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Anger.
No, no, that's too harsh. Jealousy is a good word for it but it doesn't quite capture what she's feeling.
In any case, Abigail is roiling with something. She clenches her fists and sucks in a deep breath as the image of his lips on hers crosses her mind again, his hands roaming over her back and how she so eagerly plopped herself on his lap. She just doesn't understand - why would she do that?
Abi mutters this to herself, holding her arms around her body. There it is again: lips melding together, the most barely contained noises coming from their throats-
"Aargh!" Abi grunts to herself, shaking her head to push the image away. No matter what she does, however, it keeps on creeping back, like a particularly annoying cockroach. It just hurts. She likes Nick, she knows this, and she's sure she would like to kiss him very much, but the more she thinks about the situation the more her stomach turns with uncertainty. What if he doesn't like me after all..?
No, that can't be right. It can't be right. He seemed nothing short of interested that afternoon, interesting in what she does, what she says, her, but then that stupid kiss resurfaces again - he kissed back because he had to, didn't he?
Kaitlyn said 'kiss', not 'make out with'.
Oh, this is so painful.
"Abi! Abi, you out here?"
Shit, that's him!
The lilt of his accent is less pronounced as he shouts after her, and to his credit, he sounds incredibly concerned. Maybe he was just playing the game, after all. Abi can't exactly blame him for kissing Emma back the way he did - she's drop-dead gorgeous and God knows those lips are like heaven on Earth.
"Abi!"
She's not sure how to feel about the whole situation. It's like a giant, lumpy ball of messy feelings. Being alone to stew in her feelings would probably be a good idea if she was back at the lodge, but she isn't. She's in a creepy forest in the dark and the guy she likes that hurt her feelings is trying to find her, presumably to make up for said hurt feelings and to get her back to civilisation. Taking one last look around the woods, she cups her hands around her mouth.
"Nick! I'm here!"
~~~~
The past ten minutes have gone from great to the definition of a waking nightmare.
Nick found her, and they went to that log they hung out by earlier that day. He sat close… probably closer than the situation warranted. The warmth his body generated wasn't unwanted, though, and she inched just the tiniest bit closer. He said that he likes her. A lot. Like, a lot. And it made Abi's gut twist into a million knots. She had glanced down at his lips, so tantalisingly close, and it seemed like he was waiting for her to make her move. After just a moment of hesitation, Abi had leaned closer, so close , close enough to feel his breath on her face-
Something roared in the distance. The both of them snapped back, broken out of the moment by the bone-chilling noise. It was some awful mix of human and animal and it made every single hair on the back of Abi's neck stand on end. Slowly, the both of them rose from their seats and moved to where the noise came from - a really, really stupid move in hindsight. She cursed the lost opportunity to kiss Nick, but weirdly enough, she found that she was almost glad for the interruption.
Then Nick was attacked. And the last thing on her mind was some stupid dare.
~~~~
The night went from bad to worse. Now there's hunters running around, planning to do God knows what to them, the safety of the lodge is compromised and though Nick seems to be doing fine physically, he's been acting… strange. Prying, grilling Abi on her and her feelings. He said he was glad that she tried to help him, though it was for nothing in the end. Then Dylan walks out of the radio hut and he's missing a fucking hand, and then Kaylee's corpse is in the pool!
Horror is cascading around them like a torrential downpour. It just gets worse when Nick, who she had grabbed onto for comfort at seeing one of Mister Hackett's kids reduced to a lifeless corpse floating around in the pool, tightened his grip on her. Didn't allow her to move even an inch away. He placed his nose firmly in her hair, smelling deeply, followed by a 'You smell so good.' It was like a growl, coming from deep in his throat, and Abi's not sure why he thinks now is a good time to flirt (if that even was flirting?) but in any case she is deeply uncomfortable. She tries to pull away but he holds her close, right up against his body.
"I wanna taste you," Nick says and his fingers tighten around her shoulders to a painful degree, and now Abi is officially freaked out by every single thing around her. In a panic, she manages to push Nick into the pool, the pool with a corpse in it, and the moment he resurfaces he's downright screeching. Like he's in pain. Everyone's in too much shock to help him, to pull him out of the pool, but he eventually makes it out himself, and he quickly shuffles away from it like he fell into acid.
Kaitlyn is the first to speak up.
