CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.
we kissed once.

           IVY.

            It had been an hour since I amputated Coach Stratford's arm. I had stuck around until Hattie confirmed that he was stabilised—it didn't exactly mean that he was out of the woods, but he was doing better now that we had managed to stop the bleeding which was a relief. Despite the way he had acted towards us after the crash, I had a lot of respect for Coach. He had helped each of us through really difficult times—myself included. He wasn't a bad guy, despite having an affair with Ethan's mom. That didn't make him bad or evil, it just made him human.

                I had been planning on getting to work on the deer so that we could have something to eat, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. In order to cook it, I'd have to skin it and cut it into pieces and I didn't feel like doing it after seeing Coach's arm like that. As far as I was aware, Ethan had wrapped it up and took it to the burial site where he was going to bury it with the rest of the bodies. Lennon had went with him.

                  I was sitting at the entrance of the plane, my feet dangling above the ground. We had spared our blankets for Coach and he was wrapped up in them, his arm had also been put into a sling Hattie had made out of pieces of our clothes. I couldn't help but sit there and watch the rise and fall of his chest, anxiously waiting for it to stop moving.

                   June passed me on the way to the cargo hold. She rummaged through it and pulled out two bottles of water. To my surprise, she walked up to me and handed me one of them. I stared at her outstretched hand as she waved it in front of my face. After a moment, I took it.

                  June leaned against the side of the plane, staring across at Coach, "That was some crazy shit, huh?" She spoke up, filling the silence between us. I didn't reply. I didn't mind June, not really, but I was scared that if I opened my mouth, words would come tumbling out and I'd start crying. And I'd be damned if I cried in front of any of the Pirates.

                 After a moment, June hopped up onto the plane entrance beside me. I glanced at her as she sat down and wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them to her chest, "You all really care about him, huh?" Her question was rhetorical because I knew it was obvious that we did. Each of us had damn near lost our minds when we found Coach laying there, barley clinging to life.

                   I turned to her, looking her up and down, "What're you doing?" I asked her in confusion. I couldn't understand why Juniper Sawyer of all people had approached me—she was a lot like me in some ways, a lone wolf who only stuck with the people she liked or tolerated. She wasn't fake in any kind of way, she wouldn't pretend to be someone's friend. But we weren't friends, we were barely even on speaking matters.

                   June shrugged her shoulders to her ears, "I don't know, its just—it's really fucking quiet and you're one of the loudest people I know. I mean, behind Kitty, but we're not exactly BFF's." She said with a small laugh at her own expense. I had been told all about how Kitty had socked her in the jaw—and to her credit, Kitty had commented that she took it like a champ.

                    I arched an eyebrow, "And we are?"

                   June looked at me before letting out a sigh, "No, you're right. I'll leave you be, let you sit in your depressing silence and all that shit." She said, a sour look crossing her features. It was then I realised she had come to try and cheer me up—or at least give me someone to talk to who I wasn't close to. Someone that I could admit my weaknesses to without making myself look weak. She was trying to help, which seemed like something entirely new to her, hence why she had got so defensive.

                  She got up, hopping off the edge of the plane. Before I could stop myself, I called out, "We do care about him," June came to a halt, turning on her heels to look at me. I diverted my gaze, fiddling with the hem of my basketball shorts. "He's really helped us out over the years. He's a good guy." I mumbled, tracing my fingers along the stitching on the shorts.

                 June sighed and walked back towards me, "Let's say, hypothetically, I had a joint in my back pocket and if it would help clear your mind a little, I wouldn't mind sharing," She began saying nonchalantly. She shrugged. "What would you say?"

                  I stared at her, "For starters, I'd say I wouldn't tell your sister," June pulled a pleased face. "And then I'd say let's get the fuck out of here." June's eyes lit up, a grin crossing her lips.

                  "Alright, come on, I'll show you my spot." June urged, nodding her head around the other side of the plane.

