"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"Adena, stop!"
"Fine," she huffed, glaring at Tanis and sinking back into the couch. "But why won't you at least consider it?"
"Someone else please explain it to her," Tanis sighed, "I'm done." The Top Guns had assembled in the Open to while away their Saturday afternoon, and Adena had spring break on her mind. She insisted that they plan something, seeing as it was only-
"…One week away!" She whined. "We can still plan something!"
"Adena," Cameron tried calmly, "we have work to do! Practice, homework, scholarships…"
"But it's senior year! Senior year!"
"Exactly," Cody pointed out, "so we can't start slacking."
"Squib," Adena tried, exasperated, "you agree with me, don't you? You're not all grown up like these guys, right?"
"My dad would kill me," he shrugged.
"Nate?" She asked in a small voice. He shook his head silently, a small smirk playing on his lips, not looking up from his book.
"Well, you guys are just-,"
"Did I here something about spring break?" Rick ran over, hopping over the back of the couch and settling himself beside Adena.
"Yes," she said, "these guys refuse to do anything!"
"What?" He gasped incredulously. "But it's spring break! The springiest of all breaks!"
"Exactly!" Adena agreed.
"I have to go hand my history paper in," Cody spoke over them. "I'll see you guys later."
"I'll come, too," Nate followed, "I need to talk to Wiley."
"What's up with them?" Cameron asked.
"What do you mean?" Tanis said, now ignoring Adena and Rick.
"They're being all…friendly."
"Not really," she chuckled, "they're handing homework in. Besides, they're being mature. Unlike some people who put sardines in their ex's underwear when they break up," she glared pointedly at Squib.
"Hey, you have no proof that was me!"
"Cody saw you climbing out her window, Squib," Tanis said dryly. "We all did."
"Yeah, well…" he floundered, "I've…grown up since then."
"Mmm hmm," she rolled her eyes. "And I'm Sunny Capaduca's ball boy."
"I will be if I don't start practicing," Cameron spoke, rising, "I'll see you guys later." He moved towards the door and motioned at Adena and Rick, "Try to calm these two down, will you?"
"…So," Cody spoke at length as she and Nate walked silently down the hallway.
"…Are you and your dad doing anything for spring break?" Nate asked.
"Nope."
"Oh."
"…What about you?" She asked after a pause. "Visiting your mom?"
"Nope."
"Oh."
"…So-,"
"Look, Nate," she stopped. "Can we, like…stop this?"
"I don't think you can just…stop post-breakup awkwardness," Cody raised an eyebrow at his words, "it's the medical term, apparently. Tanis taught me."
"Ah…"
"Look, I don't wanna be all awkward either, but-,"
"Then why did you break up with me?"
"Cody," he sighed, "we covered this."
"Well, yeah, but it makes no sense!"
"Yes, it does, Cody," Nate looked around nervously, as if searching for an escape route.
"Nate," she said, visibly calmer, "look, I'm not going to do the whole begging to get back together routine, because you broke up with me, and…yeah. I just want you to know that I don't think what you said is true," she paused again. "For whatever it's worth."
He sighed softly, "Okay. Er…thanks."
She nodded, "Okay," and that apparently ended the conversation, as she turned and began walking once again.
"So, have we got the details on that breakup yet?" Cameron asked Tanis the next day as they sat in the bleachers watching Sunny beat come poor Group C kid.
"Not really," she said. "He dumped her…that's all we know."
"Hmm…Weird."
"So," Tanis spoke, changing the subject, "I heard you had a big Valentine's Day date?"
"Oh, yeah," he made a nervous sound, "that…"
"So…I take it that it didn't go well?"
"Nah, it was okay," he shrugged, watching the match intently.
"So…are you gonna see her again?"
He shrugged again, "I dunno…probably not. But…maybe," he paused. "Are you…okay with that?"
Tanis thought for a moment, then answered, "Yeah," and smiled, because she was.
"Guy, guys, guys!" Adena called, running down the hall towards her friends with Rick trailing close behind. "We have the greatest idea!"
"Oh my God," Nate mumbled, massaging his forehead with one hand.
"No, no, just listen!" She exclaimed. "We…are going…"
"Camping!" Rick finished for her.
"…No." Tanis spoke for the group.
"No, but not for the whole week," Rick clarified.
"Just one night! One measly little night," she looked at her friends, trying her hardest to seem innocent, "how can you say no?"
"Adena," Cody sighed.
"Pleeeeeeeeeeease?"
"Why not…" Squib shrugged.
"What?" Cameron cried, "Don't give in, man!"
"It's only one night," Squib reasoned, "and it'll shut them up."
"I guess it could be okay…" Nate conceded slowly.
"Perfect!" Adena squealed.
