(Violet's POV)
'Oh shit.'
We just walked a mile along the riverbank, checking every single one of Rhett's handmade traps—and they were all empty. Not a single fish.
"No fish," I mutter, kicking a rock into the water. "None."
Beside me, Rhett just shrugs, adjusting the fishing pole slung over his shoulder—one of the ones he carved himself. "Whatever. We'll just catch 'em the old-fashioned way."
I scoff. "Maybe you will. I've always been terrible at this."
He glances at me, and for a second, I think he's gonna make some smartass remark. But instead, he just says, "I can teach you. If you want."
Huh.
"I'll consider it," I say, trying to sound indifferent.
Brody, walking ahead with Clem and AJ, turns back with a grin. "Wait, hold on—since when are you two talking again?"
I sigh. "We made up. Big deal."
"It is a big deal!" Brody says, way too cheerful. "You guys were giving each other the silent treatment for, like, a year."
Clementine, ever the nosy one, tilts her head. "Why? What happened?"
'Oh, for fuck's sake.'
Before I can shut it down, Brody—bless her stupid, well-meaning heart—launches into it. "Well, basically, they—"
"Thanks, Brody," Rhett cuts in, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why don't you just go ahead and tell 'em what color my underwear is, too?"
Brody huffs. "It's not like it was a secret."
Rhett just rolls his eyes, and Brody, thankfully, changes the subject.
"You know, I've been thinkin'…" she says, swinging her fishing pole like it's a walking stick. "I wish we could all go on a road trip together."
I snort. "Road trip? Why bother? It's not like there's anything worth seeing anymore."
"Oh, c'mon!" Brody insists. "I'm sure there's plenty of stuff to see. Maybe Clem could show us around. You're able to get a car working, and you know how to drive!"
"Barely," I mutter.
"C'mon, Vi!" Brody whines. "I've never driven in my life, but I'd love to learn."
Rhett, surprisingly, actually chimes in. "Before I got sent to this shithole school, me and some buddies stole a car and took it for a joyride. Crashed it. Almost broke my neck." He smirks. "Still fun as hell."
Clementine raises an eyebrow. "You sure you trust my driving? I promise I don't usually crash."
Brody hesitates. "Oh, right. On second thought…"
I smirk. "Yeah, I think Clem just totaled the last working car in the world. So much for your road trip."
AJ, who's been quiet this whole time, suddenly pipes up. "Are we going to the car?"
Clementine ruffles his hair. "No, bud, it's broken."
"Good," AJ grumbles. "I'm sick of the car."
We finally reach the fishing shack, and Brody immediately beelines for the rusted-out pickup truck parked nearby. She pats the hood like it's an old friend.
"I wish this old rust bucket was still working," she sighs. "We could just jump in and start driving. Take turns sitting in the back—it'd be like one of those cars with the top that goes down!"
"We'd run out of gas eventually," I point out.
"But still!" Brody insists. "It's fun to imagine, isn't it? Where would you go, Clem? If you could drive anywhere you wanted?"
Clementine actually thinks about it. "I'd drive up one of those long roads that wind around the mountains. Follow it all the way to the top."
Brody's eyes light up. "You could see over the whole world up there, I bet."
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, get a nice view of the world while you die of frostbite. Sounds like the dream."
To my surprise, that actually makes Rhett laugh—a real, rough chuckle that catches me off guard.
Brody groans. "C'mon, Vi, would it kill you to live a little?" She gestures around. "I've lived here my entire life. Heck, I'd say I know every inch of these woods. I'd kind of like to un-know it."
I shrug. "No use dreaming of what could be. We've got shit to do."
Brody sighs. "Yeah. I guess we should get to work on those fish." She nods toward the shack. "We got spears inside for AJ and Clem. C'mon."
As Brody leads Clem and AJ into the shack, Rhett jerks his chin toward the riverbank. "You comin' or what?"
I follow him, and he pulls a small wooden box from his bag—full of live, wriggling worms. He holds it out to me, and I grimace but take one, hooking it onto my line.
We cast our lines into the water.
Barely a minute later, Rhett's pole jerks. He yanks it back, and a fat brown trout flips onto the bank.
"Oh, fuck you," I grumble.
Rhett sighs, sets his pole down, and—before I can protest—steps up behind me. His chest presses against my back as he adjusts my grip on the rod, his hands over mine.
"You're jerking it too hard," he mutters. "Just a quick flick. Like this."
I'm about to snap at him to back off—when I hear footsteps.
Clem and AJ step out of the shack, spears in hand, and stop dead when they see us.
Clem raises an eyebrow.
AJ just blinks. "What're they doing?"
Rhett doesn't move.
I don't either.
Rhett doesn't even flinch when Clem and AJ gawk at us. He just gives them a flat look and jerks his chin upstream.
"Go that way," he says. "Unless you wanna scare off every fish in this river."
Clem smirks but doesn't argue, nudging AJ along with her.
Once they're far enough, Rhett taps my cheek with the back of his fingers—focus—but he doesn't move away. Still pressed against my back, his hands guide mine, showing me the slow, steady rhythm of luring the fish in.
We stand like that for what feels like forever, the river murmuring in front of us, his breath warm against the back of my neck.
Then—tug.
A fish bites.
I immediately yank the rod, but Rhett's hands clamp over mine, stopping me.
"Too hard," he mutters, voice low in my ear. "You'll snap the line. Ease it in."
His fingers adjust my grip, and together we reel it in—slow, patient, until a rainbow trout flips onto the bank, shimmering in the sunlight.
For a second, neither of us moves. Then Rhett steps back, finally putting space between us as he returns to his spot like nothing happened.
I almost—almost—ask him to stay. Maybe help me with the next one.
But then Brody comes bounding over, grinning like an idiot, and the words die in my throat.
"Damn, Vi!" she says, eyeing the fish. "Since when do you actually catch anything?"
I shrug, avoiding Rhett's gaze. "Got lucky, I guess."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see him smirk before taking a swig from his flask.
Asshole.
But for once, I don't mind.