                 I hopped off and looked around. No one seemed to be paying us any attention. Together, we slipped around the back of the plane to where I had placed the deers body. We passed where it lay under the sheets and into a small clearing, the grass tall enough to shield us if we were sitting down.

                   June sat down on the grass and tucked her legs into a basket, reaching into her back pocket to retrieve the joint and her lighter. I sat down beside her, pulling one of my knees to my chest and hugging it. June light up the joint as I waited for her to take the first draw. I hadn't smoked weed in a while—mostly because I couldn't afford to buy the shit, and Coach would do surprise drug tests every couple of weeks.

                  June took a few draws and then passed it to me. I took the first draw, inhaling and holding it there before blowing it out. June sat up a little straighter, "So, penny for your thoughts, or whatever?" She spoke up, giving my shoulder a small nudge.

                 I sighed out my second draw, passing the joint back to June, "I'm not a sentimental person, but seeing Coach like this... I don't know, it really fucking sucks, you know? He doesn't deserve it," I started. I pulled my knee closer to my chest. "My dads not exactly father of the year—or any year to be honest. And Coach, he... well, he's really looked out for me these last few years, you know? I'm not gonna start saying he's like a father figure and all that bullshit. But, if there's anything close to a father that I can imagine... he'd be it." I confessed, the words spilling from my mouth. June was easy to talk to, which was something I never would have guessed.

                  June nodded, "I kinda get it—at least a little," She said. "When our mom died, Coach Grayson really helped us out. She'd help us study for tests and come with us to doctor appointments our dad couldn't make it to. She was a huge help." She told me with a smile on her lips as she thought about her Coach. Sometimes, I forgot she was gone. It was so easy to get caught up in our own shit to think about the people the Pirates had lost too.

                     "Coach is a lot like that too," I said. "He's always helping us out—no matter how stupid it is. And he always kept us in check—me especially. It's been really weird, having him here but not having him present," I felt a frown working it's way onto my lips. I shrugged, shaking my head. "I don't know, he must have really loved Coach Grayson." I concluded, it was the only think I could think of to explain his distant and negative attitude. Coach had always been lively, always smiling. And now, he was like a shell, someone who was always angry and grieving.

                   June grinned, "Coach was pretty hog so I can't blame him," I couldn't help but let the laugh slip from my lips, because yeah, Coach Grayson was a total MILF. "If I was a few years older, I probably would have wanted to tap that too." The both of us laughed together this time and I found myself glancing at June with a small smile.

                   I inhaled, "I hate myself for saying this, but you're not as bad as I thought you'd be." June's mouth flew open, her hand flying to her heart.

                    "What? How bad did you think I was?" She asked in fake distress.

                    I chuckled, "I don't know—a clone of your sister? A stuck up rich kid?" June scoffed, diverting her gaze. That was the thing, I guess, I could be pretty judgemental without even attempting to get to know a person. But I'd learned to have low expectations when it came to people, because they typically let me down.

                   "You should go easy on her, you know," June softly told me, making me screw up my face and look away. June nudged me sternly. "I mean it. She's a good person, my sister. And I think if you took the time to not be such a judgemental bitch, then you'd come to the same realisation you just did—that she's not so bad." She assured me, believing the best in her sister as usual.

                    "I actually think you're both quite alike," I looked at her in horror and she laughed at my expense. "It's not an insult, Ivy. Yeah, you're both ridiculously stubborn and hot-headed. But you both care a lot about people, and you're both always so determined. I think you're a lot more alike than you think." She concluded, looking pretty pleased with herself.

                     I sighed heavily, "Look, I don't think Lennon's a bad person, I just," I paused, trying to find the right words. "We're so different it's impossible for us to get along, you know? We'd never get along back home, ever, so why should we get along here?"

                    "Because it's different out here," June told me before taking a long inhale of the joint. She blew it out and passed it to me. "Despite this situation being a literal fucking horror movie, I think we're all being our authentic selves out here. There's no Coral Bay or Red Devil. Out here, we're just us." I thought over what she said.

