"Why do we need so many blankets?" I asked, helping to throw them into the boot of the car. Niall grinned as he jammed in the tent.
"Because," he said, testing the door to see if it would shut, "you're always cold. And I don't really want to be woken up by you in the middle of the night, ranting at me because it's my fault." He pinched my cheek and then opened the boot again, pushing everything back as far as it would go. I sighed, picking up a box of food and passing it to him.
Sian was meant to be here helping, but she had texted half an hour ago saying that she was tied up with something. Niall and I had both hazarded a guess that that "something" was none other than Billy. So we had been left to pack up the car with numerous tents and sleeping bags. How we were going to fit everyone in was beyond me; there were going to be nine of us. In a five seat car. Was I the only one to see the issues with this?
Niall slammed the boot shut and leaned against the car, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. I rubbed my eyes and placed a hand on my stomach. His eyes were instantly drawn to it and he straightened up immediately.
"Are you alright?" he asked, nervousness in his voice. I rolled my eyes, nodding. I was surprised that I was even being allowed to come on this trip; I might've accidently killed myself by walking into a tree or something. But then I was reminded that Denny was still walking around and perhaps Niall had reason to be concerned. But I was hopeful. Denny hadn't contacted me since the incident in the toilets; perhaps being taken in by the police had acted as a deterrent.
"I'm fine," I replied, taking hold of his hands. I cocked my head to the side, looking up at him. He bent down and kissed me softly, resting his forehead against mine.
"We don't have to go camping if you're not up for it," he mumbled gently, his hands finding my bump.
"What? And miss spending the weekend with your friends and their jokes?" I teased, laughing. "How would I survive?" Niall snorted and kissed my nose.
"Just as long you don't do anything stupid while we're there."
Me? Do something stupid? I would never do something that would endanger my life. It was like he didn't know me at all! I was about to respond to it, when Niall jumped, his eyes wide. He looked down at my stomach with curiosity.
"He kicked," he breathed in disbelief. I smiled meekly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Baby Peanut gave another few jabs, while Niall grinned in amazement, his hand staying firmly on my abdomen. The way this kid was going on, he was going to be a footballer.
When I mentioned this to Niall, he let out a short laugh.
"Just as long as he's not a rugby player." Apparently, the fire at the rugby club was still a bit fresh in his mind.
Baby Peanut stopped with his morning exercises and Niall's hand slid away from my bump, sighing.
"What?" I asked as he leaned back against the car.
"I'm just thinking," he muttered, not looking at me. I was about to ask what he could possibly thinking about that would make him suddenly so miserable, when Sian came hurting towards me, seemingly out of nowhere. She was out of breath from running, and her cheeks were flushed red.
"I've...got...to...hide," she panted, bending over as she tried to catch her breath. Without thinking, I opened the back door of the car and she scrambled in, lying horizontally across the back seat. Niall's eyebrows were raised as he peered through his window. Sian stuck her finger up at him and then pressed it to her lips.
Moments later, a short, balding man jogged past, his expression furious. He caught sight of Niall and me and came towards us, waving a fat finger. Niall instinctively stood in front of me but there was no way that I was missing this.
"Have you seen a girl come past here?" he asked, smoothing his bristled moustache. Niall looked around mockingly.
"Nope," he replied, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"What about you?" The question was aimed at me, and I quirked my eyebrow in response, sucking in my cheeks.
"Why?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. The man made an exasperated noise.
"Because she's just robbed a load of vodka from my shop!"
For fucks' sake, Sian!
"No, I've not seen her," I sighed. "How'd she steal it anyway?" I was seriously interested; Sian wasn't the most subtle of people when it came to nicking things. She was possibly the worst pick-pocket in the world. The man blushed and ran his fingers through his thinning hair several times, the flush creeping up his fat neck.
"Erm...I was distracted." By the flustered look on his face, it had obviously had something to do with Sian's "feminine charm". He took off down the street, shouting a load of abuse at some ten year olds who nearly ran him over with their bikes. I watched in mild amusement until I could no longer see him. Then I turned back to the car, opening it wide.
