Ohai FF.
Been a while.
Ps. Because it has "been a while", I decided to post at least two chatpers tonight. Well and because I'm sick and stuck at home on a Saturday night. Feel free to review both chapters I put up:)
And thank you to the power of a trillion for reviewing and loving this story even though its been...I want to say a while, but I feel like I've said that enough. Well it's been forever:)
It continues to rain for the next few days, trapping me in the cabin with Dylan, Olivia and Nikki. Not the best combination.
Claire's still sleeping –it's her way coping about Josh. Seriously, she's slept about 39 hours the last two days. So I'm alone.
The silence in the cabin is deafening. If it weren't for the rain tapping against the windows, I would've thought I'd gone deaf. Dylan has her iPod plugged in and is tapping her foot against the comforter, Olivia's flipping through a magazine and Nikki is writing in that diary again. I really need to get that.
I lie down under my covers and pull my pillow partially over my head, so that no one can see me, but I can see them. Fifteen minutes later, Nikki is still scribbling away. When will she put it away?
Finally, she glances up and puts her pen down. She looks around –making sure no one is watching, I'm sure- before placing it in between her mattress and her bed frame.
So that's it. She hides it in the most obvious spot, because people won't look there since it's so obvious. They'll assume she put it in some safe or something. The girl is smart, I'll give her that.
The obvious tension in this cabin is crazy. I climb down from my bed and pull on my rain jacket. "I'm going outside," I say, even though I know it's pointless since no one will answer. After grabbing my black riding boots and an umbrella, I head out the door.
The boys' cabin is so far away from mine. How do they walk from there to mine and back almost every day? Jeez. I'm so not going to make it. Four blocks in the rain. There's no way—
"Block!" I turn around to see a soaking wet Derrick. "What's up? Where are you going?"
I really, really hate how chummy he's being towards me. That's not how we're supposed to be! We're supposed to be dating and in love and if stupid Nikki hadn't come, we still would be!
"Uh, hey," I hold my umbrella up so it covers him too. "I was actually just heading over to your cabin. It's so boring in mine."
"'Kay," he takes the umbrella from me, and holds it so it covers me completely. Total boyfriend move. "I'll walk with you."
"So," he says after an awkward silence settles over us. That was the thing I always hated about him, when awkward silences appear, he does nothing to fix them!
"So," I murmur, grateful that I can now see his cabin. "Are you and Nikki, uh, going out?"
"No." He rolls his eyes. "And can you quit making her feel so bad about our breakup? It's not her fault; I just don't want to be in a relationship right now."
"Well, it's just weird because you did before you met Nikki!"
He hands me my umbrella, his lips pulled down in the corners. "This friend thing isn't going to work out if you continue to be this jealous, Massie."
I hold my umbrella so I'm fully covered and he isn't. Childish, but it gives me slight satisfaction. "Well maybe 'cause I don't wanna be friends! I love you, Derrick! And you loved me before we started camp this summer!"
"I still love you," he starts walking towards his cabin. "But like a friend."
That hurts almost as much as when he actually broke up with me. I'm grateful for the rain that's dripping down my cheeks –it blends with my tears. "I have to go."
"I thought you were coming in?" he says, even though he looks mildly relieved.
"I, uh, just remembered I had to talk to Landon about something." Then without waiting for him to reply, I sprint towards the Big House.
I shake off my umbrella on the porch and wipe off my boots. Inside, it's warm and cozy and smells deliciously like Landon's Ralph Lauren Polo cologne. He's seated at his desk, looking over some things. He doesn't look up when I shut the door behind me.
What if Dylan already told him I told everyone? He'll hate me. But there's a chance she didn't! Maybe he doesn't know I spilled their secret and he still likes me and thinks I'm trustworthy and amazing.
"Hey!" I force a grin. "It's pouring out there! You're so lucky to have the biggest cabin all to yourself!"
He still doesn't look up. "Uh-huh," he mutters, scribbling on something.
He so hates me.
"Uh," I shuffle my feet nervously. "How are you? You cooked the hot dogs great on July fourth. I meant to tell you but I, uh, never saw you. They were way better than last year. Not that they weren't good last year!"
"Massie," he says, finally looking up. His dark –and incredibly sexy- eyes are full of hurt. "Did you really tell your whole cabin about me and Dylan?"
Damn. I am so busted. He hates me. I feel sick and I want to run back outside, but I can't seem to tear my gaze away from Landon's. "I...I did. I'm sorry, Landon! I really am and I've been wanting to take it back ever since I did and it came out by accident and I really did not mean to tell everyone and—"
He stands up, looking slightly disgusted with me. "You really did. I...God, Massie. I thought I could trust you!"
"Landon," tears well up for the second time that day. "I'm sorry! Really!" I really am! Landon has been nothing but a friend to me, he doesn't even seem like a counsellor!
"Whatever," he stalks towards the window. "If anyone finds out, I'm fired. And Dylan's kicked out of camp. I could go to jail."
He's making me feel worse and worse. Like I don't know all of that! Like I don't know that I ruined my friendship with Dylan and any possible friendship I had with Landon! I've lost both of their trust too!
