Chapter 21

Tuesday, July 14

Tris

Water sports are fun, but not in the rain. So since it's been raining pretty much nonstop since the campers got here yesterday, we've been holed up inside. The only swimming we've done were the tests, and they're no fun.

If it doesn't thunder, then we should be able to go boating on the lake today, it will just be in the rain. But it's assumed you'll get wet, so that doesn't matter anyway. It's the other sports that we can't do because of rain, like tubing and water skiing.

Another bad side effect of the rain is that I can't see Tobias. I caught a glance of him at breakfast today, but he didn't see me and we didn't have a chance to talk. I'll try to get to him at dinner tonight.

Christina breaks me out of my thoughts, "Do you have any ideas for what game we should play next?" She asks, referring to little time wasting games we play when it rains at camp. We're currently in the dining hall, but it's empty so we have the whole room to ourselves.

I think for a moment, "How about wax museum?" I suggest one of my favorite games we played when I camped here. Everyone stands in a circle and poses like statues, and one person – the guard – looks around and tries to catch them moving. If you're caught moving, you're out, and whoever is left standing at the end wins.

There are a few cheers from the circle of kids sitting on the ground, and Christina smiles, "Alright, wax museum it is! Come on, get up and play with us, Tris!"

I set down my clipboard and go to join them. We play a few rounds, and I almost win but never quite get there. By the time we get bored it's almost time for lunch, so we walk over to our table and sit down. Christina sits across from me and puts her head in her hands, and looks at me with a devilish glint in her eyes."So, tell me about lover boy? Are you two going to sneak out to make out passionately in the boat house or what?"

I give her a glare, "Keep your voice down! And we plan to meet sometime but not for 'passionate making out.'"

"Okay, okay," she relents, although I don't believe she's truly given up wanting disgusting details about my relationship. She looks like she's about to say something more, when the door opens and she turns her attention in that direction.

I decide to look through our schedule again, while I have a moment of peace, and I feel Chris' elbow whack my arm. "Ow!" I shoot her another glare, while rubbing my arm gently.

"You doofus! Look, here he is now. Go off and plan where you can have s-e-x!" She smirks and gives me a shove on the shoulder, encouraging me to get out of my seat.

Tobias sits down at his table, and his campers follow suit – only 7 in total, so it's a small group. His fellow counselor, Nita I think, trails behind and pulls down her short shorts before sitting as well. I walk the short distance across the room and tap him on the shoulder. He turns around, annoyed, but then sees me and smiles.

"Hey, Tris."

"Hi. Do you want to go talk somewhere?" I ask quietly, trying to be quick and discreet because I can feel Nita's eyes boring into my head.

"Yeah, let me just tell Nita," he goes over to her and I see his shoulders tense and his eyes narrow, and he makes sure to be brief while talking to her. He comes over to me and sticks his hand out, and I take it. I turn around and see Christina mouthing things at me, things that I shouldn't repeat around the campers.

Tobias leads me out onto the covered porch in the back, where there isn't anyone else around that I can see. The rain pounds down on the roof overhead, and slides down the sides creating a big cascade around us.

I turn to him, and before I can get a word out he pushes me against the rought wall and cages me in with his arms. His face hovers only a few inches from mine, and I can see every detail in his eyes, and every little freckle around his nose. Our breaths mingle together for only moments more before he kisses me, slowly at first and then more powerfully.

He moves his chest closer to mine, so we're pressed together and I'm squeezed against the wall. The wood siding pokes me in the back, but I don't care at all. Our lips move together in perfect sync, and I tentatively put my hands around his neck, tangling them in his hair. I feel his tongue dash out and trace my lower lip, and I let out a squeak in surprise.

Thunder claps right above us, literally shaking the ground. We break away suddenly, our heavy breathing drowned out by the pounding rain. I shoot him a small smile, and he returns it. His arms push away from the wall, but he still stands close. His eyes move slowly over my body, and I look away and blush.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" He asks, and my eyes flit back to his.

I bite my lip, "Yeah. Do you know when you're free?"

"Well our leisure time is right before dinner, if that's good," He suggests.

I go through my schedule mentally, "No, I've got swimming then."

"How about right after lunch, I have arts and crafts."

"I have leisure time, so that sounds good! I don't think Christina will mind me going, but will Nita?" I ask, unsure of her. He doesn't seem to like her, I can tell, but I don't know why. I'd ask, but we don't have much time together and it won't be a pleasant topic of conversation.

I can't help but be worried, also, because I've seen the way she looks at him. She's pretty and has an amazing body, what guy wouldn't go for her?

He rubs a hand on the back of his neck, "I'll figure it out, I'm not going to let her get in the way," he reassures me.

"Okay. So where should we go?"

"Well I was going to suggest our place in the woods, but if it rains I don't want to be outside," he says.

"I agree. So we should meet somewhere first and have a backup plan for where to go," I suggest.

"Yeah, so do you want to meet at the dining hall? And – God, this is going to sound bad, but – do you want to hang in my lean-to? I mean, if it rains we won't have anywhere to go that will be dry and private-"

I cut him off with a quick kiss, "Yes, that's fine."

