Chapter 21 (Riley's POV):

I found myself wandering around the camp, without knowing exactly where to go. I had never seen Emily like that. How could she keep something from me that hurt her so much? I kept on walking and I sat in front of the lake, staring at the void... That's how I felt: empty...

"Riley..." said a voice. I turned around and I saw Nate, with Ashley, Hayley and Allegra. I sighed. I didn't want to see them right now.

"Can you just leave me alone for a bit, please? I don't really want to talk now..." I confessed, lowering my voice. I saw the four of them staring at each other, with confused expressions.

"We'll leave you two alone." I heard Ashley mumble, walking away with the other two. Nate sat next to me, making me sigh again.

"Nate, I really don't want to talk." I mumbled, with my head low.

"You don't have to. We'll just stay here, in silence, until you feel better." he said, lying on the grass. I stared at him and turned to the lake again. Maybe I did want to talk... But Nate wouldn't be able to answer any of the questions I had created in my mind during the last half hour. He wouldn't be able to explain to me why Emily was acting so weird lately or tell me who had hurt her so much.

"What do you do when the one person you trust in, shuts herself from the rest of the world and doesn't let you in?" I asked, still staring at the lake. He got up and stared at me, looking confused.

"I would insist for that person to tell me what was going on... But, if that wouldn't work, I would walk to her and tell her that, even though she wants to keep it a secret, I'd be there for her, no matter what." he explained, surprising me.

"How did you...?"

"You're not the only one with friends with problems, Riley. I also know a person with a lot of drama in her life."

"Who?" I asked, looking at his sad smile. Then, it hit me. "Oh... It's me... Okay, I guess I deserved that one..."

"I didn't mean to offend you, or anything. It was just a comment." he said, lying down again and closing his eyes. I turned around to face him and I stared at his calm, but, still, hurt expression. I can't believe how stupid I was. I only cared about my own problems and I didn't even think about how that affected Nate...

"I'm sorry..." I mumbled. "This thing with Emily has been so overwhelming, that I don't even notice the rest of the people.

"Don't be sad. If Emily has been having issues, it's normal for you to be worried about her. You're her sister."

"Yeah, a boring, overprotecting sister, that doesn't leave her alone."

"But that's just how you are. You might exaggerate once in a while, but you care about people and that's good. If you want my opinion, I think Emily is really lucky to have you as a sister." he commented, smiling. I did the same. It was a forced smile, but it might have been the most real smile I made in this last few days. I should've been expecting something like this. Everytime I was with Nate, I felt a little happier and it seemed like I was at the top of the world, like I could do anything.

"I'm going to talk with Emily." I informed, getting up. "And I'm using your advice."

"Okay, good luck." he said, getting up as well. I stared at him for a while, thinking of what I could say next. So, I hugged him.

"Thanks, Nate. For everything." I mumbled, smiling.

"Anytime." he guaranteed, laughing, as I walked away.

I quickly arrived to my cabin, since I thought Emily was there. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I immediately thought of breaking in (since it was becoming a habit for me), but I stopped. Maybe I should take things easy, for a change...

"Emily, are you there?" I asked, knocking gently on the door. I had no answer, just silence. I knew she was there, but I asked just to see if she would answer me. "Emily, come on, I know you're in there."

"Riley, please go away." she begged. I sighed. How could I talk with her if we had to be separated by a door?

"I just want to talk with you. I won't ask any questions, I swear." I promised, in a sincere voice. I heard steps and she opened the door.

"Talk."

"I know you're having some problems and I wouldn't be a decent sister if I didn't want to find out what they are. And I'm worried, I admit. I also admit that I would brutally punch the person who hurt you, but I'm trying to respect your... Pain, or whatever you'd like to call it..."

"What's your point, Riley?" she asked, coldly. I sighed. That wasn't going to be easy for me...

"You only tell me what it is if you want to. The truth is I really want to know, but I'm not forcing you to tell me. I just want you to know that I'm here, in case you want to talk." I explained. She was surprised and, to be honest, I was too. I really didn't expect those words to come out of my mouth like that.

"Thanks." she said, hugging me. "I'm not completely ready to talk, but trust me you'll be the first person I'll go to when I am."

"That's good enough for me." I guaranteed, walking away. I walked around the camp, a little happier than I was before. Things we're starting to work out and I couldn't wait for this whole thing with Emily to be settled.

I was going to meet Nate, when I saw someone near the camp entrance. A boy. He was pretty far way, so I had to try really hard to find out who he was. But, still, I couldn't recognise him. When I was about to keep on walking, I heard a voice.

"Leaving already, Riley?" someone asked. I was shocked. I knew that voice... I turned around quickly and saw him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I said, coldly. He smiled.
"I came to redime myself. I missed you."

"Yeah, keep your lame excuses." I mumbled, not caring about being polite. But, then, I remembered a little detail that was somewhat scary. "How did you find out where I was?"

"I went to your house and your parents told me you were spending the Summer here. So... Where's Emily?"

"Go away." I said, leaving. He, however, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me, so I was face-to-face with him.

"I want to say I'm sorry about what happened."

"You're too late for that. Three months later. Three lowsy months that I knew what you were doing behind my back, and I still tried to hold on to the small things we did together, hoping that you'd have the guts to tell me that you cheated on me."

"Riley, it was a mistake. I didn't want to-"

"If you didn't want to, that why did you did it twice with the same person?! You turned me against my best friend and you made me stop believing in everything I stood for. How do you expect me to forvige you for destroying my world?"

"I'm not over you yet." he confessed, staring at me. I stepped back.

"I have to go. Don't follow me. I hate you, Sean Harris." I said, with tears in my eyes. He just looked at me and I ran. He was, definitely, the last person I expected (and wanted) to see. I cleaned my tears, as I thought about everything that had happened beteween us. He had a lot of nerve coming here like this and saying he still had feelings for me! How was I supposed to react to that?!

"Riley?" Nate asked, showing up. I looked at him, surprised and sad at the same time, without knowing what to say or do. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

"Please, don't ask any questions..." I begged, lowering my head.

"But you-"

"Just don't say anything, okay?" I said, hugging him tightly and crying even more. I felt awful for putting this much responsibility on him (again...), but, at that moment, Nate was the only that could understand what I was going through. The only one I could truly trust in.