Hey guys. A this chapter's a little longer that what I usually write, so I hope you enjoy it! x

"I am so mad at you right now."

I sighed as I put pieces of my clothing into my duffel bag. Usually, I just wore pajamas when Tsubasa and I went camping, but this camping trip was different. I was sure wearing my Hello Kitty pajamas would scare everyone away. I threw that one on the bed.

I was on the phone with Sumire, Friday night, and she was guilt-tripping me, since due to all the commotion that's been going on in my head, I forgot to call her.

"Look, I'm sorry," I said. "I was just busy with work, and I've been helping my mom out on some things. I mean, it's only been a few days."

"Well a few days to me is like weeks," she retorted. "There is absolutely nothing to do here. I'm about to go insane."

I loved Sumire to death, but sometimes, I just wanted to strangle her. Like it was my fault her parents sent her to the middle-of-nowhere. Maybe if it wasn't for her excessive partying and drugs, she would still be in her beloved city.

Okay, that was a foul. I forgot for a minute that I did the exact same things she did. Except for the drugs part. But it sounded to me that she was blaming me for her misfortune. That, or I was just seriously stressed out about tonight. I didn't want to think about it, so I spent the past week distracting myself. Work, helping my mom organize through her files (she's obsessing over renovating some parts of the house since it looked like a simple storm would throw the house down). At first, I thought that she was doing another thing that wouldn't remind her of the past, but when I examined other parts of the house, she was right. It was like a slight earthquake, and we'd all be buried in our own house.

"I said I'm sorry," I told her. "Look, maybe your parents wanted what was best for you. And instead of being stubborn about it, why don't you try to look at this as a good thing? Like something that would help you... overcome things."

There was a long silence on the other end, then, "Oh my fucking God. What kind of shit are you on right now? God, I can't believe you've finally tried drugs and haven't told me. I'm even more madder at you right now."

"Wha— what the hell are you talking about? I'm not doing drugs, Sumire. Just because you do those things doesn't mean I automatically do them."

I realized a little second too late, that I said that out loud. I didn't know what was wrong with me, and why I've said those things. It almost sounded like a different person.

"Sumire," I started to say, "I'm—"

"Maybe you're right," she snapped. "You've always acted like you were too good for any of us here." And with that, she hung up.

I sighed as I threw my phone on the bed. Why am I so good in ruining friendships? Sumire and I had arguments, but she always got over it. The thing with our friendship, is that it was shallow. Almost like she was my friend for the sake of having one. I felt guilty for not feeling bad about our little fight. Not like when Hotaru and I stopped talking. Or maybe Sumire was right. I didn't belong where she was. And I only realized now, that everything might have changed around me, but I never did.

"You ready?"

Natsume insisted that he and I drive together to the camping site, since Hotaru declared that she was riding with Ruka. I gave her the evil eye for that. I knew what she was trying to do, and that would never happen.

"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled.

"Well you kids have fun," Mom said from the porch. She was watching us, and was pretty thrilled about the idea of me going out tonight with Natsume. Again.

"Sure will," Natsume replied.

Mom gave me wink, before she waved goodbye to us. This was the most embarrassing thing ever. I hoped Natsume didn't see that.

"You okay?" Natsume asked, when we were in his truck.

"Yeah. I'm not sick this time. I checked."

He chucked. "Okay, just making sure."

For the rest of the ride, we stayed silent. I didn't know why I was so nervous. I mean, it was just a stupid camping trip. I loved camping. With my brother, that is.

"So, I got a scholarship this year," Natsume said, when we were almost out of town.

"That's awesome," I said. "How come you only got it this year?"

"Last year, I didn't quite make the cut. But they finally offered me one this year."

I nodded. He was talking about the swimming scholarship he applied for when he went to college. I guess it was the reason why he never went far from here.

"So have you decided where you're going?" he said, as he pulled over at a stop light.

"Not yet." Now that was one thing I didn't want to think about this summer, and I knew my parents wanted to have that conversation with me already, but I just didn't know. I didn't know what I wanted. Once, I thought about swimming as my career path, since Tsubasa did too, but I guess that wasn't an option now, was it?

"Do you have any idea?"

"Nope," I replied, looking out the window. I didn't want to talk about this with him. But he still didn't get the hint.

"But you're starting college in less than two months."

"I am aware of that," I said. "But I just don't know yet, okay? I can have an undecided major when I enroll in a college."

Thank God he got it. "Alright. I won't talk about it."

We drove in silence once again, and this time it felt awkward. I can almost feel the weight of the words that he wanted to say. But just as we drove past the checkpoint of Malibu, the truck made a horrible noise, then came to a sudden stop. Then, the hood starting smoking.

"Oh my God," I said, as Natsume and I climbed out of the truck.

He opened the hood, and more smoke came out. Great. Just great. I thought this utterly cliche situation only happened in movies. Who would've thought, of all people, I would be stuck with Natsume in a predicament like this.

