I could not sleep for the life of me last night. I do not know if it was the sound of the crickets keeping me up, the wind that could be clearly heard through the cabin walls, or my intense jealously growing within me. To only exaggerate and further accentuate my point, I find it only fitting to note that I was awake and dressed before eleven o'clock – yes, make up and all.

Georgina and Addison have been texting me non-stop, but I refuse to respond to any of their messages. While they were out doing who knows what, I had the worst night of my life. Getting a guy has never been a problem for me, but that is sort of a difficult task with the addition of "he has a girlfriend, who happens to be your new friend" layer. I shouldn't even feel anything for Zach, anyways. The guy probably had no sense of decency or diplomacy. After all, he is from Hayesville.

On the other hand, I could not stop thinking about that charming smile he wore when he first looked at me.

Of course, leave it to me to have a difficult camp life.

Only one other thing bothered me, though. Whenever someone mentioned that I'm a Manhattan native, they all choked up on laughter. What is that supposed to mean? Manhattan is where people dream about visiting, not for making a joke of.

I crossed my legs as I took another sip from the coffee I made, as I accompany my thoughts alone in the kitchen. My parents had ventured out for a morning hike, but I faked ill. They probably thought I was just being a buzzkill about this whole camp thing, but in actuality, my mind is as confused as can be. What is even going on with me?

"Alicia!" A knock on the front door and a familiar voice. It could only be one person.

I opened up the door and found Blake standing there in all her beautiful glory. A pinstriped tee and dark washed overalls. Country, but it worked. I envied her for a mere moment. Perhaps my high class look is too much for Zach, but then again, it could not have been if he came to sit next to me right away at the fire last night.

"Hi," I mumbled, walking back into the kitchen.

"Enthusiastic," Blake muttered sarcastically. "Are you always so negative about things?"

"Sorry, I just didn't sleep well last night," I said, offering a faux-friendly smile. She may not know it, but she and I are at war right now. A deep, bloody, long war.

Blake nodded and took a seat across from me at the kitchen table. "The country air must be different from Manhattan. Understandable."

I gave her a silent motion as an acknowledgement to her words, but I said nothing. I simply stirred my coffee with the peppermint stick that I had placed in it, not bothering to look up into her eyes. I have no idea where she and Zach even stand. Are they really in love, or are they just in love? Could she see right through me?

"Alicia, you're being quiet. Everything okay?" Blake stared at me with her mouth curled in concern.

I simply shrugged it off. Whether she knew or not, I did not feel like giving her a reason to hate me. "I'm just really tired, hence the coffee. I seriously need something to wake me up?"

"Sugar?" she suggested.

I closed my eyes and felt the taste of a sugar-filled latte from Starbucks creep across my taste buds. I craved the sensation flavor. "Absolutely."

"Well, everyone is going out to the café right now, and I wanted to know if you'd want to come along, too," she offered with a tiny smile, as if she were really trying to make me feel better. Break up with your boyfriend, and then we can talk, I mentally yelled at her.

"Who's going to be there?" I asked, not trying to be obvious, though I'm almost positive that I am dangerously failing in that department.

"Everyone," Blake repeated. "Tyler, Ross, Kacie, Zach, Maevis, and Andy." She hadn't mentioned Zach first, but Tyler instead. Did that mean anything at all?

At the very least, I will have the chance to get a good look at Zach. I only saw him from the light radiating off the fire, which is not too great of a test. Maybe in normal lighting, he is the hill-billy that I had envisioned on the way down here. There is only one way to find out. "Let's do it!"

She threw an excited smile in my direction and we rushed out of the cabin to the exit gate, where a black pick-up truck waited for us. Blake immediately hopped in the back of it and looked at me expectantly. I peered through the window and saw Tyler sitting in the front seat with Maevis in the passenger and Andy squished in between them. So be it, I shrugged to myself and joined her. I am officially ditching limousines and cabs this summer for the back of pick-up trucks.

"Hi, new girl," Tyler teased me, flashing a sneaky smile in my direction.

"Hi, jackass," I teased back, waving my fingers flirtatiously in his direction. I have to admit that Tyler isn't too unattractive in regular lighting. His blond hair and the way it curled up on his head almost made me faint. Almost.

"Okay, Miss Saucy. Does your boyfriend back home really have to put with this sarcastic attitude?" he asked, raising an eyebrow like he felt bad for the poor guy. You know, if only there was a poor guy.

I let out a forced laughter. "A boyfriend? Me? Right, nice one."

"Oh, come on," Tyler responded, slamming his hand on the top of the steering wheel. "You mean to tell me that you do not have a boyfriend?"

"In the past, yes. In the present, no," I explained, though I don't know why I had to. Did he really think that I had a boyfriend?

Yet, even Maevis scrunched up her nose. "You seem like you would."

"Why? Because I'm from Manhattan?" I let out a shrill of laughter at the ridiculous idea. "Yes, everyone in Manhattan has a boyfriend. It is kind of a birthright to always be with someone special, at all points in your life. If you are looking for a guy, I highly suggest you move there. One will be just handed to you."

Blake laughed at this, not able to control herself. "Smart ass."

"More like 'sexy-ass', and that's coming from someone who always considers herself straight," Andy chimed in with a tiny laugh. "Seriously, what do you do? A million squats?"

