Chapter Thirty Four - An Unending Trek

Two people became the highlight of my attention once we left the farm.

First was Rebecca. She was pissed.

When I'd seen her angrily stomp towards the lake just twenty minutes after she'd asked Matt to come and find her, I knew he'd passed up on the offer. I couldn't help but chuckle at the image of her striking a waiting pose for him only to realize he wasn't coming.

The second person, as surprising as it was, was Steve. He was quiet. Unusually quiet.

We'd made a stop at a gas station, and on my way back from the bathroom, I'd bumped into him and already began to dread the next few seconds. But all he did was mutter a sorry and walk away while keeping his head low.

Strange, I thought to myself, not thinking much about it, not until my eyes landed on Chris watching it all with amusement from the senior bus. When he caught me looking, he fixed his face and turned his head so quickly, for a moment, I found myself doubting if he'd even been looking in the first place.

And suddenly, I started to wonder if someone had decided to humble Steve. Someone Chris knew.

I was too busy alternating glances between him and a retreating Steve to notice someone up ahead until I bumped right into them. A splashy noise made me look down at the to-go coffee cup that'd just been squeezed between us, but still, to my surprise, hadn't spilled. Must be a damn good cup.

But I still looked down to check my clothes before sighing in relief. "Oh, thank God!"

"Watch where you're going, Andrews."

It felt like a déjà vu of the first day of junior year as I looked up at Matt, only this time his drink was safe.

"I admit it was my fault, so don't start with me right now, Williams. I'm really exhausted. If you want an argument, you come and see me in the evening after I'm properly rested."

He raised a brow, amused. How different from the way things had transpired on that day.

"Rested?" he repeated. "You didn't read the itinerary, did you?"

"No. Why?"

"The buses will take us as far as the road connectivity goes. After which, we're supposed to trek for two hours to reach the campsite."

I blinked. "I guess I'll just be sleeping in the bus then."

"You should. You really look like you need it."

Asshole

"Can you go one day without mentioning my under eye bags when I don't sleep properly?"

"I didn't even mention them."

"Good for you."

"But you could do with a little concealer..." He lifted his fingers to my face and pointed right under my eyes. "...right there."

"Wow. Matthew Williams knows about makeup." I smiled sarcastically while brushing his hand off.

"I don't live under a rock, Andrews. Besides, I've seen Rebecca do it a million times. She literally carries a tube in her pocket."

Now, why did hearing him mention Rebecca annoy me?

"Well, she wouldn't wanna look anything less than perfect around her precious Matt. Can't afford a horror like under eye bags when she's so busy impressing you." I brought my hands together under my chin and blinked innocently.

"It's not for her eyes."

I deadpanned.

"Oh."

With a smirk, he started to take a sip from his cup, but I snatched it out of his hands. "Where are your manners, Williams?"

"Where are yours?" he countered, but ignoring him, I took a sip and then gagged.

"You forgot to add sugar." I wiped my tongue with the back of my hand.

"No, I didn't." He snatched the coffee back and took a sip. "This is how I like it."

"Oh my God! Your choice in drinks sucks. First, that abhorrent protein shake, and now this coffee probably brewed in the rotting depths of hell. Do you have something against sweet?"

"No. I do eat ice cream if memory serves you right."

"Then how can you possibly drink that coffee? I can't even imagine having something so bitter unless it's vodka."

"Figures." He clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes a little. "Let me guess, if it were up to you, you'd be adding sugar cubes to your water."

"That's a bit much. No. But you're really tempting me to sneak a little sugar in your drinks next time. Don't worry. A little sugar won't make you lose this." I poked a finger in his torso, expecting him to be ticklish, but he didn't so much as flinch. But boy, he was hard. There was nothing but hard, toned muscles under that t-shirt.

He smirked through my realization. My face really gave it away, didn't it? Or was it because I'd just unknowingly mouthed a wow?

Shit. My cheeks heated up with embarrassment.

"Maybe if you cut down on your sugar and start working out, you too can have a little muscle here." He poked a finger in my stomach, and I doubled over with an involuntary laugh.

His brows pulled together at my reaction.

"Hey! Don't you dare do that—"

He poked his finger again, clearly amused as I let out another laugh.

"Oh, look at that. You have a button, Andrews."

"Stop it, Matthew." I took back a step, holding my index finger up in defense. Yes, I needed to work on my defense mechanism.

"I didn't know you were that ticklish," he mused.

"It was much better that way. Now forget about it. Erase it from your memory."

"I don't think so. Just sleep with an eye open tonight just in case someone sneaks into your tent for some midnight entertainment."

"That's a weird kink, even for you."

"Oh, you have no idea about my kinks." His eyes gleamed suggestively while his lips pulled into another smirk, and I hadn't expected the conversation to take that turn.

I struggled for a moment, almost choking on the words in my throat.