"Your friend's gone," I informed her.
"About bloody time," she grumbled, re-adjusting her cleavage as she got up. "Thought the fat gimp was never going to leave." As she yanked up her vest top, I heard the jangle of bottles coming from her bag. How much did she take?
"D'you mind not bringing us into your crime sprees?" Niall asked half-heartedly, frowning at Sian. "It makes me feel very immoral." Sian snorted and looked around, checking to make sure that the coast was really clear. Once she was certain that she was going to be fine, she produced three bottles of vodka and a bottle of...whiskey?
"Want some?" she asked, unscrewing the top of one of the bottles.
"She's pregnant," Niall said. Sian looked up at him, batting her eyelashes.
"Start 'em young," she dismissed, taking a swig. I rolled my eyes while Niall gave a strained laugh, glaring down at Sian. She sat against the side of his car, lining up her bottles in a row. Was she seriously about to drink them all before going on a car trip? Niall seemed to be thinking the same as me, because he plucked two of them away from her, putting them in the boot.
"Hey!" Sian exclaimed, slapping at his leg. "Those are mine!" Niall muttered something about the company that I kept, and Sian aimed a kick at his shin, completely missing and ending up with her foot in a shrub.
"Where's Billy?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Sian shrugged.
"I don't know," she replied lazily, stretching herself out. "I'm not his keeper." That was about as much as we were probably going to get out of her for the time being; she seemed like she was in a very un-cooperative mood.
One by one, people turned up sporting numerous bags and boxes. Where the hell were we meant to fit them? Billy ended up being the last to arrive. His bloodshot eyes widened when he saw Sian, and he pointed a finger towards her.
"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded, looking down at her and her bottle of vodka. She just gave him a toothy smile.
"Everywhere," she replied, running her fingers through her hair. Then she looked at us all. "Are we going then?"
Niall nodded.
"You lot can go in the back," he said, pointing at Billy, Adam, Paulie, Ray, Angus, Jen and Sian, "and me and Evie'll go in the front."
"Where're we going to sit?" Jen asked, biting the cuff of her jacket. Angus pulled her close to him.
"On my knee."
Sian pretended to vomit in the bushes and I stifled a snigger. Jen blushed and then scowled at us both.
Eventually, after numerous shouts of anguish and annoyance, everyone was sitting, albeit a little squashed, comfortably in the back of Niall's car. I got into the front, exhausted from all of the squabbling. We hadn't even gone anywhere and already Sian was refusing to speak to Billy, Jen, Angus and Adam. She was sitting on Ray's knee, who looked as though he had struck gold, while Paulie and Billy sat on the floor, their backs against mine and Niall's seats. It had to be the most complicated way of travelling that had ever been thought up by teenagers.
"You do know where we're going," Paulie asked, poking head around the seat.
"Look, do you want to drive?" Niall demanded, looking at him in the wing mirror. Paulie shrugged and went back to looking through his phone. Niall reversed into the middle of the road and, finally, we were actually making progress.
And then the moaning started.
Sian was bored. What the hell was she, six? At the beginning, it had been bearable; her games of I-Spy didn't get that tedious. But when she started on Shag, Marry or Cruise, it got a bit too personal.
"Out of me, Evie and Jen," she said, looking straight at Billy, "what would you do?" I heard Billy gulp under her gaze. I leaned my head against the window, closing my eyes and listening to the conversation unfold.
"And you've got to give reasons," Sian hissed.
"Erm..." Billy stammered.
"Think very carefully about your answers, Billy," Sian muttered menacingly. I snorted.
"I would, uh, shag you, Sian," he said, his voice falteringly. "Marry...Evie, and then...cruise Jen?" His voice went up at the end, as if he was waiting for confirmation that he had chosen right. Instead Sian leaned back against Ray and wriggled a bit, her eyes never leaving Billy's face.
"Why?" she asked.
