Maya’s POV171Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9ejZIOby9
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“The Love Island? Chase, you’re not serious, right? That place was abandoned for a reason. Have we forgotten the rumor?” Jaden slammed the rubber cup onto the stoo so hard the soda in it spilled.
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I arrived at Chase's place thirty minutes ago. I was the last to arrive…as usual. Everyone was already halfway through the pizza when I arrived. Tyler’s stacked his monstrous snack mixtures like science experiments. Riley sat cross-legged on the floor, painting her nails with a really dark shade of purple.
I dropped my bag near the couch, immediately walking towards the bowl of chips. For some reason, I've was craving chips since morning.
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“We started without you…” Tyler announced cheerfully from the floor, holding up a slice of pizza.
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“Clearly,” I muttered taking a seat beside Emma.
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We played a quick round of Never Have I Ever. I visited the bathroom four times, everyone blamed it on the juice pouches Tyler kept handing me like I was a thirsty five year old.
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We later settled on watching our favorite series “Dancing Freak” until Chase suddenly grabbed the remote and turned the TV. Now here we are…..
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“Guys,” he said, his eyes glowing like they usually do whenever he has one of his crazy ideas.
“This would make our spring break fun. We get to spend time together, have an adventure. It’s just a three-hour road trip to North Carolina. What could possibly happen? We all know those rumors aren't true. Ghosts, demons, spirits…none of that is real.” He said trying to convince us.
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“Bro, have we forgotten the rumors? People died there for fuck sake.” Jay reasoned.
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“Exactly,” Chase said. “Because the rumors got out of control. There’s no such thing as ghosts or demons. It’s all exaggerated. Urban legends. And what’s a better way to prove it than checking for ourselves?” Then he pivoted straight to Riley.
“Ofcourse” I rolled my eyes inwardly. Chase's “brilliant ideas” always needed his girlfriend approval.
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“Babe, you love creepy places. This could inspire your art. Think of the sketches you could make.”
Riley’s eyes lit up immediately. She's a digital art and has always loved anything spooky or strange. She once said “darkness had aesthetic potential.” I didn’t know what that meant but…okay.
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Riley tapped her chin pretending to think but we all know she's already made her decision “Hmm… honestly, a creepy island would make a great art for my portfolio.
I like the idea, it sounds scary but exciting scary so am in”
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“I was thinking of something fun I could do with Maya” Emma said
“She was planning to work on a project on spring break, pfft! Who does that, such a boring freak she is. So am in.”
“ I sound fun, a little scary though but I don't mind going, as long we stick together.” She added
I scowled at her comment but she was right….not about me being boring but about this trip being a good idea. This could be my story. I could use the rumors of Blackwater Lake as my story for investigative journalism project. And we all know there's no such as demons, so I'll prove the rumors wrong. Photos, notes, I'll shut everyone up with actual field evidence. This could actually work.
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“It also think it's a good idea” I spoke up and everyone turned to me. “ Am in”
“ Oh sweet, she in” Chase grinned
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“Maya.” Jayden said in disbelief.
“There is no way I’m letting my girl go on a fucking death trip. Absolutely not...”
“Jay, I need this death trip. I need a story to impress Proffesor Jonas. This is my chance. The best story wins a full-time internship at NEN. That has been my dream for a really long time. They rarely accept interns but Professor Jonas ia an alumna . NEN specializes in unsolved mysteries, dark truths, exposing corruption, and producing deep investigative reports that actually mattered. Think of it as a mix of BBC investigations and 60 mins. Their awesome.
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“If I’m the first person to debunk the rumors with actual proof,”
“ We are” Tyler coughed
“ If we're the first people to debunk the rumors, I stand a chance at winning.
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“Logan?” Jayden turned to the most sensible person among us. “Your the logical one, help me out here.”
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Logan shrugged “I mean… ghosts aren’t real. There's no scientific evidence. So I don’t see the problem. A road trip sounds fun.”
Logan is a biology student. The smartest of us all.
