The Pearl

Stage 30: My Stupid Best Friend

I wince. "Sorry Manda."

"Fine."

"Manda. Amanda Rose, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, okay. Fine."

Jett snorts. "Fine," he mocks. Manda glares at him for half a second, and he just throws an arm around her neck and pulls her into his chest. Jett looks at me with a small, sad smile. "I know you thought you were doing the right decision; I know you're no coward." The two then walk a few feet away, talking softly to each other.

For some reason, I feel a sudden urge to have someone like that beside me – someone who would love and take care of me even when I wouldn't need or deserve it. I definitely didn't deserve it now, but a girl can certainly dream.

Suddenly, I hear a shrill scream. "Manda no!"

What.
I sprint to Jett, who held Manda in his arms. There was a deep, bloody slash right above her bracelet. I stare wide-eyed at my best friend. She was trying to cut her hand off.

"Amanda, are you mad?!" I drop aside Jett and stroke her cheek. "I guess we're all proving Hunter right," I say disappointedly. My fingers move under her chin to check for a pulse, just in case. Thankfully, it was there. I sigh in relief. "She's just unconscious. When she wakes up, I call first for yelling at her."

"As her boyfriend, I think that spot's reserved for me," Jett says with a smirk. The rest of us look at him with surprise. "That's right. I'm her boyfriend."

"You didn't want to tell me this earlier? I was here the whole time you know," Mura says, annoyed. However, there was a small grin on her lips.

"We didn't want anyone to be jealous."

"Of you?" Mura asks in shock. Zach and I snicker.

"Whatever, we need to clean her wound," Jett mutters, his eyes losing their light instantly. Zach slightly nudges Jett aside and examines the cut.

"We need water."

Jett paces around nervously. "We have to find a river; we don't have any." Zach nods firmly, and begins to pick up Manda when Jett stops him, and carries her himself.

"Hey guys? Remember me?" Mura waves her hand sarcastically. "I can control water, remember? We don't need to walk to a damn river." She walks over to a tree and whispers something to it, then moves her arms towards her. The once vibrant, green leaves turned gray and dry; the tree had died. Mura comes back to us holding a perfect bubble of water in her hands. "I'm just gonna splash it on her arm," she says, looking to Zach for confirmation.

"More carefully than splash."

She rolls her eyes and gently lets the water escape from her hands to the gash on Manda's wrist. Most of the grime washes out.

"What even happened?" I asked Jett.

"She wanted the bracelet off; it was making her feel funny. I told her to go to Zach, but she said, 'Never will I ever trust that asshole.' I laughed, and was getting up to go to you, Zach, and then I looked over my shoulder to say something to Manda, and she was holding this sharp rock above her arm with this look in her eyes. Then she struck herself, and the stone was still in her, so I ran over and took out, but then she fainted and-"

Jett sighs loudly, and runs his hands in his hair.

"That explains the dirt," Zach mutters half-heartedly. "We can't stay out here. She needs to be stitched, or she gets amputated."

"Let's go then," Jett says immediately.

"We'll get caught," Zach says cautiously.

"She will not be amputated."

"We should stay here for the night though. It's too late to head out," I point out rationally. Jett glares at both of us.

"Fine." He takes off his shirt and uses the sharp stone Manda used to cut a portion off, then tied it tightly around her wrist.

Jett then carried Manda over to a nearby tree, and leaned against it, draping his shirt over her body. His arms encircled her to keep her warm.

Mura gathers a bunch of soft leaves and makes a pillow out of it, and Zach and I follow suit.

This was gonna be a long night.