Elona’s POV
We woke up a bit early. Cris was herself but seemed to be a little distant. I guess that the wallpaper on my phone really made her think that her father was choosing me over her. That is far from it. I wish that I could tell her the truth, but if she is this distant, then how would she actually react when we tell her the truth?
I really don’t want to lose her as a friend, we came a long way and to lose that over her father? I don’t want to think about it. I sucked in a breath, I was dressed in comfortable black sports leggings and a pink cropped top. Cris took what she needed, “I will meet you outside,” she said, before she crawled out of the tent.
I got on my knees and scratched in my backpack. I do not hear them, usually I do, so I throw all the contents out of my backpack. I rummage through them. It’s not there. I move to my duffel bag and I throw all of my clothes out too. I rummaged through them again. Nothing. I get to my other bag and I do the same… but nothing.
“No, no, no, this can’t be happening,” my heart beat rapidly as I searched through all of my things again. “It has to be here,” I said to myself as I began to panic. But I still haven’t found it.
I crawled out of the tent and walked to where Cris was. It was a chilly morning, the weather was overcast. I didn’t care about anyone else as I walked towards her as she sipped a mug of coffee, she was standing by a little fire.
“Cris, have you seen any pills?” I asked, trying not to sound panicked.
She furrowed her brows. “No, what kind of pills? Maybe I can help look for them.” her demeanor totally changed now as concern etched on her face.
“Have you seen them or not?” I nearly hissed at her impatiently out of panic. I ran my fingers through my loose hair as I looked at the surrounding ground, hoping that it would magically appear.
“Come on, let’s go look for it,” she said as she walked past me and I followed after her as we looked on the ground as we made our way to the entrance of the campsite where the buses were parked. Cris jogged towards Tristan who was looking down at his phone because this is where he got signal. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and another cargo three-quartered pants.
“Dad!” Cris called out as we jogged towards him. He looked up from his phone as we came to a stop in front of him. “Have you seen any pills?”
His brows furrowed, “No, what kind of pills are you looking for?” he asked.
“Elona is looking for them,” I heard her say as I continued to search the ground.
“What kind of pills, Elona?” he asked, and I looked up at him.
“Just pills, if you see them on the ground or somewhere, I need them,” I said as I ran my fingers through my hair again.
“Are you okay? Are you sick?” Do you have a headache?” he moved closer to me, concern etched on his face as my panic didn’t subside at all, my heart was racing, it felt as if everything was drowning out. “Elona?” I felt his hand gently against my arm.
“Um… I just need them. I take them every day, I just need them,” my breath nearly hitched as I said the last part when the dull ache made itself known in my lower abdomen. I walked away toward the bus and searched there. But they were not here either. Why is this happening to me now?
“I will look inside the bus,” Tristan walked towards me with the bus keys in his hands that he got from the bus driver who was not on the campsite with us. I let out a slow breath, trying to calm myself down as I stood behind the bus. Cris didn’t bother helping me look as she sat on one step of a small building as she was on her phone far across from me. I waited for Tristan, and then eventually he came to the back. “There are no pills,” he said.
“I must’ve left them at home, thank you,” I responded.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I just walked away from him all the way back to the campsite. How could I be so irresponsible? Now I will suffer the consequences of leaving my pills at home. Hopefully, I get home in time to take them tomorrow.
As we made our way to the campsite, Miss Jennings was gathering everyone around. This distracted me a bit, but it didn’t lessen the dull ache that I was feeling. I hugged myself as I stood with everyone else. Cris and Tristan were there too.
“We will be playing volleyball. Everyone will participate. Boys and girls will be teamed up together. Mr Crane, you’re on our team-”
“Oh for fucks sake,” I heard him mutter further away from me as some students giggled at his response. My ache was not helping much. I hugged myself tighter. I closed my eyes. Please, just let me get through this camp. I said to myself in my mind.
“Elona, you’re on Team B!” that snapped me out of it.
“You’re with me then,” Cris stood beside me now as everyone else went to their teams. The net had already been set up, so we were already on our side. “Are you okay?” Cris asked.
“Yeah,” I replied softly as I tied my hair up into a high ponytail.
“Just let me know if you aren’t.” she was concerned about me.
“I will,” I forced a smile.
