The big midsummer canoe trip stole both Molly and Rae from their cabin, among several others who didn't normally herd kids around. It was an all hands on deck sort of situation that took the majority of the campers, too, leaving just a skeleton crew behind to take care of the few that stayed.

It also meant there was a whole week with a whole lot of nothing to do. Those shifts she lost her temper over were on call. She only had to go if someone called her on the walkie-talkie and said that they were bringing campers down, which only ended up being an hour or two the first two days. She almost felt bad. Almost.

To kill time, she'd been hanging out at the pool with Serena, who was actually working. She wasn't the only one visiting, however. Darien dared to come by and chat the first day, leaving only to fetch lunch for all three of them. The following day, he just showed up with food, saving himself the trip. Aaron happened to wander in that second day, and casually took the seat next to her as they ate.

"Uh, hi?" Serena looked to Morgan confused.

Morgan chuckled. "Oh, sorry. Guys, this is Aaron. Aaron, this is my cousin, Serena, and our friend Darien."

Serena gave Morgan a thumbs up and an approving nod, seemingly happy with Morgan's choice of crush.

"What was that about?" Aaron asked with a glint in his eye.

"Nothing, shush."

"Okay." He wasn't convinced but didn't elaborate either. "Anyone have any plans for later? Camp's a ghost town. It almost makes me wish I'd gone on that dumb trip."

"We were going to go to the stables this afternoon," Darien stated.

"We were?"

Serena laughed at Morgan's question. "I told you yesterday."

"No, you said you wanted to. You didn't say we were going."

"It was implied. Darien said he knew how to ride, and I told him I didn't believe him, so we're going so he can prove me wrong," Serena said with a shrug.

"A doctor in training and you ride horses? Darien Shields, is there nothing you cannot do?" Morgan teased lightheartedly.

"Count me in," Aaron said.

Morgan looked at Aaron, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. Why?"

She shook her head. "I just didn't think horse riding was your thing." She'd never seen him do anything athletic or involving getting dirty. Not once.

"Maybe you just don't know enough about me yet," he countered suggestively.

"Or maybe I'm right, and we'll find out for sure later it'd you're a fraud or not. You too, Darien!"

Aaron raised his brows to the challenge and stole a chip from her bag, exaggerating every movement to eat it, all the while keeping a straight face and maintaining eye contact. "We'll see."

The group made plans to meet after dinner, once they were all free for the day but still early enough that they would have enough time before it got dark. Darien was already at the stables brushing a mare out, preparing to put on all the tack, when Serena and Morgan arrived. The stables were empty, so Serena hurried over to him and greeted him with a hug and quick kiss to the cheek. Darien's face turned a cute rosy color, and Morgan had to stifle an urge to say "aww."

"Serena," he gently pushed her off, squeezing her hand as they broke contact. "I thought we were being discreet."

Serena giggled and playfully smacked his chest. "No one's here, silly. I looked."

"Aye, yo!"

They all turned to find Aaron walking through the tall red barn doors. Darien shot a look at Serena as if to say 'I told you so.' Morgan was more interested in what Aaron was wearing. They were all in gym shorts, t-shirts and dirty sneakers. Aaron looked like he'd just walked out of a dressing room. Pastel plaid shorts, crisp Oxford polo and shoes that looked like they'd just come out of the box. She shifted her weight to one side, hip jutted out, while she examined his outfit. He really didn't look ready to ride. It was too clean. Who would risk ruining new shoes by wearing them in a stable? He looked entirely out of place, and she suspected, smugly, that she was right about him not being able to ride a horse. At least he had the sense to change out of his flip-flops.

"Well," Darien finally broke the silence. "I have one horse ready, and this one will be done in a minute. Aaron, you wanna get that horse ready?"

Morgan looked to where Darien was pointing. "Wait!"

"What?" both boys said in unison.

"We can't ride that horse. That's Rosebud. It's Madelyn's horse. She doesn't belong to the camp. Pick a different one."

Aaron shrugged. "Two horses will be enough. Unless the girls plan on riding on their own," he said flirtatiously.

Serena giggled. "I'll ride with you, Darien!"

Morgan shook her head. "I can get my own horse ready. And I will definitely be riding on my own. Unless of course, you were lying, and need to ride with me because you don't know what you're doing."

Aaron smirked.

