My Brother's Friend

Chapter Twenty Nine

Emma's POV
A few minutes earlier

"What's going on with the two of them? It can't be a coincidence Kyle and Mason being late again?" Raina asks, her brow furrowed. I grab a pudding cup from the counter and put it on my tray.

"I have no idea. I hate that everyone seems to be keeping secrets now a days," I say and notice that I have three pudding cups now. I put two back and move forward in line.

"Everyone?" Raina repeats.

"Okay not everyone, but it feels like it. And I saw it, he was trying to hide something from me." I shake my head and grab a spoon. "He was all 'you won't even notice I'm gone' and that's so not the point. He and Kyle have bad history."

"Oh I remember," she says, pursing her lips.

Together we sit down at the table. "We're not the only ones who think something is off right?" Luke asks, leaning across the table on his elbows.

Raina and I exchange glances. "No," I say tentatively. "But how do you mean?"

Luke shakes his head, "Well Kyle and Mason hate each other, it's been obvious to see since day one. But now they're off talking and stuff. Something fishy is in the air and it's not the mystery meat being served today."

We all laugh weakly, but it doesn't last long before we drop off into an awkward and rather tense silence. "Hey guys," Mason's voice suddenly chimes as he and his tray join us at our table.

"Hey," we as say and he grins. The nervous-ness that has been radiating off of him the whole day has been stripped away leaving plain old Mason again. I can't help feeling relieved and curious at the change.

"Where were you?" I ask.

"Just at the cabin. I forgot there was something I had to check for art class. And Kyle was there if y'all were wondering. He said he would be here in a few minutes, just something he had to do," Mason says with a shrug.

"Oh... okay," I say. The sick feeling in my stomach is gone and I smile, eating my green beans. In my distracted state I got green beans, orange juice, a hamburger with no bun, and my pudding cup.

"That's an interesting meal choice," Mason mutters right into my ear, his breath tickling me.

I giggle and push him away, "I was feeling like eating something interesting today."

"Fine by me," he says and goes about eating a slice of greasy pizza. I want pizza.

Mason's POV

Kyle never came to dinner. Emma-claiming she was worried he got into some fight with someone- convinced me to skip free time and head back to the cabin.

I let her jump on my back and together we walk piggy back style. "Maybe he decided he wasn't feeling well," I offer.

"But you talked to him right before and he seemed fine right?" Emma asks.

I chew on my lip and nod, "Well yes, but we didn't have a conversation really. You know I don't like the guy."

"That I do," she says and I can tell she's smiling behind me.

She twists locks of my hair around her fingers in the way that I love and leans forward to press her lips to my cheek. "I hope he's okay."

"Maybe he decided he didn't like acting after all and headed home!" I say in feigned excitement. Emma laughs and smacks me playfully on the arm.

"That's mean Mason," she says.

"Maybe I'm only nice for you," I offer.

Emma nuzzles her face into my hair. "Not true." The way she says it, her voice soft and loving, makes me wish we weren't going looking for Kyle. Makes me wish we weren't at this camp.

It's a stupid wish of course because if we weren't right here, right now, I would be back with my horrible father and she would be back living with Daniel.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Hmm...?" I say.

Emma readjusts the way her arms wrap around my neck. "You got all quiet all of the sudden. I was wondering what you might be thinking."

"Just thinking about us," I say.

"Us," she says, her voice both pleased and amused."What about us?"

"Oh not much, just how happy I am that there is an us." I tuck my chin in so I can press my lips to the back of her small hand.

She laughs and says, "I am too Mase. So happy."

Suddenly cabin six becomes clear to me and Emma drops off my back, taking my hand instead. I open the door and she ducks under my arm to come inside. The cabin is exactly how I left it except there is no Kyle to be seen.

"Weird," Emma mutters. "I would have thought he'd be here." I notice that the bathroom door is closed, the light on. I step forward, the floorboards creaking beneath my feet.

I knock on the door with no response. "Kyle," I call out, knocking again. Something seems very wrong here. "Kyle are you in there." Still there's nothing.

Behind me I hear Emma gasp and I spin around. While my attention shifted she had moved to her bunk. She's sitting and her face is turned away from me.

"Emma?" I say, worry clawing at my stomach. "Is everything okay?" I walk closer and see one of her hands covering her mouth and the other holding something in her lap. Kneeling down beside her I look up at her face. She's crying, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. "Emma?" I repeat, putting my hand on her leg. She shoves my hand away, standing up fast.

"Don't touch me," she growls.

"Emma what's going on?" I ask desperately, coming closer to her.

She drops what she was holding, a piece of paper, quite a few actually. "Stay away from me," she says, desperately wiping her face with the back of her sleeve. "You are disgusting Mason. You make me sick." She spits out the words like they are dirty and then runs from the room. She slams the door shut behind her, sending a shutter through the whole cabin.

I feel like I've been punched in the gut and I fall to the ground. My fingers reach out for the pieces of fallen paper. When I pick them up I finally see. And suddenly everything makes a horrible kind of sense.

A/N so sorry for the half cliffhanger if that makes any kind of sense! Next chapter is coming very soon I hope. Just so y'all know it's literally 12:30 a.m. where I live (that is right after midnight right? I always get 12 a.m and 12 p.m confused) and I still have another chapter to get out before tomorrow morning (today techniquely) when I go back to my mom's place! Hope you guys don't hate me. Now gotta go write some more, so byeee!