{SCE} A Fine Mess I'm In

[Ashley Benson]

"No! No! No!"  Ashley scrambled after the small, plastic bottle as it clattered across the rocks of a small small ridge adjacent to a swiftly running river.  She'd been walking along the river, taking in the sights, smells and sounds of the forest by herself when her watch alarm had gone off, signalling the time for her to take one of her many medications.  She had grown complacent listening to the water rush against the rocks beside her and wasn't paying attention.  She'd stumbled over her own feet just as she'd dug the pill bottle from her ever-present bag and sent the much needed medication tumbling to the forest floor.

Ashley, not being the most coordinated or forest-ready of people, slipped in the soft soil and found herself face down on the ground as the bottle bounced out of view.  In a near panic, Ashley lunged forward on hands and knees to the edge and peered down, her heart pounding in her chest.  She blew a sigh of relief as she spotted the bottle nestled in a cluster of rocks a few feet below.  It was a bit out of her reach but at least it hadn't tumbled into the river.  That would have been an utter disaster.

Slowly Ashley inched along on her stomach, reaching out as she precariously hung over the edge, arm outstretched.  The bottle was further down the steep ridge than she had thought at first and soon she was using a rock dug into the ground as support as she desperately tried to get her fingers around the bottle.  The precious container was nearly in her grasp when the rock she was pressed against gave way.  With a yelp of surprise, Ashley slipped forward and nearly tumbled down the ridge and into the water.


Thankfully, she'd managed to get her hands around a (hopefully) stable rock and the thick root of a plant that was jutting out of the soil.  She tried to pull herself up but her sneakers kept slipping through the mud, unable to gain traction.    Mind racing, she looked around.  She was now in a panic but the flash of emotion was quickly tempered as she heard footsteps drawing closer.  "Help!"  She yelped from her vantage point, clinging to the muddy bank.  "Someone?  Anyone!?"

[Quinn Wiley]

Most students here seemed to have something in common, other than being a 'difficult' kid: they didn't want to be here. For that reason, most of them found an excuse to leave the camp and wander on their own, away from the others. It was perhaps the reason why Quinn more often stayed at the camp. It seemed easier to avoid people. Except you couldn’t avoid Charity and her overly joyful nature. She was the reason why he decided to wander off.

Quinn had been walking through woods before but he never lived an experience such as this one. And, frankly, he wouldn’t be sad never doing that again. For now however, he had to accept his fate and pray this would be over soon.

‘Help’ Quinn heard. He stopped in his tracks, looking around for whoever said that. He didn't notice anyone but it was not like he had been looking carefully. He started to think that perhaps he was mistaken, that it was just someone or something that moved nearby. He was ready to go back to his thoughts but the voice came out again and this time he could not pretend it to be just the wind or an animal snapping a twig under its feet. Unless the wind could say something that sounded like ‘someone’. Still, Quinn could not see who said it.

He walked in direction of where he believed the voice came from, looking around for the figure of some girl dealing with... well who knows what she might be dealing with. He half expected her to just be stuck with a big, scary spider or something, even though he knew the people here were supposed to be the ‘special cases’ of Bellefonte. He certainly did not expect to see a girl dangling from a ridge, panic in her eyes as she tried to pull herself out of this.

“How the hell did you get there?” he let out as he kneeled in front of her. He grabbed her arm, ready to pull her back on the ground.

[Ashley Benson]

Ashley couldn't remember the last time another person's presence was met with relief and joy as opposed to uncertainty and fear When she caught sight of the eyes peering curiously down to her she exhaled sharply. It had been years since she'd swam and she didn't want to test out how well she'd retained that skill in the rushing current beneath her. She didn't tense or flinch when she felt the hand upon her arm but her eyes did widen with a second bout of panic. "I need-" The bottle that had gotten her into this mess was still just out of reach. Luckily she had disturbed it from its spot in the cluster of rocks as she tumbled down. Even in her panicked state, however, Ashley knew there was little she could do while she clung perilously to the ridge and used the offered hand to help climb her way up to safety.

