5

When they pulled up to their destination, it soon became clear why the kids that hung out here might not want their parents to know. This was the spot for the ‘cool kids’. A few cars and trucks were parked up already, and down by the water a handful of teenagers were sitting on battered deck chairs, cheap brown bottles and cigarettes swinging from their fingers. A few girls were perched on the edges of boys laps, throwing their heads back in an exaggerated motion as if the boy had said the funniest thing ever.

Mia realised that without the invasion of high-schoolers, the place was actually beautiful. Clear water babbled over the rocks of the river bed, bordered by foliage and trees on either side. Hamlet would love it here. She decided she would have to find somewhere similar that hadn’t been taken over by jocks and cheerleaders.

She reluctantly followed Ryan and Savannah to where the group were sitting, making sure to keep her head held high.

A girl with a skirt so short that you could almost see her underwear grinned as she saw her friends approach. But as soon as she caught sight of the girl behind them dressed all in black, her face fell.

“Er…who’s this?”

The rest of the group looked up with interest. “Hey, isn’t that the girl who’s stuff you threw everywhere yesterday?” The speaker was one of the cronies Mia had seen following the blonde jock the previous day. This guy’s hair was blonde as well, just a lot darker.

The girl who was perched on his lap curled her pink stained lip. “I wasn’t aware we were doing charity work.”

Mia said nothing. What would be the point?

“You can thank Ryan for that,” Savannah announced, dropping the donut box on the blanket laid out on the floor. “It was his idea.”

“Actually, her Mom begged us to take her.” Ryan commented. Mia could have punched him.

“How tragic.” The girl with the non-existent skirt shot.

Ryan grinned and turned to Mia. “Yes. It is a bit. Anyway, this is Trish.” He gestured to the girl with the skirt issues. “This is Annie and Tyler.” The pink-lipped girl on the lap of the boy with dark hair grimaced. “And that over there is Ben and Sophie.”

The last couple hadn’t said a word yet, but Mia could tell they felt the same as their friends about her presence.

Addressing his friends, he nodded towards Mia. “And this is…well actually I think we’ll stick with freak.” He grabbed one of the beer bottles from the cooler. “Beer, freak?”

Mia rolled her eyes. “No thanks.”

Ryan shrugged and handed the bottle to Savannah instead. She took it, and sat down on a free chair with a sour look on her face.

Mia was determined not to look awkward, but it was hard to accomplish when you were surrounded by people who didn’t want you to be there. She noticed a small boulder to the side of the circle, and strode over to it before taking a seat.

Ryan was still looking at her. He watched her in the same way someone would watch a nature documentary about a foreign species.

“Are you a goth or something?” Annie asked.

Mia scowled at her. “No.”

“Then why all the black?”

“I like the colour?”

Sophie laughed and whispered something into Ben’s ear.

Tyler cocked his head at the new arrival. “Why are you here anyway? You don’t sound like you’re from around here.”

“That’s because I’m not. I’m from Philadelphia.”

“Her Mom married my Dad,” Savannah added. “Now we all have to deal with the consequences.”

“Oh damn…so that means you’re like sisters now,” Tyler laughed.

Savannah whipped her head round. “That is not my sister.”

Tyler held his hands up defensively. “Keep your hair on.”

Much to Mia’s relief, the group seemed to get bored of asking her questions. The talked turned to school, relationships, and how much they hated their parents. Mia zoned out. She had no interest in listening to any of the drivel they had to say. In the end she took out a book from her bag and began to read. Every so often Ryan would glance at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

As the sun began to go down, Savannah let a dramatic sigh escape her lips. “So how exactly is this making her life a misery Ryan?”

She indicated to Mia who had her nose stuck in a book. Apart from maybe being slightly bored, Mia looked quite content on her boulder.

“I thought we’d dunk her before we left.”

Mia looked up from the book, unable to hide the concern that settled into her face. She had no idea what Ryan meant by ‘dunk’, but it probably wasn’t going to be good.

The group suddenly perked up, and sat up a little straighter.

Savannah had a wicked smirk across her face. “That could be fun.”

Mia felt like she was a lamb surrounded by a pack of wolves who hadn’t eaten in a few days. She placed her book back in her bag, and slowly stood up, as if any sudden movement would cause them to pounce.

Without taking his eyes off the girl from Philadelphia, Ryan said in an even tone. “Grab her guys.”

In a seconds, Annie and Sophie had been dislodged from their human counterparts, and Ben and Tyler made their way towards Mia. Her heart began to thump against her chest as they took hold of one arm each. She struggled against them, but their grip was too firm. She was powerless. 

Ryan rose up from his chair much like a King would rise from his throne. He walked towards her, blue eyes burning into hers, until he was only a few inches away from her.

“This is for calling me a mindless jock…Boys?”

And before she could respond Ben and Tyler were dragging her towards the edge of the creek.

She screamed, “No! Please!”

But it was pointless, the two teens already had her at the bank, and in one fluid motion they lifted her off her feet and deposited her in the shallow stream. She landed backwards, the shock of the cold water and abrasion of the rocks of the river bed jolted her body. Some of the water went into her mouth, and she began to splutter, trying to sit up as her hair, now soaked covered her eyes.

The rest of the group was standing on the edge of the bank in hysterics, Ben almost doubled over. The only one not laughing was Ryan. He just looked on at her with a quiet smile, his hands resting in the pockets of his football jacket.

Mia gathered everything she had, and stood up from her position, trying not to wobble. She was soaked, and her black clothes were now stuck to her body. Her t-shirt stuck to the contours of her body and as she glanced up, she thought she caught Ryan staring at the way her waist and breasts were now accentuated. Perv, she thought.

With as much dignity as a person could muster who had just been thrown in a river, she crawled out. Her boots were full of water, making a terrible squelching sound as she stomped. Without saying a word, she walked over to where her backpack was, and slung it over her shoulder. She wasn’t sure how exactly to get home, but she couldn’t stay here.

When he realised what she was doing, Ryan called out to her. “Hey freak! You can’t walk home. Tyler’s gonna give you a lift in the back of his truck!”

Mia ignored him and continued to walk towards the way she thought they had come in. It was getting dark now, and she couldn’t deny the feeling of unease at walking home when she was soaking wet. She pulled out her phone and typed in the address of her supposed new home. As she realised it was going to be a 30-minute walk, her heart sank.

The sound of running footsteps made her turn round. “Oi, are you listening to me?”

She pressed her mouth into a thin line as Ryan approached her.

“Not talking to me now, huh?” He prompted.

“Why would I talk to you after what you’ve just done.”

Ryan shrugged and gave her another slow look up and down. “You did say ‘do your worst’.”

Mia scoffed, and turned to start walking in the opposite direction. A firm hand took hold of her arm, and she almost jumped at the electricity that seemed to come from it. She looked down in wonder to see Ryan’s strong slender fingers holding her in place. He was giving her that curious look again.

“Don’t make me carry you. Now get in the truck.”