Miss Johnson and Mr Adams were on our team. My gaze found Tristan’s, concern etched on his face as he watched me intently, and then I broke eye contact as we got into position. The ball started flying over the net back and forth. I took a deep breath as I saw the ball flying my way, pushing aside the discomfort as I focused on the game ahead. It wasn’t too bad, just a dull ache that I could bear.
My muscles moved with fluidity as I dove for the ball and sent it soaring back over the net. With each movement, I felt the pain in my abdomen intensify, but I refused to let it slow me down. Tristan watched me from the other side of the net, his gaze filled with concern as he noticed my slight grimace. I offered him a reassuring smile, silently willing myself to push through the pain.
As the game progressed, I found myself growing stronger, the adrenaline pumping through my veins driving me forward. Despite the discomfort, I fought with everything I had. Miss Jennings nearly fell to the back and Tristan caught her in time. She held onto him with a smile as he helped her to stand up straight and to check if she was fine standing on her own. She was perfectly fine, I just did not like her one bit. I hugged myself again with the pain.
“Another round!” Miss Jennings called out and got into position, but Tristan was still watching me intently with concern.
The ball was flying over the net again, but this time, it came straight to me, and I wasn’t prepared. But as I lunged for the ball, a sudden shove from behind sent me crashing to the ground with my face nearly in the sand, leaves, and twigs. I had landed on my front, squeezing my eyes shut as pain sneered through me. Stunned, I lay there for a moment, the breath knocked out of me as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. But the pain was a bit worse now. I tried to breathe.
“Elona, are you alright?!” Tristan called out from the other side of the net.
“Are you hurt?” Cris was now beside me as she gripped my arm and helped me up. It was a bit difficult to breathe, but I sucked it up as I stood up straight, and then I saw the culprit. It was Grace who shoved me, her eyes filled with jealousy and resentment. Anger flared within me, but I forced myself to remain calm, refusing to let her actions dictate my response.
As I got into position with Tristan’s concerned gaze fixed on me, I took a deep breath. Ignoring the pain that shot through my body, I was not going to let Grace push me down. I won’t allow her to ruin my day any further as it is already ruined. Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I blinked them away. I just needed to get home.
Despite the setback with each volley and each spike, I poured all of my energy into the game, refusing to back down in the face of adversity. As the final point was scored and the game came to an end, I felt a sense of pride wash over me. Despite the challenges I faced, I persevered, proving to myself and others that I was stronger than I ever imagined. We won.
As I walked away from the volleyball court that they had created in their way, Tristan approached me, a look of concern still etched across his features. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.
I smiled, nodding in reassurance. “I’m fine,” I replied, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. “Just another day with some classmates.” I walked further ahead of him as I wanted to breathe and be alone.
“You don’t look fine to me,” he caught up to me.
My breathing was heavy, still from the game. “I will be fine.”
“Did she hurt you? I will have a word with her because that was the second time she has done that,” Tristan said, as I took a seat on a log of the tree. He crouched down in front of me, holding a water bottle in his hand. “I brought this for you,” he held it out to me.
I took it from him, “Thanks, I’m fine. Just in a little pain but I’m fine,” I looked up into his gaze, there was so much worry in them. I uncapped the bottle and gulped down some water, and then I capped it closed again.
“If you need anything, please let me know. I am your boyfriend and I want to take care of you. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I saw you in pain before the shove, and you happened to look for pills, so if those are painkillers, you need to tell me. I can get some painkillers for you.”
“I only use those specific pills, but I will be fine,” I gave him a small smile.
“I think you should get some rest,” he suggested.
“I think so too,” I said.
“Mr Crane! You are needed!” Miss Jennings’ voice echoed in the air.
“I wish that she could just leave me alone. I wish I had never signed up for this, but here we are.” he hissed, and then his expression softened as his gaze found mine again. “Will you be okay?” he asked as he placed a hand on my leg.
I nodded, “Yes, I will be fine. Go see what she needs help with, otherwise, we won’t hear the end of it,” I smiled weakly, I just wanted to be alone so that I could deal with the pain on my own.
“Just let me know if you need anything. Or let Cris know.”
“I will,” he leaned in closer, but stopped himself, as we were not alone on the campsite. He stood up and then walked to where Miss Jennings was.
I was still in pain, so I took a deep breath and drank the water that Tristan had given me. The cool air blew against my skin, which was damp with sweat and dirt from the sand. I needed to wash myself in the bathroom facilities later, but I hoped that sleep would make this pain go away. How could I not pack those pills in? They were very important.