"Thank you." She breathed, her chest heaving as she clung, shivering to Quinn. Her arms had came around him for security as she was pulled from the ridge and she had barely realized she hadn't let go. Her mind swam and the world started to roll and spin around her. "I'm okay." She muttered, although the pale look on her face spoke otherwise.

Her crystal blue eyes sharpened after just a few moments of wooziness and she pulled away from the boy to crawl over to the edge of the ridge. Under normal circumstances the contact would have been enough to send her running screaming into the woods like she was being chased by a hockey mask-clad killer but there were other, more important things on her mind. "There." She said, continuing her monosyllabic approach to social interaction. She pointed out the small, orange bottle that had landed her in trouble. If only she was a little taller she could reach it.

"I, um." She sat up onto her knees and looked up to Quinn. It suddenly occurred to her how crazy she must be looking right about now. Well. She thought. If the shoe fits. "I need my medication." She explained slowly, her voice low and uncertain, even though she'd rarely spoken truer words. "I get real sick without it."

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn did not see the bottle, all he saw was the girl. Even if he were to notice it, he thought she was in enough trouble like this it wasn’t worth risking more her life for it. Especially since she could also risk his. If she didn’t help him get her up, he could lose his grip. He could also slide and end up in the same situation as she was in. All he wanted was to pull her up and then he could tell her she was crazy to nearly kill herself for a little bottle.

She finally worked with him to get her up. The adrenaline must be what caused her to breathe loudly because Quinn felt more or less the same and he knew it was not the physical effort that really tired him. Seeing her dangling there caused his heart to beat much faster and now it was slowly trying to return to a more normal rhythm. He feared for a moment, when she grabbed him, that he would fall over but he managed to fall on his back instead. She was now safe and sound but he realised she didn’t let go. “It’s okay now, you’re safe,” he let out, the tone not reassuring at all. He was more trying to make her understand that she could let go. She better let go.

When she finally did however, she didn’t just roll over and tried to calm her heartbeat. “The hell!? You trying to fall again, ‘cause I won’t get you back,” he let out as she noticed she was looking down where she had been previously dangling. One near-death experience was not enough, she needed to have another go at it so soon?

She was pointing at something and Quinn finally accepted to come and look too, though he still sighed heavily to show how much of a burden he considered her to be. She explained that she dropped her medication. He looked at it. Awesome. And how were they supposed to fetch it? “How did you manage that?”

[Ashley Benson]

So caught up in the fear of nearly tumbling into a rushing river to what would surely be her doom (slight exaggeration), and from almost losing the vital (no exaggeration) pills contained in the small, plastic bottle below, Ashley barely acknowledged the cold demeanor that came from the boy. Her mind was racing, threatening to make her dizzy again as she peered up to Quinn. She had managed to keep herself under control, although the near panic was clear in her eyes. "You don't understand." She said in a hushed tone. "I need it. If I don't take it..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish the statement as her gaze drifted back to the bottle.

Pushing the thoughts of what might happen should she miss a dose of her medication, Ashley pushed herself up off the ground and began brushing the dirt and mud from her jeans to no avail. She was caked in mud and grime, it had even gotten into her hair. She sighed and gave a resigned shrug and gave up. "I was just walking." She said, almost in protest. It wasn't her fault the bottle went tumbling down the ridge. It probably was, seeing as how there was no one else to blame but Ashley would maintain her innocence. "I tripped and dropped it." Her eyes closed and she sighed. That sounded so bad. It made her come off like a helpless girl even though, in this case, that's exactly what she was.

"Maybe if you could, I don't know..." She turned back to the task at hand. She figured if the boy had a power that would be useful here he would've used it already so they were going to be left solving this problem on their own. She felt the heat of her cheeks as she became more aware that she was viewed as nothing more than an inconvenience and kept her gaze from straying back to the boy, lest she catch his contemptuous gaze. "I'm already dirty. I can almost reach it if you could..." Again she trailed off, her already wounded pride making it difficult to outright ask for help. She took a deep breath and continued, knowing she had to do something and she couldn't do it alone. "If you could hold my feet I can get to it." She proposed, a hint of strength touching her voice.