"Truck's broken," he announced after a while of tinkering with the hood.

"I can see that," I said. "Is it out of gas or something?"

"No, I filled it this morning. Seems like my dad forgot to take this to the shop again."

I took deep breaths. The last time I was stranded was when Tsubasa and I went sailing. I really didn't want to think about that.

"Hey, Mikan," Natsume said, his hands on my shoulders. "Everything's gonna be okay. I know there's a gas station somewhere around here. I'll go call a towing company, okay?"

I nodded, but my breathing was still ragged. But mostly from his touch. Damn it.

"How far is the campsite?" I asked, as Natsume looked for his phone in the truck.

"About an hour away. I think we might not be able to make it."

It was already seven p.m. and the sky was already getting dark, which just made this situation a hundred times worse. Wait, make that a thousand times worse, because I just heard thunder.

"Great," I muttered.

"I think we should look for somewhere to stay in for the night," he said, after hanging up. "The tow company said they couldn't get the truck until tomorrow morning."

I sighed. Can things actually get any worse?

Just then, I heard thunder once again, and felt something drip on my face, and then, it started pouring.

"Well, this is just awesome," I said.

"Come on, let's get our stuff," Natsume said running towards the truck, and I followed suit. We spotted a waiting shed nearby, and we ran towards it.

"Maybe we should take a bus," I said, when were in the safety in the shed.

He shook his head. "The bus isn't en route to the site."

"So where do we stay?"

"I know we passed by a motel somewhere..." He glanced around us, but the rain made it hard to see anything clearly.

Motel? Why did that word send a fleeting jolt in my veins? No way was I staying at some motel with Natsume. No freaking way.

"There it is," he said pointing to a building about a kilometer from here. I did see that a while ago. I guess at times like this, there wasn't any room to think. It was all instinct.

"Ready?" he asked.

"For wha—" Before I knew it, he grabbed a hold of my wrist, and we were running in the rain again.

When we got to the motel (which was tiny by the way, like the ones you see in movies all the time; I just hoped the rooms weren't disgusting, and had two beds), we were soaking wet, that the receptionist gave us the evil eye when we stepped in. Like it was our goddamn fault we got stranded and that it rained.

"Wait here," Natsume told me, as he walked over to the receptionist. She actually perked up when she saw him coming. I rolled my eyes.

I was freezing to death, that I my teeth were slightly chattering. I immediately looked for my phone. Thank God it was in my duffel bag. I called Hotaru first, and she answered after two rings.

"Hey, what's up?" she said. I could hear music in the background. "Where are you guys? It's like raining in here. Everybody's inside their tents waiting for the rain to stop, but God knows what some of them are doing. So, where are you?"

"There seems to be a little problem." I told her about the events from truck being broken until right this moment.

"Shit," she said. "That sucks. I'll go tell the others. Oh and Mikan?"

"What?"

"A motel with Natsume? I want you to tell me every single detail tomorrow."

Despite the cold, my cheeks suddenly warmed up. "It's not like that," I hissed. "Jesus, why does everything have to sound so sexual to—" I then saw Natsume walking towards me. "I gotta go. Call you later."

"I don't think so!" She let out a laugh, before I hung up. Geez, as if I wasn't already feeling flustered enough.

"Was that Hotaru?"

"Yep. She said it was raining on the camp site too. They're all waiting for it to die down. And that she'd tell the others why we can't make it."

He nodded, and cleared his throat. Uh-oh. Every time he did that, there was always bad news. "I got us a room. But, um, there's only one bed in it. It was the only room left available."

"Oh." As if my cheeks weren't warm enough a while ago, now I was burning up. I was sure Natsume could see how red my face was.

"It's cool, I'll sleep on the floor," he said.

"Are you sure?" Even though it would be better for both of us—for me, especially—if we didn't sleep on the same bed.

"Absolutely. I brought my sleeping bag." He held it up, and I realized I left mine in the truck. "But hey, you're freezing. Come on."

The room was (thank God) better than I expected. It was clean, neat and the bed was queen-sized, so two people could definitely sleep on it. Which made things more awkward.

"Do you mind if I take a shower first?" I asked.

"No problem."

"Thanks." I clutched my duffel bag tightly against my chest and practically ran to the bathroom. Thank God that was clean too. At least this night wasn't turning out to be a total disaster.

I checked my reflection in the mirror, and I realized I looked horrible. My mascara was all smeared and my was hair sticking to different parts of my face. I took deep breaths. I was already nervous enough about the stupid camping trip, and now I was stuck in a motel room with Natsume? I tried to put my shit together and got in the shower. Thankfully, it was warm. But not enough to calm my nerves.

When I was about to change, I was mortified to find my Hello Kitty pajamas in my bag. I must have accidentally put it in while I was arguing with Sumire. I realized I had two options: it was either I wear the ridiculous pajamas or sleep naked under the blankets. I'm sure you could guess which one I picked.

