The spirits had fallen considerably, and it wasn't without apparent reason. Dot's words had taken a toll on the other girls, who had gone from looking at each other, accusing each other, to staring at the sand, embarrassed by what had happened and increasingly aware that, as Dot had stated, they were the only thing they had there, and that fighting over stupid things would get them nowhere.

If there was anything remotely good about the situation, it was that problems resurfaced so often that old ones were mollified by new ones, making dealing with them easier. So much so that Lydia had approached Fatin in silence, and she had spread her legs in the sand to make room for the British girl to settle on her chest. Lydia thanked her without words, only hoping that with one look she understood how comforted that gesture made her feel.

The cellist began to braid her hair, which was made easier by the gel nails that hadn't yet been removed. It was only when she had to lift her head for Fatin to reach the strands of her temples that she glanced at Leah, who was lying on the sand, her head resting on Dot's lap. Leah seemed to detect her eyes instantly, as she turned quickly but her alarmed worries dropped when she realized it was Lydia.

Lydia might be a sympathetic and forgiving person, but Leah made it very difficult for her. She could come to understand the paranoia resulting from the situation they were experiencing, she could even understand that Leah was someone very stubborn by nature, but the accusations she had made were very strong and Lydia knew that Shelby's pained face wouldn't be forgotten in a long time.

Lydia shifted her gaze to Shelby, who had joined the group again but without a word, still somewhat embarrassed, both by what had happened with Leah and the situation in the woods with Lydia. She swore to herself that she hadn't wanted to kiss her, that it had been a reflex action, but she knew perfectly well who she was and that the warmth the British girl gave off and the attraction she felt towards her were two of the determining factors of her feelings for Lydia. However, the confusion on the girl's face had been obvious, so Shelby made it a point to forget what had happened and ignore her, at least for that moment.

However, Lydia made things difficult for her. "Here. Boilt and cool, if you're thirsty," the Brit took the canteen and handed it to Shelby, who rejected it with a shake of her head. Stop being so stupidly nice and attentive, the Texan thought; maybe that way she would have a chance to get the girl out of her head. "Okay. If you change your mind..."

"Alright, well now it's just too fucking quiet," Dot voiced the thoughts everyone wanted to reflect.

The first days had been confusing, yes, and terribly hideous because of the uncertainty, but at least they had used that time to get to know each other, to know a little about their story, the reason for their behavior. The following days had been somewhat more joyous, the relationship between the nine girls improving and sharing moments that could even be considered as friendly. Now they realized, however, that they had been here too long, and that what might have been an advantage at first was now one of the reasons they were so irascible.

"Hey, this might be the apocalypse talking, but aren't you gonna suggest some never would I rather shit?"

Shelby raised her head when she knew Dot was referring to her, and once again, she simply shook her head.

"God. We're really gonna die here," muttered Rachel, and no one dared to contradict her.

Lydia fell against Fatin's chest, who wrapped her arms around her silently. She cocked her head to look at her, but Fatin was staring at the sand. A friend, at last.

Dinners were always like this. Silent.

Rare was the day when one of her parents asked her how training had gone, or how school had been that day. They always talked about their business, their cases, the court appointments that awaited them next week. Lydia was limited to listening in silence, to nod admiring the words of her parents, adding few words.

But that night was different. What had started out as the same old routine turned into a memory Lydia would never forget. Instead of stirring dinner with a fork, she decided she had something to say tonight.

"I got invited to a party today. It's on Saturday, and some of my friends will be there, too. Heather, Julia..."

Her parents shared a look, and then their lips widened into smiles. "A party, you say? We didn't know you liked that sort of thing."

"Who do you say it's going too?"

"You know Heather, she lives down the street. She's also in my football team. And Julia, I've met her this year, but she's a really nice girl. Do you think I could go?"

"Why not?" Her mother shrugged. "We're just happy you're making friends at last."

"But remember, you're only fifteen. No alcohol, no funny business, got it?"

Lydia smiled widely and nodded to herself, eating with a little more appetite. Her parents kept asking her about the companies she's been hanging out with lately, happy to finally know a new friend. Lydia was not a girl who had had many friends, so her parents were happy that she was finally relating so openly.

