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𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗦

chapter six:
pulling away !

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MADDOX LED ALL of them down a path, occasionally glancing back with a wide smile on her face. Violetta wished she shared her excitement. She should've been, considering she was walking beside EJ on a summer day, but she couldn't help but feel that EJ was forgetting his promise of spending the summer together for this new directing job of his. Violetta constantly told herself that she was being stupid, but was she?

Finally, they all made it to a clearing in the woods that had some logs circling around a stone pit made for campfires. Violetta allowed her bag to fall off of her shoulder onto the dirt. A small smile appeared on her face as she watched Carlos place his hands on his knees to breathe heavily and how EJ patted his back reassuringly.

"Now, everybody, sometimes there are snakes," Maddox announced. "Most of them are not poisonous."

"Most of them?" Kourtney repeated incredulously.

Maddox pointed at her. "Yes."

Kourtney shook her head and started to make her way back to the trail they had come on. "I can't. I can't. I can't."

"You can't really do that, you have to come back."

Violetta looked up at her boyfriend. "Do you think that if one bites me, I'll be put in my reputation era?"

"You're hilarious," EJ replied, taking his face in her hands and kissing her forehead.

"I'm being completely serious."

Maddox then told them to find a place to set up their tent. Violetta and Athena had found a nice spot, but the whole setting up the tent thing wasn't going so hot. All they were doing was standing there, staring at the disassembled pieces of their tent on the ground like it would magically build itself.

"You got any idea on how to do this?" Athena asked.

"Absolutely none," Violetta answered.

"You know, I'm all for women being strong and independent, but all the feminism leaves my body when it's time for physical labor."

"Same."

Athena nodded. "Okay, we got this."

It might've took some time, some advice from Gina, and Ricky giving Athena a kiss on the cheek — which kind of made Violetta's heart sink, because EJ was nowhere to be found — Violetta and Athena managed to put their tent together. They stood back and admired their handywork.

Athena put her hands on her hips and nodded in impressment. "Wow, we did that."

"We should've never doubted ourselves," Violetta said. "We're unstoppable."

Athena held up her hand, and Violetta slapped her own against it in a high-five.

The sun sunk all the way down into the horizon, the orangey glow of the sunset fading into a black night sky dotted with stars. A campfire had begun, and Violetta left her tent with Athena, wrapping a red East High water polo blanket around herself (she definitely didn't steal it from EJ.) The two of them had been setting up their tent for the night, and it was actually really cute.

Violetta had a feeling, though, that Athena had suggested they decorate their tent because she could tell something was up, and that Violetta needed a distraction.

They walked over to the logs, but once Athena's eyes set on Ricky who was walking out of the woods with Jet, Athena squeezed Violetta's shoulder and told her she would be there in a minute. Violetta gave her a tight smile and sat down on the log, pulling the blanket a little tighter around herself. She honestly wished that EJ was next to her, but she hadn't seen him at all since they departed to go set up their tents.

To be fair, Violetta could've gone looking for him. But she just knew he would be caught up in his script.

"Welcome, folks, to your very first Newbie Initiation Campout Night!" Maddox then exclaimed, making Violetta snap out of her thoughts.

Gina then sat down next to her, and Kourtney sat down on her other side. Violetta glanced over, and Gina gave her a smile, reaching over and giving her knee a squeeze. God, did she really look that miserable? She honestly felt a little pathetic.

"Now, to kick off the night, let's give it up for our very own Rocket Man!"

Violetta looked up hopefully. EJ then walked out of his tent with a guitar slung over her shoulder. She couldn't help the smile on her face once her eyes set on him. Her grin only widened at the guitar. EJ didn't play the guitar all that often, but Violetta loved when he did.

"All right, everyone, pay attention, 'cause I don't have much time to waste tonight," EJ stated, sitting down on the log by Maddox.

And, in the blink of an eye, Violetta's face fell.

EJ put the guitar on his leg. "I'm gonna need a little help singing parts of this, 'kay?"