I was beginning to feel slightly sorry for Billy; he really didn't want to do this. I glanced at Niall, who was clenching his jaw, his hands gripping the steering wheel.
"Because," he murmured. "You're you, Evie's the marrying type and...well, Jen's a virgin." He said the word like it was something disgusting and I was about to say something when I heard Angus aim a kick at Billy's groin. I looked at Niall again, trying to work out what was wrong with him. I reached out to stroke his arm and he looked at me, his eyes wide. I gave him a small smile and settled back into my seat, hoping that this wasn't going to be a weekend of everyone being in a bad mood with each other.
I think I must've fallen asleep because, when I looked out the window again, we had reached a vast forest and Niall was parking the car just in front of the mouth of trees, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Sian hopped out, followed by everyone else who was sitting in the backseat. I just sat for a moment, trying to get my bearings.
"What's wrong?" I asked Niall, looking at him.
"You tell Sian," he growled, "to keep her games to herself." And he left the car, slamming the door in his wake. What the hell had that been about? I stared after him, watching as he opened the boot of the car and called the others over to help him carry the stuff. Something told me that I was about to become Public Enemy Number One if I didn't get out of the car.
I stood beside Sian, pulling my coat over myself to try and stay warm. Why would anyone think of going camping in February? It was absolutely ridiculous.
"Where exactly are we going?" Sian demanded, refusing to take the box of food from Niall, who looked like he was wishing that he had left her in the driveway. While he reversed the car.
"Does it matter?" Ray asked doubtfully, shooting Sian a smile, which she returned, before winking at Billy. What the hell was going on? What had Billy done to make her act like this?
"Somewhere near a toilet," Jen squeaked and everyone laughed at her, including a reluctant looking Sian. I was still preoccupied with the sudden onset of Niall's surliness, so I waited until it was only the two of us standing beside his car before confronting him, refusing to move until he told me.
"What's wrong?" I asked, picking up a bag of blankets.
"Nothing," he grunted, throwing the tent bag over his shoulder and beginning to walk.
"No," I said, standing in front of him and putting a restraining hand on his chest. He looked down at me, with a tired look on his face. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was sticking up in odd directions, as if he had hardly slept the night before.
"I'm fine," he insisted, trying to dodge around me. I was about to shout at him when Baby Peanut gave me a particularly sharp kick and took me completely by surprise. I gasped and my eyes went wide.
"Evie?" Niall murmured, dropping the tent at his feet and putting his hand on my stomach. "What happened?"
"It was just a kick," I mumbled, trying to catch my breath. Niall pulled me to his chest, kissing the top of my head.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Why are you being so grumpy?" I asked, lifting my head to look at him. Niall snorted and looked away, focusing on a tree stump.
"I'm the only one who should think you're the marrying type," he muttered. I rolled my eyes.
"Niall, if you think I'm going to fuck off with Billy, you're a bigger knob than I thought you were." He smiled.
"I know."
"God, you're possessive," I grumbled, picking up my bag. He put his arm around my waist, well, halfway around; Baby Peanut got in the way. He swung the tent back over his shoulder and opted for holding my hand instead, as we steadily tried not to fall over in the thick undergrowth.
"Look, there's a hut; go pee!" Sian shouted at someone - I was guessing Jen - jabbing her finger at a small toilet. I sighed.
They had found a small clearing in the woods, where it had been cleared of trees, just for camping. A small hut, containing a tiny toilet stood lonely in the trees not far from where we were standing.
If this was the great outdoors, they could stick it.
Niall threw down the tent on the ground and everyone looked at it, as if it was going to suddenly spring up and put itself out. I mean, I knew they were pretty modern these days, but I wasn't sure technology had got that far.
"So how's this going to work out?" Ray asked, looking at Niall through the corner of his eyes. "There're four tents and nine of us; who's going where?"