The girl went to sleep that night with a pleasant feeling in her stomach. Was that what children who received care from their parents felt? She had liked to please them, to speak to them and to smile with them. Maybe this could be her new normal, even if she didn't really like parties.

"Does anybody else hear that?" Fatin asked, an alarming tone in her voice, and Lydia sat up so as not to disturb Fatin, who was trying to get up.

Lydia frowned and followed the cellist's gaze, fixed somewhere in the sky. Suddenly Lydia thought she heard it too: the propellers of an airplane. "Hear what?" Dot asked, still entertained with a bow in her hands.

"Hey!" The British yelled, joining Fatin's protests. "A plane!"

The other girls didn't even think it might be a joke, because no one would ever joke with such a situation. They immediately rose from the sand, positioning themselves next to Fatin and Lydia on the sand, waving their arms in the air to get seen. They continued to shout, hoping that the low-flying pilot could see the colors moving in the sand, and perhaps, hopefully, hear their desperate sobs.

"He sees us!" Rachel screamed, and Lydia thought she'd never seen her smile so widely. She wondered if that pretty smile was what Nora would refer to every time she recounted the situation at home.

Lydia mimicked the athlete's smile, an incredulous hint in her blue eyes and parted lips, still unable to fully believe that this was happening. She raised her arms once again, just to remind the pilot that they were there, and that they weren't going to move from the island no matter how much they wanted to.

The blonde turned quickly to see the expressions of the other girls, and saw that Rachel already enveloped her sister in a warm hug, Nora's expression happier than ever. Toni and Martha did the same, and Lydia felt her heart sinking: two friends who had suffered the tragic fate of being thrown in there, but at least together. She smiled widely at Fatin, who was looking at her with the same bewilderment that she had felt moments before, and did not hesitate to hug her tightly, imitating the gestures of the others.

Lydia jumped up still with Fatin hugging her tightly, laughing and shouting things that didn't make sense. At that point, Lydia just wanted to go home, take a real bath, eat normal food, sleep in a bed; she cared little for what awaited her in California, or Birmingham, or anywhere else in the world. They were leaving here and that was what mattered.

However, the bright smile on her face gradually disappeared when she saw Shelby standing still, her face denoting confusion but also hopelessness, as if she was not happy that someone finally rescued them, and everything returned to her head: she had been free enough to express who she really was, and now that she had chosen freedom, fate was destroying everything for her, making her come home and hide again.

"Here they are! The brave, young women whose tale of struggle and survival has ripped the nation. The unsinkable nine, as we have come to know them," the host introduced them to the show. All in their best clothes, they wielded smiles towards her. "Ladies, you must've dreamed of coming home for so long. Now that you're here, what do you want to do most?"

"Honestly," Dot began. "Smoke about a hundred cigs, you know? Like probably rip through a carton or too," which made everyone else laugh.

"Okay, how about the rest of you?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe hit up the OG for a never ending pasta bowl and just, I don't know, get back to our real lives," it was Toni's turn, and Lydia nodded at her response.

"I'd like to read the Odyssey again, rather than, like, live it?"

"Leah? What about you?"

"Oh. Um, I just want to reconnect with certain people, people who may have been worried or felt like we had unfinished business... And if that person is watching right now, I just wanna say that I did not not miss you everyday."

Lydia, who was sitting between Fatin and Toni, sipped from her mug, trying to hide the expression that would come over her face if she continued to listen to Leah talking about her perverted ex-boyfriend.

"My turn, Brooke, and I've got a nice, straight answer for you: I'm going to fuck the rowdiest guy with the biggest dick as soon as I fucking can," Fatin replied with an innocent smile.

All the girls turned to her. They were sitting in a straight line in front of the sea, admiring that landscape for the last time before leaving for good. Lydia couldn't remember who had come up with the idea, but they were all rehearsing their speech in case some television program wanted to interview them in public.

Lydia frowned but then smiled. "I don't think you can say that on live TV."

"Alright, I'll make it more media friendly," Fatin cleared her throat and returned the brush to her mouth, imitating a microphone. "I'm going to fornicate with the healthiest penis I can find ASAP."