[Quinn Wiley]

Not content that Quinn helped her out as she might just fall and possibly die, she was now telling him to risk his life for a bottle of pills. Quinn looked down again at it. He didn’t want to go down there. Was it so weird, considering what happened to her when she tried to reach for it? But a simple look at the girl told him she was ready to go crazy if she didn’t get those pills. They better not be drugs she took just for fun and really be a matter of life and death. If a sigh could relay a message, it certainly what his meant to tell her.

Okay, okay, she tripped and it fell off. Fine. But why did she choose to walk while taking it out of her pockets? Not that it would matter much as it was now down there and she was expecting him to fetch it for her. Because one rescue was not enough. Who would have thought Quinn could be a hero? Certainly not him and he’d be laughing at this if he didn’t have to get that stupid bottle.

“Alright, alright, I’ll hold you.” She was already covered in mud and he didn’t know how well she could hold him and pull him back if he was the one to go down. Then again, the urge to get her pills might make her super strong and drag him like he was nothing more than a rag doll. “Those better be vital,” he still let out as he worked to help her down.

[Ashley Benson]

Ashley's blue eyes flashed with relief as it washed over her. She nodded hastily. The poor boy had no idea how important those pills were to her. She knew her medication didn't work quite like some people might think and it probably wouldn't cause too much of a problem if she missed one dose but she feared the anxiety from doing so would certainly be detrimental, to say the least. And there was certainly no way she could go the rest of the trip without them. That would be bad news for everyone, especially her. "I'd really rather not die this week." She said, only slightly exaggerating the effects. It wasn't as if she didn't have other medications for conditions that could be fatal. "So, yes. They are important."

At Quinn's prompting Ashley took a deep breath and flattened herself out onto her stomach and slowly began to inch her way down along the side of the ridge. Her eyes briefly snapped to the rushing water before shifting back to focus upon her ultimate target. Carefully she inched forward, not caring about the extra mud and leaves she was picking up in her clothes, fingernails, and hair along the way. Creeping along she reached out, feeling very unsteady even with the boy's grip keeping her from tumbling down again.

Finally, after what seemed an agonizingly long time (or just a matter of seconds to some) and while dangling precariously over the edge (just a few feet, really), Ashley felt her fingers wrap around the smooth plastic of the bottle. "I got it!" She exclaimed with the first bit of emotions she'd displayed during the entire trip hinting in her voice. Without wasting a second she promptly wriggled her body so she could stuff the bottle into her sweater pocket and zipped it closed for safekeeping. "You can- Um." Her brow furrowed as she suddenly didn't want to come off as demanding or ungrateful. "I'm ready to come up now." She said meekly before using her hands to help push herself back

[Quinn Wiley]

If this girl was truly sick, those pills could be vital indeed. Quinn hoped it was that and not just some girl addicted to pills because he would then toss that bottle into the river as punishment. Because it would be way too much to just toss her. She claimed she would die without them. It could be overly dramatic but that sure made Quinn understand it would be best to get them, or at least try to. If not... he knew they had a phone, in case of emergency. What could be more urgent than that? For a moment, the thought of not letting her have her pills so that it would cancel the whole trip came to his mind but he shoved it aside. Such measures were a little extreme.

“If you’re that sick, what were they thinking getting you here?” he let out as he pulled her down. He had no idea if she could hear him and quite frankly was not expecting any reply. He simply wanted to word out how stupid a decision this had been. Quinn was not very strong. It probably would have been wiser to fetch some bulkier person to do this job. But they didn’t and Quinn was doing the best that he could to keep her as steady as possible while she went to fetch her medication bottle.

The time seemed just as long to Quinn. Every second felt like minutes but he finally heard her say that she got it. “Don’t drop it,” he warned her as he tried to pull her back again. Had she not been helping by pushing herself with her hands, Quinn probably wouldn’t have been able to get her to safety but she worked with him. The fact the panic was not there as much as when he first helped her also made it easier, even though the danger was the same. It was probably even more dangerous since, if she were to fall, she could break her neck instead of a leg. But it was not like Quinn thought about that when agreeing to this plan.

