*I UPDATED CHAPTERS 26-28 SO READ THEM IN ORDER*
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Ty sat on the opposite side of the bus and three rows up from me so I specifically couldn't drink any more of his Gatorade. Fine then I'll drink my own peasant water.
Kris nudged me and I looked up to see her take a picture of me. I tried to swat her hand away as she laughed and ran it through her short hair.
"Who did you send it to?" I asked. It wasn't a bad picture- I'll have to admit, but I couldn't just have her taking random pictures of me and sending them to random people on snapchat.
She smirked, "No one."
"I call bullshit."
"Yeah you're right..."
I leaned against her shoulder, "Who was it?" I didn't even need an answer because the yellow icon popped up next to the name; EO&OL.
She opened it and shielded the phone away from me. Ass. "Who was it?" I asked again.
Kris smirked and just handed me a pair of ear buds, still refusing to say a thing.
If I asked again it would seem like I'm a pest, but if I let it go it would seem like I gave it up too easily. See my predicament here?
Scowling I jammed my earbuds back into my ears so hard that it almost hurt. The pain went away when the music started but Kris just turned to me. "Turn it down."
I could barely hear her but the reading lips really helped. I shook my head and continued to look out to the dry plains of dead grass. What a scenery. Yes my friends, California is not just beaches and democrats. We also have a lot of dead grass and fruit trees for miles on end.
My phone was snatched out of my hand and the volume was turned down significantly before I could even respond. "The hell dude?"
She looked worried but pointed to the seat behind us, "That weird chick is behind us and I don't think she'll like you blaring music so half the bus can hear it."
Weird chick? I turned to look, behind me through the small crack in the brown seat near the window.
"Ohhhh." I sighed and settled back in my seat. "Her names Evie I think." She was a short, probably only ninety pounds girl with a rude attitude and side-swept black hair. Her eyes (which were coated in a heavy layer of dark eye makeup) were closed and she seemed to be sleeping. Or meditating... I have no idea.
Oh what I would give to be sleeping.
I pulled Ty's sweatshirt out of my bag and held it close to me. Yeah, he's never getting this thing back.
I cuddled up to it and brought my knees to my chest. I think I dozed off, or at least was really checked out for the rest of the time just occasionally sniffing his shirt. Don't want to get used to the smell amirite?
The bus stopped in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees and other forest things.
One of the supervising teachers Mr. Calp, who usually runs detention, stood up in the front and caught all of our attention.
"Take out your earbuds and put away your phones. Yes, that means you, Ian." I stifled a laugh at my friend as his phone was swiped right out of his hands.
"Anyways... There is a ten-minute walk to the cabins. You will find eight cabins three for girls, three for boys, one dining hall, and kitchen and one common room. The sleeping arrangements are posted on each door. If you have any problems you can suck it up because we tried to take everyone's requests into consideration.
"There will be limited cell reception and no wifi-" A few groans were let out but he continued, "The bus with your extra bags will be showing up in a few hours and a selected number of students will be chosen to bring them all to the site. Please just behave yourself."
Mr. Jin sat up from his seat, "And no girls in the boy's cabins- or boys in the girl's!"
Again more groans.
The teachers got off first and then the rest of us. I put Ty's sweatshirt back on and threw the hood over my hair.
He was leaning against the yellow bus when I came out and approached me. "I'm never getting that thing back am I?" he pointed to the sweatshirt and I held back a laugh and shook my head.
"I could just trade this one out for another one."
Ty shrugged, "Fair enough."
No, I wouldn't tell him that I've slept with it on seven occasions now, wishing it was him the whole time. And no I would not tell him that his smell is starting to wear off. And no I would not tell him that he looked really hot right now and all I want to do is attack him with my lips.
These are some things I will not do.
He looked at me for a second while we started walking. I turned and met his soft gaze.
"You're staring," I said lightly.
"I know,"
My heart hammered against my chest as he frowned slightly. I turned my eyes away from him to anything else. Suddenly the birds in the trees became extremely interesting.
"Sorry." he said and turned his gaze to the birds I was looking at.
I swallowed, not sure what to say. I could have just done nothing but that would make me seem like an ass.
"Why are you sorry?"
"Oh- I just thought- that you, um..." He stuttered, looking adorable might I add.
I really want to kiss him. Woah, slow down there Ella.
I cocked my head to the side and looked at him as we still walked.
Ty just shook his head almost in defeat and turned the other way.
Mark and Ian came up to us and started talking.
"So I was thinking what we could do to prank the teachers on that last day." Ian brought his hands in front of us in the air and motioned out the words, "Bear scare"
He started walking backward with the biggest grin on his face. I pointed at him, "You, my friend, are a terrible person."
I don't even want to know the details. I'll see it soon enough.
"Right?" Mark asked with the smallest of a smile.
I could almost see the pain in his eyes when he looked at me. Oh god did he still like me?
I prayed to whatever higher being in my mind that he didn't.
I think I made it clear I don't like him. A shame really, because he's perfect.
Ty tensed next to me and his demeanor changed. He leaned over and spoke to me only, but loud enough for the rest of them to hear. "If you weren't all broken and everything this would be the perfect opportunity to race you."
"I would so beat you."
"Oh Cupcake, I wouldn't be naive this time."
Oh yeah. I totally made him believe I was unfit to sprint down two blocks. Sucker.
"Yeah but too bad I'm broken."
He laughed but I could tell it was forced, "Yeah, too bad..."
