Chapter Twenty-One – The Trip and The End. (Part One)
"Jessica Sammler! You'll be sharing with Katie Singer. Good Luck." Came the sardonic voice of Mr. Binder.
Up until this point Jessie had been shifting in her seat, nervously awaiting the announcement of who shall be paired with whom, but upon hearing this Jessie turned in her seat and shot Katie a suspicious glance. Katie in returned, raised her eyebrows and attempted to look innocent whilst shrugging at Jessie. Jessie discovered that "Innocent" was one look that her older and more mischievous girlfriend could not pull off.
It was a week after Jessie and Katie's tearful reunion and the Sophomore and Junior students of Upton Sinclair had just arrived at the location for the school camping trip. They were all still in their seats in the bus, and were currently being paired up for the duration of their stay.
Katie gave up feigning ignorance at this stage and flashed a grin at the blonde girl then leaned closer to whisper in her ear.
"I thought I told you; never underestimate the Katie Singer charm!" Katie replied with just one raised eyebrow this time.
Jessie laughed. Katie was right, she had told her that. That particular conversation felt like years ago now though, so much had happened since then. Jessie considered this as she lifted her hand and gently touched the now almost invisible mark across Katie's cheek. It had taken a while for Katie to fully allow Jessie to do so without flinching, but this time she simply stared back at her younger girlfriend.
"So who did you seduce into allowing us to be pairs?" Jessie enquired jokily.
"Binder." Katie answered immediately with a completely straight face. Jessie pulled her hand swiftly away from Katie's face and studied the older girl's expression, searching for a hint of humour. When she found not a glimmer of a smirk, Jessie opened her mouth to speak once more.
"Katie-" Jessie's words were cut off.
"Well, I had to do something, So we went at it on his desk..." Katie said, still remaining deadly serious. She continued. "See what I'm willing to sacrifice for you?" She questioned, this time, the aghast look on Jessie's face became too much for her and she broke out into a wide grin.
Jessie opened her mouth in horror and shoved Katie's shoulder roughly.
"That was mean!" She exclaimed before turning her back on Katie and glaring out of the window.
"Oh come on Billie! You really thought I'd do that? I mean, Binder...just the thought makes me cringe!" Katie said with amusement in her voice, trying to win Jessie back around. Jessie remained in the same position and didn't say a word. At this point Katie began to regret her little joke, she leant her head on Jessie's shoulder.
"I'm sorry." She said sincerely before keeping her head on Jessie's shoulder but leaning her lips upward to quickly suck Jessie's jaw line before placing a light kiss on it. She heard Jessie laugh. Jessie glanced around, assessing whether anyone was looking; they weren't. She pulled Katie's face towards her once more and kissed her, taking her lower lip into her mouth, running her tongue along it gently then giving it a tug with her teeth before pulling away.
"You really thought I believed you?" Jessie asked Katie slyly. Katie's mouth opened in surprise. She considered Jessie's joke and smiled.
"I did. I guess you've been around me too much huh? You totally turned that one back at me!" Katie replied with what sounded to Jessie like a hint of pride. Jessie grinned cheekily at her, a smile which Katie returned for a moment, Jessie could almost see the cogs turning in Katie's brain and struggled to tell what she was thinking, she watched as the smile slipped from her lips and was replaced by a more serious expression.
"I only want you." Katie said quietly. Jessie stared at Katie. It wasn't the first time she had seen that particular look in her girlfriend's eyes, but it was the clearest she had ever seen it. Lust. Jessie cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably. Katie sensed Jessie's discomfort but didn't know how to rectify it. She inwardly scolded herself for the remark, it had just fallen out of her mouth with no regard for consequences. Well done, Katie. Now she thinks you're gonna ravage her in her sleep tonight. Katie thought reproachfully to herself.
Jessie was just about to say something to Katie when Mr Binder's voice reached them once more, barking through the bus microphone.
"Right, that's all of you sorted. Your luggage is off the bus and outside, collect it then go find a suitable place to pitch your tents. Be ready in one hour, we're going hiking and bird-watching." With that there was a loud click as the microphone was turned off and an even louder groan at the words "bird-watching."