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“And Lila?” Jayden asked desperately. “ Please tell me your not in support too.”
Lila finally tore herself away from texting. She been on it since I got here.
“I don’t know, guys… I think am with Jayden on this one.”
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“ Thank you” Jay sighed in relief.
“ What? Don't tell me you believe in ghosts, Lila? Chase mocked “ Thought u were fearless.”
Lila glared at him. “I don’t believe in ghosts. Those are stupid made of shit. Fine, exploring an abandoned island sounds cool. I’m in.”
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Jayden groaned loudly. I was beginning to feel bad about not siding with him. “ Seriously guys, your really going through with this”
“ Bro” Chase nudged at his shoulder “Quit worrying, it's just a harmless trip.”
“ Yh Jayden, can u not be a mom for ones” Riley added.
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“So you you all wanna die during spring break.” Jayden threw his hands up.
Nobody replied.
“Cool”
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“Relax, Captain Safety..” Tyler finally spoke up, stretching out on the couch.
“It's just a trip”
He's usually a talkative, always trying to make a joke even in the worst scenarios but he hasn't said a single thing until now. Am sure something's up.
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“Worst case scenario, we trend on twitter.” He added
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Chase whooped, “So it’s settled then, We’re heading to the island this Saturday!”
Riley joined him, dancing in excitement.
Those two really were perfect for each other.
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“Wait, guys, one problem.
Emma lifted her hand like she was in class. “How are we gonna get there?”
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Tyler answered immediately “Uh, we could teleport there Or oh better...summon an ancient sea dragon to get us there.” He said causing us all to laugh except Emma
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“ Girl, what do you think. Obviously we need an RV,” he corrected.
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“I know, genius. I meant how are we going to afford an RV? I've used up my savings.”
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“You’re right, Em” Chase said scratching his head. “Didn’t think about that. I spent all my money on this cool new bike.”
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“My account is on life support too,” Lila added. “Definitely not coming from me.”
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“My savings are for photography equipment,” Logan sighed.
I shrugged. “Same. I can’t help with the cost.”
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“Well…” Riley spoke up slowly “ I can ask my dad, he promised me anything I want if I passed my midterms and guess who passed” She winks, grinning widely.
‘ So yh… I got the RV situation covered.”
The room erupted with cheers. Chase grabbed her, planting kisses on her face.
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Once the excitement faded, everyone drifted into smaller conversations. The guys started playing video games. As usual, there was lots of yelling, button-smashing, and competitive trash talk.
I noticed Tyler sitting alone on the far side of the room, staring at his phone so I walked over and sat beside him.
“Hey, Ty. Why aren’t you with the guys? Thought you loved video games?”
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“I’m not really in the mood,” he mumbled, setting his phone face down on the stool.
“ What's the problem, You’re not being your usual weird self. Tallk to me.”
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He hesitated, lips pressing together then sighed. “I think Lila’s been texting Josh, her ex.”
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“Have you tried asking her?”
“Yes. She denied it, said I’m overthinking. She said she hasn’t spoken to him since the breakup. But earlier… his name popped up on her screen.”
“What if she still has feelings for him?” His shoulders slumped.
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“Tyler,” I said softly
“What if it’s another Josh? There are like a hundred Joshes, right? I think you should trust her.”
“She’s been texting a lot lately.”
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“Lila loves you, ty. And I’m not just saying that, I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”
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He let out a low breath. “You’re right. Maybe I’m overthinking things.”
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“Definitely,” I said. “Now cheer up. You have a lot of annoying to do.” He finally laughed, getting up to rejoin the group.
“Thanks, Maya.” He nudged at my shoulder.
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Everyone shifted back into their usual chaos. Riley fell asleep on Chase’s shoulder.
Logan and Chase argued about who cheated in the last game.
Emma was already writing a packing list. Typical Emma.
Tyler kept making his funny comments and Jayden kept staring at me like he wanted to kidnap me and hide me from the world. I knew he was really mad at me, going to talk to him would only make it worse.
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I really love them all. I don't know what I'll do without them.
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