The School Trip

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THE FIRST MONTH of our summer holidays passed by in a flash. The days spent rolling about doing the things we love had always passed us by faster than when doing something we had no interest for. That was how my time danced away like the breeze, leading us to yet another school activity that had been planted smack in the middle of our holidays.

Riverside High School had the tradition of organizing a summer camp for their soon-to-be seniors. It was described by the students before us as 'the time of our lives' or even 'the last true bonding session you'll have in your high school career'. Personally, I thought that it was a way for the school's administration to leech more money out of their students since this camp was a compulsory four-days-three-nights event that costed quite a bit of money to attend.

Nevertheless, it was a great way for me to monitor my progress as the cupid in Jules's and Xavier's budding romance. With Sarah and Teresa out of the country and unable to attend due to family commitments, Jules wouldn't have an excuse to not hang out with Harr and Xavier. Groups for certain activities were made in fours and we needed the numbers.

On the bus ride to our camping location, Jules was already asleep. We had gathered at school at the crack of dawn, setting out early so that we could arrive on time for the activities planned. Knocked out from her fatigue at work and rising early, Jules jumped at the chance to finally get some rest. Once we got onto the bus and found our seats, she was off to the dream world.

I climbed onto my seat, kneeling on it with my hands pressed against the backrest. Leaning over, I found Xavier asleep as well, leaning against the bus windows with his jacket covering his eyes. Harr was one of the only ones awake on the bus, earpieces in and elbow propped against the armrest, chin resting on the back of his hand.

To get his attention, I waved, swatting my hand in front of his face. He blinked once in surprise, then slowly peeled his earpieces off. I could faintly hear the music that was coming from the device but he swiftly switched it off.

"Did Xavier mention anything about the last month?" I asked. Folding my arms on the top of the headrest, I perched my chin on my hands, waiting eagerly for Harr's reply.

"Wouldn't you know?" He instantly retorted, folding the wire of his earpieces carefully before tucking them into a small pouch. "I've seen him reporting to you quite a number of times."

I pinched my lips together, frowning. "Yeah, but he only ever asks questions. He doesn't tell me much about what is happening between the two of them."

Harr scoffed. "You should ask him yourself. I can't believe that we've not seen each other in nearly a whole month and the first thing you ask is about someone else." Rolling his eyes, he leaned forward a little, stretching his arms before flicking me right in the forehead.

I yowled in pain, recoiling immediately. Grasping at my forehead, I threw Harr a scowl. There was a grin on his face, dimples etching in his cheeks as his tongue ran over his teeth. He seemed a little too satisfied with his own actions.

"It's because you do things like this every time we meet. What's the point in being nice to you, honestly?"

The smirk on Harr's lip stretched. "Haven't you heard? Apparently, if boys like you, they'd do anything they can to tease you."

"That's got to be the most messed up tale we've all grown up with." I pouted, sourly rubbing my forehead to ease the pain.

Our journey continued with more light-hearted banter, just playful conversations that held no particular depth. Somewhere in the middle, I got tired of kneeling on the seat and decided to pull Harr along in search of a new one. Sat side by side in an unoccupied seat at the back of the bus, we continued our chatter.

It didn't matter what we talked about. In fact, our topics had been so trivial that I probably would've already forgotten it in a few short hours. Nonetheless, that didn't mean that it was boring.

I leaned against the window, back pressed against the glass while my legs were propped up on Harr's lap. Since my limbs were a little bit longer than the span of two seats, my feet ended up hanging out to the walkway. Thankfully, no one would be sane enough to walk around while the bus was moving hence we weren't blocking the way.

"Harr, do you think this plan will succeed?" Our conversation took a turn for the more serious. I fiddled my thumbs, staring down at my fingers.

"Xavier and Jules will be a good match once they learn to accept each other for who they are," Harr answered without a moment's hesitation. "Jules needs to be able to see Xavier's true personality without forcing him to change. You know that right, Aiko?"

"Of course," I agreed.

Harr's hands were rested on my shin, his palm warm against my bare skin while the other drew patterns with a feather-light touch. He looked like he was absentmindedly tracing images on my leg, not particularly caring about what was going on with the rest of his surroundings.

Seeing his silence, I continued, "I'm not trying to change Xavier. He just needs the proper tools to fight this war. Jules had always been biased against Xavier's stereotype. If he could prove that he isn't like that, she'll start to take an interest. With all the stories you've told me about you two's adventures, I already have a basic understanding of his true character. And honestly, to tell you the truth, Jules even mentioned before how good looking he is. That must mean that she's somewhat interested, right?"

