CHERRY BOMB ~ yellow jackets (van palmer)

part fifthteen.

-1996-                                             -end of flashback-

cheryl had woken up later than normal these past few nights, she was still awake before most girls though. getting dressed into jeans and a thermal shirt and meeting everyone by the fire pit. everyone was quiet. the first few weeks of being stranded where rough, but still a little fun. now it was just boring. she walked and sat next to allison who was using the knife cherry gave her to carve down sticks.

the day before, taissa had caught shauna trying to do some sort of DIY abortion. the three of them sat in the attic after and had a chat about everything. cheryl felt like while she was busy with van and the whole shauna baby business, she wasn't seeing nat and allie as much. she would change that.

'what are you doing?' cheryl asked.

'i'm carving down sticks, what does it look like?' allie said.

'yeah okay, i can see that. but why?'

'i'm bored. we all are.' allie muttered. a few moments later natalie and travis had come back with a deer. van hopped of the porch to help them carry and place it down.

'finally!' cheryl said. their expression changed from excitement to disgust once they saw the deer, it's antlers where covered in what looked like blood and guts. 'gross.'

'woah, that thing is narly..' van said.

'who even says narly anymore?' allison said, mocking vans expression.

'guys, it's totally normal. deers shed their antlers every year or so.' coach ben hopped over the carcass on the ground. 'shauna?' it was shauna's job to sort of butcher whatever meat nat and travis brought back. she walked over with the hunting knife in hand, prepared to dry it out. she bent down and dragged the blade across its neck, only for lumpy brown gunck and maggots to spill out.

'what the fuck?' cheryl took a step back. 'is that normal too coach?'

'i'm not eating that.' allie and javi said, walking back to the cabin. cheryl noticed them two where getting close, she thought it was good that allison had a friend while out here.

'this is bull shit..' tai muttered. 'we can't keep living like this!'

'tai..' shauna said.

'no! what happenes when winter comes? and it gets colder? and i don't mean put on a jacket cold i mean dying feels like falling asleep cold. and food? we are barely surviving as is.'

'she has a point.' one of the JV girls muttered.

'we have to save us. which is why i'm leaving to go find help.' taissa said, face emotionless.

'tai your not serious right?' cheryl asked.

'we can't keep relying on getting rescued. i'm leaving in a few hours come with me if you want to get out of this hell hole.' taissa walked back into the cabin and shut the door, leaving everyone standing around like goons. cheryl had later walked off to go find taissa and talk to her about this little exposition she was attending. she thought it was a stupid idea, tai going off by herself, which is why she had planned to go with her.

she searched everywhere. in the cabin, by the fire, by the logs, she was even tempted to walk back down to check the lake when she saw tai of to the surgut side of the cabin. that was where the girls would wash clothes and such. she hurriedly skipped over and sat down on a log next to her. 'hey.' she quietly said.

'hi, cherry.' taissa huffed, to busy on cutting her hair. cheryl liked tais hair, she didn't know how tai took such great care of it but that was none of her business.