He found himself panting when they were done and he knew it was more an effect of the adrenaline that had his heart racing like crazy than the physical effort he had to pull. “If you want to drop your pills again, don’t come asking me again, okay?” he let out. He was not bitter but he sure didn’t want to do this every day of the trip.

[Ashley Benson]

"I don't know." Ashley had asked that question many times herself. This trip was supposed to be for 'trouble' students or ones who had shown difficulties in taking direction or respecting authority. Ones that got into fights or broke the rules, or who's grades were suffering through apathy or that had shown aggressive behavior toward staff and other students alike. Ashley was none of those things. Ashley wasn't angry, or angsty, or mean. She was sick. There was a huge difference.

Pushing herself up to sit on her knees, Ashley unzipped her sweater and dug out the bottle with shaking, mud caked hands. The relief that washed over her was visible. Her body relaxed considerably and her eyes softened, losing much of the threatening panic that had always lingered just beyond her gaze. She didn't care about getting a few flecks of mud on the pill she shook out into the palm of her hand, she was just happy she wouldn't have to find out the affects of missing a dosage while stuck out in the middle of the woods.

"I won't, I promise." She said, her eyes turning up to peer at Quinn. She felt the rigidity in his voice. He wasn't a friendly person, that was made apparent. But he had helped her when he didn't have to. He could have turned and walked the other way and any given moment and he'd stayed not once but twice. In her eyes that made him nothing less than a hero. At least for the moment.

"I'm not going to drop them again." She murmured, eyes falling to her hands that clutched the bottle protectively. It was starting to sink in just how sad and pathetic she must have looked in her near panicked state and she sighed softly. She was beginning to wonder when the relaxing part of this trip that was supposed to be so good for her was going to start. Her eyes flashed and lifted to Quinn once more. "Thank you." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. He had no idea what he'd done. No idea how he had helped her. If she could come up with the words she'd explain it but nothing came out. All she could do was nod and lower her head again. "Thank you."

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn knew many of the kids ‘invited’ to this trip needed an attitude adjustment but he thought that, when it came to Ashley, they could have made an exception. If she needed pills, she was sick. He didn’t what she had but he didn’t really care, she was sick, they could have spared her. And them to deal with that kind of situation. What did she do anyway to wind up here? Quinn knew he owed his presence here because he refused to socialize with people but she didn't seem like she needed any form of adjustment.

At least she seemed happy to have recovered her pills. It was a small consolation. Quinn was a little dirty too now. Not to her level but his feet sank deep into the soft soil and he had mud on his pants. He had another small consolation looking at her. She had mud and even some dried leaves pretty much all over her.

She claimed she would not lose her bottle anymore. It wasn’t like it affected him much. Next time, he’ll fetch someone else. Or just not be around when it happened. At least she thanked him. There was a lot to thank him for, he not only pulled her out of a jam when she could have broken something had she fell, he also helped her retrieve her precious medication.

“Yes, yes, you said that already,” he replied as she reiterated her thanks. He stood up and tried to get some of the mud out of his clothes but not doing a really good job. He looked at her again. “If I were you, I’d find some water to wash my hands and hair. You look like some... I don’t know, but you need to clean up,” he told her. And, because he was not an entire jerk, he did extend his hand to at least get her on her feet.

[Ashley Benson]

Ashley took in a long, slow breath and then nodded. Mostly the nod was to herself, to silently ensure that she was, and would be, okay. She was thankful Quinn had come along but was confused by how his actions served as a stark contrast to his demeanor. He'd helped her for no other reason Ashley could think of than simply because he was there and could. Then he turns around and grow cold, rigid and distant, looking down at her like she was some sad little thing that deserved someone's pity but he was too apathetic to offer his own.

She was about to say something, anything in response to his less than agreeable demeanor but her eyes lifted to see his hand extended toward her. She looked at it for a moment then offered another polite but forced smile and accepted the gesture. Her hand slipped into his and she got to her feet. She was careful not to let her touch linger and quickly withdrew to busy herself with tucking the bottle safely away into the zippered pocket of her sweater.