He leans forward to kiss me again when the door bursts open, and Nita pops her head out. Tobias jumps back, away from me, and I busy my hands with my pockets.

"Four! Dinner's served, just so you know!" She exclaims loudly before disappearing back inside.

Tobias mutters something under his breath before kissing me sweetly on the lips one last time, "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow," I confirm.

Dinner was the same as usual, and thankfully Christina refrained from making anymore sexual jokes so we could have a nice conversation with the kids.

It was still raining when it was time to go up to the campsite, so we all put on ponchos and got out flashlights. It's becoming more dangerous to go on the trails at night since now they're muddy and filled with roots and rocks, so we try to travel during the daytime. We got to camp before the sun set, thankfully, and everyone settled in their lean-tos.

Christina and I go into ours, and we change quickly, not bothering to hide ourselves from the other, since we've been friends forever. She chose the bed in the middle – since, according to her, the outside beds have more spiders – and I chose the bed to her left.

I sit on the edge of my bed and pull on 2 layers of fuzzy socks, before grabbing my book and headlamp and getting under the mosquito net. I settle down in the sleeping bag, and get to reading my book. This is one of my favorite times of the day, when I can relax in my bed with the sounds of nature right outside.

Rain is still pattering softly on the roof, but it's much less than before. Soon it's completely dark outside, and the only sign that the sun was ever up is a tiny strip of blue barely visible through the trees.

I read for about an hour, and the campers' voices become fewer, signalling that most of them have gone to bed or quieted down. Christina and I tend to stay up a bit later than they do, just so we can make sure everything's okay. I look over to her and see that she's asleep, so I turn out my light and go to sleep too.

I feel like I've only been sleeping for a few minutes when I'm shaken awake. I bolt upright, getting tangled in the net. "What?" I ask, practically blind since it's so dark. I can't see who's in front of me or what's going on.

"Tris, I need help. There's a moth in one of the lean-tos," Christina whispers. I roll my eyes in the dark and slip out of bed, putting on my flip flops. Christina has this irrational fear of moths – any bugs, basically, but moths are worse- and she refuses to go anywhere near them, let alone touch them or kill them.

The rain has almost stopped, and it's just a little drizzle. She pulls out a flashlight and leads me to the lean-to next to ours, where four girls are huddled together on a bed in the far corner. I take out my headlight and point it at the corner in question, turning it on. Gasps come from the far side of the lean-to, and Christina moves away from me.

"I'm going back, let me know if you need anything!" She says hurridly before practically sprinting away. I sigh, and turn my attention to the moth. It's an average size, just hanging out in the corner. I bend down and pick some leafy thing from the grass, and reach up to grab it. I snatch it up and carry it over to the woods, depositing it near the edge so it can go free.

I walk back to the girls' lean-to, and give them some advice, "If you don't want it back, I suggest turning off all your lights and going to bed."

"Okay," one of them says – in the dark, I can't tell who. "Thanks, Tris."

"No problem," I say and walk back to my lean-to. Just as I get settled in bed, I realize that I really have to use the bathroom. Just my luck, our campsite is the only one without a latrine. I drag myself up again and put on my real shoes, turn on my headlamp, and head out.

It's a short walk to the nearest latrines, but still it takes a good five minutes. I come up to the two connected latrines and am surprised to find that someone's in the one next to me. I assume it's another counselor, since kids aren't allowed to go on their own and would need a buddy. I go in and quickly do my business, and come out just as the person on the other side comes out.

I come face to face with Tobias, and I let out a little gasp. He's in sweatpants, but only sweatpants.

"Do you make a habit of walking around camp at night with no shirt?"

He chuckles softly, "No. One of the campers threw up, and…" he trails off, and I'm disgusted at the thought.

"Ugh, I'm so sorry. But did you ever think about going to the showers, perhaps?" I tease.

"They aren't open at night, I checked."

"So how long have you been out and about without a shirt?" I ask him suspiciously.

"Only a few minutes. Why, are you jealous?" He smirks and walks closer to me. I turn my headlamp to a dimmer setting so it doesn't blind him.

"Yes, so incredibly jealous of the girls who wander around her at night without pants on," I joke. "I still don't get it, don't you own other shirts?"

He rolls his eyes, "Come on, Tris, I did it just for you. Give me some appreciation, yeah?"

I smirk, stepping even closer to him. He pulls me in for a hug, and his bare chest is surprisingly warm against my sweatshirt. I feel the definition of his muscles even through my layers, and it makes me swallow thickly. His big arms squeeze me tightly, before letting go.

I feel the cold rush in when our contact stops, but thankfully he kisses me lightly on the lips before pulling away again.

"I have to get back; Nita is in crisis," he says dejectedly, and I open my mouth to ask why but he cuts me off, "Not enough time to explain, trust me," he chuckles.

"Goodnight," I say, and he returns it before we walk in opposite directions, into the black night.

A/N: A latrine love story! That last part was a bit awkward to write, but I needed to fit something in before next chapter. Drama coming soon, more than it has already! Please follow, favorite, and review! Thank you for reading, as always :)