I had given it some thought over the past week; there was no way in hell I was sharing a tent with Sian; her snoring was enough to send a small spaceship into orbit. Neither, I had to admit, was I exactly won over by the idea of bunking in with Jen, who still wasn't exactly speaking to me. And I wasn't a genius, but I was guessing that Niall wouldn't be too thrilled about me sharing with any of the boys.
"Me and Evie in one tent," Niall said slowly, pointing at one tent. "Jen and Angus in another. Sian and Billy in the third and you three can just go in together."
"Why are you lot all disappearing with your birds?" Adam demanded. "I don't want to share a tent with them."
"Thanks a lot," Paulie muttered sarcastically. "Think that we're particularly enamoured with the idea of spending the weekend with your feet?" I smiled.
"D'you think that Sian and Jen being in an enclosed space would be a smart move?" Niall asked, looking at my two friends. Sian grinned away to herself, and Jen blushed, looking down at her feet.
"Fine," Adam muttered grumpily, picking up a tent. "But if any of youse even think of starting something in the middle of the night, I'm sleeping outside." He began to walk over to a flat piece of ground.
"Shouldn't think so much of yourself," Paulie sniggered, following him. Ray grumbled something inaudible but set about helping Adam and Paulie set up the tent. Sian attempted to pick up her tent but succeeded only in hitting Billy in the shins with it. She didn't apologise; she just strutted off, settling on a spot next to Adam, Paulie and Ray's. I really wanted to know what was wrong with her; more so I could do something about it so that she didn't stay angry with everyone.
"Do you want some help?" I asked Niall, as he started to unpack the tent. He looked me up and down, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"Do I really need to answer that?"
"So is that a yes?"
"No."
"So it's a no?"
"Yes."
"So it's a yes?"
"Evie!" he growled.
I was doing it just to wind him up and it certainly worked, so much that he refused to speak to me until he had single handedly put up the tent. How had he managed to do that? I had looked around when he had been halfway through, and the others had still been struggling with theirs.
"You're like a...tent expert," I told him passing him a bag. Niall snorted.
"It's not exactly-"
"Don't say rocket science," I muttered darkly, which just made him laugh even more.
The tent was pretty average sized, but once it had all of our stuff in it, a long with a blow up mattress and dozens of blankets, it soon looked cramped. I sat on the mattress as Niall passed me the remaining few things that were lying outside. I couldn't actually believe how much stuff I had ended up taking.
"And it had better not end up all over the floor," Niall warned, lying down beside me. "Because I'm not tidying up in here like I do at home."
"What're you talking about?" I demanded. "I think you'll find I'm never done picking up your pants from the floor."
"Yeah, but that's normally because you're the one who's taking them off, darling," he teased. I elbowed him, trying not to laugh. From the open door flap, I could see Sian starting to kick off about something. She was trying to boss Billy about, instructing him about hammering in the guy lines in the right place.
"Jesus, you can't even do that right, can you?" she moaned exasperatedly. I felt Niall's hand creep around my waist and he began to trace circles on the material of my jumper. I rested my head against his chest, listening to Sian getting even more annoyed with Billy.
"It's a hammer," she stated, waving it in front of his face, "you hit the fucking pegs with it; what's so difficult?"
"Well, it would be much easier if you weren't shouting at me!" Billy exclaimed, throwing his baseball cap to the ground.
"Deal with it, Gigolo," she snarled, taking a step towards him. By now, everyone had stopped trying to put their tents up to watch the dispute. Jen was hiding out of sight behind Angus, peering out from behind his broadness.
"What's going on?" I asked, stepping out. I looked at Sian, my eyebrow quirked. She tilted her head to the side, a slightly insane smile on her face. Then, she looked at Jen hiding behind her boyfriend and then back at Billy.
Then it clicked.
"Oh God Jen," I murmured, looking her straight in the eye. "Tell me you didn't." She stepped further behind Angus, trying to conceal herself from our gaze. But the damage was already done. Billy groaned in defeat, slumping down on the ground with his head in his hands.
Angus turned slowly, his eyes full of hurt. The look on Jen's face said it all.
