Camp Idol

Episode 15

"What?" Cori furrowed her brows, but now trailing after their stares, too, realized what they were looking at. She and Nicky were still holding hands.

"So how long has this been going on?" Axel smirked. It was the first time since Cori had arrived that he actually looked interested in the conversation.

"How long has what been going on?" Kole looked up from the headlock JM had him in. 

"Whoa!" JM released Kole in his surprise, now noticing Cori and Nicky's more-than-friendly body language. "Are you guys dating?" he demanded with an impressed gasp.

Cori glanced at Nicky unsurely, but he smiled and squeezed her hand.

"If she wants to," he answered simply.

"So you guys were kissing in the tent last night!" shouted Kole suddenly. "I knew it! Cori and Nicky sitting in a tent, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Hey, idiot! That doesn't even rhyme," Axel smacked Kole, but he continued on.

"First comes love, then comes marriage," Kole continued his childish chant, as Cori's face burned with shyness.

"Then comes-" Kole went on, but unable to endure the extremely embarrassing teasing, Cori mindlessly blurted to shut him up.

"Stop it! The tent's not where we were kissing!" she yelled before she could process the words.

"So you were kissing?!" Kole screamed with delight. "Where???" Cori's attempt to make Kole stop singing had worked- just not in the way she had intended.

"That's not what I-" Cori stuttered, but Nicky spoke up helpfully.

"Don't you guys need to go change clothes or something?" he tilted his head towards their damp outfits.

"Nah. We've got time!" said Kole obliviously.

"No, Nicky's right," JM pulled Kole towards the steps. "We should change."

"Why? The floor's already wet," Kole frowned in confusion and both JM and Axel gave him an impatient look. "Oh!" he gasped at last. "Got it! Yeah! Let's go change!"

To Cori's relief, the three inquisitive boys finally headed for the staircase, giving her and Nicky a break from their questioning.

"Oh yeah!" Kole paused by a small table at the foot of the steps. "Here's your magazine, Cori! It was in the tent when we took it down," he flung the wrinkled papers towards her, but due to his poor aim, Nicky caught it. "Maybe you can get your boyfriend to sign it!" he chortled, receiving another smack from Axel and at last, making his way upstairs.

"They better stay out of my closet," Tanner rose from the sofa to follow, but paused just past Cori and Nicky. "So..." he began slowly. "How long?"

Cori looked at him in surprise, wondering if he was considering their own hand-holding from the night before.

"Not long," answered Nicky. "It just now happened. Honest."

Cori nodded in confirmation and for a moment, as Tanner continued to size them up, there was silence.

"Well, congrats," he said finally, before disappearing upstairs too.

"Sorry about all that," Nicky turned to Cori, still awkwardly holding her old magazine. "And what I said before- about if you want to..." he hesitated, carefully studying her face. "You don't have to answer or anything..." Nicky trailed off, walking towards the table at the foot of the steps to set down the magazine.

"No!" Cori called abruptly, making him freeze. "I do want to," she finished.

"You do?" Nicky turned around, brows raised unsurely, and Cori nodded, unable to hold back her smile.

Letting out a sigh, Nicky stepped back towards her, but just then, a loud rumbling sound issued from her stomach.

"Sorry!" Cori grimaced in utter embarrassment, instantly regretting her choice not to eat all day.

"It's okay," Nicky laughed. "I'm hungry too. It's dinnertime. Let's find something."

Cori smacked herself on the forehead as Nicky crossed the kitchen, but before he could even open a cupboard, the rest of Miracle 10 came barreling back down the stairs.

"What's for dinner?" asked Kole, spinning one of the chairs around backwards and sitting down.

"Yeah, I'm so hungry, anything sounds good!" JM rubbed his hands together feistily.

"Please just don't say noodles," cringed Axel.

~~~

"Those noodles were really good!" JM wiped his mouth when he had finished his food.

"All I asked for was no more noodles," pouted Axel, pushing his almost untouched bowl aside with a sneer. "No noodles, and just one s'more."

"Sorry, dude," Kole patted him on the back before proceeding to take his leftovers.

"I'm definitely not gonna miss this place when we leave," Axel continued.

"I am!" Kole  slurped a noodle. "What kind of weirdo wouldn't miss their vacation when it's over?"

"What is there to miss?" Axel arched a brow.

"Swimming," Kole began.

"You didn't swim once," pointed out Axel.

"No work," Kole added to his list.

"There's been no power! All we've done is work!" Axel exhaled.

"Privacy?" Kole tried again.

Axel scoffed, shooting Cori a quick glance.

"Whatever," Kole shook his head. "Cori didn't do anything to you."

"Yeah, at least you got to keep your bedroom," Tanner complained, but with the addition of an unexpected -though small- smile, Cori knew he was no longer mad.

"Yeah, we're gonna miss Cori, too!" added Kole triumphantly, as though he had finally proved his point.

"Mmhmm," JM nodded. "I can't believe we're already going back tomorrow."

"Tomorrow..." Cori repeated silently. "...It's already time to go?"