Just as I expected, Natsume laughed when he saw me. I didn't blame him, I would've laughed at myself despite the situation.

"It's not funny," I said, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry," he said, in between laughs. "I can't take you seriously with you wearing that."

I sighed. "I grabbed it by accident."

"Man, it still fits you? The last time I saw you wearing that was, what, three years ago?"

I suddenly recalled that night when I slept over at his house. He didn't comment on my pajamas, but I remembered him commenting on something about me being on my period...

"Apparently it still does," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He was seated on the other side.

"My turn." He stood up and went to the bathroom.

I immediately looked for my phone and thought about texting my mom. But then, I thought maybe she'd freak if she found out I was staying in a motel with Natsume for the night. I texted Hotaru instead.

Me: Can u believe my luck? I accidentally packed my Hello Kitty pajamas. Natsume laughed in my face. Hey, can u cover for me? When my mom calls or sumthing? I don't think she'd be thrilled with the idea of me being here.

Hotaru: Those ridiculous ones you wore at sleepovers? Wow, I guess that turned him off. Or the other way around... Yep no prob. It stopped raining by the way, and there's this party right now. I know right, what happened to sitting around a campfire, eating smores and telling ghost stories. But I guess we'd get to that later. Have fun xx

Me: Like I wasn't able 2 finish saying a while ago, why does everything have 2 sound so sexual to u? Jesus. A party? Sounds exciting. No sarcasm intended. And Christ, do you know that there's only 1 frickin' bed here? I'm freaking out.

Hotaru: Not everything sounds sexual 2 me. I'm just not an idiot. I know these things. Well there you go. One bed. I repeat, HAVE. FUN. (Yes, this is a threat).

Me: I am so going to get u for this.

Hotaru: Yeah, yeah. See u tom. I want every detail.

I sighed, as I placed my phone on the dresser beside the bed. So far, I was not enjoying this night. Just then, Natsume came out of the bathroom. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and shorts. And his hair was damp, which made him a thousand times more attractive. Goddamnit. Stupid hormones.

He held up something white in his hands, and it took me three seconds to realize what it was.

"I found this on the toiled bowl?" he said, trying not to laugh.

I wanted to die right there. That was my underwear he was holding. The one with the polka-dots. I immediately sprang up from the bed, and took it from his hand. Great. Everything is so perfect that I can die now.

"Sorry, that's mine," I said, quickly. My face was heating up once again.

He snickered. "Obviously."

I wanted to kick myself. Why am I such an idiot? "Ha-ha very funny," I muttered. But my tone was more of embarrassed than witty.

"Hmm, polka-dots. Just like when we were kids. Some things never change.

I smacked him on the shoulder, but I was still blushing profusely.

"Ow!" He rubbed his shoulder. "That actually hurt."

"Good," I said, as I hid my underwear in my duffel bag. It was like the tampon scenario all over again.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I'm not the one leaving my panties on toilet bowls.

I shot him a death glare. It was nothing like Hotaru's, but I hoped it worked.

Thankfully, it did. Natsume raised his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. I'll stop."

"Fine. I'm going to bed." I went over to the bed and buried myself under the comforter. Mostly it was to hide my blushing face from Natsume.

"But it's still early." I felt his weight when he sat on the bed, opposite me. "Let's watch a movie or something."

To be honest, I wasn't that exhausted yet. I just wanted this night to end already. "Fine," I said, sitting up. "But I will go right to sleep if you make fun of my articles of clothing."

I saw him bite his lower lip, trying to stifle a laugh. "Okay. I won't make fun of your clothing."

We ended up watching The Breakfast Club, since it was the only good movie available in the room. By the time it was finished, I was really tired.

"Right," Natsume said, getting out of the bed. "I guess I'll sleep now."

"Where are you going?"

"On the floor. Where I said I'll sleep, remember?"

I examined the carpeted floor, which didn't look so bad, except I suddenly realized I didn't want him sleeping there. Before, I might have thought it was great idea, but now it wasn't so much. I didn't know why, but I was too tired to comprehend.

"I think you should sleep on the bed," I told him. "There's enough space for the both of us."

His eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure? Because I—"

"Yes, I'm sure." I scooted over to make room for him. It was weird, it felt like it wasn't me talking. Or maybe it was because I was so exhausted already.

Natsume examined me more closely before climbing in. We were only a few inches from each other, and I practically felt the heat radiating from his body. We were both facing the ceiling, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

"Mikan?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?" I mumbled, my eyes already closed.

"For just being with me tonight. Even if it was a total bust."

I shook my head against my pillow. "Not a total bust. The movie was good."

He chuckled softly. "Yeah but we've watched that like a billion times already."

"Mmm. I guess."

I thought I heard him say something else, but I wasn't able to catch what it was. I was already falling asleep.

I am so sorry for the slight cliff-hanger. Hehe. Next update shall be next week! Hope you guys can wait by then. Ciao!~ xx