"Guess they won't be sharing with their birds after all," Adam muttered happily to Paulie.
Sian took great delight in telling us how Jen and Billy had come about, because, to be honest, I was kind of interested how it had happened. I mean, it was Billy; he wasn't exactly the best looking bloke or the smartest. Actually, he wasn't a catch in the slightest, and Jen had always been extremely picky about who she fancied.
Why couldn't my friends just live their lives without any drama? Why did it all just have to suddenly turn into a soap? And a bad one at that.
"And do you want to know how I found out?" she seethed, looking at Billy with utter contempt. "His mum called me Jen!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Jen. "As if I'd be associated with that...harlot!"
Well, harlot was taking it a bit far; had she forgotten the time she had stolen Kylie's boyfriend and then dumped him because he had given her herpes? Maybe; Sian seemed to suffer from short term memory loss when it came to things like that.
Angus, who had been staying very quiet up until that point, looked up from where he was sitting at Jen, his eyes wide.
"Why?" he asked simply. She shook her head, tears sliding down her face. Sian looked as though she was about to speak, but I scuffed her shin with the end of my shoe, willing her not to say anything; this was already awkward enough without her adding to it.
"I just...I just...I think we're too different Angus," she admitted bashfully. "Billy's just...he understands."
"Yeah," Sian dismissed scornfully, "that's exactly why he's been fucking about."
We stood in silence for a couple of moments before Sian took a step towards Jen and struck her across the face.
"And you said that I was a slag," she hissed, tears springing to her eyes. Then she turned on her heel and pushed Billy away from her, hitting at his chest. I had never seen her react to being cheated on like this. Actually, Sian had never been cheated on. It was always her doing the adultery. And now that the shoe was on the other foot, she seemed to be falling hard.
However, she looked like she was about to Billy some serious damage with her nails, so Niall stepped forward and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her away from his friend. Only, Sian wasn't stopping without putting up a fight. They toppled over onto the ground, Niall breaking Sian's fall.
"Niall, you prick!" she shouted, starting to claw at his face. "I'm trying to beat someone up!" He grabbed her wrists as she struggled, forcing them away from him. She went limp, suddenly realising just how ridiculous she looked. She looked down at Niall, her eyebrow's raised.
"If you want a shag, Niall, you could have at least have waited until Evie wasn't looking," she muttered. I put a hand to my head and tried to count to ten.
"Sorry," Niall said, grimacing, "you're just not my type, Sian." He pushed her off, making her fall face first into a pile of earth. Nobody laughed as she shook herself down and glared at Jen.
This was going to an awkward weekend, especially if Jen didn't apologise to Sian.
***
At about six, we had a small fire going in the middle of all of the tents, and everyone was huddled around it for warmth. It was so cold, that we could all see our breath in front of us. I had said it before, and I would say it again; camping. In February. Whose bright idea had that been? Actually, I had a funny feeling it might have been Ray's so perhaps it was best not to say anything.
Ever since she had revealed that Billy and Jen had been fooling about, Sian hadn't moved from Ray's side, nor had she said anything, which had me more concerned than anything; there were so many things she could pass comment about and she had remained silent through it all, including the moment when Niall had burnt his finger trying to put a stick into the flames.
So, sighing, I got to my feet, shivering in the cold air and grabbed her arm, pulling her into my tent. She flopped down on the mattress, closing her eyes.
"Are you alright?" I asked, sitting down beside her. Sian laughed bitterly, putting her arm over her face.
"She was meant to be my friend," she mumbled. I had the vague feeling that Sian was going to start crying in a minute. "I knew she was annoyed with me, but I didn't think she'd stoop this low, you know?"
"But you didn't even like him that much," I pointed out helpfully.
"That's not the point, Evie," she said through gritted teeth. "You don't go after your friends' boyfriend; it's the rule." I refrained from mention that, a couple of hours ago, she had suggested having sex with my boyfriend; it was probably not want she wanted to hear right now.