"T-trust me. I don't even want to."

With that, I gave him a sardonic smile and made my way towards the bus.

*****

Around 3 p.m., the buses reached their destination, and we all formed a queue to collect our backpacks from the luggage compartment.

"Okay. Maybe you were right, Mee. I wouldn't have minded leaving behind a few pairs," Cheryl huffed only fifteen minutes into our hike. Out of the three of us, she was carrying the most clothes.

"Let me carry it for you, babe," Mack offered a third time, to which she stubbornly shook her head again.

"I'm the one who foolishly packed so many clothes. You shouldn't have to suffer for it. Why the hell didn't we read the itinerary again?" She gritted her teeth.

"Beats me," I huffed out as I stopped and leaned against a giant rock to chug some water.

"Aw, look at you two. Do you regret not listening to me now?" Meera batted her lashes as she swayed her bag from one hand to another as if all it contained was feathers. The only reason she was walking next to us was because of her busted foot, which had slowed her down. Any other day, I knew she'd be the one to beat everyone to the campsite.

"Are you sure you don't want me to hold that for you?" Chad asked from behind her.

She smiled. "That's sweet of you, but I'm good, really. And you don't even have to walk with me. I know I'm slowing you down. All your friends are probably way ahead."

"That's fine. I bet they're busy racing each other to the campsite anyway."

"Guys." She rolled her eyes.

"Wait!" I spat ridiculously. "How am I the only one who doesn't have anyone offering to carry my bag?"

Mack burst out laughing. "Poor you, Becks. I can carry yours if you want. Cheryl has made it clear she's on a mission."

"Thanks for the pity offer, Mack," I scoffed and started on the hike again, not missing his laugh behind me.

It wasn't like I needed a guy to carry my bag. It'd just be nice to have the option like my friends did.

With that thought, I found myself looking around hesitantly.

Matt was probably way ahead with the guys, and the fact that I couldn't spot Rebecca either bothered me a littl—hell no! It made me furious. For all I knew, he was carrying her bag for her so she could keep up with him. Or they'd just taken a break to canoodle in the bushes.

Fuck it!

With newfound energy thanks to my anger, I grudgingly stomped my shoes against the rocks and increased my pace.

"I see people ahead," I shouted back to my friends. "We're not that slow."

"Are you sure your mind isn't mistaking trees for people to make you feel better about yourself?" Cheryl asked.

I shot her a look. "Yes, I'm sure. There's Kimberly and her friend."

"Kimberly? We'll be losing to Kimberly? She's the laziest kid in class." Meera scowled.

"Apparently, not as lazy as you guys." Mack shrugged. "Seriously, girls. At this pace, we won't make it to the campsite by night. You have got to let me and Chad hold your bags for a while. If it makes you feel better, you can carry ours. They're lighter."

Cheryl and I exchanged a look. We wanted to give in. We were dying to give in.

But we shook our heads with resolve.

"We carry our own bags," she declared and I nodded fiercely.

"Oh, for the love of God!" Meera sighed, somehow picking up pace and walking past me and Cheryl.

"Maybe we should've passed up on the extra pair of shoes. It is one night after all," I whispered to Cheryl, careful about others not listening. I wiped a fake tear but it might as well have been a real one.

"And I definitely should've passed up on my hair straightener. It's the little things, Becks. Now I realize."

"A freaking hair straightener in the forest? What were you thinking?"

"I mean, we do have a little building for the bathrooms as far as I've heard from Mack. It has got to have power, right? Besides, you won't get it. You already have this perfect straight hair."

"Perfect? I'd die for some waves or curls once in a while. They look so dull."

"Oh, shut it. They don't. And you don't have to struggle before going out every time. If you're not in the mood to style, just let them down and ta-da, it's perfect."

"Hey! Still, a little bit of waves won't hurt."

She rolled her eyes. "That's what they all say. You straight haired girls should really learn to count your blessings."

"Fine." I sighed.

After an hour, we were exhausted.

"How many more?" I muttered as I sat down on a rock, not even caring if my ass was going to have dirt and mud stains.

"Two more miles."

"I can't." I buried my face in my arm. "I hate this. I hate trekking. I hate camping. I hate forests. I'm never doing this again."

"Guys! Come on." A voice filtered through the forest like a ray of hope and we looked up to find Mr. Jensen nearing us. His blue polo t-shirt was covered in sweat but he looked very energetic. "Just two more miles. Keep going."

He was older than us and had come back to encourage us. I wanted to cry. But in our defense, his backpack looked even lighter than Meera's.

"Where are you going, Mr. Jensen?" I asked once he started to walk past us, going back further.

"To check up on the students behind you."

"There are students behind us?" My eyes lit up.

"We're not the last ones?" Cheryl grinned.

"Hope not. Or else there was a drastic error with the head count. There should be ten more students behind you."