"I don't know. You tell me. That's your best friend we're talking about," Harr muttered. He hadn't even bothered to look up, index finger still leaving a cool trail on my skin.

I left Harr's words unreplied. Truthfully, I didn't know what I could even say to that. While Jules might be an open book in certain situations, others, she wouldn't even show a single peep on what's going on inside that head of hers. She was a master at disguising her innermost thoughts and it was only after a very long time had I figured out a way to read her actions.

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After a long journey, we finally arrived at the campsite. The sun had already ran its course, noon long past us as we approached the late afternoon. Instead of blue skies, we were treated to a feast of tangerine and peachy skies. Even the clouds had been dyed a brilliant cherry red lined with a fine line of indigo.

While the activity was described as a 'camp', the student body and our accompanying teachers needn't sleep in tents. Small wooden huts were littered all over a portion of the forest, serving as lodging areas for us to rest our heads at night. Basic amenities were also provided such as a large kitchen in the main building and small toilets within each separate hut.

While the teachers stayed in the main building, we students were assigned to the smaller huts. Each one had ten small rooms and two bathrooms split into two separate floors. The huts were assigned accordingly to our homeroom classes, only mixing in students from other classes if there were rooms to spare. Girls were assigned to the second floor while the boys resided on the first floor.

Needless to say, Jules and I were assigned to the same room. Harr and Xavier stayed a level below us, bunking with each other.

Once we were clear on our accommodations for this short trip, we were dismissed to find our rooms and unpack. The next time to gather would be by the riverbank where we would have to fish for our own dinner in groups of four. Each group was handed a fishing rod and some bait along with a bucket to hold our catch.

Our group drew lots to see who would be doing the work. The idea had been suggested by none other than Harr yet he and I were the unfortunate ones that had to suffer from his ridiculously selfish idea.

"It's all your fault, you know," I groaned, agitatedly watching the water. It rippled once, rings forming on the surface but it disappeared in no time.

"I rigged the lots," Harr confessed. He shrugged when I turned to look at him, astounded. He held the fishing rod, patiently staring at the water without moving his eyes away from it even once. "Don't you want to give those two some private time together?"

At his words, I sneaked a quick look over my shoulder. Sure enough, Jules and Xavier were seated comfortably on the slope that led to the river. They weren't very far away but the distance between us was enough to muffle out their conversation. From my perspective, their lips moved but I couldn't hear their voices to match.

There was quite a large gap between them. Jules sat slightly leaned back, knees bent and her weight supported by her arms that were positioned slightly behind her. Xavier, on the other hand, leaned forward. His arms were wrapped around his knees, back hunched but face turned back to look at Jules constantly.

Their conversation didn't seem to lean too far to any side of the emotional spectrum. While Jules wasn't spouting profanities and calling Xavier names as she had done during his shocking confession, she didn't act too warmly either. She kept a respectful distance, eyes mostly trained to the grass that swayed with the breeze at her feet.

Xavier, on the other hand, could barely even contain his smile. While he pressed his lips tightly together whenever Jules spoke, it was obvious to any other person that he was trying his hardest not to show his elation. His eyes danced with mirth, an emotion that wasn't covered by his colored contact lenses. While those lenses were plastic, his joy was most certainly not. It shone, dazzling and beautiful like how youthful love should.

"Great thinking," I complimented Harr with a wink and a nudge, lightly shoving him at the shoulder.

My dear friend tore his eyes away from the water for a split second, casting an inconspicuous look at the pair behind us before returning to the fishing line.

"Of course," he huffed with pride. "I'm practically cupid. You're merely helping them with your guidebook but I'm assisting with my amazing matchmaking skills."

I rolled my eyes, prepared to retort when suddenly, the fishing rod trembled in Harr's hands. The line tensed up, causing the water to shift and the calm of the surface shattered at once.

Harr stood to attention, his grip on the rod tightening as he widened his eyes. Soon, there came splashes. Droplets of water soared through the air as he battled against our catch.

"Oh! Oh! Aiko! Help me!" Harr hollered, jumping in his spot.

I reached over with a laugh, helping him to clasp at the fishing rod, keeping it in place as he tried to reel in the hook. Our catch struggled against the pull, yanking at the fishing line.

As a pair, we worked hard to reel the fish in. In a choir of bubbly laughter and sprightly screams, we succeeded in bringing back our catch. The process repeated itself a few more times, amounting to one of the most precious memories that I would bring with me for the rest of my life.

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