The canoe trip participants returned Saturday afternoon. Feeling better, and still looking to avoid Aaron, Morgan volunteered her afternoon to the process of unloading, cleaning and organizing all the equipment and leftover supplies. It also gave her the opportunity to catch up with Rae, who she'd sorely missed. She was looking forward to catching her up and seeing what she thought about Aaron. She wasn't sure if she'd bring up Kayden. He'd been acting so damn weird lately. She much better preferred their near mortal enemies status. He was being nice and it kinda weirded her out.

"Welcome back, Pyro! How'd it go?" she greeted.

Rae gave some quick directions to some of her campers and then turned to greet her. "No one cried this year."

"A success, then," Morgan congratulated.

"Indeed."

The two started laying out items that had been piled behind them by some campers, who'd carried it back on the golf cart from the canoes.

"This is a mess," Rae lamented.

"Eh, it'll be alright."

"I know for a fact that you hate this stuff," Rae accused, eyeing her friend suspiciously. "You always say you have better things to do, or say this is what the guys are for. What's going on?"

"Alright, you caught me," Morgan admitted. "Remember that guy from the lake that one day. Super cute?"

"I remember you briefly mentioning him," Rae teased. Morgan most definitely said something about him a few times.

"Well, we've been hanging out a lot, and it was fun and all. I felt like we were getting to know each other pretty well. But he randomly dropped the bomb that he's the kid that drowned back when we were 12, and that's weird right? To not say something sooner, I mean."

"Definitely weird."

"So, I was like, does he only like me because I saved his life? And what am I supposed to do with that?" Morgan rambled on.

Rae tossed a bag with some tent poles, making a loud banging sound that drew Morgan's attention. "Are you saying he's some weird stalker or something?"

Morgan's face scrunched up confused in thought. "Am I?"

"I don't know, you spaz. You definitely sound a little creeped out."

Morgan was working on sorting cooking supplies from the pile. "That's not even the worst of it."

"Oh?" Rae sounded like she wasn't convinced, or didn't care. One or the other.

Morgan's eyes shifted to see who was around, then she scrambled over to Rae so she could whisper. "He had booze in this silver flask, and he tried to get me to drink some."

"Tell me you're not hanging out with him anymore," Rae demanded.

"That's why I'm here. I'm trying to avoid him."

"Screw avoidance. Tell him off. Turn his ass in."

"I don't want to get him in trouble." Why she didn't, Morgan wasn't sure. Aaron had been kind to her, and throwing him under the bus over one thing felt wrong, even if he deserved her narking on him.

"Screw that. He could have gotten you in serious trouble. He does not deserve your grace."

"I don't want to make another scene," Morgan nearly whined.

"Another?"

Apparently, Rae had not been around last week for the big fight, Morgan thought. She took a few minutes to fill Rae in with the details.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Morgan managed to avoid Aaron on Sunday. Monday was another story. He'd shown up for breakfast, which he never did, but she managed to slip out before he could try to talk to her. When she showed up for her shift at the pool, he was already there hanging out near the vending area, like always, talking to some other people. 'Stalker much?' she heard Rae's voice in her head. She did her best to ignore him. After signing in, she put on her shades and Red Cross visor and took over on the lifeguard stand. The first few times he walked over to say hi, she pretended not to hear him, and blew the whistle as if someone had done something to drown his voice out.

When she got down to switch over, he pounced. "Morgan! Hey."

"Uh, hi. I'm working," she said, brushing past him.

"Actually, you're on break, and I know it. I'll get you something to eat. My treat. What'll it be today?"

"I'm not hungry," Morgan lied. He was walking right next to her then, and she resisted the urge to push him into the water. It was so tempting.

"You have to be after running out of breakfast before you were finished this morning."

She didn't reply.

"What's wrong with you?"

Fed up, Morgan grabbed him by the collar of his stupid white linen shirt, and dragged him away from prying eyes.

"Slow down, tiger," Aaron teased.

"Look. Hanging out was cool and all, but I don't want to anymore. You crossed a line. You could have gotten me sent home. Home. To my mother." She let him go, pushing him away as she did. "We can't hang out anymore."

"What?" his face looked more angry than hurt.

"I don't want to get you in trouble, but if you don't leave me alone, I'll tell them about the booze in the flask."

He scoffed at her threat. "You didn't even drink any. You have no proof. It's your word against mine."

Morgan glared, trying to think of a comeback. Something to say that'd wipe the smug look off his face. He was right that it was her word over his. She had nothing, leaving her threat pretty empty.

"Is there a problem over here?"

Both teens' eyes turned to find Kayden looming nearby, arms crossed, brows furrowed.

"Oooh, Mr. Clipboard. So scary."

Morgan shoved Aaron again and took a step backward closer to Kayden. "Only I get to say that."

Aaron looked back and forth at the two of them and frowned. "You know what? Whatever, man. I don't have to put up with this. Especially from some poor, middle class airhead. Good luck making it big in Hollywood with no connections. You'll be back in this shithole in no time."

It shouldn't have, coming from him, but the words stung. Morgan stared at the ground while Kayden's eyes shot daggers at Aaron's retreating form. Her face lifted when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Do you need to take off early? I can stick around and cover for you."

Kayden being nice was so unsettling. But this - this was plain freaky. Had he ever offered to cover a shift for anyone? Didn't he have better things to do? Things to check off his list for the day? "No. I'm fine. Thank you."

"You sure?"