"Shit! Nick, you okay?"
Nick doesn't respond, instead staring blankly ahead. His eyes have glossed over, and Abi thinks that he didn't hear Kaitlyn at all.
"Come on," Kaitlyn says, "let's get inside. Dylan, I'll wrap that up for you." She turns her gaze to Abi, and the look she's giving her is a mix between apologetic and pleading. "Could you..?"
Picking up on her meaning, Abi sighs and walks to where Nick was sitting, helping him stand and leading him into the pool house.
That dare and that moment on the log feel so far away now.
~~~~
A moment of reprieve. The storm cellar is almost too calm. If she was alone she'd probably be a lot more scared, but Emma's presence is calming. Her can-do positive attitude certainly helps, despite the situation. Finding her in the minivan was nothing short of a Godsend.
Despite this, it's quiet. And the quiet gives Abigail some time to think. To reflect on the events of the night. Her mind flashes to the gun, Nick's body flying back, him groaning and yelling until his skin seems to explode off of him and he runs out of the window into the wilderness. She feels… conflicted. She's glad that Nick didn't exactly… die, when she shot him, but she feels that doing so was necessary. It scared him off. Considering how he threw her across the room the moment before, if she had hesitated just a second longer…
Abi shakes the thought away. She's here, now, alive with her best friend. Waiting out the night until the sun comes out and everything goes back to normal.
Normal. Huh. What a funny concept. The last normal thing she remembers is moping in the woods because Emma kissed Nick, which was a lifetime ago.
Emma kissed Nick… that thought brings up the turning in her stomach again. It probably shouldn't have bothered her so much. But then she thinks back further, to stuff that shouldn't matter right now, to Jacob and Emma sneaking off to the boathouse (they weren't exactly subtle) and she feels it again. Then to Emma, jokingly asking to be drawn by her, and though the question would usually irritate her, strangely enough, Abi found herself saying Sure. Found herself committing every single delicate curve of her friend's face to memory, so she wouldn't need this muse around to be able to fill the pages. And that she did - page after page, a portrait, a candid moment, those delicate, dainty hands captured in light pencil strokes…
Those memories replace the heavy feeling in her stomach with something light and fluttery. And then, the kiss returns, and the fluttery feeling is hindered by weight again, but this time it's different, having previously thought of being in her friend's place, but then she thinks of her face, those lips she's drawn a million times, the fullness of them being something she just needs to experience and-
Oh.
Oh shit.
In just that same moment, Abi is snapped out of her reverie by Emma waving a hand in front of her face. "Uh, Earth to Abi? Blink once if you're still breathing, two for no." Abi blinks once, then shakes her head, and finally remembers where she is.
"Oh, thank God, I was kinda worried for a sec. Couldn't tell if you were completely spaced out or if you found a lot of comfort staring at me." Emma winks and Abi feels her face flush completely in embarrassment, having not realised that she spent however long stewing on her feelings staring at her best friend. Emma laughs at the horrified expression on Abi's face. "I don't blame you," she says, trying to ease Abi's nerves. It works, just a little bit, but considering the realisation Abi just had she's not sure if she'll ever be able to ease her tension in the presence of her friend now.
"What's on your mind?" Emma asks, more seriously than before. Abi shrugs.
"Stuff. Things." Abi mentally kicks herself for her lack of eloquence. Emma raises an eyebrow.
"Stuff and things that important?" she comments, just the smallest of laughs hidden in her voice. Abi just sighs, shoulders sagging.
"I was thinking about before. All this, I mean," Abi explains, gesturing at nothing in particular to mean fuckin' werewolves. Emma's face becomes serious at this, and she stares intently at Abi as she waits for her to continue. It takes everything for Abi not to squirm.
"Just… The party, and everything… It feels like so long ago now." Emma nods in agreement, and there's just a hint of sadness in her expression. She's good at covering up her emotions around others but around Abi she lets herself slip, just a little bit. It's a privilege she cherishes. Abi's certain Emma went after Jacob after that dare went awry, and she can't help but feel just a little bit curious, even if she might not enjoy the answer she gets.
"What happened with you and Jacob after that?" Abi asks, and it's Emma's turn to shrug.
"We had a little fun. Skinnydipped a little. But he just… he knows it won't work out. I wish he could accept that, y'know?" Emma sighs, resigned. Then, after a moment, quietly, "I hope he's okay."