"Yeah. I probably should." Ashley's brow furrowed a bit, her nose scrunching up as her fingers ran through her hair to pick the leaves that had gotten caught in the thick, brunette tendrils. "You don't happen to know where I can get to the river without..." She leaned over some to peer down the ridge beside them, taking in the deep grooves in the soil she and Quin had just caused. "Nearly killing myself, do you?" She asked, frowning as she tossed a leaf from her hair away.

[Quinn Wiley]

It came as to no surprise that Ashley didn’t seem to understand Quinn. He probably didn’t understand himself either. It was true that the boy was antisocial. He was the last one to seek one’s company, even when he felt lonely and could use some. But he was not a total jerk. If someone was in a tight spot and he was alone to help, he would. To a certain degree. Pulling her from the position she had been in, he could. Getting her pills was pushing it but he still did that, mainly because he didn’t feel like getting some staff member and didn’t want to risk her say he didn't help. They were all here because they needed an attitude adjustment, they might not like it if he didn’t lift a finger to help her out. And no matter how much he disliked being around people, he didn’t seriously wish them harm. If she said her pills were vitals, he didn’t want her to have any problems because she no longer had them.

He could have left her now, not help her on her feet. Let’s just say it was a bonus. Yes, Quinn could help. He was just going to complain about it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this whole thing was harder on her than it was on him but Quinn was not really trying to put himself in her place, except perhaps to think he would never want that. He tried not to think too much about how quickly she removed her hand after she got up. After all he did for her, she shouldn’t be treating him like he had the plague or something and didn’t want to touch him. But he didn’t want to keep touching her for more than what was necessary either so he said nothing.

Ashley looked like some woodland creature with all the mud and leaves on her. Too bad Quinn didn’t have his camera, it could have been interesting to add even more and have her pose next to trees and rocks like she was some sort of sylph. He looked around at her question and pointed in the direction he was going towards before seeing her. “It’s going down through there. You might be able to get to the river then, provided you don’t get lost.” Quinn sure could get lost. If they weren’t near a trail, he would be. That trail better lead to their camp otherwise he’d be the one with a problem. “The camp is over there too, right?”

[Ashley Benson]

There were some very serious complications in trying to navigate the world with the type of mind as Ashley possessed. The symptoms of her disorder, notwithstanding, she found herself often forgetful and easily distracted. Her brows furrowed. In all the excitement she'd completely forgotten the direction she'd been heading or where she had even been going. Was she headed back to camp or away? She turned, looking down one direction of the narrow path, then shifting to look back in the opposite.

"I think the camp is that way." She pointed even though there was absolutely no certainty in her voice whatsoever. It struck her just how terrible she must have been coming off. Utterly clueless and helpless in the face of even the most basic functions. She'd almost lost her precious medication, nearly killed herself trying to retrieve it, became a muddy, dirty mess, and was now standing on a path she had just been walking along with no sense of direction or even which way she'd been going in the first place.

Ashley's hands balled into fists as she tried to force her mind to work. They'd always told her to remain calm and relaxed. Stress management was a huge part of her therapy. Routines and the comfort of the familiar had been a major piece of the foundation of her road to being able to sometimes pretend she could function like a normal human being. She'd been doing so well, they said, she was ready to take the next step, they said. She turned and looked out over the river that ran along the side of the trail.

"This is exactly why I shouldn't be here." She said through her clenched jaw. In an instant her tepid, demure demeanor had stiffened and the anger was beginning to course through her. "Sometimes I feel like I'm not even living my own life. Like I'm just some..." Her entire body was shaking as she brought a hand up, jabbing a finger into her temple. "Fucked up case study to poke at." She wheeled around to face Quinn. Her chest heaved and the blind rage flashed in her eyes. "Do you know what it's like to have every. Single. Moment of every single day already planned out for you?" Her voice was beginning to rise, her movements more erratic. "To not be able to do anything that hasn't been approved by three doctors and a therapist." There was no stopping her now. Tears flowed freely down her mud streaked cheeks now even as the heated words tumbled from her lips in a rapid fire release of years' worth of pent of anger "To not be able to go anywhere without someone watching, just in case you go crazy." She threw her hands up in helpless anger. "Just... once I'd like to do something for myself."