Not too much later, they were ready. All three horses trotted in the corral, for the riders to get used to the horses and let the horses get used to them. When everyone was comfortable, they left the enclosure and began to follow one of the equestrian trails through the woods. Darien and Serena took the lead, leaving Morgan and Aaron to follow.

"So, it's lucky you didn't get pulled to go on that canoe trip, isn't it?" said Aaron.

"I guess," Morgan replied. "I don't lead a group, so it's unlikely I'll ever get picked. But, I don't mind either way."

"I'm glad you didn't." He winked and she rolled his eyes at his brazen flirting. "Have you ever gone on it, though?"

"When I was younger, yeah."

"Did you like it?"

"Did you?" she replied sarcastically. Aaron had mentioned in passing that he'd been to the camp when he was younger, when he was unable to travel with his parents, so she knew at some point the canoe trip must have been something he'd done.

At that, he chuckled and brought his horse around her, taking the lead. "I never went."

"What?" Morgan had never met a single person here who hadn't been on that trip. Once you were old enough, you went. You paddled until you thought your arms would fall off, learned to set up a camp, build a fire, all that stuff. How had Aaron never been?

"I never went."

"I heard you the first time."

He brought his horse to a halt, causing her to abruptly stop, then turned in the saddle to speak to her. "The day before we were supposed to go, I was at the lake, and there was an accident on one of the inflatables, and I nearly drowned."

A look of realization washed over Morgan's face. "You. You're the kid I rescued." That was the year the staff had approached her about joining the lifeguard program when she was old enough to apply. It was also a big part of the reason she hated shifts at the lake. That experience had her facing recurring nightmares for months. "I… I didn't know."

"I was a little disappointed you didn't recognize me," he admitted. "But, we were young then. I don't look the same. I've grown into my looks. You have, too." He gave her an appreciative look over, winked, and turned his horse to continue up the path.

Morgan blushed, but also felt confused. That was a weird thing to keep from her. Was he just waiting to see if she'd have some pang of recognition? How long was he going to let that go on? He'd grown nearly a foot taller and was dyeing his hair now. How would she have recognized him? He had left camp for the summer before they'd even returned from their canoe trip. It's not like they'd been friends. She couldn't shake the peculiar feeling, but got her horse moving back down the trail after him anyway. Serena and Darien would be at the rest area soon, and she needed to catch up.

Darien and Aaron were just tying off their horses when Morgan entered the clearing. Serena waved to her and continued to take some snacks out of her backpack, setting them onto the picnic table in front of her. Aaron helped her down and tied her horse off. When Darien was satisfied they'd all done a good job securing the animals, they joined Serena's make-shift picnic. The spread included all the finest delicacies of camp: Skittles, M&Ms, some trail mix, and a lonely bag of pretzels. Morgan shifted her bag to her side and unloaded the bottles of water she'd agreed to pack.

Serena was in the middle of complimenting Darien's equestrian skills when Morgan felt Aaron nudge her thigh with the back of his hand. She ignored it, but he did it again. He was grinning when she looked at him, so she looked down, only to find him holding a metal flask in his hand.

"Want some?" he nearly whispered.

Serena still had Darien's full attention, thankfully. "What are you doing?" He rocked the flask back and forth in his palm, as if that would somehow make it more appealing to her. "Put that away," she hissed. Booze was definitely a no-tolerance offense. She shook her head and ignored him as he turned to the side to take a swig without the other two seeing.

Morgan wasn't just disappointed in his poor judgment, she was insulted he'd offer her alcohol. As much as she'd talked to him about how much she hated being home, and all the fights she had with her mother, he offered her something that could get her sent back there. In front of Kayden's best friend, of all people! She didn't trust Darien to keep a secret like that from Kayden. And, she was starting to wonder if Kayden was right about Aaron all along, which really had her head spinning. Since when did she ever see his side and agree?

She stayed pretty quiet the remainder of their excursion. Between the revelation that this whole time he knew who she was but didn't say anything about it, followed by his casual offering, all she wanted to do was think. Knowing Serena wanted to spend as much time with Darien as she could, Morgan decided she'd finish the trail. So, when the candy was consumed, she suggested they continue before it got dark, even though she knew they had plenty of time to get back.

After getting the horses back in their stalls, she nimbly escaped an attempt by Aaron for a goodbye hug, and looped her arm through Serena's, leaving him standing there, backpack slung over one shoulder with a sour look on his face.