Camping (II)
RYAN
We’d finally made it to Boston. The second my feet hit the ground, I breathed in the fresh air. It was different here—cleaner, crisper. A welcome change from the city smog back in New York. But as much as I loved the atmosphere, there was one thing I couldn’t ignore—Evelyn’s constant chattering beside me.
“Isn’t this place just great, Ryan? I mean, I’ve never been a fan of camping, but this might actually be fun! We’ll be together, and I already have the best plans for us. We can sneak out later, maybe find a nice quiet spot…Oh my God, Ryan, look at the trees! They’re huge! I bet we can find a quiet place later just for the two of us”
I nodded absently, not really hearing her.
She kept going on and on, her voice like noise that I couldn’t fully drown out. I nodded without really listening, my gaze flicking towards the group at the back of the bus—Violet, Luke, and Ashley. They were laughing about something.
Violet looked relaxed, her smile bright as Luke leaned in to whisper something to her.
I felt nothing. Or at least.I told myself I felt nothing.It didn’t matter.
Violet and I hadn’t spoken in days, and that was exactly how things should be. There was no need to complicate things any further. I had called Evelyn the night after everything had happened with Violet—the tension, the confusion, the emotions I couldn’t quite name.
I needed a distraction, someone to help me clear my head. But now, it seemed like I’d invited a shadow. Evelyn had been clinging to me like her life depended on it.
As the last few students climbed off the bus, I followed behind Evelyn, making sure to stay far enough that I didn’t have to engage in any more pointless conversations. Just as my feet touched the ground, my eyes caught sight of someone I hadn’t expected to see.
Jack.
That asshole. My blood boiled. The sight of him standing there with that smug look on his face was enough to light a fire in my gut.
Before I even knew what I was doing, I was heading straight for him, fists clenched and my pulse pounding in my ears. I closed the distance between us in a few strides, and without thinking, I grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him into a corner away from the other students.
“Hey!” Jack yelped in surprise, trying to pry my hands off him. “What the hell, man?”
I didn’t say anything at first, just shoved him harder against the wall, my grip tightening on his shirt.
“You and Violet?” I snarled, pushing him harder against the wall. “Why did you?”
Jack blinked, surprised at first. Then, of course, his lips curled into that irritating grin I’d seen one too many times.
“Oh, that. Yeah, Violet and I had a good time. What’s it to you?”
His casual tone only made me angrier.
“Stay away from her, Jack” I growled through gritted teeth.
Jack snorted, his smirk widening. “Why do you care, man? And if Violet wants to hang out with me, what’s it to you? Maybe she likes someone who can actually make her laugh
“Cut the crap, Jack. We both know you don’t give a damn about her.”
Jack shrugged, still smirking. “Maybe not. But I do have a thing for girls with long brown hair.”
I grabbed his shirt tighter, pulling him closer. “The only reason you’re not on the ground right now is because of our so-called friendship. But say one more word, Jack, and I swear—”
He just laughed again, completely unfazed. “What’s the matter, Jenkins? Why are you so worked up, huh? Something you wanna tell me?”
I was just about to knock that cocky grin off his face when the teacher’s voice cut through the air, calling us back to the group.
“Everyone, gather around! We’re splitting you into groups!”
I let go of Jack, shoving him back roughly. “Stay the hell away from her,” I warned, my voice low and dangerous.
“Yeah, yeah” Jack muttered, straightening his shirt, but his smirk never left.
With a final glare, I turned and headed back to where the other students were gathering. Evelyn was there waiting, her arms crossed and a suspicious look on her face.
“Where’d you run off to?” she asked, her tone accusatory.
I didn’t bother answering, my eyes scanning the crowd for Violet. She stood a few feet away with Luke and Ashley. She didn’t look at me, didn’t even acknowledge I was there. Somehow, that made everything feel worse.
Mr. Miller, one of our teachers, stood in front of the group with a clipboard, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here.
“Alright, listen up!” he called out. “We’re splitting you into six groups for the duration of this camping trip. Each group is responsible for setting up their tents and gathering supplies. After your groups are called, head over to the supply shed, grab what you need, and then we’ll point you to your campsite.”
“Group 1: Jessica Park, Sam Green, Emily Walsh, Michael Rivera…”
He went through the first couple of groups, none of which concerned me, until—
“Group 4: Sarah Nelson, Luke Carter, Ryan Jenkins, Evelyn Winters…” Evelyn squealed before he could finish. “Katie Hughes and Violet Blake”
Evelyn groaned loudly beside me. “Oh, great. We’re stuck with them?” she muttered, shooting a glare at Violet’s direction.
I flickered my gaze to Violet and she seemed unaffected. She was talking to Ashley who grumbled about not getting paired with them
Mr. Miller continued calling out the remaining groups, and before long, we were all making our way toward the supply shed to gather our gear. Evelyn was still grumbling under her breath about how this trip was going to be a disaster now that we were stuck with Violet and Luke, but I barely heard her. My mind was somewhere else entirely.
As we collected our supplies, I caught sight of Jack again, standing with his group. He glanced over at me, smirking as if to remind me of the conversation we’d just had. My fists clenched at my sides, but I forced myself to stay calm. I wasn’t going to let him get to me. Not here. Not now.
Once we had everything we needed, we started making our way toward the campsite. Mr. Miller was barking out instructions, pointing us to our designated area. But my mind was only half-focused on the task.
We reached our campsite, and the others started setting up the tents. Evelyn was complaining about the lack of decent accommodations, while Luke and Violet worked together with ease. I stood there, feeling like I was watching everything from the outside—disconnected, detached.
“Alright, let’s get moving,” Mr. Miller called out, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Make sure you’ve got everything set up before the sun goes down.”
I glanced at Violet one last time before turning back to the task at hand, knowing this trip was going to be a hell of a lot longer than I’d anticipated.
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