Chapter 5
After lunch, everyone piled back into the van and they were once again on the quiet country road. Brent had just told them that they were nearly there. Angela was glad for that. For this part of the trip, she sat between Darlene and the door. Much less awkward, but still cramped.
If Angela thought it had been rural before, it was nothing compared to the area they now drove through. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen any sign of civilization. She had seen a few houses dotted along the road a while ago. Now there was nothing but forest.
Brent turned the van onto a fairly overgrown dirt road, if it could even be considered a road at this point. It was the most bumpy, decrepit thing, and the van seemed to have no shock absorbers. Angela shifted closer to Darlene, fearing she'd bruise her hip on the door. When Rusty the Van finally came to a stop, the feeling of relief in the air was palpable. Everyone got out quickly, desperate to be somewhere less claustrophobic. Darlene practically shoved Angela out the door, sighing loudly with impatience.
A gentle breeze blew through the pine trees, spreading their scent all around the grove. This small space was the picnic area, and the tables sat in weedy dirt, all the thick grass worn away by campers. A thin path weaved its way through the trees, leading to a clearing. Judging by the pile of ash at its center and the logs surrounding it, that was where the campfires took place. Beyond all this the pine forest thinned out, giving way to a small beach and a lake. A small island floated in the glistening water, holding a few pines of its own.
"Beautiful," Reggie commented, the first thing he'd said in a while.
"You bet," Brent grunted as he jumped out of the van. "This camp's been in the family for—"
"All right," Brandon interrupted, his tone light. "They don't need a history lesson." He turned to Angela. "Water's perfect this time of year. We should swim. We might even see a few turtles."
Angela was a bit spooked by the idea of a turtle getting anywhere near her. She'd once read about a monstrous kind of turtle with sharp, powerful jaws that attacked people. She tried to smile at him, but her anxiety was obvious. "Umm, that sounds…interesting."
Brent smiled at the group. "Everyone, the lake's perfectly safe," he assured them. "Ain't no leaches, and the turtles won't hurt you." He glanced pointedly at Angela. "Probably best swimmin' day'll be tomorrow, 'cause—"
"I see picnic tables!" Darlene blurted, pointing a commanding finger at Elliot. "Re-match! Now!"
Brent laughed, still endlessly entertained by her behavior. "This again?"
Angela felt they were blessed to have someone in charge who was this easygoing. There weren't a great many people who could put up with Darlene when she was like this.
Darlene sat at one of the tables, drumming impatiently on her legs as Elliot trudged over to her. "Hurry it up!" she yelled at him. He shot her a faintly irritated glance before sitting down heavily across from her. She whipped her head around and stared at Brandon through narrowed eyes. "Umm, hello?" she drawled. "You gonna do the countdown or what?"
"What," Brandon muttered. Still he went to the end of the table to do his duty.
Darlene glanced at Angela. "Hey, why don't you give this a shot?" She pointed to her brother. "I bet you could freaking bury him."
Darlene had for a long time wanted Angela to arm-wrestle him, or really anyone at all. Her response was always the same. "I'm good, thanks."
Darlene shrugged. "All right. Then it's up to me." She turned back to her opponent, stretching her arms and cracking her knuckles. "I will wreck you," she declared, obviously very much enjoying playing up the drama just like the pros. "What do you say to that?"
Elliot cracked a small smile.
Darlene raised her eyebrows. "Too scared to talk, huh? Well, let's just—"
Brandon interrupted her with a loud sigh. "Can we just please do this already?"
Angela watched the two join hands. Brandon did the countdown. Two seconds later, Elliot beat her again.
"Come on!" Darlene shouted through her teeth.
"Think you did a bit better that time," Brent said.
"Did she?" Reggie mumbled, looking doubtful.
Suddenly a smug grin formed on Brandon's face. He stared right at Elliot, challenge in his eyes. "I can beat him," he asserted.
Darlene jumped to her feet, eyes big with excitement. "Hell yeah! Do it! Do it!" she chanted.
Angela smiled at her boyfriend, shaking her head. "Really?"
