"Oh my gosh! Rina! You're up!" Liz' surprised voice smashed through my thoughts. I looked up and saw the blue-eyed girl walking, no, jogging over to where I was sitting. Peter had left a few minutes ago, saying he'd be back in a minute. He had to go get something from his cabin.

"Yup. Up and walking. The ankle's still a little sore, but over all, it's ok." I stood up and walked down the steps to show that I could walk.

"I thought sprains took longer than that to heal," she said doubtfully.

"That's what I thought, too, but apparently—" I was cut off by a shout from across the path behind me.

Liz' eyes went wide as she dashed inside the cabin.

"Don't tell him I'm here!" she hissed as she ducked behind the door.

I turned to see the black haired boy from earlier that day running up.

"Was Liz here? I swear I saw her," he asked, panting a little. I frowned. So, this guy's trying to hit on Liz? That's kinda funny...

"Um, no, she just left. She had to go to the rest room," I lied. I hated lying, but this guy was seriously giving Liz a hard time. I could tell from her reaction to him.

He frowned back at me.

"I know she's in there. If you don't let me go see her, I'll pound your face in." He cracked his knuckles.

I stood up straighter. "Oh yeah? I'd love to see you try."

He had no clue that I was a 3rd Dan black belt and the top girl student in my class. But, I had just sprained my ankle, so that would obviously restrain me in the speed department. Did I care? Does water taste like grape juice? No!

"Really?" He narrowed his eyes and took a swig at me.

I ducked and let my right leg swing out and hit the back of his ankle. He was off balance for a second, giving me enough time to jump up and throw a quick punch to his side.

"What in the name of Germanyare you doing, Irina?"

Melanie walked out from behind a bewildered Wayne and crossed her arms over her chest. Even though she was 5'2", she looked pretty deadly when she was mad.

"Uh..." I was at a loss for words as the younger girl looked from me to Wayne and back.

"See, this is exactly why you aren't a good match for Peter! You're too violent!" She tossed her hair and then walked into the cabin.

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly.

"I guess I'll be going," Wayne said, turning and storming off in the direction of the boys' cabins.

Liz peeked out from the cabin door as soon as he left.

"So, where'd you learn to do that? The karate stuff, I mean," she asked, walking down the steps and facing me.

"My stepdad thought it would be best to get me in something that would keep me out of the house for a few hours, so he signed me up for karate." I shrugged. "He doesn't like me that much."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"I dunno. I guess it's because I remind him too much of his ex-wife or something. That's what Mama says, anyways," I answered, shrugging again. I never did anything to that man that made him despise me so.

Peter came walking up then with Micky trailing along behind him. Liz turned maybe 5 different shades of red (I'm not joking!) when she saw our drummer friend.

"Howdy, Mick," I said.

"Hi." Liz just looked down at her feet and fidgeted awkwardly.

"Hey, Rina. Hi Liz." Micky smiled at me and then looked away from Liz, biting his lip.

"Uh... Yeah. Micky wanted to come say hi to Liz. And I brought this for you," Peter said, pulling out a book from behind his back.

I stared at the cover. "You're kidding, right? This is, like, a collector's item!"

It was a complete sheet music book of every Beatles' song there was. Peter flipped open the cover and I almost passed out from shock.

"How did you get it signed?" I squealed, gingerly touching the signature of George Harrison.

"My mom's ex-boyfriend gave it to her in the 60s. He had connections," Peter explained, handing me the book. "I have copies of everything in the book, and you told how much you needed the sheet music for their songs. So I want you to have it."

I gasped. "B-but it's your mother's! I can't take this, Peter."

He grinned. "It's ok. She said once I learned all the songs in the book it was mine to do with what I wanted. I finished learning all the songs about a month ago."

I hugged him. "Thank you so much, Peter! You have no idea what this means to me."

"I think I have a pretty good idea... If the fact that I can't breathe is by any means a way to measure how happy you are right now," he gasped. I let him go.

"Sorry, I—" I started, when I heard the screen door slam behind me.

I whirled around and saw Melanie standing there.

"Oops. Was I interrupting something? I'm so sorry if I just cost your family some money, Rina." Melanie's accent was laced with fake concern. She sounds way too much like Thalia, I thought.

Suddenly Peter was walking up the steps toward Melanie.

"Look, Melanie, I know you're still mad about our break up. But you don't have to take it out on Rina, ok? Just because I broke up because you are a selfish girl who doesn't know when to say no doesn't mean that you have to be a—to every girl I meet!"

I felt my eyes widen as Peter continued. Melanie just stood there, mouth open in disbelief. She was shocked that her ex-boyfriend, the supposedly sweet, "dumb" bass guitarist, told her exactly what was on his mind. With cursing.

Liz poked me in the arm. I turned my head to her. She raised an eyebrow and smirked a little. "He's saying that because he likes you. You know that, right?"

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Peter.

"I... I... I..." Melanie stammered. Then, without one word, she stormed back into the cabin.

Peter turned around and walked back down the steps

"You don't know how long I've wanted to say that to her," he told me.

Micky started clapping. Peter and I both shot him a look that said "Enough's enough."

"Don't you have to be getting to your cabin? It's almost lights-out, you know," I said, almost reluctantly. Peter bit his lip a little.

"Yeah, I guess we do have to get going," Micky said. Suddenly a flash of golden hair sped by and stopped next to Micky.

"Hiya, Micky!" Hailey smiled. Oh great...

Liz narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist noticeably to Peter and me. If Hailey saw, I'll never know.

"Uh, hi and bye, Hailey. I have to get back to my cabin," Micky said, unease screaming out in every word. It was obvious he wasn't comfortable around Hailey. He looked at Liz and sort of flashed a smile. "Uh, bye, Eliza..." And then he walked away.

"I'd better be going, too," Peter said. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya later, Peter," I said, waving as he walked back towards his cabin.

Hailey turned back to us, trying to hide the dismay in her eyes that Micky had specifically smiled and said good bye to Liz and not her.

"I, uh, need to talk to Thalia. Is she here?" Hailey asked me, not bothering to look at Liz.

"No, she's not here. What do you need to talk about?" I asked.

"Nothing. I'll just talk to her in the morning. Well, see y'all later," she said, flouncing off to her cabin.

I blinked and started snickering.

"Good grief," Liz said, shaking her head and smiling.

We walked back into the cabin, talking about how weird Hailey was and Micky's weird behavior.

But what we found in the cabin was not at all what we were expecting.