"Shake your money maker, Caswell!" Carlos yelled, shimmying his shoulders

"Not helpful, Carlos. All right, here we go. This one is called the Ballad of Shallow Lake, and every word is true."

EJ had used a spooky sort-of voice for that. Violetta's eyes widened at it and she looked over, sharing a look with Athena. Athena merely shrugged and let out a small laugh.

"Gonna tell a story about Susan Fine, she lived two hundred years ago," EJ sang, and Violetta raised her eyebrows. "One night, she heard a whistle, the spooky kind, the sound can make your blood run cold. They say she got swallowed by Shallow Lake, never to be seen again, till her ghost says, come on in."

Violetta had no idea what was going on.

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na," EJ and Maddox voiced together. "She lost her soul and she lost her mind, na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, don't get caught by Susie Fine."

"So pray you find your way back home," EJ continued. "Oh, oh."

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, she'll drink your blood like it's werewolf wine, na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, you better run from Susie Fine."

EJ strummed his guitar once more, and the song ended. Violetta chuckled and clapped for him and Maddox a little, but her smile didn't really reach her eyes. She knew this momentary happiness was going to end.

Kourtney raised her hand in the air. "Um, um, is that really a true story?"

"Oh, that song is basically a documentary," Maddox replied.

Kourtney let out a fake laugh. "Quick follow-up—"

"I actually have a lot of homework, but the amazing Maddox will explain it all," EJ interjected.

Yep. There it was.

Violetta watched as EJ stood up and walked off back to his tent, taking off his guitar in the meantime. Not even a kiss, or anything. In fact, he didn't even spare a glance in her direction at all that entire song. Violetta focused back on the campfire, trying to pretend like the blanket around her would hold together all of the pieces of her that felt like they were crumbling.

"Let's see," Maddox began. "Who here likes ghost stories?"

Many people reacted. Violetta didn't. She then felt an arm get put around her shoulders, and she looked up, seeing that it was Gina. Violetta gave her a sad smile and tucked herself into Gina's side a little.

"Then it's time for you all to hear the story of . . ." Maddox shined a flashlight dramatically underneath her chin. "The Woman in the Woods."

"See, that's a no for me," Kourtney protested.

"Camp Shallow Lake was founded a long, long time ago by a married couple, Mr. John Fine and Mrs. Susan Fine. Everybody loved Mrs. Fine. She was kind. Had a voice like an angel. And she had a sweet tooth, unmatched. She always had a bag of Twizzlers in hand." She stood up. "But tragedy struck on a night a lot like tonight. It was the very first Newbie Initiation Campout night. Legend says Mrs. Fine heard a faint whistling sound deep within the woods." Violetta froze for a moment when a distant noise sounded from the woods. "So, she wandered out there. All by herself."

Maddox suddenly shined the flashlight on Kourtney, and she yelped before gasping, gripping tightly onto Violetta's arm. Violetta comfortingly patted her shoulder.

Ricky raised his hand. "Wait. What did she find?"

"Was it Corbin Bleu's helicopter?" Jet suggested, making most of them laugh.

"No," Maddox insisted. "She was out in the woods for so long, she never came home."

"I know the feeling."

Violetta frowned. All of the others were beginning to giggle and talk amongst themselves, but Maddox seemed like she wanted to continue the story that she so obviously enjoyed.

"Uh . . . well, wait," Maddox continued. "No. Um, okay, so this all happened twenty — I mean, fifty years ago. And, uh, and ever since that night, uh, Mrs. Fine has been wandering the woods, hungry, lost, and angry."

"You guys, am I Susan Fine?" Jet questioned.

Most of them laughed again. Violetta stared at Maddox expectantly. If no one else was going to be willing to listen, she would be. It was evident that Maddox was upset from not telling the story the way she wanted to.

"Um . . ." Maddox trailed off. "Sorry, this isn't how I — it's scary. It's supposed to be scary. Never mind. Sorry."

