Breathe || Max X Reader - Camp Camp

XLV

After breakfast ended, I decided to search for a quiet place to write. I wasn't sure of who I wanted to write my letters to, nor the amount of letters I wanted to write.
     "Hey," Preston greeted, snapping me out of my daze. I turned my head to witness Preston running from behind me. He was quick to catch up. "Good morning!"
     I bit my lip as I dug the tip of my sneaker into the dirt. "Hi," I responded with an icy tone.
     Preston cocked his head to the side. "You're not so chipper today, Y/N," Preston noticed. "What's got your panties in a twist?"
     I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I was terrified of telling Preston what I'd witnessed. I was disgusted by how easily Preston was able to shake it all off. He spoke to me as if everything was normal. "I really have to go," I urged. My eyes darted around, trying to avoid Preston at all costs. My stomach churned.
     Preston nodded. "I see," Preston replied. "We'll be catching up later, then," he warned.
     I gave Preston a half-hearted "thumbs up" and walked away. It was painful to interact with him. Everything about Preston seemed painful to me.

     I sat down on one of the logs surrounding an unlit campfire. Since it was broad daylight, the campfire area was vacant of campers, making it a great thinking spot. Who should I write to? I unfolded the blank sheet of paper in my hands and pulled my pen out of my back pocket. I leaned forward and rested my arms on my lap. I definitely should write to Max. I began to chew on my inner cheek as I stared at the blank sheet of paper. As much as I hate it, I have to say something to Preston. I should probably write to Harrison, too. I tapped my pen against my chin.
     The log moved up a bit. "Woah!", I yelped.
     A laugh came from my right. I turned my head to see Max, who had sat on the same log as I. "I startled you, didn't I?", Max prompted.
     I grinned. "Yeah, for sure," I admitted. I sat my pen on the log next to my thigh. "What brings you here?"
     Max smirked. "A pretty girl," he flirted. Max scooted closer to me. "Oh, and Preston. He said you were acting weird."
     My expression turned sour. I crumpled up the blank piece of paper and stuffed it into my pocket. "It's nothing," I replied.
     As the wind picked up, dandelion fluffs floated across the campsite. Max moved my hair away from my face. Though it was no use, the breeze kept sending bits of hair into my line of sight. "I know it's been bad, lately," Max started, "but I can promise to keep a secret." Max sighed. He took me by the hand. "Y/N, this is all over in about ten days. If there's something I need to know, then you have to tell me. And, look, I get it, I'm not always the best person to talk to about these things..." Max messed with his hair. He took a long breath. "But Y/N, I love you. Let me be there for you."
     I stared at Max, longingly. I was afraid. I didn't want him to freak out and hurt Preston again. "Max, this is a very serious problem, that you're asking me to tell you about," I warned. Max nodded. "Are you sure you want to know?"
     "Yes," Max confirmed.
     I picked up a fallen acorn and fiddled with it as I spoke. "Last night, Nikki and I heard some screaming," I explained. Max held eye contact with me, listening intently. "We went to check it out. It was Harrison and Preston arguing. But...it was about me. Harrison was mad at Preston because Preston admitted that he still had feelings for me. I'm pretty sure they're not together anymore."
     Max laughed. My jaw dropped. "Yeah, I sure would hope so!", Max jested. He playfully elbowed me.
     "Y-You're not mad?", I questioned. I was starstruck.
     Max shook his head with a playful grin. "Of course not," he promised. Max stood up and stretched. "You're still my girl either way, so it's not a big deal. I think you stress yourself out too much about other peoples' problems."
     Max tapped his toe. "You're not going to beat Preston up?", I asked.
     I dropped the acorn. "Nah, David would kill me if I did that. I can't afford to get on his nerves now that he's housing me," Max explained. He started to walk away. "Besides, I think I'm over the whole 'tough guy' thing. It sort of just made me into an ass!", Max called over his shoulder. With that, he was gone.
     I pulled the crumpled piece of paper from out of my pocket. I picked up my pen as I unwrinkled the paper with my free hand. I think I have an idea. I clicked my pen and got to work.
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A/N - Slightly late chapter, I know. Also, slightly shorter chapter, also aware. I've just been reading a lot of other stories lately and it's been eating up my time, not to mention marching band. I'm always so tired after band that I just end up sleeping all day. It's hard to write when you're so tired that you feel like a zombie. It's also a bit tough just because writing while you're tired always equates to a horrible chapter. Lately, I've been trying really hard to up the quality of my work. Also, ~for the first time in forever~ I actually plotted the entirety of this chapter and the previous chapter. I've found that plotting out my chapters really does help to get rid of all the fluffy, junky scenes. ☁️

Comment Question of the Chapter:

What's your favorite Camp Camp AU?