I swallow hard. "Can I use the phone?" I ask, meekly. I need to talk to Skye. She would know what to do. And I really need to hear her voice.
"You know where it is," he grunts before disappearing into his room.
Once in the hallway where the phone is, I dial the number to the Westchester Hospital, then Skye's room number.
It rings. And rings. And rings. "Come on, S, pick up," I sniff. Six rings later, someone who is definitely not Skye answers.
"Westchester Hospital, room 602," she says crisply.
"Uh, hi," I say, caught off guard. "Is this Skye Hamilton's room?"
"Oh," the nurse says. "Yes, it is. Can I help you?"
"Yeah," I say, channelling all of my alphaness. "You can let me talk to Skye."
"Actually," she says. "Skye is asleep right now."
"Wake her up."
The nurse hesitates. "I can't do that right now, I'm afraid. I'm sorry."
"Why not?" I demand, my heart racing. Is 'asleep' hospital-code for 'dead'?
"Skye really needs all the rest she can get right now," The nurse replies. "She's...well, she's not doing that well. But if she wakes up, I can get her to call you. What's your name and number?"
Not doing very well? Does that mean that Skye is...like dying? Or that her cancer is getting worse? She was supposed to be getting better this summer! I gave her family the money for her to go to Germany for treatment back in March! That was supposed to make her better!
"Hello?" the nurse asks. "Miss? Are you still there?"
"I...I'm here. Sorry, I don't have a phone for her to call me back at...I'm at camp. Just, uh, just tell Skye that Massie Block called. And that she, Dylan Marvil, Claire Lyons and Olivia Ryan are all thinking about her. Thanks."
"All right, dear," The nurse says softly. "I'm very sorry."
"She's not gonna...die is she?" I sniffle.
"Only God knows for sure," the nurse sounds slightly choked too. "But keep her in your prayers."
I say goodbye and slump against the wall. Skye can't die. She can't. I will give all of my Prada shoes and my Chanel totes and everything I own that's purple away if Skye lives. I hurry out of the BH, afraid to run into Landon again.
Everything is going wrong. Awfully, awfully wrong.
Once outside, I run into Cam. He takes one look at my face and immediately asks "What's wrong?"
And that's when I burst into tears. Full on sobs. He awkwardly hugs me as I wipe my eyes on his shoulders. Finally, I'm able to talk. I tell him everything. About knowing all of their secrets, to still being in love with Derrick, to blurting out Dylan's secret, to missing Olivia and Dylan even though I don't want to admit it, to Skye being sick. "And," I sniff, inhaling a huuuuge amount of snot. "I'm missing the final season of Hannah Montanna!"
He cracks a smile, which only makes me more upset. "I'm serious!" I cry.
"Oh," he tries to compose his face. "Well, I'm sure you can call your mom and tell her to TiVo it or something."
"Yeah. But I don't know what to do about Skye or Dylan or Olivia. And I'm so in love with Derrick, which makes this summer so much worse."
Cam doesn't say anything, and neither do I. It's so incredibly awkward. "Chuck Norris doesn't breathe, he holds air hostage," Cam blurts.
"What?" I burst out laughing. "Where did that come from?"
Cam blushes and looks down at his feet. "I dunno, I always blurt out Chuck Norris facts when things get awkward. I don't even realize what I'm saying. It's like my brain's automatic defence mechanism."
"It's cute," I giggle, which makes him blush harder. "I should go change though, I'm soaked."
"Same," he shakes his head, sending droplets of water everywhere. "See you later?"
"'Kay!" I call, already hurrying to my cabin. When I shut the door, everyone looks up. "Uh, hey."
As usual, no one replies. Well, Claire turns the corners of her mouth up. Gone is the usual dazzling grin that's usually plastered to her face. I feel so bad for her.
"Is it still raining?" she asks after I've climbed back under my comforter.
I nod. "This weather is so depressing."
I hear Claire sigh below me. "So is this summer."
The next day, the rain is still coming down hard, but it's a little gentler than yesterday. Claire's sitting on my bed, doing a crossword puzzle. Well, I'm doing it more than her. Every few minutes there's a 'Massie, what does –insert word here- mean?'
"Mass?" Claire asks, right on cue. Her golden eyebrows are scrunched together and she's chewing on the back of her pen. "What's a four-letter word for rooster? I wanna say chick, but that's like a baby chicken, right? Not a rooster. And it's five words. Hmm..."
I mash my lips together, trying not to laugh. "Uh, really, C?"
"Mmm-hmm," she's still staring intently at the crossword.
"It's, uh," I snicker, "It's cock."
Claire's mouth forms an O. I glance around the room, meeting Olivia and Dylan's eyes. At the same time, the four of us burst out laughing. Olivia wipes tears from her eyes and Dylan grips her abs.
It's the first time we've acted like actual best friends almost all summer.
But then Nikki walks out of the bathroom, and it's like a switch goes off in Olivia. She immediately stops laughing and turns back to her book. Dylan rolls her eyes and focuses on painting her nails. I exchange a look with Claire. We both just want things to go back to normal.