"Me too," Abi responds, and Emma looks surprised, as if she didn't think anyone else could hear that last part. Emma clears her throat, eager to move on from her clingy summer fling.
"So, before all this," Emma gestures vaguely with one hand, similar to how Abi did earlier, and she interprets it to mean This fucking shitshow of a night, "did you and Nick…?" She waggles her eyebrows, leaving her sentence unfinished in a double entendre. Abi blanches just the slightest bit, the pain at the back of her head returning at the thought of him. How he tossed her effortlessly across the room in a fit of rage. And when she looked in those eyes… She didn't see Nick anymore. All she saw was hunger. In that moment, she truly feared for her life. It wasn't until after she had pulled the trigger that she realised what she had done.
That wasn't the question, she chastises herself. She thinks back, farther, to an eternity ago, to the Nick with kind, sweet eyes and wide yet narrow smile and his warm breath on her face as she leaned in. If she were to describe the memory now, it'd be sour.
"I guess not," Emma says, a mix of disappointment and something else Abi can't quite place in her expression. Abi must look like she's tasted something sour too considering she didn't need to answer her friend.
"I want you to know that I wasn't, like, trying to be a bitch or a shitty friend by kissing him," Emma explains after a moment, "I was hoping that it would, like, spur you on to finally make a move. You've liked him the whole summer, Abi, I just wanted you to have a good last night with him considering you might never see him again." Emma folds her arms over her chest.
"I think I wanted to," Abi says. After a moment, she clarifies, "Kiss him, I mean, when we were alone in the woods."
"But..?"
"But… Something just… didn't feel right." Abi musters up the will to tell a joke. "And it wasn't because of the werewolves." Emma smiles, seemingly happy that Abi could find humour in the whole fucked up situation.
"When the opportunity came for me to make my move, I just… wasn't sure if that was what I wanted. The moment was perfect! We were alone, in the moonlight, and God, Em, he was so warm-" Emma smirks at the admission, "But it didn't seem like the right thing to do because, well… because of him."
Emma's smile drops, and now she looks nothing short of confused. Abi quickly pushes on: "Not because I don't like him, it's because I didn't want to kiss him."
Emma looks away, considering. Then she looks at her friend again, staring deeply into her eyes, her soul, and she says: "I don't understand."
It's quiet between them, for a moment. One could hear a pin drop in the silence. Abi decides that it's now or never.
"The thing is, Em…" Abi steels herself, taking in a deep breath. Her friend tilts her head. "I wasn't jealous because I wanted to kiss Nick." Emma raises an eyebrow. "I wanted to kiss you." The other brow raises to join the first, and for the first time that night, Emma looks genuinely surprised at something unrelated to the werewolves. Abi looks away, feeling her face radiate heat in the cold of the storm cellar.
"Is that so?" Emma says, the corners of her lips quirking up. It's a genuine smile forming on her face, not a cheeky grin or a sly smirk she's accustomed to putting on. She rises from her seat.
"Uh, yeah…" Abi responds, still not looking at her friend. She realised the consequences of her admission just a moment too late - what if she just ruined their friendship over this? Over her silly feelings for her friend that feel so inconsequential compared to everything else they've faced tonight? Shit, shit, shit!
"That clears up things," Emma says, her hand suddenly on Abi's chin, moving her face so she's looking at her directly. Abi's eyes widen, just a little bit fearful, until she sees the look on Emma's face. It's flirty, no doubt, but so damn genuine that it makes Abi's heart flutter.
"I mean," Emma starts, her hand sliding up to cup Abi's cheek, "why else would you stare at my lips for so long?" Tongue-in-cheek, Abi thinks, and she finds herself smiling. Emma brings up her other hand, cupping Abi's other cheek. Now, Abi's eyes roam freely over Emma's face, from the slope of her nose down to those infuriating lips. In the edge of her vision, she can see Emma doing the same.
"Go on then," Emma whispers, leaning in close, their noses just barely touching. "Kiss me."
Abi's breath hitches, and she hesitates. All of a sudden she's back on that log, hours ago, ready to take the leap. She wants to. This time she really wants to.
With one last glance between Emma's eyes and her lips, Abi closes the distance between them.
And for maybe the first time that night, everything went right.