"That's better," Lydia giggled, and Fatin high fived her.

"Alright, I want to change my answer," Dot chuckled. "You remember that guy that I was telling you about?"

"Nurse Mateo caliente?"

"I'm one hundred percent going to jump him as soon as I see him."

"Atta girl," Fatin whistled. "While we're changing our responses, wanna work on that emo shit show of yours?" Fatin adressed Leah directly, and the rest of them lowered their heads in agreement. "And you," Fatin pointed at Lydia with the hairbrush. "You might want to say something. You drank the first night here, which means you totally fucked someone. Isn't that someone waiting for you at home? Try and make it less depressing than Leah."

Lydia shook her head, smiling. "I can guarantee you he's not. It's something from the past. I don't want to think about it."

"Lydia! You are going to be trending! Look at your face, look at your gorgeous smile! Romeos from all over the world are going to be blowing up your DMs."

"Do you think Romeos will be in my DMs, too?" Martha asked innocently, and Lydia smiled a little as the attention was no longer on her.

"Martha, angel, your DMs will be overflowing."

"Alright, then!" Martha leaned back and picked up the bottle, holding it in the air in victory. "We're going home, bitches!"

The joy seemed to be permanent in that instant. They took turns drinking from the bottle — great gift, Jeanette! RIP, though— and Dot communicated that they could finish all the food. She handed out the bags of snacks that were left from Jeanette's backpack, as well as the protein bars. When Dot threw them at Lydia, who was drinking alcohol at the time, the girl looked at them for a few moments, and instead of eating them, she thought it was best to save them for later rationing, in case things didn't turn out as expected.

She hated feeling pessimistic, and she didn't want to ruin the party for others, so she did it quietly and when she saw that no one was looking at her. She saw Martha eat some candy, so her face quickly changed into an amused smile that masked her incipient concern. Leah snatched the packet of candy from Martha, and laughed out loud. "Am I in trouble? I thought everything must go."

"Yeah, no, Martha. These... These aren't candy, they're edible."

"I know they're edible, I just ate them."

"No, no," Lydia laughed. "Like THC. Pot. Martha, they're marijuana bears!"

"So... what would happen if someone accidentally ate three?"

Neither of the girls meant to make fun of the situation, but Martha's face was too funny. They all burst into laughter at the sight of the girl's innocent face, even Toni, who was kicking in the sand to quell her laughter. "Oh, Martha, you're gonna be tripping motherfucking balls."

"And she won't be alone," Rachel stated in a brave voice. "First timer. Fuck it."

"I'm in, too. Solidarity, baby."

The remaining girls were passing the bag of edibles, falling one after another in the illusion of losing track of time for a while. Toni, Leah, Fatin, Nora, even Dot, who seemed to be the most responsible of the nine, ingested at least one of them. The latter shook the package in front of Lydia's face, who was looking at it curiously.

"Come on, stop being such a goody two-shoes! Live a little, nobody's gonna snitch on you," Fatin cheered her on from a distance, and Lydia picked up one of the bears and tossed it into her mouth, tempted by experience on the one hand, a pleasant sensation of rebellion on the other: she knew her parents would disapprove of that, but so what? They weren't to berate her. "Yeah, baby!"

"I'm gonna go take a piss before it happens involuntarily," Lydia got up and bowed slightly. She took the bottle of vodka from Toni, who was clinging to it as if it was going to be stolen, and that was the first time they had looked at each other since Toni had berated her for saving her life instead of Martha's.

However, that was another one of her lies. She knew Shelby had been separated from the group some time ago, and she wanted to check that she was okay. She found her behind a rock, leaning against it, grasping the cross around her neck and, apparently, praying quietly. Lydia pursed her lips into a fine line.

"Hey there. Martha just ate enough weed to tranquilize a buffalo, in case you were wondering what you're missing."

"Pretty crazy," was all Shelby answered, and Lydia knew her well enough to know that she was only feigning interest, and that under that shaky voice were other concerns.

Lydia sighed and sat on the rock next to Shelby's. "I know I'm probably the last person you'd want to talk to right now, but if you ever need someone, I'm still here. I'm quite a good listener, I like to think," Lydia managed a small smile to cheer her up.