She then turned around and wandered off into the woods. Violetta stared after her in concern.

"Maddie, wait," Jet called, standing up from his log.

Violetta raised her eyebrows. Maddie? And why did Jet sound so upset when he called after her?

Tonight was supposed to be fun. And to Violetta, it felt anything but that.

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VIOLETTA SHOULDN'T HAVE been so upset.

Okay, she got it. EJ was under an incredible amount of pressure because of his new director job, and the documentary with Corbin Bleu. He needed to — dare she say it — get his head in the game. But on the other hand, EJ had told her this was going to be the best summer ever, yet it felt like EJ was forgetting about her. Like, back at the campfire, he barely acknowledged her existence. A single look would've sufficed, but he didn't even do that.

Life was confusing.

"So . . ." Athena started to say after they had been laying there in silence, staring at the roof of the tent. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or will we just keep laying here in deafening silence?"

"I actually enjoy sitting in silence," Violetta responded.

"No you don't. You talk all the time about how you hate the quiet. And when it is quiet, you always put in your headphones."

Curse her for knowing her so well.

Violetta hesitated for a second, and even though she knew Athena wouldn't judge her for her feelings, it was still strange to say out loud. "It's stupid."

Athena rolled her head over on the ground to look at her. "It's not stupid if it's upsetting you."

"It feels like EJ's forgetting about me and focusing everything on this new director job of his."

Athena didn't say anything for a second. Violetta sighed, really needing her best friend's advice right now.

"Hello?" Violetta urged.

"No, no, I heard you," Athena reassured her. "Just . . . processing."

"And?"

"I think that EJ's extremely stressed because he's thrown into a new job, not to mention one that's being overseen by Corbin Bleu. He doesn't want to make any mistakes. I'm not excusing his behavior of being shut-off, but Vi, EJ loves you. He would never forget about you. You're literally unforgettable."

"I just hate how he's basically pushing me away," Violetta stated.

"And you should tell him that," Athena told her. "Have a conversation with him when you get the chance."

"Chances are impossible when all he sees is his script right now and not me."

Athena shook her head and got out of her sleeping bag, putting on her shoes. "Come on, let's go see what the others are up to. Get your mind off of things. Maybe we can even convince EJ to look away from his stupid script."

Violetta scoffed. "Doubt it."

"Who knows? Maybe he'll listen to you."

"'Thena, EJ never listens to me."

"Okay, maybe, but it's worth a shot," Athena insisted. "Put your shoes on, let's go."

Violetta put her Converse back on and the two of them grabbed their flashlights before leaving the tent. They got closer to EJ's tent, and as they did, they heard the voices of EJ, Ricky, and Gina coming from inside.

"It's literally the spookiest thing I've ever seen," Ricky was saying. "And I've seen Hereditary."

"What was?" Violetta interjected, lifting up the flap and entering the tent. "Your report card?"

"Shut up, Violetta."

"And you didn't watch Hereditary," Athena added. "I watched Hereditary. You watched my neck, because you had your face buried there the entire time due to you getting scared."

"Oh my God, she did not hold back," Gina commented.

Ricky shook his head at her. "She never does."

Violetta walked up to her boyfriend and placed a hand on his shoulder, running her thumb over the fabric of his hoodie. "We should go, Eej."

The flap of the tent then opened again, and Ashlyn came in, her face lit up by her flashlight.

"Don't mind me," Ashlyn said. "Just having a teeny, tiny identity crisis. EJ, do you remember when I was born? I just need to know if it was eleven-thirty-seven A.M. or eleven-thirty-seven P.M."

"Everyone stop," EJ ordered, and Violetta blinked, dropping her hand from his shoulder. He looked at Ashlyn. "It was eleven-thirty-seven A.M. I know that because my mom always tells me how you forever ruined the eggs Benedict. Remember? Eggs Benedict is a strictly morning dish." He looked at Ricky. "No, I can't come see the shrine tonight. I have to finish marking up the script before Corbin comes tomorrow. I have a lot on my plate, okay?" He then looked at Violetta, whose gaze was on the script on the desk. "And V, I really—"

"No, I get it," Violetta cut in, pretty much failing to hide her sadness. "You have to focus."

