Storm approaches

Sky 

Time to bullshit our way through this.

"We were wondering—can't we plant this flower back in our town? You know, replicate the same conditions here?" I turned to Trevor with a confident smile.

Trevor and I had known each other for so long that we could read each other's thoughts, especially when we needed to bullshit our way through a situation.

Trevor caught on immediately, mirroring my grin. "Indeed, Mister Blake! Can't we just, you know, dig up some of the soil and bring it back to school? That way, we can observe it there."

Miss Brown narrowed her eyes, her expression unreadable. She probably saw through our nonsense—it was obvious—but technically, our reasoning was about 40% legit. After a pause, she let it slide and answered.

"Yes, we can attempt to replicate the soil conditions," she said, her voice even. "However, the weather in this forest is unique. That makes it incredibly difficult—if not impossible—to recreate the exact environment needed for this plant to thrive."

And with that, the lesson continued.

I sighed, glancing up at the sky. Wisps of clouds had started to gather, dulling the once-clear blue. Eight minutes later, we finally got a break. After this, we'd be heading back to school.

I sat down, stretching my legs and relishing the brief rest.

"Okay, everyone! Listen up!" Miss Brown's voice cut through the chatter. "We're leaving now—regroup with your assigned teams and get ready to go."

Groaning, I got up, stretching out the stiffness in my back. Trevor and Victoria were nearby, chatting animatedly. My eyes scanned the crowd for the rest of our group. Natasha walked beside Minnie, though there was an obvious distance between them.

I frowned. "Everyone's here... but where's Rose?"

Natasha shrugged without a care. Minnie ignored the question entirely, her gaze detached.

"She was with us, but..." Victoria trailed off, also looking around.

Trevor simply shrugged.

I ran a hand down my face. Seriously? I didn't have time for this. I had detention and work after this.

Thinking fast, I glanced at the surrounding students. A group of boys stood laughing together—but something felt off. Someone was missing.

"Everyone, start moving!" Miss Brown called, and the rest of the students began shuffling away.

I hesitated, glancing between my moving classmates and my group. If we left Rose behind, we'd probably have to come back and search for her later. And I did not have time for that.

Trevor caught my eye, instantly understanding my frustration.

"Let's look for Rose," I said, already moving.

Trevor nodded and fell in step beside me. Victoria followed without hesitation, and Minnie, surprisingly, did too. Natasha trailed behind, her reluctance written all over her face.

"Do you know where she is?" Victoria asked.

"I have an idea," I said without looking back.

Natasha scoffed. "An idea? Really?"

I ignored her and kept moving.

We trudged through the forest for nine minutes before a distant rumble of thunder made me glance up. The sky had thickened with heavy white clouds, darkening at the edges.

Great. Rain. Just what I needed.

I clenched my jaw and picked up the pace.

"Hey, nerd." Natasha's irritated voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

I halted and turned to face her, expression unreadable. My knee and shoulder ached faintly—not like before, but enough to remind me I wasn't as durable as I used to be.

Natasha glared.

"Yeah, Sky here knows a lot of things," Trevor spoke up. "He knows where he's going."

"Oh really? We've been walking for nearly ten fucking minutes, it's about to rain, and I don't think you have a damn clue where we are!" Natasha snapped.

I stared at her impassively, but inside, my patience was running thin.

"No one asked you to follow us," I said flatly. "And for the record, I do know where we're going. There's a cabin up ahead. That's where Rose and Kevin might be."

Natasha latched onto one word. "'Might'? Might!?"

Before I could react, she stormed up to me and, without warning, punched me straight in the gut.

I grunted, doubling over slightly as I clutched my stomach.

"HEY!" Trevor shoved Natasha back. "What the hell is your problem!?"

Natasha didn't answer. She simply glared, her body tense, fists clenched. I straightened, locking eyes with her as I forced myself to breathe through the lingering pain. She looked ready to take another swing, but Victoria grabbed her arm, holding her back.

Trevor pulled me upright, stepping protectively between us.

Then, to my surprise, Minnie's voice rang out. "If you guys are done fighting, can we go now!?"

We all turned to stare at her.

Oh. The mute speaks.

Minnie, the wallflower of our class, stood there with an exasperated look. Her usual dark eyeliner framed her eyes, a small nose piercing glinted in the dim light, and her multiple ear piercings caught my attention.

My brain clicked into recall mode.

Minnie Olson. Related to John and Jayce Olson—our school's former football stars. Their family wasn't particularly well-off. She was the only girl in a family of five. The information slotted neatly into place in my mind.

I blinked, shaking off the momentary daze.

Minnie turned to me. "Sky's right. Rose is with her boyfriend."

"But I don't know where they went," she admitted, scratching her arm. "So... maybe Sky's right."

I sighed. This was going to circle back to me again, wasn't it?

"When we got here, I checked the map and memorized it," I said.

Natasha snorted. "Nerd."

I ignored her.

"I also know Rose and Kevin are dating. That's common knowledge," I continued. "So here's a simple question: if two horny teenagers wanted privacy on a school trip, where would they go?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Somewhere they won't be disturbed."

"Exactly. And straight ahead, there's an abandoned cabin. That's the most logical place for them to sneak off to."

As if on cue, thunder rumbled above us again.

"I suggest we hurry before we get caught in the storm." Without another word, I turned and started walking.

Three minutes later, the sound of approaching footsteps made us halt.

Laughter and hushed whispers filtered through the trees. Two figures emerged—a tall guy wearing the school's jersey, his arm draped lazily over a girl's shoulder. The girl, smaller, looked barely fifteen but was actually sixteen.

Kevin whispered something into Rose's ear, making her giggle and blush.

I crossed my arms, already feeling a headache coming on