"I think she really is sorry," I tried sincerely, watching her for some sort of reaction. "I mean, I don't think falling for Billy was really what she wanted."
"Whatever."
I sighed.
"D'you want me to swap tents with Billy?" I asked. "He can go in with Niall and I'll go in with you?"
"And leave Jen with Angus?" Sian let out a bitter laugh. "How's that for spite?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Nah, it's fine," she whispered, sitting back up. "Thank you, though." She wrapped her arms around me and I hugged her back. I felt bad for her, I really did. And I was pretty pissed with Jen as well.
"Evie?" Niall was standing outside the tent; I could see his blurred outline through the material.
"Not now," I groaned. "I'm talking to Sian."
"Have you had anything to eat today?" I made a face at Sian, who stifled her laughter.
"Yeah," I lied, rubbing at my eyes. Not that I didn't love him for caring but, in all honesty, I could have done without the protective routine at that exact moment in time.
"Liar," he scoffed. I was about to stick my finger up at him, when I realised, that he couldn't actually see me.
"We'll be out in a minute," I sighed. I listened to him walk away, before rolling my eyes at my best friend. She said nothing, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"You might actually have the most perfect boyfriend ever," she announced, her eyes wide. When she saw the look on my face, she said, "He just asked if you'd eaten; that's fucking sexy, Evie!"
Well, that was an improvement from her mourning over Billy's betrayal, and, as she unzipped the tent to leave, I saw her wink at Ray. Something told me that she wasn't going to be single for particularly long. I shook my head at her and sat back down next to Niall, taking the plate that he had in his hands from him. The meal didn't exactly look appetising; there was a portion of instant noodles, a burnt sausage and a half-cooked burger. I looked at him, my eyebrow quirked.
"Don't eat the burger."
I nodded, a smile spreading across my face. And I thought that my cooking skills were crap. As if he knew what I was thinking, he leaned across and kissed me. Thank God he didn't have any food in his mouth. He broke away, resting his forehead against mine.
"I might not be able to cook," he murmured, pressing his lips to the tip of my nose, "but you sure as hell aren't going anywhere near a fire."
"I think you'll find that it was you who burnt your finger, not me," I teased. I kissed his cheek and turned back to my food, finding that everyone was staring at us.
"Someone pass me a sick bag," Adam muttered, throwing his head back to look at the sky. Niall threw a sausage at him, which hit his forehead.
"I think it's sweet," Sian said delicately, chasing her noodles around her plate. "Evidently they don't feel the need to run off with the first piece of skirt that walks past." Jen blushed scarlet and Billy cleared his throat.
"Leave it, Sian," he growled. She looked at him. It was the first time Billy had defended anyone or anything in his life. He got to his feet and looked down at Jen.
"Do you want to go for a walk or something?" he asked. She hesitated before accepting the hand that he was offering, scampering after him as he led her towards the dark trees.
"No prizes for guessing what they're doing," Adam remarked, staring after them. Sian scowled, before throwing her plate down on the ground and disappearing into her tent, zipping it up so brutally that I was surprised she didn't knock the whole thing down. The rest of us sat in silence. Wow, what a fun packed and exciting trip this was turning out to be. And there was me thinking that we were going to be celebrating Billy's birthday.
Angus was sitting next to Ray, his face stony. The bedding arrangements had gone completely out of the window so everyone was just going to have to sleep where they crashed. And speaking of crashing, I was counting down the minutes until I could go to bed. I bet Niall was going to regret taking his pregnant girlfriend with him on a weekend away.
"You know," Adam said, stretching out. "I never realised what a prick Billy was." I looked at him, startled. Seriously? He had only just realised?
"I never thought he had the balls to be a cheater," Paulie admitted. "He's too bloody unorganised."
"So you're saying that there's a skill to two-timing?" I asked incredulously.
"Oh yeah," Ray chimed in. "Well, there is if you don't want to get caught." Well, obviously Billy hadn't mastered that particular skill.
