-- Going back a few hours --

Chris pushed up off his bed as he heard the door slam downstairs.
Crawling over to the window at the head of his bed, he pushed up two or three of the individual blinds to see Erin, beautiful as ever, linked arm and arm with the Brandon kid.

He watched the two walk away from him, and he sighed, feeling as though his heart was on a string attached to her, and as she walked, she pulled it out, piece by piece.

He waited until Brandon had opened the door to the cabin, staying perfectly still, peeking out from between the blinds.
Then, Brandon seemed to turn and look straight at him.
He can't see me, it's too dark. He told himself.
And then Brandon smiled a devil-worthy smile, and limply saluted him before walking inside.

Chris sat back on his bed, fuming at the ego of this kid.
Who was he, to walk up and steal his girl from his house.

Well, technically, it wasn't his house, and she wasn't his girl.
At all, actually.

Chris sat back on his bed, recalling the conversation he'd had with the other boys earlier that day.

--

"Hey," Connor said to him, peeking into the room.
"Ben wants to talk with all of us."

Chris put down his phone and walked downstairs after Connor.

"Good," Ben said. "We're all here."
Chris sat down.
"Now, I just wanted to bring something to your attention," he announced with practice.
Luke nodded.
"Yeah, we know that." he replied.

Ben rolled his eyes.
"There's a girl in the house," he continued.
Mike sighed.
"Ben, is this all you brought us here for?" he asked impatiently.

Ben continued still.
"And...she's...very, uhmm..good-looking."
Connor grunted, standing up.
"Well, boys, it's been a lovely chat," he said.
"I guess," he added.

Ben stood in front of him.
"Sit," he instructed.
"I asked to talk to you guys, mainly for you," he added.

Connor sat heatedly, crossing his arms with a grimace on his face.

"What I'm getting at, guys, is that..she's going to be with us for...three months. And there's five of us. So...can we make a deal right now that we won't get connected with her, if you get what I mean." he announced.

"You mean..like...like her and stuff?" Connor asked him.
Ben rolled his eyes. "Yes, twat," he replied gruffly.

Chris shut his eyes.
He was in trouble now.
He'd felt something for Erin from the first moment that she'd walked in through the doors. And now, he was going to be asked to not like her.
Chris lifted his head up and rubbed his head.
Connor scoffed. "What?"

Chris sighed. "But he's got a good idea," he replied.
Connor shot him a look.
"How so?" he demanded.

Chris shrugged.
"So just in case, there's not a fight about who liked her first, who she likes, the whole deal." he replied.

Luke nodded.
"I agree." he said.
"Me too," Mike inputted.

"So, we're all cool with the hands-off thing, right?" Ben said aloud.
"Shhh, here she comes," said Connor, looking at the stairs.

---

Chris sighed.
He was getting way too caught up with this girl.
And to be honest, he didn't know why.
Sure, she was hot. But she wasn't anything spectacular.
He'd seen loads of girls with blond hair and blue eyes, her shape, her style.

But she's different, his mind said.
She has personality. And she's not a slut.
She went out with that Brandon kid he told himself.
That doesn't make her a slut. I didn't make a move, and someone else did, because she's hot.

"I can't do this," he said aloud.
"I can't. I made a deal."
What are they going to do if you break it? Beat you up? They'll get kicked out.

Chris sighed again.
He would start tomorrow.
Chris chuckled to himself. He was telling himself when he was going to start hitting on a girl.
How outrageous.

Eventually, the other guys came up the stairs, one by one, to go to bed.
"Night bud," Ben said to him, the last to crawl up into his bunk.
Chris didn't reply, pretending to be asleep.
He was waiting for the door to open once more, to let Erin in.
His stomach grew queasy at the thought of her.

Hours passed, or so it seemed. the clock screamed 5:24 at him, and he was still up, unable to sleep, wondering what kind of crap Brandon was laying onto Erin.
He could picture it now:
Brandon touched Erin's delicate chin with two grimy fingers.
"I love you, girl." he said, so drunk, he couldn't remember her name.
Erin scoffed at him.
"Please, I'm in love with someone else, jerk-head." and she would leave, and come lay in bed with him, just the two of them, alone, asleep, comfortable.

His night day-dream was interrupted when there was a eery creak in the night, and a click-click of the door shutting and a more solid scrape-click of the lock being slid into place.
Chris jumped out from his bunk, and carefully crept to the door, passing through the crack with ease, and padded down the stairs to his love.

---

Erin carefully closed the door, and dead-locked it. She threw her shoes into a corner, and smiled to herself.
She heard someone coming down the steps, and froze, until Chris emerged from the crevace where the stairs were.

Erin gripped her chest.
"Oh my goodness, Chris, you scared me," she said, feeling her heart try and beat through her chest.
Chris smiled at her. "I'm sorry," he said.
"I just...wanted to come down and make sure you were okay." he told her.

Erin nodded. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.
Could he know about what happened between her and Carissa?
Chris shrugged. "That Brandon-kid is a shady character." he told her.
"What makes you say that?" She inquired.
Chris shrugged. "He just doesn't seem right." he replied.
"Like he's got a lot of problems, and doesn't care who gets hurt."
Erin gave him an observing look.
"I mean... like he's got...an ex girlfriend somewhere that would like nothing better than to hurt you in anyway she can because she thinks that the kid has done something wrong by her."

STALKER!!! her mind screamed at her.
Erin nodded. "I'm not dating him, or getting with him, Chris." she told him frankly.
"It was just a party, and he was just a date."
Chris nodded. "I know....alright. I just wanted to see you upstairs." he said.
"Why can't we talk here?" Erin asked, confused.
Chris laughed. "No, as in...follow you upstairs and like...tuckyou in...that sorta thing..." he replied.
"Of course I wouldn't be tucking you in or anything," he added hesitantly.
Erin smiled. "Oh," she replied, and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear, and headed up the stairs, with Chris following her.