Morgan nodded and she watched Kayden leave the same way Aaron had taken off, probably to make sure he'd actually left and not circled back around, she thought.

She didn't see much of Aaron after that. Anytime she saw him across the common areas he'd just sneer and turn away. What had she ever seen in him? He had such an ugly personality when things weren't going his way. It was like a switch had been flipped.

On Wednesday, Serena had convinced her to go on a picnic, with Darien, of course. At least once a week, the three of them would go have lunch or take dinner to go. About twenty minutes in, Morgan would excuse herself to go to the restroom, leaving the two alone. The first time she did it, Serena was concerned she'd been gone so long, citing concerns she'd gotten hurt, or wasn't feeling well. Darien blushed when he figured it out and had to explain to Serena the following time why Morgan was leaving them alone for so long. They always choose a secluded spot. Morgan and Serena knew this place like the backs of their hands, and knew all its hidden places. They'd also make a big deal of making sure someone saw the three leave together, to ease suspicion. It may not have been the best of plans, but it had been working so far, and Morgan was satisfied with her handiwork.

Like clockwork, twenty minutes had passed since they'd sat down to eat, and Morgan excused herself with a wink. She pushed away the branches leading to their secret spot and climbed back out onto the trodden path.

"Morgan?"

Morgan felt like her jaw hit the ground. She was completely caught off guard. Who was all the way out here? How was she going to get rid of them? Then, she looked up, shocked further when she saw who it was. "Kayden?"

"What are you doing?"

She dusted off some leaves from her shirt. "Uh…" He just stared at her, waiting for an answer. Morgan started to panic. And when she panicked, sometimes words just fell out of her mouth without any thought behind them. "Uh, hey, while I'm thinking about it, there was this thing I needed your help with." She grabbed his elbow and tried to direct him back up the path and away from her hidden friends.

But, he didn't budge.

"I saw you come out here with your cousin and Darien."

Shit. "Y-yeah. We like to come have picnics out here."

"So far out?"

She nodded resolutely. "It's pretty out here."

"Also pretty hidden."

She eyed him with suspicion.

"I know you're covering for them. You can drop the act," he said smugly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was on my way to the bathroom."

"I thought you needed help with something? Which is it?" he challenged. "Also, you're going to walk ten minutes to go use a toilet instead of peeing in the woods?"

"Ew!"

Kayden shrugged. "I'm just saying. It's a long walk. A lot can happen in twenty minutes."

She stared at his face, trying to detect any sort of clue to whether or not he'd actually figured it out. A moment later, the corners of his mouth turned, and shock consumed her. "You know?!"

Kayden shrugged. "You guys weren't being obvious or anything," was the sarcastic reply.

"My plan was flawless, I'll have you know."

"Okay."

"How long have you known?" she nearly whined in defeat.

"Long enough."

Morgan grabbed his forearm. "Listen. Give them this. They are so cute together. And they're really good together. Sere doesn't deserve to get in trouble for this."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Don't you think I would have intervened earlier if I was going to turn them in?"

She felt sheepish. Of course. If he knew this long, he would have said something. But why didn't he? "I'm shocked. You are, like, the most by the book, tattletale of a person I've ever met. What are you even doing out here, then, if you knew all along, Mr. Smarty Pants?"

"To confirm my suspicions. And, uh, I thought you could use some company." He cleared his throat and continued, "Want to go for a stroll? Give them a little more time?" She nodded slowly, still shocked at how calm and reasonable Kayden was being, and they started down the path. "It must be lonely wandering out here covering for them all the time."

Morgan shrugged. "It's not so bad."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, plenty of time to think."

"And what do you think about?"

"Oh, I dunno. Mostly how I'll be 18 soon, and next spring I'll be free."

Kayden chuckled. She wondered if she sounded childish. "Free from what?"

"My mom?" she offered.

"You shouldn't take that relationship for granted."

"Well, she's the daughter of Satan, so."

He laughed. "She can't be that bad."

"Wanna make a bet?" Morgan asked with a laugh.

He rolled his eyes. "So, what are these grand plans of yours?"

"I'm going to L.A. to get famous, duh."

He sighed, and it reminded her of Jayden and all his disapproval. "Morgan…"

"Don't you start, too! Look. We don't all have a family business to inherit. And we aren't all great with school. I want to act. I want to be in stupid toothpaste commercials and gather all my friends to come sit and watch as it airs for the first time. I want to be the person in the background who watches the hero save the day. I want to climb the ranks, and eventually star and produce." She realized she was rambling. "I can't do any of that here."

"Maybe not."

"No, definitely not."

"What about online content? What's that website…" Kayden trailed off for a moment. "YouTube!"

Morgan scoffed. "No one is ever getting famous on YouTube."

He shrugged.

"What about you? What are your plans?" She was sure they were in a color-coded binder, organized to perfection, a vast contrast to her own.

"I'll be finishing my bachelor's in business and marketing in the spring," said Kayden.

"Fancy," Morgan half teased. Of course Kayden had real adult plans and was following through.

He chuckled. "I guess. I got it so I could better run this place some day."

"But?"

"But what?" Kayden asked.

"That sounded like a but."

"But," he began, "I keep thinking I should do something else with it. Or at least something more."

"You're smart. You'll figure it out."

"How's your family feeling about you not going to college?" he asked.

Not great, she thought. "My mom's sent me weekly copies of admittance forms with angry notes so you tell me."

"She sounds fun."

Morgan chuckled. "You have no idea."