18
Mysti
Ryder racedaround the campsite like a child who’d eaten all his Christmas candy in one sitting: arms outstretched, a massive smile on his face, and the crown of wildflowers I’d made for myself sitting atop the mess of brown hair on his head. He jumped over the fire pit and landed on both feet in front of me, only to turn around and shake his ass in my face.
“Eww! Ryder!” I swatted him on the butt, but couldn’t keep the laughter out of my voice. Not when he grabbed my hand as it collided with the fabric of his shorts and held it there, jerking backward into it like some crazy booty dance.
“Aw yeah, aw yeah! We’re the winners! We’re the winners!”
“Competitive much?” I asked, yanking my hand from his grasp.
“Come on, baby. That’s what I live for!”
I rolled my eyes so hard, I swear I could see behind me. I was tempted to ask what Fallon thought of his competitive streak, but I could guess the answer to that. She and Luna hadn’t stopped yelling at each other since the scavenger hunt started. I’d heard them over Ryder’s own yells, Fallon squealing every time she found something on the list and Luna egging her on.
While Ryder continued dancing around like a lunatic, I grabbed my cooler and opened it up. Trenton had made us both smoothies, and I’d packed a couple bottles of beer. I wasn’t much of a day drinker, but dealing with Ryder? It would definitely put me there. I fingered a bottle of my favorite brew, then snagged a water instead. But I hadn’t even twisted the cap off before Mae came running toward camp.
“Help! Help!” She stumbled over a tree root and tumbled to the ground, but picked herself up within seconds to continue racing our way.
Dropping my water, I pushed off my seat and chased after Ryder toward Mae. She stumbled again, and in my desperation to reach her, I almost fell too.
“What’s wrong?” Ryder arrived at her side first, but his question and his hand on her back did little to prompt her to speak. She was bent over, hands on her knees, heaving out deep breaths.
Mae’s hands and legs were covered with dirt, and twigs and leaves clung to her clothes and hair. There was a smear of mud across her face as well as something that looked like blood.
“Mae, sweetie,” I said, bending down to look her in the eye, “what’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“Miller.” That was all she got out before she sucked in a sharp breath and collapsed to her knees. “Oh my God.”
Crouching in the dirt beside her, I took her arm and tried to direct her attention to me. “Mae, I need you to tell me what’s going on. What’s wrong with Miller?”
Her bottom lip trembled when she finally looked up at me, and I could see unshed tears in the corners of her eyes. “Help him!”
Without another word, she burst into tears. Ryder scooped her off the forest floor and carried her toward the camp. As he settled her in her camping chair, I snagged my water from the ground and brought it to her.
“What happened to Miller, Mae? Where is he at?”
“He fell.” She paused to take a drink, but choked and started coughing. I patted her on the back until she got control of her breath, and when she spoke, her voice shook. “He fell off the cliff.”
“What?”
“What do you mean?” Ryder asked, drawing her attention from me. “How far did he fall? Is he okay?”
Mae stammered out a response, but my heart was beating loudly in my ears and I couldn’t make out a single word she said. I turned my gaze in the direction she’d come from, but caught movement between the trees closer to where Luna had said Trenton and Miller had gone.
“Miller?” I leaped to my feet and took off in their direction. Trenton and Carson had Miller’s arms thrown over their shoulders and they were half-helping, half-dragging him back to the camp. “What happened? What can I do?”
“First-aid kit,” Trenton said, just a grunt, as Carson shifted Miller’s arm around his shoulder.
I raced back to camp and dragged my kit out of our tent. They were sitting Miller down in Mae’s chair when I turned around.
“What happened?” I asked again as I knelt before Miller and opened the kit.
His eyes seemed to cross before they finally focused on me. His lips twisted into what I hoped was a smile, but he looked so pained it was hard to tell.
“I don’t… know?” He shook his head, only to grab it between both hands. Trenton grabbed one hand and pulled it away.
“Don’t touch, man. We need to get that cleaned up.” Trenton took an alcohol-soaked cotton pad from me and gently dabbed at the back of Miller's head.