"Yes," Brandon replied. He sat down and immediately grasped Elliot's hand. "You ready?"
Elliot gave a small nod. He shifted uneasily as Darlene did the countdown, screaming out the numbers so loudly a flock of birds exploded out of a nearby tree and fled the area.
Angela had to admit she was at least slightly curious about the outcome of the match. Elliot had never had an opponent who was more equal in strength. The match was actually lasting longer than five seconds, and Darlene was losing her mind over it, jumping around and yelling at Brandon that he better win or else.
Angela watched their hands as they pulled each other back and forth. She glanced up at Elliot. And that's when she saw it. The look. How had she never noticed before? Elliot stared at his opponent the same way he did a computer screen: with great intensity and passion. Well, perhaps it wasn't quite as great. But it was enough.
Angela was vaguely aware of Brandon losing, and a few "oh's" and "aww's" of disappointment from the others. Then Brandon stood up and Angela hurried to take his place. She stared straight at Elliot, who stared back at her in confusion. "I'll arm-wrestle you," she said.
Elliot opened his mouth a bit, but no words came out.
Darlene spluttered in shock. "Wha-What? Seriously?!" she cackled with delight. "This is amazing!"
Elliot blinked at his friend, and quietly, he said, "Wh-why do you—?"
"It'll be fun," Angela answered with a smile. "Right?" She propped her arm up on the table. She felt a surge of satisfaction when Elliot gave a small smile and took her hand.
Darlene did the countdown as enthusiastically as ever.
When she said go, Angela gripped Elliot's hand tight and pulled, and he did the same. For a moment Angela saw Darlene out of the corner of her eye, heard her and the others. The next moment they and everything else didn't exist, like a switch had been flipped. It was only her and Elliot, her looking at him and him looking at her and their hands wrapped tightly together.
Elliot's eyes were big with shock. He was shocked that Angela wanted to do this, and probably, she guessed, even more shocked that she was actually holding her own against him. He seemed anxious too. His palm was starting to sweat.
"Don't lose your edge," Angela teased.
Elliot shifted a little. "I won't," he mumbled.
Angela frowned and tugged his hand roughly, frustration giving her a burst of strength. The look on his face was not the one she'd been hoping for. His eyes mostly watched their hands, some faint anxiety making his jaw tighten.
"You're nervous," Angela murmured.
Elliot didn't look at her. "Huh?" he muttered distractedly.
"You're nervous," Angela repeated, raising her voice but keeping her tone soft. "You're so nervous you can't even look me in the eye."
One corner of Elliot's mouth twitched up into a fleeting smile. "I-I'm not nervous," he breathed. Still his gaze was locked on their hands.
"Then look at me," Angela demanded, with such force she surprised herself. That did it. Finally he looked up at her, more still and calm now. Their eyes locked and she smiled in satisfaction. There was the look she wanted.
Angela realized with a jolt that her knuckles were nearly touching the table. With a sharp grunt she pulled their arms upright. Angela could see that Elliot was as tired as she was. His arm was shaking with exhaustion. She wondered briefly why she didn't just let him finish it. She needed a rest. Her palm was soaked with sweat, her arm ached from her wrist all the way up to her bicep from straining against him. She decided she would be the one to finish this. She wanted to see that cute expression of surprise on Elliot's face when she pinned him. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he blinked at her curiously. Angela turned her wrist as she leaned back. She kept turning until she felt his fingers open.
Elliot's eyes widened and Angela breathed out a chuckle. She had him. She applied just a little more pressure and pulled his arm down. As soon as Elliot's hand hit the table, the rest of the world crashed back into existence. Brent was clapping, Reggie said something in quiet surprise. Darlene was jumping all around and cursing and screaming at everyone, asking if they'd just seen what they clearly had. Angela had not yet looked away from Elliot, and he stared back at her, giving her a look of…amusement? Bewilderment? Angela really wasn't sure. His hand remained in hers until Darlene grabbed her wrist and yanked her arm up in the air.
"She is victorious!" Darlene declared. "What an incredible feat! Angela Moss takes home the gold!"
