimicked Ryan with a high pitched tone, my mounting discontent becoming more obvious to the group. Ryan furrowed his brows in response but said nothing.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Abigail seemed offended but also confused, her naivety getting the best of her. I simply smiled sarcastically, arms still folded over my chest.

"Alright, Abi, it's your turn." Abi looked away from me and opened her mouth a few times, looking like a beached whale, before Emma cut in.

"Ugh! Ding ding ding. Too late. My turn." Her gaze immediately settled on Ryan, a sickly sweet grin on her face. "Ryan, truth or dare?"

"Dare, gimme what you've got."

"Okay Ryan. Your dare comes with a choice."

"Can she do that?" I shrugged, hands now fumbling in my pockets with my inhalers and the pocket knife.

"She can do what she wants."

"Thank you!" Clearing her throat, she smiled grateful at me before facing Ryan again. "I dare you to kiss...either Kaitlyn..." Her eyes flickered between me and the brunette I'd fought with prior, my grey eyes widening in realization.

"Emma—"

"Or Dylan." I snapped my mouth shut, tilting my head down as her dare hung in the air. Attempting to make the situation light, Ryan joked lightly.

"Wow...I mean, I guess 'both' is off the table?"

"Sorry!" She raised her hands in defense, smiling impishly. "I don't make the rules."

"You literally just did, but okay! Let's do this." His gaze flickered to Dylan and he smiled. "Dylan. Let's go." Jacob started to cheer and Emma whistled, but I gritted my teeth. I already hated this goddamn night. I could hear Dylan's footsteps crunch through the sand and dirt, his lips meeting Ryan's with a soft smack for only a couple of seconds before pulling away.

"Always happy to please." I clenched my fists and stood abruptly, moving away from the duo and sitting on Emma's other side, curling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them. Jacob and Kaitlyn both shared an expression of concern as Dylan sat back down but did nothing.

Jacob and Kaitlyn are concerned for my emotional state. Jacob feels the need to protect me.

"Alrighty. Who shall I pick?"

"Well, Jacob, Carter and I haven't gotten a turn yet."

"Leave me out of it." I snapped at Kaitlyn, voice muffled against my jeans.

"Fair point..." It only took him a second, but he quickly chose Kaitlyn, whom chose truth. "You said you and Jacob have been friends since, what, you were babies, right?"

"Boring question man. So lame." Jacob scoffed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I'd say so."

"Have you two...ever done anything wild together?"

Kaitlyn perked up at this and bit her lip, seemingly shy. "In freshman year I convinced Jacob to let me practice French kissing on him. It never went any further than that, because, frankly he's a bad kisser. And it's like kissing my brother, ew."

"Not cool, guys. You are so mean to me." Jacob kissed his fist, flicking Kaitlyn off whom simply grinned in reply.

"Emma."

"Dare."

"Emma, you have to kiss...Jacob...or...Nick." Emma perked up slightly, her eyes lingering on Nick as she shifted in her seat beside me. I tilted my head up and glanced at Jacob, knowing he was not going to react well to what was about to occurs, my fingers digging into my knees.

"Um, uh, sorry Nick, this isn't even a dare, obviously I got this—" Jacob started, his beer sloshing around in his hand.

"Uhhhh...I don't know if that's a good idea—"

"I choose Nick." The expression in his face was nervous and Abigail gaped at her best friend with shock. The blonde stood and made her way towards the Aussie boy, everyone's eyes lingering on her.

"Em? Seriously?" Jacobs words were met with an audible gasp from Nick as Emma sank down into his lap, their lips clashing aggressively. Nicks arms embraced her back and waist, hers in his hair as they kissed. You could hear their tongues clashing and the soft hums Emma made. "Guys."

Abigail looked away, her expression crestfallen, and even though I loathed her, I couldn't help the momentary empathy I felt for her. She knows what it's like now. I thought, bitterly.

"GUYS!" The two parted as Jacob raised his voice, his nostrils flaring. Nick's face was cherry red, a sly satisfied grin on Emma's lips. She moved back to her seat as Nick lowered his head shamefully, thanking him.

"He's good." She murmured to Abigail, whom immediately stood and began to walk away. Jacob stood upright and stomped towards Nick, towering over him.

"You like kissing my girlfriend, asshole?" Jacob's voice was low, deeper than normal, fueled with anger as he clenched his fists.

"It was just a game—"

"Hey! I am nobody's girlfriend." Emma cut Nick off, only adding more fuel to the fire.

Jacob silenced her with a glare, raising a hand in her direction as he growled out to Nick. "The fuck it was. 'Oh, it was just a game!' The FUCK it was, man!" He stepped back, heading out into the trees towards the boathouse as Emma called after him.

"Jacob, grow up!" It was silent, the air tense and awkward as everyone let what happened settle in their minds. "I guess I better go after him. You should go after Abi." Nick and Emma stood, heading after their respective 'partners', while the four of us remained.

"So...anyone wanna play 'Parchisi'?" We deadpanned at Kaitlyn and she raise she hands in defense. "What?"

I could stay and try to ease the night back out with these three, play a game or two. It'd give me a chance to relax and avoid the tension between the two pairs. I could also go after Nick and Abi. After all, despite not getting a long I knew better than anyone how it felt to watch someone you loved be kissed or flirted with by someone else. Or, I could go with Emma and Jacob, attempt to help them reconcile or at least calm down. It was a stupid play on Emma's part and Jacob didn't deserve to hurt, so maybe I could be his support buddy this time.

What would you do?

|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|

Laura Kearney is my best friend and is currently missing.

Max Brinly is my best friend and is currently missing.

Ryan Erzahler is surprised by my unintentional coming-out.

Jacob Custos is concerned for my well-being and incredibly protective of me, despite his anger towards Emma.

Abigail Blyg is distasteful of me.

Dylan Lenivy finds me adorable, but is uncomfortable around me now.

Emma Mountebank greatly enjoys my company.

Kaitlyn Ka is worried for my emotional stability.

Nicholas Furcillo is protective of me but currently concerned for Abigail.

Travis Hackett has no relation to me.

Chris Hackett is in an undisclosed location.

I am alive, somewhat distraught and burned but otherwise healthy.

Tarot Visions:

Temperance

Strength

Justice

Branches:

•Skeptic BFF: Having been best friends with Max and Laura, I knew they weren't okay. With their absence, I grew skeptical of Chris Hackett and his promises.

•••

Because I stayed with Ryan and Dylan in the lodge, I discovered clues as to my friends disappearances.

•Honest Seer: Deciding to share my clairvoyance with the group, they appreciate my concern and will be more cautious.

#my stuff #fluff #fanfic #bxb #mxm #horror #psychological horror #violence #gore #romance #drama #the quarry #mature #apocalypticnova #The Quarry fanfic

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