"We'll even pack everything," Rick promised. "All you guys have to do is bring clothes!" And with that the two took off down the hall, giggling.
"That…was kind of creepy," Tanis pointed out.
"We're only going for one night," Squib said as he hauled three large suitcases into the woods, "we're not even leaving the grounds! What could you possibly need all this for?"
"For the best spring break ever, duh!" Rick rolled his eyes.
"It's still only a night," Tanis muttered under the weight of her assigned suitcases.
"Okay, stop complaining, here we are!" Adena announced, "Voila!" She dropped her bag, grinning proudly, before a clear patch in the forest.
"There's…"
"No tent," Cameron finished for Squib.
"No, we're roughing it!"
"Adena, are you feeling alright?" Tanis asked.
"I'm fine," she rolled her eyes. "Come on, guys! It's our last spring break together! And we never get to have any fun!"
"Well…fine," Cody said, "but I better not swallow any bugs…"
The night had been progressing calmly, with roasted hotdogs for dinner and marshmallows for desert, when Adena had pulled a bottle of Absinthe out of her bag. Cody had been the first to speak up, but Adena had convinced her, once again pointing out that it was their last spring break and they were nearly legal. That, and promising that it tasted like black licorice.
"Mmmkay," Tanis spoke, slurring just enough to give her away, "I have never…gotten poison oak."
"That was weak," Squib rolled his eyes at her, but took a shot nonetheless.
"Where was it?" She asked.
"What?"
She rolled her eyes back at him, "The poison oak."
He shook his head, "You don't wanna know."
"Alright," Rick said, still fairly sober considering he'd never really done…anything, "my turn. I've never…had a girlfriend," he finished, looking sad. The other three boys laughed and took a drink.
"Go, Adena!" Tanis ordered.
"'Kay," she nodded, steadying herself, "I have never…cheated on a boyfriend."
"Wait, what constitutes cheating?" Tanis attempted to clarify.
"Kissing on the lips or anything more," Adena said solemnly, as if it were a serious issue and not seven drunk 17-year olds sitting around a fire.
"Oh, okay, in that case, no."
"What are you talking about?" Squib said, apparently finding this rather humorous, laughing and shaking his head.
"Shut up," she smacked him. "In 5th grade, I let Denny Wyberg kiss me on the cheek behind the hockey rink, even though I was engaged to Adam Richardson."
"You slut!" Squib laughed along with the rest of the group.
"Cody," Adena spoke slowly, the only one not laughing, "you drank."
"…No I didn't."
"Yes, yes you did!" Adena pointed at her, waving her arms in an exaggerated manner, "I saw you drink!"
"Who did you cheat on?" Tanis gasped.
"No one! I was thirsty!"
"Not buying it," Cameron spoke up.
"Fine, in seventh grade I made out with someone who was not my boyfriend under the bleachers. Happy?"
"Aww, relax, it's not that bad," Squib comforted her, "at least you didn't cheat on your fiancé."
"Shut up!" Tanis shrieked.
"Nate, are you in here?" Squib called, opening the door to Bates' office. The two boys had been on surprisingly better terms for the past few weeks, no longer having to deal with the awkward issue of Nate's dating Cody.
"No, Mr. Furlong," Bates said smoothly from behind his desk, "and I'd appreciate it if you knocked next time."
"But…he's always in here," Squib said in a small voice, looking lost.
"I ran out of things for him to file," Bates sounded almost bitter. "Try the back court."
Sure enough, that was where Squib found him, reading on the old, worn down bleachers.
"What's that?" Squib nodded toward the book.
"Poetry," Nate didn't look up.
"Oh, yeah? By who?"
Nate looked up, raising an eyebrow, "Are you by any chance here for something, Squib?"
"Yeah, that was kind of obvious, wasn't it?" Nate nodded. "I have a question for you. And I know you and I don't really like each other, but it's about a friend, so I would really appreciate it if you answered."
Nate was shocked by Squib's completely serious tone and nodded, "Okay."
"Why did you break up with Cody?"
Cliffhanger! Not really! Sort of!
It may be very obvious to most people, but cookies for anyone who can figure out who Cody actually cheated on.
Don't ask me what the point of them camping was, really. It was mostly for some flirtation between two certain characters. And I had Moulin Rouge on the brain, so that's why the green fairy made an appearance. Besides, they're 17. They're not gonna go into the woods to drink orange juice.
Which reminds me, have I ever said they're 18? Well, they're not. Which makes sense, because aren't we led to believe that Squib's the oldest? And his birthday is late March, I believe.
This is almost longer than the chapter. Review, please? I worked hard on it!
Oh, and Adena and Rick are my secret OTP. Ever since they hugged that one time :)