"Come on, guys," Gina encouraged.

Violetta started to walk away, but glanced over her shoulder by the flap of the tent. "Love you."

She then left completely, not even waiting to hear if he said he loved her back or not. Violetta zipped up EJ's hoodie a little more and looked up at the sky, honestly wondering if this was a part of the universe's plan for them. Screw the universe for messing everything up.

Ricky and Athena then came out of the tent together. Gina had stuck with Violetta while Ashlyn had left, clearly rattled by how she was actually a Leo Rising and not a Capricorn Rising.

"So, the shrine," Ricky announced. "I can lead you guys there."

Violetta shook her head, really wanting nothing more than to bury herself in her sleeping bag. "You three go ahead, I'll go wallow in my tent."

"No, you will not," Athena argued. "I'm not going to allow you to wallow. This is supposed to be fun."

"Come with us," Gina pleaded. "Please, V, I don't want to third wheel."

Violetta sighed, caving a little. "Fine. Lead the way, lover boy."

Ricky took the lead with Athena, their arms linked together. They were doing couply things together, which made Violetta's heart ache. Violetta hung back with Gina, one hand in the pocket of EJ's hoodie while the other held her flashlight. She looked around in the trees, not really knowing what was happening. Ricky told them he knew where he was going, but in true Ricky fashion, he was just lost.

"Hey, you okay?" Gina asked gently. "I've noticed you've been kind of . . . dimmed."

Violetta shook her head. "I'm being dumb."

"Let me guess. You're upset that EJ is spending all of his time on the script instead of being out here with us."

Violetta winced. "That obvious, huh?"

Gina shrugged. "I just pick up on things." She then nodded her head up to Ricky and Athena. "And being with lover girl and lover boy isn't exactly helping, huh?"

"I just wish he didn't have all of this pressure on him. I mean, he already has enough pressure from his dad — that's a whole other conversation for another time. But now he's a director, and I'm so incredibly proud of him, but it's feeling like he's putting me to the side and focusing all on the script instead of multitasking." She looked up at Gina. "Told you, dumb."

"You have a right to feel that way," Gina reassured her. "Have you talked to him about it yet?"

Violetta shook her head. "You saw him back in the tent. There's absolutely no way anybody is getting into his head, not even me."

Ricky suddenly let out a scream. Violetta stopped her tracks, jumping slightly at the noise. She then stared at Ricky incredulously when there was nothing around them. He had probably done it on purpose to scare Athena.

"You did that on purpose," Athena complained, slapping his shoulder.

"Ricky, why don't you let the leading lady lead you through the woods?" Gina suggested.

Violetta blinked and looked over at Gina slowly. There was some pretty evident resentment in her voice, and Violetta couldn't tell if it was because Athena was the leading lady, or that she was next to Ricky, or both. She tightened her grip on her flashlight, deciding to ignore it for now. That could be unpacked later.

Athena nodded, blissfully unaware to Gina's tone. "Yeah. Allow me."

"Attie, you don't even know where the shrine is," Ricky protested.

"And apparently you don't either, so we're in the same boat. But I can lead better than you."

"Then go ahead."

They continued on for a little while longer. However, they had just started to get more and more lost in the trees.

"The shrine thing was around here somewhere, I swear," Ricky voiced.

"Can we go back now?" Violetta questioned, her voice shaking just the tiniest bit, because the thought of being lost in the woods at night was honestly pretty scary.

"Don't tell me you're scared, Vi."

Out of nowhere, a pretty voice singing rang from the distance. Violetta shared a look with Gina for a moment.

"Is that . . ." Ricky trailed off.

"The Woman in the Woods?" Gina inquired. "Maddox said she had a voice like an angel. Angel voice."

