Aiden x Reader | School Bus Graveyard

>>>< 31 ><<<

>>>< Dealing with It ><<<

The phantoms, as we discovered, only manage to lose their shape in the light, so while still avoiding it, it won't kill them.

Ashlyn seemed lost in thought, probably overthinking again. The plan was simple, first we have to get the Jeep. The creatures will be distracted, and we should have enough time to get there.

As I was waiting for everyone to finish prepping, I climbed one of the buses to stand next to Aiden. We both stood there calmly, each satisfied with the company of the other. I leaned my head on his shoulder. His hand found mine, his warm embrace comforting amidst the dark, cold realm. We stayed that until Ash called us all down.

"Alright, let's go over the plan one more time." Everyone gathered around, and she was interrupted by a very nervous looking Taylor. I noticed she had her hair in a high ponytail for once, and it sure looked good on her.

"...Um- are we uh- are we sure we want to do this?"
"What?"
"I mean- Y'know, m-maybe just staying in the graveyard every night wouldn't be... so bad, right? Especially with the lights up... couldn't we just hide in here? Till the seven hours are up?" Logan agreed with her. "I-I like that idea."

I can't lie, I was a bit shocked, and the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. "And waste all the work we put into this? Forget about finding a way out, be trapped here? Seven extra hours of nothing?"

Ashlyn was also upset. "Are you serious...? I thought you guys wanted out of here? And now you're saying you don't mind being trapped here for the rest of our lives? And you- why are you being so quiet?"

She spoke to Tyler for his opinion on the matter, just to be met with silence.
"You're the one who pitched a fit wanting to go to Savannah, so why are you so passive about it now?"

He flinched at her words, now mad enough to answer. "That was before we knew about the lights and before there was a horde of those things right outside the door! I'm not saying we should stop trying to find a way out- just maybe not with this particular plan. We don't even really need guns anymore, right?"

"And you chose to bring this up now?! After all the prepping, the training, the sneaking around placing traps, and right before we actually do something, you want to back out?"

"There's way too many right now!"

"That's why we have the traps!"

Everyone was watching the violent verbal exchange between the two people, Ashlyn getting more pissed by the moment.

"No. No! I'm getting that Jeep. Even if we decide we don't need guns, eventually we'll need to go out there and learn how this place works so we can find a way out! That was what we agreed on!"

Aiden tentatively spoke up. "Hey, Ash.. Maybe you should-"
"Don't tell me what I should do! If you hadn't been so persistent in bothering me, I never would have gone to Savannah and none of this would have ever happened! You keep pushing my boundaries and I'm tired of it!"

I could tell Aiden was hurt by her words, I could see it in his eyes. I'd known him long enough to tell when something bothered him, and he seemed hurt. I silently glared at her as she and Tyler started fighting again.

"Why are you so worked up?!"
"Because we're ready now, but if something goes wrong in the future because I let us wait and not take initiative, it'd be my fault as the leader!"
"Yeah well no one said you had to be the 'leader', you did that on your own!"

"Who else was going to do it?! I've been hearing those monsters all my life so apparently I have some weird connection to this place! This all happened when the phantom grabbed me, and I didn't say anything about it. I don't think it's entirely my fault, I'm just as confused and scared as you all are. But I'm the best suited to take 'responsibility' for what's happening, right?! To try and find a way out of this mess and protect yo guys at the same time!"

She huffed softly as everyone got quiet. No one knew what to do or say, and Ashlyn, the shy, quiet introvert, had just gone off on them, which was crazy.

The silence was broken by Taylor. "I'm sorry. I... didn't realize you were taking on so much pressure on your own. And you're right... I don't want to be here for the rest of my life. The phantoms are just a fact of this place... no matter how many different plans we come up with, how long we put it off, or how many monsters there are, we'll still have to deal with them and get our hands dirty if we want out. The sooner we face and accept that, the faster we'll get our normal lives back. So forget what I said earlier. I just got a little overwhelmed for a moment." She smiled, nervous and slightly shameful.

Of course, her brother then decided to try to mess things up again. "I still think there's too many out there. But... I suppose you aren't entirely wrong that right now could be our best chance. I'm sure those things will just keep growing in number rather than thin down anyway."

"Right?? And Ben and Aiden and Y/n don't seem opposed to the plan either!"

Aiden calmly spoke up, while Ben stood there with a double thumbs up. "Honestly if you guys don't hurry up and continue, I'm going to jump the wall on my own." I quietly agreed with a small laugh. His hand found mine again, and I smiled to myself a bit. We held hands and watched the drama unfold. I had no idea what this was between us, but it wasn't just friends.

"See Ashlyn, we're okay now! Things are back on track. So you don't have to worry about coming up with a new plan or feeling guilty for something that would have been our choice. Oh and! I'm glad you took lead of the group. Not because I think it's your fault, but because you've always been rational and your plans have already helped us a lot. Just don't forget to trust us with your thoughts, okay? If we had all talked about how we've been feeling up to this point, then maybe we could've avoided getting overwhelmed on our own. We all have to trust and support each other, because that's how teams work. Whether you're the 'leader' or not."

That marked the end of the conversation, and I relaxed, knowing at least one problem had been fixed.

word count: 1119