Chapter Ten

"NUDGE!" I yell, jumping onto her bed and shaking her. She made an annoyed groaning noise and buried her face in her pillow.

"God, she's still not up?" Ella asked, coming out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel. "And my shower wasn't short." She added.

"Yeah I noticed." I say as I pull the blankets off of Nudge. She tried to pull it back but I throw it on the floor.

"Ma-xxx." Nudge whines, throwing one of her many pillows at me.

"Come on! Daniel will be waiting." I say mocking her.

"Nudge. We need to be at Fangs house in ten minute's." Ella said. She walked across the room and pulled the blankets off the bed she had slept in. There was a knock on the door before it opened and Melanie walked in.

"Good morning sweethearts." She said smiling warmly, her smooth brown face warm and inviting.

"Good morning." Both Ella and I answered.

"Monique. Sweets, why are you still in bed?"

"Hmm. I'm getting up." Nudge mumbled. She rolled out of bed throwing her legs over the side. She wiped her tired eyes and looked at Ella and I who are both dressed. Nudge stretches her arms over her head.

Melanie picked up the spare blanket Ella had used on the trundle. "Girls can you push that back under the bed?" She asked Ella and I. We did so. Laughing as Ella fell on her bottom after sitting on it as she pushed.

Melanie went over to Nudges closet and disappeared in side it. She came back out with clothes for Nudge and through them at her.

"Let's let Monique get ready. Come on, I've made breakfast." Melanie said, as she walked out of the room. Ella and I followed after her.

"She's not much of a morning person." Melanie said as we walked down the stairs.

"Oh, we know." Ella said with a laugh.

We sat at the bench where three plates were set out. Melanie served toast, eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomato's onto Ella's plate and the same minus the mushrooms on my. I smile at Melanie, amazed that she remembers I don't like mushrooms.

"Do you both have my mobile number in your phones?" Melanie asked.

"Yes. We'll ring if we need to. Don't worry about a thing." I say.

Melanie smiles. "Good. And easier said then done for me Lovely"

Melanie had given Nudge, Ella and I this whole speech about being safe and smart last night. It covered the usual safety stuff. No going off by our self. Stay in a group. Don't drink the water in the river. If we use public showers wear our thongs, so as to not catch a foot fungus... the list went on.

"Ah, Mon. Hurry up and eat." Melanie said when Nudge walking into the kitchen, not looking fully awake yet. I'm not use to hearing Nudge called by her real name.

"Is that what you're wearing?" I ask with a little laugh.

"Yes. What?" She says looking down at what she's wearing. She has a on a long maxi dress on. Nudge looks between Ella and I and herself. Ella's wearing her soccer shorts and a t-shirt with her converse shoes. And I'm wearing my jeans shorts and an over sized t-shirt with my lace up short boats.

"It's camping." I remind her.

"That doesn't mean you can't look nice." She says defensively.

"You don't think it's impractical?" Melanie asked kindly.

"Not at all. Look." Nudge said pulling her dress up slightly, to reveal the zebra print gum boots she's wearing. Melanie laughs.

"Hey, they're cute and practical." Nudge says.

"I love you Nudge." I declare while laughing.

Nudge smirks. "I'm glad I entertain you." She says sarcastically.

"Come on. You might have to bring your breakfast with you." Melanie says to her daughter.

The others had already been at Fangs place when we got there. Daniel was there too, as I walked up to them, Daniel throws his foot- ball that just missed my head. I shot him the darkest glare I could. He stayed away from me for the rest of the day.

The others were packing up Mark's car with their packs, duffel bags, sleeping bags, and the three tents, one for Mark, one for the boys and one for the girls. Melanie had gone, for the straight over to where Lana and Mark were standing and Ella, Nudge and I went to put our stuff into the back of the forward drive. Melanie always gave Mark a talking to before we went on our camping trips. Nudge grinned at Daniel, but kept her distance. She hadn't told Melanie about him yet. She knew if she told her mum her boyfriend was going camping with them, she wouldn't be allowed to go.

We had to squish into the car for the trip. Usually we had the two car's but with Dad no longer going on the trip; we had to make do with the one car.

Angel sat up front with Mark, and Fang, Iggy and I sat in the middle seats and Nudge, Daniel and Ella were in the back. I was stuck between Fang and Iggy who were playing red hands in front of me. Iggy accidentally hit me in the stomach. Don't ask me how he manages to play such things, being blind. But it ended up with us playing corners, until Gazzy let rip and Mark made an emergency stop at the closes servo. We all burst out of the car, as soon as we pulled up. Gazzy smiled guiltily. While we were all in hysterics laughing, Daniel was utterly disgusted. He wasn't use to Gazzy's "talent" like we were.

We had played eye spy on the long trip, but eventually had nothing left to spy, since we were in the country and all that was around were, dry blank land, sheep, cows, and the occasional tree.

Once we got to the place we park the car, we were all sick of being stuck in the car. The walk we take every year to get to our spot felt like it took hours more then it usually does this time. Daniel had complained the whole hike- I had thought he was supposed to be athletic. He was as bad as Nudge, maybe they were made for each other, like Nudge had been saying.

