The Heart That's Meant to Love You

Chapter 49: Baggage

Claire hadn't given Naomi much choice in the matter of attending the retreat, but it had been quite the ordeal to convince Ms. Rowe to allow Naomi to stay out overnight. Lies had been told, excuses given, and now Naomi didn't know whether or not she had been followed.

On top of that, Naomi still hadn't told her mother about the new haircut. She hadn't known how to break the news. When it came to Naomi's hair and dress, her mother had strict standards. "Trendy" didn't fit into the description.

Knowing how her mother would react to a simple haircut stressed Naomi out. How much more would her mother freak out if she knew Naomi went on a non-mandatory retreat with her elective class?

The reason that Naomi hadn't told her mother about the retreat seemed pretty obvious to her.

That being said, Naomi's ability to relax and enjoy the trip had, thus far, been prohibited by her own thoughts. Even if it hadn't, the stares she was suddenly getting from guys who hadn't paid her any mind before made the whole bus ride uncomfortable. They all looked at her like they wanted something from her. Like they saw her with new eyes and different intentions.

How had she allowed Claire to talk her into this? It had been a bad idea from the beginning.

The bus rolled to a stop.

Claire grabbed Naomi's arm, a squeal leaping from her lips. "We're here!"

"Awesome." Naomi breathed the word, more out of trepidation than excitement.

At least now, she could get off the bus and get away from some of the stares and whispers. Had she known that changing her hair and clothes would start this kind of uprising, she would never have done it. Naomi's mother always told her that drawing too much attention was a bad thing. Naomi was starting to believe her.

"Let's go, let's go!" Claire rose to her feet, using her hold on Naomi's arm to tug her up. Someone had clearly had too much coffee earlier.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Naomi leaned close to Claire's shoulder to whisper the words.

"Honey, it's too late to back out now."

Claire had a point, but Naomi suddenly wished she could back out. Especially as the push of bodies attempting to exit the bus pulled her along toward the doors. What had possessed her to come along? She should have said no. But, Naomi may never get this opportunity again. She should experience life once before the Grand Plan took over everything, shouldn't she?

Naomi's feet hit the pavement at the base of the bus's steps.

Claire pulled her to the side, toward the growing crowd of classmates waiting in line to fetch their luggage.

A few teachers' assistants from various classes had been volunteered to unload the bags. They did so with good humor, reading tags and asking questions of those who had come to claim their things. Small talk had never been one of Naomi's talents, but these boys seemed to accomplish the task with ease. An enviable ability.

Yet, that same enviable talent made the process slower. Minutes ticked by like hours under the scrutiny of those retreating around Naomi. Even baggage claim at an airport had never felt so tedious.

"How long have you been waiting?" a decidedly masculine voice asked from behind Naomi's and Claire's shoulders.

"A while," Claire immediately shot at him, without turning to look.

Naomi, however, had insatiable curiosity that had been hampered for too long by the Grand Plan. She couldn't have stopped herself from turning toward the voice even if she wanted to.

A grin spread wide across the man's face, revealing a pair of dimples that must drive most girls wild. Naomi merely studied his pretty-boy face for a few seconds, then turned her attention back to those unloading the bags.

"Let me help." The man darted around Naomi and Claire, making a beeline for the volunteer students. "Hey, Josh! Do me a favor, man."

They exchanged pleasantries, bro-hugged, and did a few weird handshakes. Naomi tuned out anything the man might be saying to his friend Josh. Until he turned and waved her and Claire over.

Claire, never one to waste a golden opportunity, dragged Naomi along with her to see what he wanted.

"I managed to jump you up in the queue," the man laughed. "What are your names? Are your bags tagged?"

Something inside Naomi balked at the suggestion of giving out her name, but she ignored it. If anyone wanted to learn her name, they could easily find it on the roster or by asking the other art students.

As always, Claire had no sense of self-preservation anyway. She gladly offered their names without a second thought. Naomi went with it, because arguing seemed futile.

"I'm Ben Porter," the man offered as Josh pulled Claire's and Naomi's bags from the bus storage. "This is my main man, Josh Williams."

Josh shot them a thumbs-up.

"You two beauties came with the art class, right? You're painters?"

Naomi scoffed at the way he said it. Anyone who took art classes of any kind must know that the Fine Arts students who came on the retreat belonged to either Photography or Painting. It hadn't been a leap to figure that out. He didn't need to make it sound like he knew everything.

"You must be from Photography," Claire shot back with a smile.

Naomi, tired of the useless roundabout happening in the conversation, snagged her bag away from Josh's hands and turned to go. No need to spend time with useless people.

One of Ben's hands latched around the handle of Naomi's bag. "Let me carry it for you, it must be heavy."

"Thank you for your help, but I've got it." Naomi gave the bag a tug, but it didn't budge.

"Come on. Just lemme carry it. It's not that hard, right?"

Claire swatted playfully at Ben's hand, but the strike resounded more forcefully than it ought. "A girl can't carry her own luggage around here? She said no, buddy, and I think you should respect that." A toss of Claire's own bag sent it pummeling into Ben's arms. "You can carry mine, instead."

Ben opened his mouth to protest, but Claire ignored him so she could wave a key in the air in front of Naomi's face. "We're in the Hansel and Gretel Cabin. Don't read too far into that."

Naomi simply rolled her eyes, not finding the opportunity or energy to say anything. Especially not with suspicious Ben following behind them.

Whatever the case, whatever happened over the following twenty-four hours, Naomi made a decision to have as much fun as she could despite the obstacles. If only she had any clue how to have fun, in the first place.