                  I couldn't deny that at one point in my life, I had felt some sort of attraction for Lennon. When we first met, we hadn't known who each other were and we had actually gotten along. But the moment we realised we were from the opposite sides of town and rival soccer teams, everything changed. We got bitter. The only time I allowed myself to forget all of that was Imani's Halloween party last year. I had been slightly buzzed and Lennon had looked so irresistibly pretty. We'd kissed and my entire world came crashing down.

                 She had kissed me back, and I couldn't comprehend that a girl like her would ever give me the light of day. And just like that, it was gone. She realised her mistake and quickly tried to take it back. She didn't want to be the type of girl who kissed other girls. She didn't want to ruin her perfect image and she didn't want me. Since then, it had been a lot easier to hate her. But I couldn't deny that sometimes, when it got real quiet, I found myself looking at her. Lennon was gorgeous—like movie-star gorgeous, and there was something about her that would draw my eyes to her. But each time, I shoved it deep down inside of me, refusing to give into temptation.

                 "Can I tell you something?" I found myself asking, turning to look at June. She hummed in response. I looked down at the burning embers of the lit joint and breathed in, preparing myself for what I was about to say, "We kissed once," The confession slipped from my lips. June turned, looking at me. "Me and Lennon." I clarified, gnawing on my bottom lip.

                   June slowly began smiling, "I know," When I turned to look at her in a mixture of surprise and horror, she laughed. "We're twins. You really think she wouldn't tell me? We tell each other everything." Maybe not everything. Lennon still hadn't told June about how she believed we were on the same island as the Island Witches. But I supposed that lie was alright—it made sense. She didn't want to worry her sister. It was the same reason I hadn't blabbed to anyone else. I didn't want to scare anyone.

                   "We left right after it happened. Lennon was a mess, she was so fucking mad at herself for fucking it up—like it was pretty pathetic, actually, how much she was beating herself up," I stared at June in surprise, unable to believe the words coming from her mouth even though I was hearing them clearly. June chuckled a little. "The thing about Lennon is, she's more complicated than people think. When she feels something, it's multiplied. It gets all tangled up inside of her and she doesn't know what to do about it."

                  We sat there, enjoying the silence that filled the air. I thought about what June had said and a naive part of me I hated wanted to believe her, but the part of me who knew people weren't as perfect as they seemed wouldn't allow me to. There was never anything between me and Lennon—and there never would be.

After a while of smoking the joint in silence, June got to her feet, "Alright, you wanna go cook a deer?" She asked me, making a small laugh escape my lips.

"You good with gutting it?" I challenged with a risen eyebrow, getting to my feet along with her.

June tossed the joint to the floor and stubbed it out with her boot, "I think I've seen enough here to handle it. And besides, I used to do it with my dad," She assured me before adding. "Though, Lennon couldn't stand it."

I nodded, "Yeah, she cried when I shot it."

June let out a breathy laugh, "Like I said, she feels a lot." She reminded me, giving me a knowing smile as we headed towards the deers body.

As we crouched down and removed the sheet, I thought about how Lennon had gently caressed the deer after it was dead. About how she was always reassuring people and trying to offer whatever help she could. It made me second guess my judgement. Had I been the asshole the entire time? Was Lennon just as nice as everyone said she was? June seriously had me questioning everything. And I hated it.

                AUTHORS NOTE.

                Hey! If any of you follow me on tiktok then you'd know that I said I was taking a break from editing my fics/writing, but since I already have so much of this book pre-written, I figured I'd just keep posting until I had nothing left! So this book will still get updated until I run out of material (or I might get the motivation to keep writing). I hope y'all are enjoying this book because it's honestly my pride and glory and I wish I could write for it every single day!

                 Hope u enjoyed this chapter!

                  — taylor xx