"Hazel wait! It's not what you think, Please!" Croy's frantic screams echoed through the woods. I picked up speed and sprinted until I reached the camp. Once in the cabin, I collapsed on my cot face down. Tears flooded my face as I cried soft, gurgled sobs.
"Hazel? What happened!?" Myra asked, concern prominent in her tone. She walked over and took a seat on the edge of my cot. I sat up and tossed my arms around her; she didn't push me away. "What happened, why are you crying?" she asked again as she patted my back.
"Croy's an asshole and a liar." I sobbed as I glanced down at the worn floor.
"Why do you say that? Did you two have a fight or something?"
"He's been cheating on me." I managed to croak as I wiped my nose with a tissue from the box that was on my desk. My eyes were all puffy and red.
"I know that can't be right, Croy is utterly in lo..." she stopped before finishing her sentence.
"Croy really likes you Hazel, more than he's liked anyone else. He told me so himself. Besides, you know that Croy doesn't like to lie, especially not to you." She reasoned as she tried to calm me.
"Well he took us both for a pair of fools..." I trailed off sadly.
"How are you so sure?"
"Because I met his other girlfriend." I whispered as I tried to contain my tears.
"Croy has another girlfriend? But I've only known of two girlfriends in Croy's life and that includes you. Other than you there was only one other girl that he dated, and she's nothing but trouble. What's her name...?" she asked after a few seconds.
"It's Violet." I uttered her name in a whisper. "Now I get why you were all so insistent on me staying away from her. You all knew about this and I was stupid to go along!" I huffed as I pulled away from her. Myra's eyes opened wide. Her complexion losing some of its color.
"Do you really think me capable of something like that?" she asked me seriously. A heavy silence settled between us then.
"No..." I admitted. "Sorry..." She shook her head when I apologized.
"You have to listen to me girl..." she began before placing her hands on my shoulders. "You cannot, for any reason, leave Violet alone with Croy. She's...unstable. By far the most dangerous person in this camp." she warned. "No matter what happens, never find yourself alone with her either. Don't believe anything she says. If you genuinely care for Croy, believe in him."
We both turned when a pair of rapid footsteps approached the cabin. Myra glanced over at the door. When she saw who it was, she let go of my shoulders and made her way out. "Don't forget what I told you." She reminded before disappearing out into the main field.
"Hazel." His voice rang through my ears like a dog whistle.
"Go away..." I muttered as I turned away from him. The floorboards creaked as he approached my cot and sat next to me.
"Please listen to me." he begged as he placed his hand over mine. I slapped it away.
"Don't touch me!" I snapped. His skin made mine burn. He'd always made it hard to concentrate. After a few seconds, I took in a deep breath. "Talk." I instructed monotonously.
"Okay, I may not have told you everything, but let me just say that she's not my girlfriend. Not anymore..." he trailed off. I glared at him.
"So she WAS your girlfriend?" My heart cringed as he nodded reluctantly.
"We were together in the past, but that was before I met you. I've never cheated on you, I swear!" he said as he leaned in closer to me. I leaned back instinctively. After a small pause, he took in a deep breath as if to steady himself.
"It all began years ago. When I was 12 I had a best friend. His name was Bryan. We were drill partners for about a year until Jason arrived. We hung out a lot, shared food. We even spent free period together almost every night. We remained friends for a few years until I turned 14. That was the year she arrived..." He trailed off.
"Bryan fell for her instantly. I'd never seen him so infatuated with a girl before. I didn't really care. I wasn't interested in dating. I cheered him on, told him to go for it if he really wanted to. Still, Bryan never told me the one crucial piece of information that I should've knownâwho she was." He paused.
"What does this have to do with us?" I asked him impatiently.
"Just...listen." He urged. "On this day, about three years ago, I was chilling in that same meadow. A girl that had just transferred in, got lost in the woods and ended up there by mistake. We talked for a bit and when we were about to head back, out of nowhere, she kissed me. I had no girlfriend, no commitment at the time and was open to any idea that could help kill time. So I kissed her back..." he trailed off, his eyes distant as he sifted through his memories.