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The cabins were big and spacious. Each room was separated into three bunk beds, and there were about five rooms per cabin.
My name was on cabin eight, the end of the girl cabins at the edge of the cleared area. I threw my phone under the pillow and took off the sweatshirt.
Even though I didn't want to. I defiantly didn't want to.
Jen came in groggily with a backpack and a scowl. She sat on the last bed that was open.
"My fucking hands. I'm going to murder someone, holy shit they hurt like a mother fucker. Shit, FUCK ME." She swore extremely loud.
Damn.
"Slow down there, sailor mouth."
Her scowl deepened into the lines of her face. I walked over with a smile hoping it would be contagious and ruffled her lilac hair.
She pointed me with still bandaged hands, "Fuck you."
"I'd rather not."
Jen proceeded to laugh dryly and stand up. She left the small room and I followed after her.
She was wearing a white shirt and black jeans, but with her hair, it looked amazing.
Outside there was a small pond to the far right in the woods and a huge clearing but other than that it was extremely average and boring.
Cam came up to us and went next to Jen. She continued to scowl but I could tell it was forced and within seconds it was wiped off her face. They walked off to one of the logs.
You have no idea how many times they both apologized to Ty and I.
Speaking of Ty, I found him in the kitchen sitting on the counter with a book in his lap.
Do you ever get so attached to a person that whenever you walk into a room your eyes immediately are drawn to them? No one else, just them, and then your hearts starts hammering out of your chest like you just ran a marathon, and you can't breathe.
Becuase that's how I started to feel when I walked in.
He looked so simple sitting there. I couldn't place why his black jeans and a dark blue tee shirt looked so different today. He looked like he did every day. Hair slightly ruffled, but never that messy and his eyes focused intently on the book in his hands.
Maybe it was his expression when he thought no one was watching. Calm and surreal.
I cleared my throat to get his attention. Ty jumped and looked up.
"Hey." He smiled and set his book down.
"W-w-what are you reading?"
"Oh, The Great Gatsby, for the fifth time..."
I sighed, "Jay is a babe."
"Becuase of Leo?"
"Maybeeee?" I said with a laugh.
I mean who wouldn't love him? The character I mean, not Leo.
But of course, he's great too.
Ty jumped off the counter and walked over to me. Again my heart sped up. He took my hand and lead me out of the kitchen the back way. It lead out to the small pond, where there was a small ground of people all sitting around.
"What is this?" I asked as he guided me over.
He grinned, "Brid watching you're my partner."
"But I- Wait what?"
He held up a finger to my face and smirked. "I already signed you up, so no point in arguing."
What did he actually think I was going to say no? I would willingly set myself on fire for him.
"So we're venturing off into the woods to watch birds?" I asked.
He nodded with a genuinely happy smile. "Mom used to take me to look at birds all the time when I was younger."
"Oh." My mom never did that for me.
She never did anything for me, but I shoved those thoughts aside and focused on the grinning boy in front of me.
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After three hours we were still sitting in the small field examining the tree line. Yet I was with Ty so it didn't matter.
A girl named Kess joined our pair because her partner thought she got poison oak and left back to the cabins. I'm pretty sure Kess was still internally laughing from the whole ordeal because she kept just letting out a small chuckle everyone once in a while.
"Oh look." Her dark eyes lifted to the clouds where a hawk was flying.
When Ty and I set off to birdwatch after the biology teacher explained what we were going to do, I didn't think we would actually sit there and watch for birds.
I don't know what I was expecting but this was not it.
"Two hawks. Seventeen mixed birds, and about a million quail." Ty concluded as he leaned back further, throwing me off my balance. Our shoulders were pressed together, our body facing separate ways.
The baby quail were defiantly my favorite part.
"Make that eighteen mixed birds," I added when I saw another sparrow.
The sun slowly went down and we got up to return to the camp. For some strange reason, I was trying to convince Ty to eat some of the bird seed.
"Why not?" I asked, "It's like oatmeal."
"You're not going to make me."
"Please?" I urged, pushing the small bag of seed towards him.
Kess started laughing, "I don't think you would want to kiss him after that."
I stopped.
I'm sorry.
What?
"Wait you thought? That we?" I motioned between Ty and I, turning a bright shade of pink.
Kess, had it not been for her dark skin, would have turned red from embarrassment too.
"Wait you're not?"
I wish.
"No." Ty interjected.
She frowned, "Aw, well you do seem like you are. And you're cute for each other."
By this time we were at the camp again.
Kess apologized profusely before scampering away.
Ty turned to me. "Would you still kiss me if I ate the bird seed?"
My breath was caught somewhere in the back of my throat and I'm pretty sure my heart dropped into my stomach.
"S-s-t-till?"
He took a step closer. Suddenly I wasn't aware of my surroundings. It was just us in the middle of a forest.
"Still?" He repeated me, but more breathy and less stuttery.
What do I do, what do I say?
I think he noticed that I was internally freaking out became his small smile dropped. "Hey hey, it's okay."
He opened his arms for a hug and without thinking I closed the space between us and nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck.
What was he doing to me?
I pulled away from the embrace and yawned slightly. It took a while to walk back and it was fully dark.
"Go to bed." he told me, his eyes staring into mine.
"No, I want to stay."
He insisted again.
I nodded, giving in. Before he turned away I started talking again. "I really like y-" I stopped.
Wait, no. "Your eyes. Yeah, your eyes. I like your eyes."
I turned and ran.
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