The coffee induced too much energy into the rest of them, so I followed them back to the campground and took off to my cabin where I changed into my white with silver sequins bikini. Blake had run off to her own, so we met up outside the cabins afterwards with her in a red one piece. Not nearly as sexy as mine.

"You sure you don't want to stay inside and sleep? We will totally understand," Blake said gently, offering me a warm smile.

"Don't want me there?"

"You know that's not the case. I just want to make sure you're comfortable and up for a mini pool party." Blake laughed and took my hand, leading me back to the pool where everyone waited for us before going in. Blake ran off towards Zach and Tyler, while I lingered behind anxiously. They have all been friends since day one, and being the new girl isn't the easiest task, as accepting as they all are.

I walked over to Kacie with a tiny smile. I hadn't talked to her yet and I was full on prepared to. Any details regarding Blake and Zach could prove more than beneficial. "Hi, Kacie, right?"

She gave me a sweet smile. "Yeah, welcome to camp. I'm from town."

I nodded, trying to feign interest. "Awesome. Seems like a quiet place to live."

"Oh, it is, until your friends decide to make noise in your yard," she said with an annoyed grimace.

I rose an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Blake and Zach like to sneak into my yard when they know my parents won't be home," she explained with a simple roll of her eyes.

"That must suck," I commented, though my insides cringed with disappointment. That is so not what I wanted to hear. Quickly wanting to change the subject, I asked, "How do you all know each other?"

"Blake, Tyler, Maevis, and Andy know each from camp. Blake goes to the Hayesville high school, so that's where she met Zach, Ross, and me. We all kind of just stick together, especially during the summer," she said with a sort of annoyed tone. I could not place what it was directed at, though.

I let out a tiny laugh. "Yeah, you all seem so connected. I'm surprised the owners let you guys just come in, though."

At this, Kacie began laughing her head off, like Blake is so prone to do. "We used to have to sneak in, and they constantly kicked us out. Now, we are just welcomed, honorary members."

I nodded, not knowing where to go from there, or how any of this information would help me. "Cool."

"How do you know us, though?" she asked, demandingly.

"Blake's cabin is next to mine," I informed her. "We kind of became fast friends."

Kacie let out a bitter laugh. "Blake has that effect on people. She's charismatic and her body is generous in places mine has never been, so she always get the boys."

"I detect jealously," I said with a tiny laughter, and she laughed along, not bothering to even deny it.

"We're friends, but only because we have mutual friends. I love Ross, Andy, Tyler, and the rest of them. It's only her that I have a problem with. Something just seems off about her," Kacie said with a tiny shrug.

I shrugged her comment off. "Guess I haven't noticed anything strange."

"You will, now let's head into the water," Kacie promised, pulling me along, and pushing me in. It is such a good thing that Georgina and I learned how to swim when we were younger, otherwise, I would have drowned.

I shot Kacie a dirty look. "No reason to be jealous over me."

"I should be, but I'm not. You have everything that Blake has, but you're more decent," she whispered in my ear, after having jumped in, too. "You have a way with people, are downright beautiful, and you're hilarious. You don't abuse it, though, and that's a good thing."

"How do you mean?"

"You'll see." And just like that, she swam off to hang out with Ross. Her words lingered in my mind. Sure, Blake had been a bit annoying in the beginning, but she got over it. I'm not sure if I should have defended her, or if it's too soon to judge.

I decided to shrug it off and began waving my hands through the water, kicking off into a slow stroke before plunging into full on swimming. I let the water surround me and swallow me whole with the serenity of it simply making me one with the water. I could see why Blake had such an obsession with the water. It is a rather calm place to think and lose yourself.

"Yo." The voice coming from my right side startled me, forcing upon me the realization that I was beginning to relax at camp. Though, I ended up not feeling too angry as I looked up and saw Tyler next to me.

"Hey," I managed to get out with a sudden rush of shyness coming over me. It's not something that I often feel, and quite honestly, I did not like it. I felt too out of control, like a puppet. Someone else had full jurisdiction over my feelings, while I remained uncomfortable with a huge question mark forming in my head when what I needed is a clever response.

He raised his eyebrows, staring down at me. "Tell me about Manhattan."