"Niall's got that skill down to a tee," Adam laughed, clapping his hands like a moron. I turned to look at my boyfriend, my eyebrow raised. He blushed, looking anywhere but my face.
"Something you want to tell me?" I asked lightly, but inside my heart was racing.
"No, darling, there's not," he muttered, glaring at Adam. "He's just jealous that the only thing he has to shoot his load is a pile of porn magazines." Adam glared at Niall.
"That collection puts collectors to shame," he pointed out haughtily.
"You do know that boasting about the amount of porn you have, just makes it blatantly obvious that you're not getting any?" I said, cocking my head to the side. "And I wouldn't really go around admitting that?"
Everyone, minus Adam, burst into laughter.
"I love you," Niall chuckled, looking at Adam's crestfallen face. He was mouthing wordlessly at me, trying to think of a comeback. Niall pulled me towards him but I shuffled away.
"You're not off the hook," I grumbled. "What's this about you being an expert at cheating?"
Niall groaned and took his arms back.
"McKenzie, you don't half make life difficult for me," he breathed.
"Good."
Adam sniggered and I shot him a warning look; this was his fault. Him and his stupid cynical attitude towards life. Eurgh, I hated him.
Eventually, after falling asleep in front of the fire about two hours later, I decided that I was well and truly done in; you try carrying around a baby in your stomach all day, loading a car, unloading it and carrying the stuff to the middle of nowhere. It's not as easy as it looks. It had been decided that, because of the fact that no-one was really talking to each other, we would put off the proper celebration until tomorrow, after everyone had had some sleep and, hopefully, calmed down a bit.
I collapsed down on the mattress, pulling the numerous blankets over me. It was unbelievably warm, despite the fact that it was beginning to drop to freezing temperatures outside. I closed my eyes and happily let sleep consume me.
However, I hadn't been asleep particularly long, when I heard the most bizarre noises that ever plagued my ears. I rolled over awkwardly and blew in Niall's ear. He tried to swat me away before realising who I was, lazily opening one of his eyes.
"Evie, do you know what time it is?" he mumbled sleepily.
"There's something outside," I whispered frantically. He rolled his eyes at me and then closed them.
"You're just imagining it, darling."
Lazy bugger!
"Niall!" I hissed. He ignored me, pulling the blanket over his head.
"Go away," he whined.
"Niall Gallagher, don't make me put my feet on you!" I threatened, completely serious. His eyes snapped open and he flung back the covers. Possibly not the best move on his part, because he suddenly remembered that it was cold without them. He swore, pulling on his jumper and shoes.
He unzipped the tent and there was another noise, this time much louder and closer sounding. Niall froze and looked back to me.
"Are you going to come with me?" he asked. I shook my head and he frowned.
"So you're all for women's rights until it involves getting out of your bed, you lazy mare?" he demanded. "Un-fucking-believable."
"Niall," I stated clearly, "I'm having your child; the least you can do is go and check that there are no crazy axe murderers hiding in the bushes."
"Bloody wom- Can you pass something to protect myself?" I sighed and felt about the floor of the tent for something that could be used as a weapon. I found something that felt like it could do a fair bit of damage and tossed it over to him. He looked at it for a moment before making an exasperated noise.
"I ask for protection, and you give me hairspray?" he asked incredulously.
"What did you want?" I retorted. "A box of condoms? What were you going to do; shag them to death? Sorry Niall, but you and condoms just don't seem to mix well."
He looked like he was about to say something but he decided against it.
"Just...Stay in the tent, Evie." He stepped out and looked around, the hairspray poised in his hand. He looked absolutely hilarious standing there. I laughed and he whipped around.
"I'm glad you're finding this so amusing," he exclaimed. "I'm freezing my bollocks off out here."
"What's going on?" someone grunted. Moments later, Adam stuck his head out of his tent, rubbing his eyes.
"There's something in the woods," Niall yawned. Adam looked at the can of hairspray in Niall's hand.
"I'm not even going to ask, mate."
Niall stuck up his middle finger and began to walk towards the forest.
