When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurry but I could see a girl facing away from me, and another girl holding a flashlight to my face.

I groaned, my eyes not yet adjusting to the light ahead of me.

The noise I created made the girl turn around to face me.

"Cole?" she asked, sighing in relief.

It was Scout.

I thought she was mad at me, but I guess it had blown over because she was here now.

"Scout." I was barely able to speak.

Everything hurt too much.

Soon she and her friend helped me out of the ditch and sat me on the floor.

I was introduced to the friends that she had mentioned earlier at the train track.

While I was talking to Noah, I couldn't help but overhear Olivia talk about "calling the police".

Quickly turning my attention to her, I began to panic internally.

No.

I couldn't let them do that while I was still here.

They would surely arrest me.

Every department in the area knew who I was.

They were all on the lookout for me.

I was infamous.

It would be like me handing myself in if I stayed here and waited for them.

Just then I was brought out of my thoughts by Noah, who was examining my wound.

"Hello! Cole?" Noah waved his hand over my face, trying to get my attention.

"Yeah, sorry." I brought myself back to our conversation.

"I was saying, we should take you back to our base to bandage you up." Noah reminded me.

"Sounds good," I said, still spaced out and afraid of the thought of the police coming here.

We walked, well I limped, over to Olivia and Daisy, "Did you call the police, Olivia?"

I tried to sound as calm as possible.

"Yeah, they said they're on their way, so I'll stay here with Daisy and the rest of you can take Cole back," she replied, referring to the others.

I figured if we left quick enough, I wouldn't have to run into the police.

It just might work.

A burst of energy flowed through me and I managed to walk much quicker with Noah's support.

"Woah there! Take it easy bro, you're injured." Noah laughed, in shock at how fast I was moving.

"Oh yeah, sorry." I slowed down and winced, my legs feeling weak and shaking.

I underestimated how much it would hurt to walk.

As we walked through, Eli jumped in front of me and began marching like a soldier, "Cole, don't worry. I'm going to protect you from the bears."

I had no idea what that meant, but I just went with it, "Thanks buddy."

Noah started laughing, and shook his head, "What a kid."

We kept talking as we walked, which distracted me from the pain, so much so that I didn't even realise that we had made it back to their home.

Carefully, we made our way through the bushes, and there it was.

I stopped to take it all in.

"So, what do you think?" Eli asked, smiling and nodding in satisfaction at their home.

"Wow." I was speechless.

"You can say that again." It was Scout, who had finally caught up with us.

It was incredible.

There was a really homely feel to it, with khaki green tents around an unlit fire, and trees surrounding the area.

The lake was stunning. Like a mirror on the wall, it was oval and flat, the surface forever guarded against the winds by the crown of trees surrounding it.

Noah sat me down on the log, while Scout grabbed the first aid supplies.

"So, how do you guys pay for all of this?" I asked, intrigued.

"We all have jobs at the farm a couple of miles that way," Scout pointed in the direction of the farm.

"And we go to the markets and shops in Allerton for food and supplies." Noah chimed in, handing me some water.

I took a sip. I was full of questions about this amazing, unusual way of living.

"We're not drug dealers don't worry," Eli whispered, as Noah left, causing me to choke on the water.

"Good to know, Eli," I replied, laughing.

Taking another sip, I could see Olivia and Daisy coming back.

"Police came by and took the body, so we're good on that," Olivia informed us.

"How are you holding up, Cole?" Daisy asked, sitting on a log near me.

"A lot better, thanks," I said truthfully.

Olivia took a seat next to us as well, "So now that we're back, tell us, what are you doing in this area? Scout mentioned you went to the same school, but her town's pretty far from here."

I couldn't let them know the truth.

What if I couldn't trust them?

It was too risky.

"I got lost backpacking." I went with the same lie I told Scout to keep my story straight.

"I have no idea where I am," I spoke further.

That was the truth, I was genuinely unaware of our location, but I knew it was a decent distance from home.

"Oh I see, that's tough. Well, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you'd like." Olivia gave me a warm smile.

"You should stay with us until you heal up at least, you're in no shape to be on your own," Daisy added.

After a couple of minutes, Noah, Daisy, Olivia and Eli left, and Scout finally came back with the kit.

"Okay, let's see. I have bandages, anti-bacterial wipes and cotton." Scout smiled, holding the bag proudly.

She took out the wipes and began pressing them against my wound.

I hissed at the pain.

"Sorry." she said, stifling a laugh.

"You seem very sorry," I  jokingly, rolling my eyes through the pain.

"Maybe not about the stinging, but I am sorry that I left you to get beaten up by yourself, I feel terrible because it was all my-"

"No. Stop beating yourself up about it, none of this was your fault, okay? No one could've predicted this happening." I interrupted, not wanting her to feel guilty.

I gave her a warm smile, and after a couple of seconds, she gave in and returned one.

It was a small start, but I could work with that.

I felt like I owed her an apology too, "For what it's worth, I'm really sorry for what I said back at the train track. It was completely insensitive of me and-"

"And I was being a huge drama queen, so no need to apologise, really Cole." She punched me in the arm lightly.

"Ouch." I winced in pain as she hit me where a bruise would most definitely form tomorrow.

"Sorry!" she slapped her forehead.

Scout bandaged my leg and wiped at the tiny cuts and dirt on my face.

We locked eyes for only a couple of seconds, but it seemed like hours.

I couldn't stop staring at her, she was beautiful.

"Ahem." someone cleared their throat, causing us to look away from each other with great speed.

The moment died, leaving me to question whether it was all in my head.

Maybe those punches to the head had really affected me.

I didn't recognise the guy in front of us. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a hank of dirty blonde hair.

He glared at me, for a reason I was unaware of until Scout finally spoke.

"Cole, this is my boyfriend, Trent."

Oh. Boyfriend.

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Thank you for 200 reads!!🎉

I appreciate each and every one of you giving this book a chance ❤️

If you enjoyed this chapter make sure to give me a vote and a comment x

Well then, who saw that ending coming?? 😬😬

What kind of person do we think Trent is going to be?

And what are your thoughts on Cole and Scout's little reconciliation? Will it last?

Stay tuned for the next chapter...iss gonna go DOWN.

Next update: 7/8/20

Teaser: Scout's boyfriend's not happy about Cole's arrival...how will she handle it?