30: Callie

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Did we want one more? Thanks to brightyeolie for comments on last chapter.

Enjoy...

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I did my best to avert my eyes when we got to the creek and Flynn stripped his shirt off. I didn't need him catching me ogling him again, forcing that ridiculous shit-eating grin onto his face once more.

Nonetheless, trying to avoid looking at Flynn somehow resulted in me watching Jackson instead. And while he didn't sport a sly smirk at the fact I was inadvertently watching him, his eyebrows did shoot up when our gazes locked before he gave me a hesitant smile and wave.

Returning it, I then grabbed my towel from the boot of Flynn's car and found a free space of rock by the creek edge to set up my spot for the afternoon. All the while, the three boys (Flynn, Jackson, and Zac) ran up to the highest point atop the waterfall, discussing along the way about who can make the biggest splash. Flynn's cousins weren't far behind them, also ready to jump from the cliff into the creek.

It wasn't just Jackson and Zac with us—a few of their other friends had joined us on this outing. Two of which were girls. But none of them seemed to care about joining their bomb-dive competiton (and potentially risk splitting their head open), instead wading into the water the normal way.

But no one asked me to join them, which simultaneously brought me relief that I wouldn't have to show my insecurities, while also making me aware that no one cared I was here... except maybe Flynn.


Almost half an hour passed with no one talking to me. The sun peeked through the gaps in the leaves above my head, the water made a gentle whooshing noise thanks to the steady fall of the waterfall, and the birds were chirping away in the trees surrounding the creek. All the while, I sat on my towel, knees tucked to my chest as I watched boy after boy make a bigger splash in the water, with a loud "woohoo" on their fall down.

Yet eventually the older guys tired of the game (Charlie and Hunter still with some stamina left in them to keep running up the cliff face thanks to watching the older kids doing it), and instead they all swam around in the flowing water, splashing each other and making conversation that I couldn't hear.

But as I kept my eyes on them, watching all my peers mingling far away from me, I wondered how I was ever supposed to kiss one of the boys. A part of me had assumed that Flynn and I would discuss strategy on the way over considering we never did at school, but talking about that with his cousins in the back...

Considering we didn't, I wondered if Flynn was going to take the lead for me again by setting up a situation where I could get a kiss over with. Or if I really was supposed to find some ounce of courage in me and go socialise until I 'wooed' one of them in the same way as Ashton. But how could I possibly do that?

Jackson and Zac, while still not the closest of friends to Flynn, were somewhat his friends. And if I were to break one of their hearts in the same way as Ashton, I'd only make it difficult for Flynn.

But as I sat there stewing about how to kiss one of those boys in a way that was more effective than the Ashton debacle but less uncomfortable than Fraser, I realised Zac hadn't stopped staring at me for the past five minutes. And as our eyes locked, he began to swim towards the water's edge in my direction.

Climbing out of the creek, he walked across the rocks, water dripping from every limb until he slumped down on the dry rock beside me, a pool now forming around him.

"Hey, Callie," he said, not really looking at me.

"Hi," I said back, not sure what else to say. Not really sure what the right move was here... had Flynn already set everything up for me or did I have to start asking Zac about himself and play the long game to win his heart?

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