I internally groaned. Sure, the city is downright amazing in everywhere, but being known as the Manhattan-girl isn't exactly my ideal title. Pushing away those thoughts, I just offered him a tiny smile. "What do you want to know?"

His lips curled curiously, like he didn't have a clue. It seemed like he struggled with confidence right now, too. "Anything. What's your favorite part about it?"

My favorite part? Is it even possible for someone to have a favorite part about New York? I just shrugged, trying to buy more time to gather my thoughts. "That's impossible to answer, since there's so much. I think that what I love about New York so much is the freedom we have there. If you want to go get a coffee with your friends, there's a coffeehouse on, like, every corner. If not, you can just hop in a cab and go wherever you want, whereas here in Hayesville, your closest mall is forty minutes away."

"So, it's convenient," he clarified.

"Yeah, everything is just all there in your neighborhood. Everyone is allowed to go hang out in Times Square by themselves, after a long lecture from their parents on safety and stranger-danger, of course. I think the first time I was allowed to wander out of the house and hang out with my friends alone was when I was ten." I laughed, thinking about the memory. I had only been allowed to travel five blocks away from the penthouse in any direction, unless I had special permission from my parents, in which case I could go six or seven blocks. The first time I ventured off was with Georgina, and we ran off to the H&M that was four blocks away. Since we live in the same building, our parents had agreed that it was okay for us to start going off alone, as long as we struck together. Then, when we turned thirteen, we were allowed to go wherever we wanted, as long as our phones were charged and we were home before 9:30 PM. By fifteen, neither of us ever made it home before curfew.

Tyler nodded with a newfound awe blazing through his eyes. "I admit that that does sound nice. I wouldn't mind that sort of freedom."

"Yeah, where are you from, though?" I tried to carry the conversation on, praying that I didn't sound like I'm trying too hard.

"Chicago. There's a lot there, but it's not as put together as Manhattan, of course," he said with a tiny smile toying at the corner of his lips. "I'd love to visit there someday."

And before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Well, our penthouse has a few guest rooms." I immediately felt confused by my words. Inviting a guy from camp out to stay with us in Manhattan was the worst idea in the world. My friends would automatically assume that I turned all country.

"I'll have to take you up on that," Tyler mused. For a moment, I calmed down when I spotted the excitement playing in his eyes.

Perhaps his happiness inspired me because I ended up encouraging his decision. "You should."

My eyes fled to where Blake and Zach were with his arms wrapped around her waist, though his eyes were dull, compared to Tyler's. Zach didn't seem as excited or enchanted by Blake, like something was really bothering him. Kacie had said that something was off about Blake, but I disagreed. There was something about her relationship with Zach. They were both fun people from what I could tell so far, but together, they didn't seem to shine as bright individually.

Tyler must have noticed my distress because he asked, "Are you okay?"

Was I? No, not particularly. Seeing my new best friend wrapped around the arms of my crush is probably the most heart-wrenching thing in the world. I retreated my gaze from the unhappy couple to Tyler and offered him a tiny smile. "Yeah, I'm just going to run to the restroom real quick. Do you know where I could find one?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, pointing across the street to where the office stood. "Go to the left of the office and the restrooms are there."

"Thanks," I excused myself and ran off. Honestly, I just needed a moment to release myself from the gag fest that the pool was holding captive. I sprinted towards the direction that Tyler put me in and bolted through the door as soon as I found it.

I went straight to a mirror and stared at the face in the reflection. I felt more like a ghost than my usual supermodel role. Of course, looks and a general appearance do not override my attendance of well-being, but they do aid in empowerment. Yet, I felt far from empowered right now. My long brown hair dripped into the sink with its shine and curls diminishing from sight, even after I had spent so long this morning working it to perfection. Thankfully, I always had a habit of purchasing waterproof make-up, so at this point, I did not look like a dying clown, but I still did not feel flawless. At least, not in comparison to Blake.

Kacie is wrong about Blake – there is nothing wrong with her and she does not abuse any of her charm. She truly cares about people and has such a genuine vibe to her that she almost doesn't seem real. The girl is an actual saint, and the kind of person that everyone should be surrounded by. I don't want to admit it, but she is the type of person that Zach deserves, as charming as he is.

