𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 — 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓

❝ 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜... 𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩 ❞

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

"Nature," thwack, "makes us sneeze, puts us in the infirmary. Nature," thwack!

"What's he got against nature," Maya asked the class as they all sat with their away bags on their desk, "isn't he running the Nature Club?"

The class was taking a trip to a ski lodge and everyone was very excited, all except their teacher.

"He's only running the Nature Club because it was either that or the Ski Club," Riley said, sitting up in her seat.

"So why didn't he choose the Ski Club," Lucas asked, glancing at his girlfriend.

Amanda chuckled, "he can't run the Ski Club because of what happened at the Mount Sun Lodge when they were our age."

"Nature," thwack, "the only place a bear can kill ya from. Nature," thwack!

"Well, what happened at the ski lodge?"

"A mountain girl kissed him," the cousins answered Zay together.

"I didn't kiss her back."

Maya smiled, "nature," she hit her desk with a thump.

"How 'bout I throw you back in the streets where you came from, you waif?"

"Those were very bad times for Cory and Topanga," Riley explained, "but everything's fine now, expect we can't ski ever, or say 'ski', or walk downhill."

"So why is he all upset about nature," Andrew asked.

"Guess where the hike is," Amanda smirked.

"The Mount Sun Lodge."

"Nature," this time, Matthews thwacked the board so hard, he broke his stick, sending pieces of it to the floor.

"What are you doing, Dad?"

"The ski lodge was almost the end of Cory and Topanga," Matthews exclaimed, "America's sweethearts. And now, I know something's gonna happen there for you. So, I am preparing ya... for nature," seeing that his stick was too short to thwack, Matthews threw the stick at the board.

"Mr. Uncle, we're just going there to see the leaves change color."

"Doesn't matter. Stop being so smart all the time, Niece," in retaliation, Mandy stuck her tongue out, causing the class to chuckle, "Anyway, before we get on the bus, I want to talk to you guys about the other kind of nature," Matthews continued, "the human kind."

"Here it comes."

"Ohh, I've been in these kind of trips before. We made out plans, we had our blueprints. Well, you know what's gonna happen to all your little teenage plans? Nothin'! Because I am gonna be your chaperone, and I will be doggin' you every step... like a dog!"

"What makes you think we're like that, Matthews," Maya asked.

Matthews turned his head to one side of the room, "get a load of Yogi and Darby over here," the class brought there attention to the boy sitting in the girls lap, "it's not Yoby I'm worried about anyway. Yobys forever," he turned to his kids, "it's this three-headed, creeping triangle that won't die that concerns me."

"Why do you have to—" Riley.

"Bring that up—" Maya.

"For," Andrew.

"Because the triangle is going to the great outdoors. So, we are going to need some great chaperones."

"We got this completely under control, Matthews," Maya started, "my human nature is completely under control and there's nothin' or nobody who could ever change that."

The class turned their heads, hearing footsteps, "hey, kiddies!"

After Mandy smiles in greeting at her Uncle Josh, she turns her head to look at Maya as she giggles uncontrollably, "I'm wrong."

Mandy sighed, resting her head on her hand, "here we go."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

The Mount Sun Lodge. A place, in Mandy's mind, can pull people apart, or bring them together. She had only hoped it was the latter for this trip. And so far, it was becoming the former. She, along with Maya, helped her poor cousin into the main building of the lodge after she fell off the bus.

"Riley," Maya started as the three girls hobbled to find somewhere to sit, "how did you fall off the bus?"

"Who does that," Andrew asked with a chuckle as he watched the girls struggle.

Mathews walked in with his wife after the kids, "nobody!"

After the kids settled in, Riley noticed something, "ooh! Bay window! Bay window right now!"

Being dragged to the said window, Mandy looked towards Lucas with pleading eyes. The boy sighed and followed his friends to the window, Andrew following behind him. Riley was seated in the middle of Mandy and Maya with Lucas and Andrew sitting next to the other two girls respectively. The rest of their friends were still getting settled.

