It was finally Friday evening. Tawny threw her duffel bag into the back of her dark green jeep and smiled. A whole weekend of the outdoors, rocks climbing, hiking, and them, Luis and her.

Her knee was nearly back to normal so she should be able to do everything she wanted to this trip, without worrying. She heard a noise coming from the direction of Luis's house and turned to see him carrying three or four bags. She started to yell and make fun of him for packing so much stuff, but then she saw the second figure trudging along beside him with a small backpack. It was Stephanie, and from the looks on their faces, she hadn't just come to send them off.

Luis came first with an extremely apologetic look on his face. "Tawny, I'm sorry, I thought..."

He was cut off by Stephanie's shrill drawl. "He thought I wasn't coming, but I surprised him, by dropping my cheerleading clinic this weekend."

Tawny gave a pseudo-sweet smile. "Well, we'd love you to come along, but I'm afraid we've already paid and sent in our registration forms, so you can't get in."

Stephanie showed her perfect, white teeth in a snarl. "Don't you worry your little head about that, dear. I called and talked to the director. Seems my daddy makes a contribution to their little camp and she was happy to have me."

Tawny grit her teeth and climbed in the jeep. "Well, by all means then. Let's go. Registration is at 6."

Tawny climbed into the driver's seat and buckled her seatbelt with undo force. Luis started to climb into the front next to her when Stephanie gasped.

"You don't want me riding in the back with the luggage do you, sweetheart?" she whined to Luis.

He sighed. "Of course not sweetie." Then proceeded to let her into the front seat and climbed into the back.

Tawny backed into the street and started down the road towards the camp.

"Can't you put the top up on this thing? It's messing up my hair." Stephanie said beside her.

Tawny bared her teeth. "Nope."

"Well that is so rude. Luis, don't you..." The rest of what Stephanie was saying was drown out by the radio as Tawny turned it up as loud as it would go.

Stephanie then proceeded to turn it off, causing Tawny to grab her hand and squeeze it hard.

"Listen, cheer girl. You ever touch my radio again and I'm going to rip off every one of your little spirit fingers and feed them to rabid dogs. Catch my drift?" Tawny told her, progressively squeezing her hand harder.

"Yes, I get it," she squeaked. "God, you are insane."

Tawny gave her first real smile since that afternoon. "That's what people say." Following this, she turned the radio back on and Stephanie kept her hands back away.

It was around 5:30 when they pulled into the back road that led to the encampment. Tawny drove down the winding path, watching trees go by and singing at the top of her lungs, with Luis, to the Monkees' hit "I'm A Believer," while Stephanie pouted in the front seat, buffing her nails.

They parked and went through registration pretty quickly. It was almost getting dark, so it was time to pitch the tents. Tawny grabbed her stuff out of the jeep and turned to Luis.

"So, what do you think, Luis? Where do you want to set up camp?"

"How about over there in that clearing? That way we can see the stars at night," he asked pointing to a spot near the small brook that ran on the outside of the camp.

Tawny's eyes lit up and she smiled lovingly at him. "That's perfect. Last one to set up their tent sucks!" she called, laughingly as she started out quickly in that direction. As she walked away, she heard Stephanie yelp "We're sleeping in tents" and she thought as she smiled maliciously, that this might not be a bad weekend after all.

By the time Luis got his and Stephanie's tents up, Tawny had already began making hot dogs over an open fire for dinner. She gave an absent smile as she heard Stephanie slap another bug off of her exposed skin.

"Are you sure you don't want some of my bug spray?" Tawny asked again.

"Are you kidding? I believe I told you numerous times that bug spray is bad for your skin and makes you smell too," Stephanie told her, sticking her little nose up in the air. "Oh my God. What are you cooking?"

Tawny looked at her, a bit surprised. "They're hot dogs. What do they look like?"

Stephanie gave her an annoyed look. "I know they are hot dogs, you... you freak. The point is, I do not eat hot dogs, nor any other meat."

Tawny let out a belly laugh. "You're a vegetarian?" she asked incredulously.

"As a matter of fact I am. I can't see how you can eat something that you know has been alive, and has had a soul," she said, looking at Tawny as though she was the devil's advocate.

"Well, you, little cheerleader, are tough out of luck, because this is all that I packed to eat. Hot dogs tonight, eggs tomorrow morning with bacon, cold cuts tomorrow evening, and depending on the fishing, maybe some trout the next day. Oh, and smores of course. You're welcome to them." Tawny told her, idly flipping over the hot dogs.

"I know what you are up to, Tawny." Stephanie said, getting down in front of her, face to face.

"Do you now?" Tawny returned, amused. "And just what am I up too, Stephy?"

Stephanie almost shuddered at the hated nickname. "You don't like me, but I don't care because I'm not really fond of you anyway. One thing I know for sure, though," she said, getting almost close enough to touch, noses to nose. "You're not going to get him. And don't shake your head like you don't know what I'm talking about," she cut in when Tawny started to protest. "I have eyes, even though he apparently doesn't. I see the way you look at him when he's not watching and I see the way you touch him much too often for just close friends. All I can say is stay away, Amazon. He's mine, and by the time I get done with him, you will no longer be in the picture. Get it?"

"Oh I hear what you are saying, little girl, but it's all talk and no action. He is my best friend, and has been for as long as I can remember. You think you, some tiny cheerleader, can tear apart years of friendship? I hate to break it to you, hun, but he would pick me over you any day of the week," Tawny told her, pushing Stephanie back out of her face.

"Are you sure about that?" Stephanie drawled, standing and walking away from the fire, towards Luis, who was coming from the woods with sticks for the fire.

Tawny stared into the fire, watching the flames lick the pot she had resting over it. Was she sure? Before Stephanie, there would be no doubt in her mind, but now, now it was all different. She looked out to the woods, seeing Stephanie drag Luis down for a kiss. No. She didn't have a chance against that. Stephanie had everything he wanted, and after this weekend she would have no competition. Tawny pulled her book, "How to Catch Your Man," out of her bag and stared at it. There's no point holding on to that, she thought to herself and then tossed it into the fire, feeling her heart tear at each page being eaten by the fire.