Jessie and Katie looked awkwardly at each other. It was the first time they had been awkward around one another since their first night of being a couple, when Jessie had done everything in her power to avoid getting into bed with Katie. Katie remembered this and cursed herself even more for saying what she had a few moments earlier. Since Jessie had come to see her at her Grandparents that day with Tad, they had only grown closer and more comfortable together, Katie really hoped she hadn't pushed their progress backwards now. Jessie's eyes were darting around her, trying to think of something to say. Luckily, as always Katie saved her there.
"Why don't I go and find our bags and the tent. Do you wanna go search for the perfect place to set it up?" Katie asked, attempting to sound normal and failing dismally. Jessie looked relieved however, and nodded quickly.
Whilst Katie fought other students to find their bags in the mountain of luggage, Jessie had wandered off into the wooded area that lead to the camping site. Katie's words were racing through her mind. It's not that I don't want her, I want her more and more each day. I just don't know how to express myself in that way, her words surprised me... Jessie was trying desperately to reason with herself. She knew she loved Katie, she loved her more than anything. And she knew that she wanted Katie too, she was sure that's what those feelings were that raced around her stomach whenever they kissed. She also knew she was nervous. But what am I nervous of? Not Katie, I trust her with my life, she'd never hurt me. I guess I'm nervous of doing something wrong, something Katie didn't like... Just as Jessie reached this conclusion, she realised something else. She realised that her nerves were fading. Somehow, the thought of doing something wrong didn't fill her with a feeling of dread as it usually did. Suddenly, the thought of being with Katie that way, being that close to her and learning that much more about her far outweighed the fear that she attached to it. It seemed to her now that her reaction on the bus had only been an impulse and no longer had any real grounding in fear.
Jessie looked around. She had reached a clearing in the wood. If she looked through the trees she could make out other students beginning to set up their tents but there was no-one very close to where she was, something about that fact made her happy. Yes, this was a nice secluded spot.
After an afternoon of hiking endlessly around the surrounding area and spending what felt like hours on end bird-watching and rolling their eyes at Mr Binder's over-enthusiastic commentary, the students, now that it was growing dark, were finally allowed to return to the campsite where they had all pitched their tents earlier.
Katie and Jessie had successfully pretended that their awkward moment on the bus that morning had not happened and were now more or less comfortable with each other again, although the incident was still weighing heavily on both girls' minds.
"Ah...Finally!" Exclaimed Katie as she flopped down on to her sleeping bag inside the tent that her and Jessie would be sharing.
"That was the most excruciatingly boring afternoons ever!" Jessie replied as she too entered the tent and sat down on her own sleeping bag, pulling her knees up to her chin and peering over them at Katie. Katie was now leaning back on her elbows and looking at Jessie carefully.
Outside they could hear the crackle of a campfire and the rustle of food packages as the rest of their classes settles down for something to eat and geared up for an evening of ghost stories.
"Do you want to head out there?" Jessie asked Katie quietly. If Katie was honest, she really didn't want to go out and share Jessie with the others, knowing that Tad wouldn't give them a moments peace, and that Jessie still felt embarrassed around Russell after her suspicions about him and Katie. Jessie was also reluctant to venture outside, fully expecting to spend the night catching Grace's glances at her and Katie. Jessie was broken from her thoughts by Katie's hesitant response.
"Not really..."
"Good, me neither." Jessie said promptly, at last un-curling herself and lying back on her sleeping bag. Katie eyed her slyly, she wasn't about to allow Jessie to skip any meals.
"Luckily, Judith wouldn't let me leave this morning without plying me with everything we could possibly want for a midnight snack, so we won't be going hungry." Katie said happily. Jessie knew that Katie worried about her eating habits, usually she found it endearing and loved knowing that Katie cared that much, only sometimes she had to fight her natural instinct which was to be annoyed by such interference. This time, Jessie only felt loved. She was just about to lean over and pull Katie towards her when a sound interrupted her.
"JESSIE! KATIE! ARE YOU GUYS IN THERE?!"
Jessie groaned and pulled a nearby pillow over her face. Katie, having sensed the move that Jessie had been about to make, let out a similar groan.