While putting his bag off his shoulder, Andrew sighed, "hey, did anyone else feel like Mr. Matthews' nature lecture was completely pointed at us?"

"Isn't everything?"

"It shouldn't," said Mandy, speaking for the first time since they had arrived. She had been pretty quite since everything happened with Maya the week before, and everyone had noticed.

Disregarding her cousins comment, Riley exclaimed, "hey, we put the brakes on the whole triangle thing so that Maya could find herself."

"Yes. I needed to find myself," Maya repeated her best friend, "and thanks to Mandy, I have my head on straight."

"Now she's back—"

"And we're back on," Riley interrupted Andrew who started back where he left off.

"Yeah, except for one other thing," as if on cue, Josh strolls in with his bag on his shoulder, his back turned to the kids.

"Hey," Maya retorted as she grips Andrews shirt, "Boing has nothing to do with this, okay? He's just a fantasy. You don't go out with a fantasy. You only think about him all the time. What's the matter with you?"

"Lucas Friar!"

The gang turned their attention to a blonde coming down the stairs. Mandy sharply inhaled as the unknown blonde came straight for her boyfriend and wrapped him in a hug. The boy froze, not knowing what to do just replied with a simple, "Emily," and slowly hugged her back, "what're you doing here?"

Pulling away she replied, still not acknowledging the group behind them, "My family comes down here every year! It is so good to see you," she gripped his arm, "you look good."

Having enough, Mandy stood and cleared her throat, "Lucas, are you gonna introduce us to your friend?"

"Oh, right, uh, Emily this is Riley, Maya, and Andrew," he pointed respectfully, "and this is my girlfriend, Mandy," grabbing her hand and squeezing it reassuringly, "guys, this is Emily, we used to go to school together back in Texas."

Emily faltered in response of the word 'girlfriend' but covered it up nicely, "nice to meet you all," she turned to Mandy, "do you mind if I steal him away? I'm sure my parents would love to catch up with you?"

Mandy looked down for a second then looked up to her boyfriend, "it's up to you, Bubba."

"You don't mind," after getting a shaking head in response, he replied, "sure, Em. I would like that," Lucas placed a kiss on Mandys' cheek and whispered in her ear so no one, in particular, would hear them, "you, me, nine o'clock, stargazing," he said.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she smiled, still feeling the uneasiness in her stomach as he dropped her hand and walked away. Mandy watched her boyfriend and some random girl walk away from her. Feeling eyes on the back of her head, she sighed and faced her friends with a small smile on her face, disregarding their concerned looks, "I'm fine, guys, seriously. Don't worry about me."

"Mandy—"

"Riles," the girl stopped her cousin, grabbing her hand, "there's nothing to worry about," she turned to the exit they left in, "absolutely nothing."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

After a day of hiking, with Emily weirdly tagging along, the group decided to settle down with a movie night. But, of course, the triangle had to fit into everything. Maya and Riley show Andrew that they are completely different people; like everyone didn't know that already. Seeing the clock, Mandy heads outside to meet Lucas. But, she's the first one there. She glances at her watch, 8:55, sighed and sat on the bench outside the lodge. Time went by and Lucas still hadn't shown up, 9:05. Finally, at 9:30, Mandy brushed away her stray tears, and headed back inside. Noticing the distraught girl, a boy with curly brown hair went up to her, "hey, are you okay...?"

Mandy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear shyly, "uh, Mandy," giving the boy her name, "and yeah, I am, thank you..." she trails off, not knowing the boys name.

"Evan," the boy replied, "you wanna sit and talk? You look like you could use someone."

The girl glances at the group of friends sitting around the coffee table, still no sign of her boyfriend or his friend anywhere in sight, "yes, I would like that very much."

So, the two talked and talked and talked. Later, Riley joined them and soon, all three were in a plethora of topics and talked like they had known each other forever, aside from the fact that the two girls were cousins. And soon, it was morning. 

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

edited: 2 march 2021