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Chapter 6: Friendship

Linda glanced up from organising the kids into their cabins, and grimaced as she saw the two teenagers trudging towards their direction. From the tortured look on Rory's face and the scowl on Jess', she was guessing that their time away from camp didn't go very well. Darn, she needed to break the sexual tension. She flicked her hand up, catching their attention and beckoned them over to the fireside where all campers and counselors were gathered for the activity. Consequently, tonight was the sing-along and because Andrew had cut his finger trying to fix one of the kayaks, she had to find another guitar player. Fast!

Rory and Jess found empty spaces in the vague direction where all the counselors were encompassed and sat down. Linda noticed that her current technique of sorting out the campers weren't working, and gave piercing whistle that cut through the night like a knife. That gathered the attention of the boisterous campers like nothing else.

"Listen up, kids! It's time for the sing-along. Sit down in your given cabin numbers before the wicked axe-man comes!" shouted Linda. The last part drew shrill shrieks from some of the younger campers, but it was mostly hidden behind the disbelieving laughter of the older patrons.

Then, Linda turned to the agitated counselors. Kaye looked freaked-out.

"Linda, you didn't tell me anything about sing-alongs. I can't sing to save my own life!"

Some male counselors muttered their sentiments, which was agreement with Kaye. Linda shook her head stubbornly.

"It was all in the program list, if you bothered to read it that is. Now, I need someone who can play the guitar fairly well. Any volunteers?"

Everyone turned to look at Mark, although none of them knew why. He shrugged in surrender. "I only work miracles with computers. Other than that, sorry but no can do."

A silent groan went through the crowd.

Linda groaned as well. "Oh no, now I have to cancel this thing, at least until Andrew's hand is recovered. They'll all be so disappointed, it's been a regular in this camp since it opened."

Tristan argued with himself. He could play the guitar, very well, but it was for private reasons. He played the guitar to let out the stress and to motivate him. No one even knew that he could play. Stress on the no one. Finally, he spoke up, deciding that he couldn't break a 20 year-old-tradition.

"Linda, wait."

Linda, who was walking dejectedly towards the campers, swung about.

"Yes, Tristan?"

Tristan cleared his throat. "Umm. I can play the guitar."

He watched with disbelief as the woman in front of him transformed from a depressed woman to a deliriously happy woman.

Tristan tuned the guitar that Linda laid in his arms. It was old, but still in excellent shape. He strummed a few bars just to make sure that it sounded proper. Then, he glanced at Linda and gave her the okay sign so that she can begin the sing-along.

Linda's smile was wide, it was practically from ear to ear. "Okay campers, remember Tristan? He's going to play the guitar for us tonight. Unfortunately, his head is filled with punk songs full of words that I'll pretend you don't know about. However, he does know a few 'oldies'. Let's start with 'Ain't no mountain high enough'."

The girls laughed at the choice of the love song whilst the boys groaned.

"But it's a LOVE song," shouted Brian, one of the campers.

Linda shrugged. "So? It's a nice love song."

"Okay. Let's start."

Tristan strummed the first few bars of the song. The campers joined in, as did the counselors. They then went off to a few other songs. At the last strum of the last song, Tristan looked up, only to find Rory staring at him.

Rory couldn't help it. She knew she was staring. She knew that she shouldn't stare. She knew it was wrong to stare… yet she couldn't help herself. He looked so sensual that she was attracted to him like a bear was to honey. Okay, there was something wrong about that comparison, but who cares? He cradled the guitar like a baby and she knew instantly that he was good with kids.

She turned her head away as their gazes clicked, and she practically heard the sexual tension sizzle in the air. She mentally chided herself for being a fool. This was Tristan for heaven's sake! Tristan, also known as Satan, Bible Boy, the Evil One and he was known by those nicknames for a good reason. He was the ultimate heart breaker; the one that all mothers wish didn't exist. He was the epitome of a playboy. He was… Oh boy.

She was looking at him again. She was so enraptured in him that she didn't ever hear Linda bid the campers goodbye. Her eyes saw that Tristan was walking towards her, but it didn't register. Only when Tristan squatted down in front of her and waved his hand in front of her face did she notice. Instantly, her eyes opened wide and her heartbeat speeded up to what felt like about five times the legal limit.

"Uh, hi?" muttered Rory.

Tristan chuckled. "Hello."

"So, uh, I didn't know that you play the guitar."

"Not many people do."

"Umm… you're very good at it," said Rory, mentally knocking herself on the head with a sledgehammer as she realized how lame that sounded.

Tristan burst out laughing. "Thank you." He gave her a crooked grin that practically made her heart stop beating for an instant. "Where were you today, I didn't notice you around?"

In a flash she remembered the events of the previous hours. Most of all she remembered the semi-fight with Jess.

Tristan frowned as he noticed her clear blue eyes cloud with what seemed like tears. "Hey, what's this?"

Rory smiled sadly. "Nothing… I gotta go. There's a lot of things I need to think about."

A stab of pain went through him as he realized that Rory didn't feel like she could confide in him when all he wanted was to help her. "Oh. Right."

She stood up, and brushed her shorts. "Good night."

As she walked away, she missed the brush of the words that he muttered quietly under his breath. "Sleep with the angels."

She didn't realise that her feet had walked her to the pier. As her eyes focused, she saw a dark figure huddled at the edge. Jess. Her breath stilled as she searched the right words to say to him. She couldn't think of anything to say, so she turned around, bent on making a hasty retreat.

"I know you're there, Rory."

Rory stopped and spun around, walking softly to sit next to him. She still didn't say anything, only gazing at the full moon and many stars that twinkled at her.

Jess spoke up. "It's funny how we're always attracted to a place with water under it."

She still kept her mouth shut, unsure of where their conversation was getting.

"I've been thinking - about what you said today. And I know that you're right."

Rory gave him a tortured half-grin. "I'm always right."

Jess snorted. "Do you remember when you said you're going to make the world's best tasting ice-cream? You then proceeded to mix pistachio, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, strawberry and mint together, only to find that just because they're your favorite flavors, it doesn't mean that they taste good together."

Rory shrugged as she remembered that incident. "Imagination is the refusal to accept boundaries."

"Charles Templeton."

Rory nodded, her mind wandering off to places that didn't exist. Did she want Jess or Tristan? Someone she was comfortable with or someone who made her feel tingles whenever he was close? Finally, she spoke up as she thought about a way to decide. "Jess, kiss me again."

Jess' eyes opened wide. "What the hell Rory?"

"No, I just need to know…"

Jess turned towards her direction swiftly, and bent down to give her a kiss smack in the mouth.

Rory's giggle permeated through the air as she felt the lack of tingles the kiss brought her. "I thought so."

Jess frowned. "You felt it too, huh?" He had always thought that he was attracted to Rory physically, but now he realized that he mistook it for an emotional attraction. Rory was there when he needed someone, and that made him misdirect his feelings. Besides, they were practically related.

"Yeah."

Jess expelled a huge sigh of relief as he felt the tension dissipating. "I would appreciate it if you never remind me that we were once romantically linked."

"Ditto. Friends?"

"Friends," agreed Jess. "What's with you and pretty boy?"

Her head went up so fast that it almost snapped. "There's nothing between Tristan and I," she lied.

Jess smirked. "Didn't look that way to me."

Rory smiled. He knew her too well and she didn't know whether that was a curse or a blessing. "Okay, okay, it goes like this…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

I'll be honest with you guys and tell you that I know that this chapter is crap and that I developed things so fast that it's unbelievable. Sorry!! And I really badly need suggestions!

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