Ashley's eyes closed as she brought a shaking hand up to wipe at the tears on her face with the sleeve of her sweater. If there had been any doubt she was truly crazy it certainly would have been gone now. Her head shook as the anger drained away leaving only a crushing pain behind. She fought back the sudden rush of emotion and averted her gaze. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing the look she must be getting. The poor boy didn't deserve this. He'd done nothing but help and she'd gone off the deep end.

Her body still shook but now she could feel her legs getting weak. She needed to sit down before she collapsed. She did so without regard to where she was, sinking to her knees in the soft soil and bowing her head. "I'm sorry. You can go." She whispered, not able to bring her eyes up to look at the boy. "I can make it back myself."

[Quinn Wiley]

The girl seemed just as lost as he was. It was the conclusion Quinn came to when she said where she thought the camp was, basically because her tone sounded more uncertain than his had been. When it came of remembering street names and the best path to take to get from point A to point B, Quinn was doing fair. Forests however, they grew in all sorts of direction with no clear path or indication. Even with a map, he was pretty sure that he could get lost in there. This was a problem right now however, as they would need to get back to the camp. Sure, Quinn had been walking down that down for a little while, but that did not mean he knew where it led.

Quinn had been staring at her, in silence, as she was struggling with herself. He raised an eyebrow when she finally spoke up. “Because you get lost?” Let’s be honest, none of them were very familiar with this environment and Quinn assumed only those who did some survival camps before knew how to get their bearings here. The girl didn’t stop there, she kept going and Quinn wondered if he should not just silently move away before she noticed he was still around. She was not going to ask him for a hug after that, right? Quinn sucked at cheering people up, especially girls he’s barely met. Why she had to confide in him like that? If he knew what it was like to have your life planned for you? Of course he did but before he could say anything, provided he meant to say anything, she said it was dictated by doctors and therapists. Wait. Doctors and therapists? Damn that girl really shouldn’t be here! He didn’t want some psychotic girl going crazy on them. She was already going a little crazy on him.

Someone else might have tried to wipe her tears, to tell her not to cry and that everything was okay. Quinn just stood there, unable to believe all that he just heard. What was he supposed to say after that anyway!? The fact he was staring at her and seeing how he should have captured this on film did not help. He was glad she let him go without crashing into his arms or something. Yet, somehow, despite being allowed to, after this outburst, he felt like maybe he shouldn’t go. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to sit down here,” he pointed out. She already almost fell once. “You still need to wash the mud off. I don’t mind, it gives you a furious woodland creature kind of look, especially after your outburst. And I wouldn’t stay here until sundown.” That was about all he could say to her. He’d rather not mention the things she said, it was best to ignore she ever said those words. And with that advice, he could probably go down to where he could reach the river and from there, try to find the camp.

[Ashley Benson]

Ashley brought the cuff of her sweater sleeve up to press against her eyes. It was always alarming, even to her, how quickly the burning emotions washed away to leave behind only a crushing sense of futility and despair. This was what happened when she left her room. This was what happened when she attempted to stand on her own, even temporarily. It didn't work, she simply didn't work. Her head shook as she still refused to look at the boy even as he spoke. He'd done enough. She didn't need his sympathy, pity, or for him to feel obligated to linger close by because she had just had a mini-meltdown.

Her eyes narrowed, though, as Quinn's words rattled around in her brain a bit before sinking in. Woodland creature? She couldn't help but sputter out a hoarse laugh as the amusement of the image mixed with the hurt that had been left in the wake of her outburst. That he'd not even questioned the sudden explosion of emotion she'd unleashed at the world as a whole went a long way in easing the tension that threatened to overwhelm her again. Slowly she pushed herself up and got to her feet. She still had trouble bringing herself to look at Quinn, her expression visibly calming. She may not have been alright just yet, but she was getting there.

"Okay." She said, obediently moving further away from the perilous ridge she'd tumbled down before finally being able to risk a glance to the boy. "Um..." She didn't hold her gaze on him long, though, and she quickly averted her eyes. "I think there's a path to the river on the other side of the camp." She said, partially to let Quinn know she had her bearing while testing to see his reaction. Quinn didn't make for the greatest of company but the idea of being alone was terrifying.