"That girl was the one that my friend Bryan was in love with. He went to look for me and saw us kissing. After that, he stopped talking to me. He believed I betrayed him. I guess in a way I sort of did." He muttered. "He got promoted to Sargent a few months after the commander passed away and made it his mission to fuck with me. His full name is Bryan Scaggot." My eyes widened. I was certainly not expecting that turn of events. "And that girl that I kissed, she insisted and insisted, so I said yes and agreed to date her after a few weeks. That girl that Scaggot fell in love with was Violet." I blinked, completely overwhelmed by the barrage of information that he'd just dumped on me.
"While it's true that we have history, it's also true that I got with her to kill time. I didn't love her or anything. I thought she was pretty, but that was about it. We were together for a few months, until she began acting weird. She was extremely jealous, violent. She would constantly hit me and yell at me." He admitted as he glanced at his boots. "It may sound stupid to say that I was even a little scared of her..." He trailed off as he messed with is hair.
"Violet has a superiority complex. She believes that she's better than everyone else." He muttered as he glanced back at me.
"Why though? Isn't she locked away like the rest of us?" I managed to ask, a bit calmer now. Croy shook his head.
"No she isn't. Violet's grandfather is the owner of this camp, he's the one who had it re-furnished and opened. Her dad is also a wealthy and prestigious man and her mother comes from a family of power too. They're the biggest donors this camp has..."
"Then why is she here?" I asked. At this point I was at the edge of my cot, anxiety making my leg shake. This was all too much. It was like I was stuck in a soap opera.
"When they had Violet, her parents were thrilled. Her mother was said to be infertile, so it was a miracle that she was able to conceive. For the first few years everything was great for the couple and their daughter, but as she began to grow, they noticed that her attitude was changing. She was becoming violent and antisocial. She would always disobey. Even though they'd discipline her, every day she got worse.
One day, her parents got a call saying that she'd been arrested for shoplifting and that it wasn't the first time. The police warned them that the next time she was caught, they were going to take her to juvenile hall. Her father didn't want her to be locked away, so he contacted his father and made him a proposal. If he would allow his daughter to enroll, he would become one of the camp's donors and fund any expenses he might have. He also made sure to hire professors and highly trained personnel to educate the kids in the camp.
He wanted this to be a place where his daughter could be confined and kept out of trouble, but he also wanted it to be a place where she could get the finest education possible."
"What about the commander?" I blurted out. "He was the head before the warden but he didn't own it. He knew Violet's grandfather because they served together."
I took in a deep breath. "Wow." I muttered.
"It's a lot to take in, I know. That's why I held off on telling you. She pretty much does what she wants with no repercussions like Scaggot."
"So why did you two break up?" I asked, my fingers curled around the edge of the cot.
"We broke up because of her attitude. She's sadistic and cynical and wouldn't let anyone get near me. We constantly fought. When I broke up with her she went insane. She was in denial about it being over and made my life a living hell. Shortly after that you transferred in..."
There was a long silence between us then. "Wow, who would have thought she was such a psycho?" I muttered.
"That's why when we got together, I told you to be yourself. I was really afraid you would change, but you're different..." he trailed off. "I began liking you for your personality. You were never a game to me or a way to kill time. I didn't date anyone for two years because of Violet. She was the reason why I kept myself from being interested in anyone, but when you came along, it was like a magnetic pull. I was drawn to you, I couldn't help it." He admitted as he took my hands in his. My face turned pink.
"The reason I didn't want anyone to find out about us was because of her. I was afraid she would try something against you if she found out. So you must listen to me. Please, stay away from her, she's dangerous." I placed a hand on his cheek, his face was full of concern.
"I'm sorry for doubting you." I apologized. He shook his head.
"It was my fault. I should've told you everything from the beginning. We could've avoided this entire situation." He paused. "Tomorrow, I'll let everyone know about us." He said definitively. My eyes widened
"You don't have to do that. If you think it's best not to tell people, then don't force yourself."
He shook his head "I want everyone to know that I...lo..." his sentence was interrupted by a loud scream. We turned to each other bewildered before jumping to our feet and making our way outside to see what was happening.