"Great!" I got up, ready to do it. "I will not lose to those ten people. And..." I trailed off at the sight of Rebecca and her minions panting for breath at a distance.

She was behind us!

"Why the hell isn't Matt..." she huffed, looking down at her phone. "...picking his phone? Where is he?"

"I have no idea," June said in between breaths.

"Of course you don't," she snapped, eyeing her friend with disgust.

"And I'm definitely not losing to her," I declared, resuming my hike with renewed energy.

"That's right! You go, Becks!" Meera threw a punch in the air, and they all started following after me with enthusiasm.

I didn't turn back to see if Rebecca was still close. I simply kept climbing and walking, and after about twenty minutes, I almost bumped into someone walking in my direction. An alluring scent hit my nose before I looked up at the person.

"Hey. There you are," Sean said with a smile.

"Sean?" I blinked.

"You don't look okay. Give me that." He peeled my bag off my shoulder, and I forgot to protest because I was too surprised to find him there.

"Where's your bag?" I muttered.

"At the campsite."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I actually came looking for you." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I thought you might need help, and I was right."

"I can't believe this. This is so nice of you. But it's fine. I can do it."

"Of course. But please let me. I insist." His baby blue eyes almost looked pleading and I couldn't find it within myself to argue.

Prince charming

I smiled at him and looked back at my friends. Cheryl was looking at me with a straight face, and then she turned to Mack. Without a word, they exchanged their bags and started walking.

"When did you make it to the campsite?" I asked.

"About half an hour ago. When you didn't show up, I figured I should come back and help you. Don't worry, I had time to gather my strength. I just didn't think I could chill with the rest of the guys while someone I knew was still struggling."

The old me who had this obsessive crush on him would be blushing and smiling at his words, but this new, pissed me, found that a little aggravating as I asked, "the guys? You mean your football buddies?"

"That's right."

"The stamina pays off, I guess." I forced out a chuckle in hopes to conceal the sneer on my face. "So, you mean the entire team made it to the campsite?"

"Except Chad." He pointed behind us. "Yes. Everyone. The football team got there first. I think it was Matt and Chris who beat everyone. It was basically a race. You should've been there to see how they were skipping rocks and sprinting like it was our football field instead of a freaking hike. I mean, they train the hardest after all. They're the main offenses. I would've been disappointed if they hadn't made it before everyone else."

I bit down on my tongue to hold back a curse. So, he made it about half an hour ago and didn't even care that I wasn't there yet.

But then, why would he?

"You almost sound like a fan, Sean," I muttered as we started walking.

He chuckled. "Hey! My ego isn't big enough to not let me admit when I admire someone's finesse."

Unlike some people. Matt would never, not even in his wildest dreams, admit that there was someone else better than him at anything.

No wonder I had a thing for Sean. He was so unproblematic, unlike Matt. He didn't have a big ego, unlike Matt. And...and why am I comparing them?

After thirty minutes, because of our pace since we were already exhausted, we finally made it to the campsite.

Most people had made it before us, and some had even set up their tents, the football players majorly. And they were chilling right in the middle of the campsite in a big circle with soda bottles and chips.

I saw him amongst them. He was sitting on a rock, sipping on his soda while talking to a teammate. When he laughed at something, my anger turned down a notch.

He'd been eyeing his surroundings occasionally and while looking around, his eyes landed on me, and I suddenly remembered my anger. His laugh subsided as he looked between me and Sean, but I didn't pay him any heed.

I simply gave him the cold shoulder and turned to Sean, reaching for my bag. "Thanks for your help. You're a very nice person, Sean."

"You're welcome." He nodded and walked back to the guys. Cutting one final look at my enemy, who was still watching me, I walked towards the tents that needed to be set up.

"Okay. Listen up." The football team's coach snapped his fingers to catch our attention. "For all those who just arrived, the dining hall and bathrooms are in that building." He pointed to a one storey building a few yards away from the tents.

"The right one is for the girls, the left one for the guys. There are three toilets in each, so do not overcrowd. The door you see in the middle is for the showers. There's five cubicles of them, common to guys and girls, so you all better behave." There were low whistles behind me from some of the guys, but the coach was exhausted enough to ignore them. "Inside the dining hall, you will find a vending machine, but it does not work, so do not try your luck. You'll lose your money."

I rolled my eyes. Of course.

"And you see that lake over there?"

I turned my head to find a beautiful lake up ahead, a little far from the site, but because of the sunlight and being at a higher ground, I could see it from there.

"Unless you know how to swim, do not go near it. Or else you're on your own. Got it?"

We nodded.

"Great! Now, have some snacks before you begin setting up your tents."

I sighed once the coach left. "I'm never doing camping again."

"Me, too," Cheryl flopped down on the dirty ground without a care about ruining her hair and clothes.

"Oh, shut up. This is fun." Meera rubbed her hands with excitement.