"That was cool," Reggie said.
"Absolutely," Brent agreed. "You must have good technique. He lasted a lot longer with you."
"Top-roll!" Darlene cheered. "She freaking top-rolled him!"
Angela turned around to comment, but then she saw Brandon, and her words caught in her throat. His eyes were narrowed, and he gave his head a small shake of disapproval. Angela's face grew warm. What was all that about? But there was that little voice in the back of her mind again, telling her she knew exactly what that was about.
Gladly, Angela didn't have to think any more about that for the moment. Two brunette girls were approaching them from the campfire trail. One of them ran up to Brent and they shared a kiss. Obviously that was the girlfriend he'd been talking about. The younger of the two hung back, smiling shyly.
"Guys, this is Amy—" Brent pointed to his girlfriend "—and Amber—" he pointed to the younger girl.
Brandon darted over to Amber. "Hey, Amber," he greeted her with a grin. "Long time no see."
"Yeah," Amber giggled, brushing some hair out of her face. "It's been a little while."
Brandon's eyes darted to the lake. "Hey, you remember that trail, right? The steep one that goes up Old Pine Hill?"
Amber batted her eyelashes. "How could I forget? The top must be real beautiful this time of year."
"We should go there," Amy suggested.
"That sounds nice," Angela agreed. She moved to follow them, but Brandon shook his head at her.
"It's not so nice for beginners," he told her, in an unnecessarily condescending tone. "You and your friends should take the left trail. Way easier."
Angela smiled and nodded, trying her best to look grateful for the information. She watched the four leave, Brent and Amy holding hands, and Brandon and Amber walking awfully close. She could tell they'd all known each other a long time.
"Just kinda left us, that's weird," Reggie muttered, echoing Angela's thoughts.
Elliot made a quiet sound of agreement.
Angela sighed. "Well, I guess—" She broke off at the sound of excited shouting. She turned to see two younger girls coming down the hill, and Darlene charging towards them. Angela recognized them as Darlene's friends from school. A while ago Darlene had told her she'd wanted them to come on the trip. Obviously she'd been successful in convincing their parents this was a good idea. They'd even driven the two all the way out into the middle of nowhere.
"Who are they?" Reggie asked.
Angela struggled to remember their names. They weren't exactly people she spoke to often.
"They're my sister's friends," Elliot answered him, seemingly forgetting their names himself. He watched the three of them with wary, tired eyes.
Reggie smiled at Angela. "Two more people for the hike, then."
"I guess so," she said.
Darlene and her friends took to the trail well, once they got used to all the strange forest noises. Darlene was spooked by the rapid tapping sounds of a woodpecker a few too many times, and her two friends jumped when a chipmunk shot across the trail. Now all three of them were climbing every boulder they came across, and throwing small rocks at each other, and other puzzling shenanigans. At first glance, Darlene's friends looked like the prissy, snobby kind of girls that lived at the mall and would do anything to not get their hands dirty. But really they were just like Darlene: bottomless wells of manic energy.
Angela spent most of the hike conversing with Reggie, who was in a shockingly talkative mood. Mostly they shared fun or frustrating stories of things that had happened in their math class. She made sure to smile politely, even though she was distracted by thoughts of her boyfriend. In the car ride here, he'd seemed wholly disinterested in her. Now it appeared he'd rather hang out with Amber. Exactly how close were they? Angela suppressed a groan of frustration. She was losing him.
"No! Get it away!" one of Darlene's friends shrieked behind her.
Angela turned just in time to see Darlene hurl a small, orange, lizard-like creature at her friend. She felt bad for whatever animal that was, or probably more accurately, had been. She caught Elliot's eye and they shared a look of exasperation. Then his eyes darted away from her, his face more than a little bit red.
Angela turned back to Reggie and tried to look like she was listening to him. She'd been feeling the awkwardness between her and Elliot since they'd set out on the trail. She knew that was all her fault. She didn't know what she'd been thinking back at the picnic area. Actually, she hadn't been thinking, she had just been following a feeling.
What was that feeling? Probably it was one of those feelings she'd meant to nip in the bud.