"Wow this place is cool." Daniel said as we made it into the clearing.

"Yeah. We come here every year." Nudge answered.

"I'll have to bring my mates here some time-" He said.

"No!" Iggy, Gazzy, Angel and I all yelled at once. Daniel looked taken back.

"I mean... it's our secret place." I said.

"Oh-Kay. "He said creasing his eyebrows.

"It's just a really special place to us. As far as we know, we're the only ones who come here." Nudge said trying to save us.

"And we want to keep it that way." Iggy said with a icy tone. Nudge scowled at him.

"What ever." Daniel responded, rolling his eyes.

"Come on kids." Mark yelled. "Let's get this show on the road; these tents aren't going to set them selves up." He chucked a little before throwing one tent towards the boys and one to us girls. We girls set straight work.

We had all gotten quite good at putting up the tents. We have been it for seven years by then, since we were six-eight years old. By then, our camping trips had become an important part of ours. We always had our most significant moments while camping, our biggest fight, heart felt conversations and declarations.

This year seemed to have the most. Maybe it was because we could feel change coming. We were not childhood friends anymore, but teenage friends, and that's a very different type of friendship.

Having Nudge's boyfriend with us made us all think, so on one of the nights when Daniel had cracked it and walked off in a huff -after we had hung the content of his duffel bag across a piece of rope over the only close road- we had, had a particularly sentimental moment saying, we will always continue to come on our yearly camping trips and in time we'd bring our kids, and they'd all be the best of friends, just like us. We had after-woods laughed it off, but I knew it would some day be reality.

We got to know Daniel on the trip and all decided we hated him with a passion, and he knew this, so in turn, hated us right back. Poor Nudge had tried in vain to keep the piece. He had played a trick on angel which left her in tears.

So we took drastic measures. No one messes with us. Daniel and Nudge had gone together to collect fire wood, so we took action. We had cleaned up the whole camp, with Marks help and moved a couple kilometers away. When we had come to Mark with the plan he had said, 'that is a terrible, terrible plan and I'm behind it one hundred percent!'

Was the trick mature? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely!

We had managed to get Nudge away from Daniel and keep her in a tent, so she couldn't go and help him. He had totally freaked out looking for camp. It was quite late and very dark. Mark had made us go find him eventually. Daniel was not happy to say the least. Either was Nudge at the time actually. But eventually she came to appreciate our brilliance.

That night Mark had given us permission to stay up all night, 'yeah stay up as long as you like, but remember what happens on camp stays on camp.' Mark had said grinning. Later when Nudge, Ella, Angel lay tucked up in our sleeping bags Ella had said.

"Hm…It's no fun staying up all night if the parent doesn't care."

"Agreed." Nudge said with a laugh.

"It does take away the exciting 'will I get court?' feeling" Ella added.

We stayed quiet for a minute I could hear the owl that lives in the tree that's between our tent and the boys' tent.

"Hey, do you guys know what's going on with Fang?"

"Nope, what do you mean?" Ella said just as Nudge sighed deeply.

"Nudge?" I ask.

"Max, Lana and Mark are getting a divorce." Nudge said. Ella and I stare at Nudge in disbelief.

"Mr. and Mrs. Ride?" Ella asks.

"Yeah. Lana told my Mum on the phone the other week, when my Mum rang up to talk to her about this trip. Lana said they just don't love each other anymore, Marks moving back to Port-Fairy where he grew up.

"The sea town?" Ella asked.

"Yeah." Nudge mumbled

"Did you know Angel?" I asked.

"Yes, but I haven't known for long, Nudge told me and Gazzy." She said.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" I ask hurt.

"We thought Fang should tell you himself." Nudge said.

"But Lana and Mark always had such a great relationship." I said in disbelief.

"On the out side looking in, yeah they did, but there private people just like Fang." Nudge said while yawning.

"Oh look, how cute, Nudge has actually fallen asleep." I said in a joking tone, trying not to show how much this news affected me. Nudge 'had' fallen asleep. She was usually the one that wouldn't shut up while you're trying to get to sleep. After whisper goodnight to Angel and Ella I rolled over and closed my eyes.

I couldn't sleep that night. I just didn't want to believe Lana and Mark Ride were getting a divorce. It was just so unexpected. They were the couple everyone looked up to. Fang once told me they were high school sweethearts. He had said they had been neighbours and best friends since they were ten. They had gotten married straight out of high school, and had there whole lives planned out together.

That night I also couldn't stop thinking of a boy with a sharp angler nose, defined jaw line, thick black eyelashes, tanned skin and those piercing dark eyes. I had Fang on my brain, and it was driving me crazy. I had never thought of Fang as anything but a friend before, but since Nudge said those things about us when I went to dance with her, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I didn't know if that meant I had a crush on him or what, but suddenly the idea of him asking me out didn't sound so bad... not that I would have admitted that to anyone.