"I like to work out from cardio to Pilates, and everything in between," I answered with somewhat modesty. No one had ever pointed out that body, besides from drunk people at clubs, and it felt kind of weird. I always prided myself on being so in shape and looking amazing, but no one had ever pointed it out before.

Andy threw her hands up in the air. "Looks like you and I are going to have to hit up a gym, so that you can give me all your pointers."

I let out a genuine laugh. "Absolutely!" And I meant it with part of me actually looking forward to that. At least, it would give me something to do while I'm stuck out here.

Tyler seemed persistent on the idea of me having a New York lover. "Alright, then do you have a girlfriend?"

I shook my head at his failed efforts, not knowing why this is such a big deal to him. "I'm straight, so once again, no. Let me make this simple – I am completely single, no strings attached right now."

He nodded his head, keeping his eyes focused on the road. "I think I can understand that."

"Good, now stop trying to make me feel bad about my single life." I playfully smacked his shoulder from the open window that separated the seats from the pick-up portion. Honestly, I have no idea if sitting back here is even legal or not.

Yet, we arrived safely at the destination – a small brick building with a tiny sign hanging that indicated that they sold coffee, treats, paninis, and more. I followed Blake and the rest of them inside where Zach and two other people were already seated.

On Zach's left sat a tall guy with dark hair and square framed glasses that seemed more hipster than anything. Blake introduced him as Ross. Two seats away from Zach's right sat a girl with extremely straight brown hair – Kacie. Everyone exchanged hellos and the rest of went to order our coffees before we sat down with the rest of them.

I settled on a caramel macchiato, feeling like that is a safe enough option at an unknown coffeehouse. We all sat down with Blake sitting in between Zach and Kacie, and me directly across from the couple.

I stared at my drink furiously and at the surroundings wall, until I could no longer divert my attention any further. I dared myself to peek in Zach's direction, and as soon as I did, my heart melted immediately. He is even hotter than he was last night. His hair fell to the side with a mystic air raging from him. Zach had a defined jaw that could probably stab a person, if the occasion ever arose.

"Alicia?" Tyler asked, nudging my side. I turned to him, completely clueless. Had they noticed that I had been staring at Zach? It finally registered in him that I had zero recollection of anything, so he just chuckled. "I asked what type of things you're into, regarding music."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Blake quickly caught up to the conversation, adding, "Alicia didn't sleep well last night. It's the adjustment period."

Andy laughed. "Oh, we all went through it! I'm from Philadelphia, which is a bit more exciting than Hayesville, but not quite as exciting as Manhattan, I'm sure. I kind of get it, though."

I nodded appreciatively and focused back on Tyler. "Depends on the artist in question. I enjoy a wide array of music, but it all comes down to the artist and what they produce, if I like it or not."

"Give us some names," Maevis said, her eyes lit with excitement. Why did they even care so much about what I like?

"I admit that I am neither a fan of Beyoncé nor Ariana Grande, which I know seems absurd, but hey, so is life. However, I would never put it past me to jam out to Justin Timberlake, The Pretty Reckless, or The Rolling Stones while attending to my make-up and hair in the morning." I gave them all the tiniest smile and returned to sipping from my coffee. The lot of them laughed and looked at me like I'm supposed to say more. I just turned to Tyler and asked, "Yourself?"

"Um, yeah, I like the Stones, but I'm more into rap. Some Eminem and Jay-Z would be great right now," he answered with a mere shrug. "H to the izzo, V to the izzay!" he spat, demonstrating his "sick" rap skills.

Or should I say – skizzles.

Nope, okay, didn't think so.

My eyes moved to look at Zach, who happened to be looking at me. Our eyes locked for a moment before I turned my attention back to my cup of coffee. I could not let him, or anyone else, read me.

"Personally, I like old rock," Ross chimed with everyone else rolling their eyes, like their Dad was going off about the bands from back when he was a boy. Drag, drag, drag. On the other hand, I happened to like some old rock.

"Oh yeah, like who?" I asked, trying to keep myself engaged. If I kept slipping up, someone was bound to notice it, and they might come to the conclusion that no one should come to.

"Zeppelin, Hendrix, the Beatles," he said, just naming a few. All pure rock classics. I admired people that still held an admiration for the music that inspired and founded all of the new music that perfumes our radios.

"Call me emo, but My Chemical Romance is my shit," Zach blurted out, getting a disapproving look from Blake. Hold up. What is her deal with MCR? They are, like, legends.

Here's where I could one-up-her. "It's not a band, it's an idea," I recited one of Gerard's quotes from back when he addressed the band's split. In the letter that caused a million tears and broken hearts.

His smile felt impressed and tug at my heart. "Indeed so."

Blake simply rolled her eyes at us. "Emo losers."

I snapped back at her. "I just appreciate good music."

Watch your back, I'm going to steal your man.

*****************************************

Author's Note:

Thanks for all the support on my story so far! I want to keep you guys really involved with the story, so I'm holding a mini contest. All you have to do is share your favorite quote from the story on Twitter with #TheBurntSmore. One person will get a character named after them/have an opportunity to name a character, along with a chapter dedication.

The quote can be from any of the three chapters and you can tweet as many as you'd like, but make sure to tweet by July 16th!

Question of the chapter: Favorite music?

My answer: I don't like a specific genre of music — it all depends on the artist whether or not I like them. Some favorite bands include Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, and The Pretty Reckless.

Hope you enjoyed that chapter and I can't wait to see all of your tweets!

Lots of love,

Ali xoxo