It was chilly that night. Angela guessed it was somewhere in the mid-fifties. She folded her arms over her chest, trying to keep warm as she watched the campfire from the other side of the pine grove. Brent, Amy, Reggie, Darlene's friends, and Brandon and Amber all sat around it, their faces illuminated by the fire light as they chattered away. She focused on Brandon and Amber, who sat awfully close together. Whatever he was saying to her, it was apparently quite funny.
Angela's eye twitched in aggravation. She trudged past the picnic area to where they'd set up the tents. Each one was surprisingly comfortable and spacious. If this was what camping was like, Angela liked it well enough.
She slipped into Elliot and Darlene's tent, where she'd left her bag. She found the two of them on their laptops, hard at work. It was exactly what Darlene had promised her big brother.
Darlene kept stealing glances at Elliot's laptop. She raised her eyebrows, looking wildly impressed. "Damn," she mumbled. "What're you even doing?"
"What you're doing," Elliot muttered distractedly, eyes jumping all over his screen.
Darlene frowned as she typed. "You sure about that?"
"Hey, guys," Angela greeted them, though she knew they weren't paying her any attention.
A pause.
"Oh! Hey!" Darlene said finally. She looked up. "Didn't see you come in."
Angela rooted through her duffel bag until she found her tank top. She pulled it out from under a few layers of clothes and quickly changed out of her old tee.
Darlene slapped her hand over Elliot's eyes, though he'd been staring at his computer the whole time. "Elliot!" she gasped. "Were you just leering at your friend? You're such a perv! Do you wanna go to jail? Jail?!"
Elliot swatted her hand away so he could see his screen. "Stop," he muttered.
Darlene chuckled. "Hey, Angela, did you—?" She broke off when she saw her friend's shirt, her eyes widening and her mouth forming an "O." "Wow."
Angela looked at herself, then Darlene, then herself again. "What?" she asked anxiously.
Darlene's face lit up. "Oh my God, Angela! You're—"She lowered her voice. "You're trying to get lucky!"
Angela's face burned. "N-no, I'm not."
"Hey, don't lie. You're bringing the girls out for a reason! Come on!" Darlene laughed. "Seriously, I don't blame you. Like, if I was Brandon's girlfriend?" She let out a breath. "Oh, the things I would do—"
"Stop," Elliot cut her off.
Angela folded her arms with a sigh. "I-I'm not trying to—I—That's not—No."
Darlene shrugged, unconvinced. "Whatever you say, Angela," she muttered as she went back to her typing.
Angela shook her head and tried to push away her embarrassment. She fussed with the straps of her shirt a bit, feeling self-conscious after what Darlene had said. She still wanted to make sure she looked as good as she could however. Hair down would probably be better, she thought. She tugged the tie out of her hair and spread her long, golden locks around her shoulders. Then she felt eyes on her again. Surely that was Darlene, with some more inappropriate comments prepared. Angela sighed and looked up, all ready to tell her to just shut up. But actually it was Elliot who was looking at her. And he was looking at her a lot. It took him a few moments to even realize he'd been caught. His eyes met hers, widening with sheer terror. He jerked his gaze back to his laptop, letting out a long breath.
Angela stared at the floor of the tent, trying to remember how to breathe as her heart raced. Darlene said something to her. She didn't hear what it was. Oh, God, please tell me she didn't see any of that. She looked up at her. "What?" she asked, once she found her voice.
Darlene raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to the campfire?" she repeated slowly and loudly.
"Y-yeah," Angela breathed. "You?"
Darlene nodded. "Me and Elliot'll head over in a bit. Right?" She nudged Elliot's shoulder.
"Mmm-hmm." He didn't look up. His face was still as red as a cooked lobster.
"All right, cool," Angela mumbled, turning to leave.
"Angela!" Darlene hissed.
"What?"
Darlene grinned. "You are gonna blow…his…mind."
"Darlene, I'm not—"
"You're my hero, Angela!"