"What do we do now?" Violetta asked.

Athena's looked up at Ricky with wide eyes. "Do not say—"

"Follow the sound?" Ricky offered.

"Oh, you mean do the thing that everyone says not to do?" Violetta questioned. She paused and thought about it for a moment, deciding that she honestly didn't care. "You know what? I'm in."

Gina pushed her way in front of all of them, confidently leading them in the direction of the voice. They eventually ended up at the barn, where the pretty voice and a piano were coming from. Violetta's eyebrows knit in thought.

"This song is incredible," Athena stated, and Violetta agreed — it really was. "I want to see who's singing."

"I mean, we've come this far, right?" Ricky replied.

Violetta nodded. "We go as a unit."

The four of them moved close together up to the barn. When they went up the stairs, the voice died out, and so did the piano. All of them shared a glance.

They opened the doors to the barn, and screams instantly echoed throughout the walls — from Violetta, Athena, Ricky, Gina, and Ashlyn. Violetta jumped and felt Gina take her whole body in her arms, shielding her head away from Ashlyn. She held onto Gina tight as she stared at Ashlyn, her chest heaving up and down and her heart pounding against her chest from the sudden scare.

"Jesus, Ash," Athena commented as Violetta and Gina untangled themselves from each other.

"Athena?" Ashlyn cried.

Ricky picked his head up from Athena's shoulder. "You're the Woman in the Woods?"

"What? No. I was just singing a song about my identity crisis."

"Okay, you've mentioned that twice. What identity crisis are you talking about?"

"Ashlyn's birth chart is wrong," Violetta explained, trying to get her breathing and heart rate back to normal. "She thought she was a Capricorn Rising, but now she's a Leo Rising, like Maddox guessed earlier."

Ricky just stared at her. "Vi, I have no idea what that means."

Ashlyn stood up from the piano bench. "I'll explain it to you."

Violetta sat down on the stage next to Athena and near Gina and Ashlyn. Her legs absentmindedly swung back and forth over the edge as Ashlyn told Ricky everything about astrology, who was pacing in front of the stage and trying to remember as much of the information as he could.

"Okay, I think I get it," Ricky admitted. "Because of an optical illusion, right, it seems like Mercury's going backwards?"

"Right," Ashlyn confirmed.

"And when this is happening, bad things happen."

"It's science."

"Right," Ricky stated. "And Mercury's in retrograde? Right now?"

It sure felt like it to Violetta.

"Honestly?" Ashlyn responded. "Honestly, no. I just . . . I — I wanted to blame the whole Val ensemble casting thing on something out of my control."

Gina scooted forwards on the stage and hugged Ashlyn. "It's okay, Ash. You were bummed. You wanted an explanation."

"Last semester, I didn't think I could play a character who sings in opera. And tonight, I found out I was born at brunch time. Guess there's always something new to learn."

Athena gave Ashlyn a look, because there was clearly something more. "You sure that's it, Ash?"

"This, um, Corbin Bleu TV show thing, I thought it was gonna be, like, my big break," Ashlyn revealed.

"Who says it can't be?" Violetta countered, because it really could be — for all of them.

"Nah." Ashlyn peered over Gina and Violetta to look at Athena. "But I think it could be yours, Anna. And you deserve it."

Athena smiled. "Thanks, Ash. Love you."

"Love you too." Ashlyn got up from the stage and fist-bumped Ricky. "Goodnight, cool kids. Leo Rising out."

"Don't let the Woman in the Woods get ya," Ricky said.

"She won't," Violetta insisted, pushing her hands on the stage to get up. "I'll be there. She can't get both of us."

"Or three of us," Gina added. "Just like Violetta said, we move as a unit."

And together, the three of them left the barn, leaving Ricky and Athena alone. Violetta thought momentarily about going back to EJ's tent, but she decided against it. Maybe it was just an off day.

∘ ₊ ✧ ──── ✧ ₊ ∘

I MISS ATHENA AHHHHHHHH