Shelby just picked up the bottle of alcohol that Lydia had left on the floor and took a deep sip, her mouth twisting into a grimace as the vodka burned her throat.

"It's that bad, huh?" Lydia asked, still knowing the answer, and Shelby looked at her. "I saw your face when we were all excited about leaving this place. You weren't. I don't know what kind of shit you're going through at your house, but you should stay true to yourself. Fuck those who don't accept you for who you are."

"That's easy for you to say," Shelby's voice wavered. "Not everyone can have loving, accepting parents like the rest of you do. Some of us are stuck, hiding behind fake smiles and stupid acts and we will be left alone if we ever dared to say the truth out loud. And I don't want to be alone."

"Hey, look at me. I promise you will never be alone, Shelby. You're stuck with us now," Lydia gave her another friendly smile, and Shelby had to force herself to look away from the girl or she would melt in that instant. "I proceed now to leave because I sense I'm not making things better. I will not take this bottle of alcohol with me by mistake, so it'd be a shame if no one appreciated it."

Lydia felt that the alcohol was beginning to enter her system, and although part of her felt good because all the problems seemed minor, the other part screamed that everything would happen again, and that she shouldn't drink more. However, the demon soothed the angel in her brain, and she took another sip from the bottle before winking at Shelby and leaving to give her privacy.

She staggered across the sand toward the group of girls, who were all lying down, their heads almost touching, as if they were forming a star in the sand. Lydia heard them laugh, and with a goofy grin she dropped down next to Dot and Fatin. "What's everybody talking about?"

"Orgasms."

"I do it too with the bath jet in our home jacuzzi," Lydia heard a voice behind her, and Shelby stood by her with a smile like hers and the bottle of alcohol in hand. "I might be a virgin but I'm not some prude. Love me an orgasm."

"Wow," Fatin whistled. "I mean, just when I thought this place couldn't surprise me any more, turns out Shelby likes to fuck her whirlpool!"

"Yes, I do!" she replied, somewhat sharper than she had intended. She raised the bottle again, as Martha had done previously. "So let's cheer to our orgasms!"

"Jesus, you're trashed," Lydia whispered to her. "So quit sipping or at least share."

Shelby let out the first laugh in the time that Lydia had been with her, and something inside the British ignited when she knew that it was she who had caused her laugh. Lydia smiled at her and invited her to sit next to her, glad that even under those circumstances Shelby was joining the group again. But the alcohol had affected the Texan so badly that she lost her balance and fell on top of Lydia.

The British tensed for a moment, wondering what Shelby was feeling at the sudden contact, but decided to show her that she wasn't bothered so the Texan wouldn't worry. Lydia didn't understand why, but she was looking too hard for contact with Shelby, so much so that she leaned her head on her shoulder because she felt she was getting dizzy, and the Texan didn't seem to mind too much.

"You know, I'm gonna deny this until the day I die, but I'm gonna miss the shit out of you, guys," Fatin began. "And if you're ever in LA, you've got a place to crash."

"You can come to mine, too," Lydia chimed in, holding the bottle. "My grandmother has an appartment near 1600 Vine, where all the influencers live."

"I've got no idea of ​​what any of that means, but if you guys are looking for a roommate, I might be interested," Dot offered herself.

"Dorothy, are you offering to be our living muscle? Yes! Obviously, yes. People are gonna assume we're lovers, because let's face it, those cargo shorts still scream gay. I'm just saying, people are gonna talk and I'm gonna like it."

Lydia burst into laughter next to Shelby, who was starting to get a little uncomfortable with Dot and Fatin's gestures between them, but Lydia squeezed her when she realized it. "Not one girlfriend, but two? It's me who's going to like it," Lydia said before taking another sip.

Dot and Fatin turned to her, sending kisses and obscene gestures that had been sent to each other before, and while Lydia found it funny, Shelby not so much, because she was stirring in her arms. "Hey, campers! What do you say that I do what I do best and suggest some fucking games?"

There was a short silence between the girls, who were somewhat tired from the effects of bears and alcohol, but when Martha yelled in agreement, everyone else joined in the cheers. "To the water!"