"Wait a minute," Adam moaned. There was a rustle inside his tent as he pulled on his clothes. "Are you sure it's not just Billy and Jen?"
"I'm here!" Jen squeaked. The tent that had originally belonged to her and Angus opened and Jen came out, careful to stop just short of the groundsheet. I could see Billy pulling on his baseball cap as he made the decision to help.
Well, this felt...strange.
"Right, I'm coming with you," I decided, pulling on my shoes.
"I don't think so, darling," Niall said. "You're staying put."
"What was all that about calling me a lazy mare then?" I demanded, coming out to stand next to him.
"It was a joke, Grumpy."
I elbowed him and he pretended to spray the hairspray at me.
"Don't you dare waste that," I warned.
"Who takes hairspray on a camping holiday?" Niall asked, looking at the label.
Another noise made me jump and accidentally head-butt Niall's chest. He responded by wrapping his arms around me.
"Aw, scared diddums?" he teased.
"I hate you," I whispered. He kissed me on the top of the head.
"I know, darling."
"This is touching, it really is," Adam said sarcastically, "but I'd really like to find out what the hell's going on so I can go back to bed." He began to walk towards the trees.
"Yeah," I muttered, taking Niall's hand, "because we really wouldn't want him being even moodier that this." Niall snorted.
I glanced back at Sian's tent, which was still closed. I didn't want to wake her after the day she had had, so I just followed Adam, along with Jen, Billy and Niall. Paulie was, apparently, according to Adam, "Dead to the bloody world," so there was no point in trying to rousing him.
Another loud shriek filled the air and, I began to slowly realise, that it wasn't exactly animalistic. As we got closer to the source, I started to get the feeling that we were about to stumble across something that was going to be extremely unforgettable for everyone.
"Ah, stop, Ray; I've got a splinter on my bum!" Sian shouted, as she came into view. Ray, who had her pinned against the tree, his trousers around his ankles, grunted as she moved again to get herself into a better position. Her long legs were wrapped around his waist, her lips against his. She fleetingly opened her eyes. They almost bulged out of her head when she saw the lot of us trying to back away without making a sound.
"What is it with you lot and interrupting?" she screeched. "I can't do anything without you walking in!"
Adam was shaking with laughter, grabbing a nearby tree for support. Niall's eyebrows looked like they were doing somersaults as he tried to decide between laughing and looking away. Jen was blushing something chronic and Billy was looking from her to Sian and back again, evidently deciding that he had made the wrong decision.
Me? I was just glad that she hadn't taking being cheated on to heart. But all the same...did she have to be so loud about it?
----------------------------------------------------------------
Okay...this better come out long... -_- and this is only half of the Camping Trip...if I had kept on writing...it would have been longer...but seeing as I was getting harassed by people to upload, I thought this would be better than nothing...
Which brings me onto my wee irk of the week...
I love writing, okay? I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't...And, more than anything, I do it for myself....and I'm so, so, so glad that you guys like my stuff, because that means the world to me.... BUT...what annoys me is being constantly nagged to upload...it sucks all of the enjoyment out of it for me and makes it seem like a chore...and it makes me resent my stories, which is bad because I'm less inclined to write them if I hate them...And I think I do okay on the uploading stakes, considering I've had my exams for the last two weeks... I mean, I don't mind you writing "Upload SOOOOOON" on my comment page, seriously I don't....just don't pester me for a chapter...because I actually have a life outside Wattpad *shock horror!!* I mean, between going to school, coming home and looking after two kids, two dogs until 7.00, doing homework, seeing friends and just having a life....I don't have that much freetime...and I do try to upload regularly...
But, rant over...Sorry about that...Thanks to everyone who wished me luck on my exams...that was much appreciated :)
I think that's everything....Did you feel sorry for Sian? Hating Jen? And you see that lovely remark on "not getting any" that Evie made....I said that to someone...and they shut up...just a wee bit of trivia....
Vote, comment and fan please?
thanks for reading
x