Angela sighed and ducked out of the tent. She walked the small trail to the campfire. There was no available seat beside Brandon, so she settled for sitting where he'd probably notice her. Her boyfriend was currently absorbed in an intense conversation with Amber. Angela blew some hair out of her face in exasperation.
Reggie frowned in concern. "Aren't you cold?" he asked her.
Before Angela could answer, Brandon interrupted with a chuckle.
"She seems fine to me," he said, his eyes bright.
Angela smiled. She was grateful to Reggie for inadvertently getting his attention.
"No way!" Darlene stumbled noisily into the circle, plopping down beside Reggie. "She's freaking covered in goosebumps!" she chuckled.
Angela huffed. Thank you so much, Darlene. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elliot take a seat beside his sister. He was still too mortified to look at her. She thought maybe later she should tell him everything's fine and not to be so embarrassed about what had happened. But maybe it was better to avoid talking about it. Talking about it would only make things more awkward. Right? While Angela puzzled over what her course of action should be, someone squeezed in beside her. She lifted her head and she was nose-to-nose with Brandon.
He smiled warmly. "Don't be nervous," he murmured.
Angela opened her mouth to tell him she wasn't, when suddenly he took her face in his hands and kissed her. She was far too startled to fully enjoy it. Hours of ignoring her, and then he goes and does this? She struggled to remember what one was supposed to do when being kissed. But the kiss was too brief for her to figure it out. A moment later, Brandon pulled away from her, chuckling. Angela blinked her eyes open, feeling a bit dazed.
"Wh-what was—?" she started.
Brandon snorted. "Oh, Amber was just saying I don't know how to kiss." His gaze shifted to Amber. "Guess I proved you wrong!"
"I guess so!" Amber giggled.
Then Brandon got up and went back to sit beside her. Angela stared blankly at the spot where he'd been, completely frozen. She could barely process what had just happened. It was awful. Her first real kiss was just her boyfriend putting on a show for a girl he clearly liked more. And everyone had seen it: a couple of people she barely knew and her two best friends, who probably knew exactly what was going on. Angela looked up, morbidly curious about their reactions.
Reggie shook his head, confused.
Darlene glared daggers at Brandon.
Only Elliot looked at her, his brows crumpled and his mouth a hard line. He was nearly as upset as she was. She knew that look: he wanted to say something, probably to Brandon. As usual though, he remained silent.
Angela stayed quiet too. She stared at the ground and just listened to everyone. Reggie seemed to be getting along well with Darlene's friends. Brent and Amy were very into each other. Amber and Brandon joked and chuckled and enjoyed each other's company so very much. Eventually, Elliot and Darlene left. Angela thought it would be a good time to do the same.
She trailed behind them a bit, her eyes on the moonlit lake. She wished she was in a less terrible mood, so she could appreciate the beauty of it more. By the time she made it to Elliot and Darlene's tent, they were already back on their laptops.
Angela kneeled beside her bag with a sigh. The only sounds were her friends typing and the muffled chirps of crickets.
Then Darlene said, "So, umm, what the hell was all that back there?"
Angela said nothing and angrily zipped up her bag. She dragged her stuff to the tent's opening, eyes on the floor.
"Angela, are you okay?" Darlene asked in an uncommonly gentle tone.
"Yeah," she replied, but her voice sounded worn.
"Angela?" Elliot murmured.
She stopped and whipped around, shocked that he'd said anything. He blinked at her with his mouth just the slightest bit open, his internal struggle to find words obvious. "Yeah?" she said softly.
Elliot stared at her a moment more. Then his eyes went to his laptop. "G-good night," he stammered.
Angela felt even heavier with disappointment. "Good night," she mumbled. She slipped out into the cold night air, pulling her bag behind her, and went to her tent. She dropped her bag then laid her head on it, too tired to bother unpacking anything.
Angela stared up at the tent's ceiling. After what had happened tonight, she couldn't believe she'd ever felt even the slightest bit guilty. What had she done, really? She'd done nothing wrong, she told herself. Brandon certainly had though. He was the one who needed to apologize for all the things he'd done since the trip started. And he'd better do it soon.
Because right now, they were on thin ice.