Everyone thinks that I am some Manhattan snob, which regretfully, I am. Everything that I had thought about camp is so different from the reality, or at least so far. Everyone is beyond nice, overalls are not completely overused, and the guys are actually charming and have all of their teeth. I was far too quick to judge something that my mind had only bent an image around Hollywood's stereotypes.

Besides from all that, my life is an absolute mess. Mentioning my on-again, off-again friendship with Heather had shocked the rest of them, and that was the first time it had ever registered in my mind. She and Addison had always been pretty great friends, which is kind of why I'm friends with her, but that doesn't mean I have to include her on my best friend's list. If anything, she and I should just have mutual respect and a sense of civility towards her, avoiding all of the drama. Then, there is my underage drinking and clubbing issue, which isn't that bad. I mean, the idea of it all gives us this sort of natural high, which is exciting, and I would recommend anyone to try it. However, it is a high that my friends and I chase after all the time, as we illegally waste our lives away.

Honestly, I have no idea who I am anymore, or who I am supposed to be.

I stole a second glance into the mirror, trying to place myself, but the image was fuzzy. I needed to become more like Blake, and I could start that by emulating her generous demeanor. I should also stop trying to steal her boyfriend and encourage her relationship. I don't want her to become another Heather to me. She has such a gold heart, and she is someone that I see staying in my life for a while.

My fingers turned on the faucet and I watched the water pour down from it. My index finger traced the flowing water and splashed some upon my face in an attempt to cool down the bad energy.

I can do this, I chanted to myself. I can do this.

With that, I exited the restroom and headed back towards the pool with an entirely new outlook on my life. Perhaps a soul makeover could give me a better response and outlook on the summer. Plus, with such an attitude, I might even get some much wanted sleep tonight.

Though while my feet travelled across the gravel, I heard a muffled cry coming from the right of me. I turned my head and saw a guy hunched up on the bench next to the door for the arcade with his head buried in his knees.

Zach.

I knew that I should not with this whole new outlook on life, but I could not just leave him there, so I started walking in his direction. My mind scolded myself, justifying that I am only going to console him and offer him friendship; nothing more, nothing less.

"Hey, Zach, are you okay?" I whispered, now towering in front of him.

He slowly raised his head with red eyes meeting mine. "Alicia."

"What's wrong?" I asked, plopping myself on the space next to him. I touched my hand to his arm, but he only brushed it away. "I know we just met, but you can talk to me. Maybe it's because I've been trained by a bunch of gossipers, but I'm a good listener."

"Just go back to the pool," he mumbled, not looking in my direction, though I couldn't steer my gaze away from him. He looked so distraught and reckless, like he had just gotten back from a night filled with drinking, so much so that he almost died. I knew that it is far from the truth, but nothing about him seemed alright.

"Zach, seriously, talk to me," I pleaded, trying to make him comfortable.

"Go away!" he yelled at me, pushing me away. His hand slammed into my back, throwing me off the bench to which I stumbled onto the concrete ground. It did not hurt physically, but to say that heartbreak over a guy you just met is nonexistent would be a lie.

I stared at him, not knowing what to do. Obviously, he had no desire to speak with me, even though I just wanted to help him. I studied his sore eyes and his hunched back, the way his shoulders shook as he wept into his knees.

There is nothing more that I could do.

"Just come find me if you need a friend," I said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. I turned on my heel and headed back towards my cabin, feeling nothing more than defeated.

Perhaps my new positive attitude would give me the exact opposite of a life that I want. Maybe I should stick to filling in the Queen Bee's shoes.

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

Author's Note:

Ahhh, two hundred reads - how awesome !

So, the winner from my mini contest is Twiter user: grace_chap0. Thanks to everyone for sharing their favorite quote! Grace, please DM me what you want to name the character (it can be yours, or another, if you would like to honor someone).

The next mini contest is to just answer the question of the chapter (which I will not be answering until the next chapter for the sake of keeping the contest fair). One winner will be chosen at random to have a chapter dedication! (You know, just because I like to keep you guys really involved with the story, and it is a lot of fun reading your answers!)

Question of the chapter: So far, who do you ship in the story, if anybody? Why?

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope that you enjoyed! As always, feedback is not only welcomed, but encouraged.

Lots of love,

Ali xoxo