"Yes Grace, we're in here." Katie said, taking charge of the situation.
"Are you both dressed? Can I come in?" Grace joked, already un-zipping the tent door. Jessie threw the pillow from her face onto her feet then looked over at Katie, not saying a word but raising an eyebrow suggestively. This gesture surprised Katie slightly, but she had no time to question it as Grace was already clambering in through the tent flap.
"Are you guys coming out for food? Tad says he's got an awesome ghost story." Grace said as she plonked herself down at the end of Jessie's sleeping bag, forcing Jessie to curl her legs up in the process.
"Trust me, He doesn't." Was Katie's sardonic reply.
"Fine, whatever. Are you coming out?" Grace asked impatiently, Jessie just looked at her blankly, not hugely impressed with her choice of words. Grace, seemingly oblivious to the cold reception she was receiving suddenly started laughing.
"Sorry guys, I didn't even realise the pun!" She giggled. Katie shook her head, before trying to regain control of the situation whilst attempting to get rid of Grace, having sensed Jessie wanted them to be alone.
"We're gonna stay in here I think Grace, and have a midnight feast later or something." Katie explained calmly.
Grace looked between the two of them slowly, before a light-bulb seemed to go off in her head.
"Oh. Riiiight." She drawled. "I'm gonna head out and hear Tad's ghost story then." She added, trying to back out of the tent, which is quite a difficult feat to achieve.
"Goodnight, Jess. See ya Katie." Said Grace quickly as she zipped up the tent once more.
Both girls sat and listened as Grace's footsteps got fainter. When they could no longer hear them, they looked at each other. After a moment or two Katie cleared her throat and reached over to grab her bag, she searched through it for a minute and Jessie watched as Katie threw various things over her shoulder. Batteries, pyjamas, sun-tan lotion and a bra all went flying off behind Katie as she continued to dig down in her bag. Eventually she seemed to find what she was looking for.
"Right then, Reece's cups or...Hershey's hugs and kisses?" Katie asked, extracting both packages and examining them.
"Katie." Jessie said quietly.
"Hmmm?" came the response, as Katie returned to her search.
"Katie." Jessie said again.
This time Katie looked up and met her girlfriend's eyes. It had grown darker in the tent, the only light now coming from the large torch that was suspended from the top of the tent, Katie could still make out the look in Jessie's eyes though and she gulped at the sight of it.
"Katie, I want you too." Jessie said simply. Katie gulped once more; suddenly her mouth was very dry.
"What, now?!" Katie asked, her voice coming out in a squeak. Jessie laughed warmly, then shuffled over to sit on her knees beside Katie. She pulled Katie's hands out of the bag and held them in her own. Katie looked up at her nervously.
"Whenever it happens." Jessie replied before reiterating her words. "I just want you to know that whenever it happens, I'm ready. And I want you too." She said, offering Katie a shy smile.
"But earlier- earlier- I thought..." Katie stumbled over her words. She was entirely unused to Jessie taking charge like this and it had thrown her out of her confident demeanour entirely. Even though Jessie knew her well enough now to know that the confidence was often an act, Katie still liked to be strong and calm around Jessie.
"I thought I was scared too." Jessie said "That's why I reacted like that earlier, but I've thought about it and I realised that I'm not scared. I could never be scared of you." She finished simply.
At that, Jessie gave Katie one last smile and then returned to her own sleeping bag and lay down on it once more. Katie continued to watch Jessie as though in shock, before Jessie broke the silence once more.
"Hugs and Kisses." Jessie said so that Katie could hear the smile in her voice. Katie, realising what Jessie meant, shook herself out of her daze, grabbed the packet from by her side and made her way over to lie next to the younger girl. Now lying side by side, Katie tore open the Hershey's package and offered the chocolate to Jessie.
Okay guys, hope you enjoyed that part. There is now only two parts (I think...) left, however, the next part would definitely have to be M rated, and I don't think is entirely realistic. I'm not sure whether to edit it out to keep a lower rating or not so I'm asking your advice. What would YOU like to read? Feedback would be awesome, but I don't look down on silent readers either, and I know there is few of you!