Falling for the Popular Girl

Chapter 5- The forest

"We wont be able to get home tonight" I announce after a minute or so. "W-w-what do you mean?" she stutters. My eyes just roll "Means we're camping out here tonight." I say stretching. Unknown to me, my shirt slides up some, showing the world scars and bruises all along my stomach and rib cage. A low and soft gasp sounds from Jessica, getting my attention once more. "What, you've never camped before?" I asked with a slight smirk. She doesn't answer, just opens and closes her mouth like a dumb fish. I snicker slightly, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you wont freeze to death" I say sitting up, my shirt falling down like a window shade, hiding everything away from the outside.

Jessica's POV

How had things changed in such a short amount of time? Everything was fine until we got lost in these woods. We got lost, I stormed off, found gravestones of her family, she ran off and how here we were in the dark of night. It was one thing after another and now nothing seemed quite right.

I didn't understand why shed bolted after seeing what I'd found. Well, it made sense to some extent, I was partly aware of what shadowed my expression. I guess I wouldn't want someone to give me that look either. Pity isn't exactly a pleasant thing. It just made you feel kinda low or something. It wasn't something I totally understood.

When she announced we were camping out, initially I was about to freak out about that. Camping out door was not something I did at all but what caught my attention next shocked me even more. As her shirt rode up, I caught an eyeful of scars and bruises. It was quite a shock for me. Having never witnessing something like that before made comprehending it a bit hard.

When she laughed, I got even more confused about this girl. Who the heck was she? Laughing like nothing was wrong? I'd see glimpses though. Little hints and signs that things weren't totally as they seemed but it was hard to believe it. She seemed so carefree and cheerful.

As she spoke again, I blinked and nodded slowly "Uh..okay?". She laughs once again, one that sounds so real but now I wasn't sure. Jumping up she looked down at me "Wait here, I'm going to get wood for a fire" she says before disappearing. Sitting down, I hugged my knees and rested my chin on them as I sat there alone with my thoughts.

Remembering her reaction about parents earlier, it started to make a little sense. But if her Dad was dead then what about her mother? Where was she? Kaylee was hiding something, something big. Just something I had a hunch about. Now, to find what it was exactly

Another thought jumped into my head, why did I care? I'd just met the girl, she was only a project partner. Nothing more and nothing less. For all I know, she could be totally fine and all that was past things. Lies. I knew that wasn't true. But all the same, why did I care so much about a girl I just met? 

I meet people all the time and none of them interest me enough to want to find things out. Their issues and concerns didn't mean anything to me. So this or that was going on, whatever, not like it affected me and my life. But Kaylee...ug it just made no sense to me! Giving up, I leaned back against a tree and was just getting settled again when Kaylee reappeared dragging a few things.

Behind her, a couple long broken limbs rested on a shoulder. Dropping them, she swiftly started digging at the ground and making a makeshift pit. Placing stones around the edges, she started breaking branches and creating a mini teepee type thing. It's final height was about as tall as I was and I was a bit taller then Kaylee. At the bottom, she scattered dry leaves and grass, anything that would catch fire easily.

Everything was done with perfection in the silence that hung between us. When she was done, a light sheen of sweat covered her face but she didn't roll up her sleeves. From the pockets, a lighter came forth. Flicking it, she picked one branch up and lit it ablaze after a couple tries. Lowering it slowly, she touched the fire to the grass and leaves which instantly caught on fire.

Soon all the wood was ablaze in a soft orange glow that was warm and comforting. Kaylee looked incredibly pleased with her self and was smiling a bit to herself as she studied it for a Moment. "You did a good job with the fire, never seen anything like it" I compliment. Her cheeks redden some as she nods her thanks "Thanks..my Dad taught me how when I was younger" she says softly.

"Here, eat since I'm sure you're hungry" she says after a few minutes of us just sitting in silence. Arm out, she held a bag of food. Taking it, I looked inside and found a bunch of apples. Raising an eyebrow, I wondered where the hell she'd gotten them since as far as I knew, it wasn't apple season and we were very lost. "Thanks...are you sure?" I ask, just double checking. She nods and looks back at the fire.

Picking one up, I bit into and and started munching on it quietly. The only thing that sounded was the cracking of the fire and my quest chewing. Nothing else was said as we both sat there quietly, just watching the fire and eating apples. Eventually, she yawned and lay down, her head resting on my leg some. Her soft breathing was barely herd over the fire as she relaxed and slowly fell asleep for the night.

Her random action didn't bother me at all, I just started running my fingers through her hair and untangling it, hoping I wasn't hurting her. Tossing the apple core in the fire, I watched the flames consume it instantly. My mind was aloof, totally gone as I sat there just looking at the fire. As time went by, I poked the fire now and then, tossing in more sticks to keep it going before I myself grew tired. Adjusting my position as to not wake up the other girl, I lay down as well and dozed off into a peaceful slumber.