Chapter 5

I started to wake up at some point in the night, when I heard the sound of a door. Soft steps echoed in the room, followed by the creak of my bed springs. I felt something warm cover me, settling down like a blanket on my hips.

The weight made me snap to. Sitting up, I nearly slammed my head into Jade, finding her straddling me. She had her hands primed, like she was on the verge of trying to wake me. I stared at her in shock.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, looking down at her somewhat revealing night clothes. "No."

"Is there a fire?" The shock gave way to irritation.

"No." Her voice dropped to a mumble.

Anger finally settled in. Not the anger I've felt before. The anger Petra wondered at the lack of. I yelled at Jade. "Then why the hell are you in my room?"

She scrambled off me, sitting at the far edge of the bed. "I just—."

"You thought you'd—what—come in and see how I felt about you at three in the morning?"

I glanced at my alarm clock. Jade tried a careful smile. In her eyes, I could tell she knew she fucked up. "I wanted to cheer you up...since you're dealing with a breakup."

"Petra and I didn't break up! We had an argument!"

"I'm sorry..."

I stood up, prompting Jade to do the same. The yelling caused Andre to run into the room with one of the cabin's decorative candlesticks, primed like a bat, Tori on his trail. He dropped it when he realized what he walked in to. I ignored him.

"You're not sorry, Jade! You have never been sorry enough for it to matter! I thought I was harsh to not want you around me! That, if our friends intend to spend more time together, I can put up with you for them, at least! I was wrong! I should have left the moment you came on to me the first time! Petra was right! I should be very angry with you! I should have been truly angry five years ago!"

Jade covered herself with the robe she discarded on the floor, tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. Continuing my tirade. This time, in a softer tone.

"You need to step back and take a good look at yourself. You are scaring off anyone who is willing to tolerate you. With threats, with attitude, with stunts like this. I am sorry, Jade...for everything I did to hurt you in the past. I've said it before and I'll say it, now. I...am...sorry. I want to be a better person. To not be the worst version of myself, like I was in school. If any part of you wants the same for yourself...you'll never do something like this again."

I threw on my shoes and put a jacket over my sweats and t-shirt.

"Where you going?" Andre tried to stop me as I swung around him.

"Petra's." I got around him and ran downstairs, out the house. I headed straight for the other cabin. I found the note and flowers I left gone, the rock on the side of the porch. It gave me hope she might answer.

I called her from the porch.

"Hello?" She sounded tired, but not the kind of groggy that would suggest she had been asleep.

"I know you probably don't want to hear from me...but, something happened. May I come in?"

She was silent for a long moment before hanging up. The front door unlocked. She covered her arms as she opened the screen, letting me inside. She looked me over as she shut and locked the door.

"What happened?"

"Jade happened." I looked down at her, overwhelmed to see her after our fight. I immediately went into an apology. "I am so sorry—."

She held up a hand, stopping me. "You look really worked up. Let me set the couch up for you. You and I both need sleep. We'll talk after that."

I smiled gratefully, hopeful by her agreement to let me stay, worried by her decision to put me on the couch. She left the room and returned with a pillow and a blanket. I took her hand before she could leave. "Thank you."

Her answering smile, while sad, seemed to hold the warmth I've been privilege to the last few days. "Sleep."

She pulled her hand away and shut herself in her room, leaving me to situate myself. I laid down. It took a while knowing she's so close. At shortly after four, I finally managed to pass out.

I woke in the early morning hours, as the sun began to rise. I found Petra curled on on the couch, inches from me, sleeping peacefully. Relieved, I pulled her in, wrapping my arms around her. She opened her eyes a little.

"I'm sorry." She rubbed her eyes. "For not talking things out with you earlier. After I had some time to think, I came to terms with how you might say what you did not knowing the truth."

"As soon as I said it, I regretted it. Even if you haven't told me everything about your ex, I know he wasn't good to you...probably in a different way than my ex wasn't to me."

She looked into my eyes for a while before dropping her gaze. "Jason hurt me...during those arguments. He didn't just want to take the relationship at his pace, he demanded it. The night I gave the ring back, he did this."

She pulled her hair back, up the hairline. I could see some kind of cut. I reached above me to turn on the lamp, to get a better look. "Oh my god..."

"With my own laptop." She smiled, but there was no humor. "I got him to agree to let me think it over, after the usual breakup didn't work to scare me. He told me to stay here, since it was already booked and paid for. I got Greta to help me convince him I went somewhere else. He came by here during the first month. I hid until he left. He still doesn't realize I'm where he left me."

Her brave face gave way to silent tears. She buried her face in my chest while I held her. I couldn't think of anything to say at first, immediately out of my depth. But, seeing her this vulnerable... "I trust your abilities, Petra. When you say you can handle things yourself, I know you can. This isn't coming from some part of me that wants to play the hero...You don't even have to ask for it. I'm here. I will stand between you and him."

I could see her staring blankly at my chest. I worried I'd already upset her, again. Blinking away fresh tears, she nodded. "Okay..."

I lifted her chin, to get a better look at her. She leaned in and kissed me. We stayed that way a while, just being with each other. No words. At some point, both of us fell back asleep.

I returned to the big cabin later that afternoon. I stepped in quietly, not wanting to alert anyone. I found Tori still at the cabin. She was cleaning up the kitchen. She looked back at me. "Just getting the place ready. We've got one more day and I figure we'll be eating at the bonfire for the rest of the trip."

"Is Jade around?" I grimaced, worried even mentioning her name would summon her.

Tori smiled sadly. "She left. Back to L.A."

"Really?" I relaxed.

"What you said seemed to strike a cord with her. She apologized for waking everyone, went back to her room and, by noon, left for the city."

"I didn't want to hurt her...But, I meant it."

"I know you're right." Tori sat at the kitchen table. "I do. I'm just trying to deal with how much of a mess this trip was. Would any of this have happened if we hadn't met up?"

"Cat probably would have still broken things off with Robbie. As far as me and Jade...I wouldn't have talked to her. Even if she had called me, I wouldn't. I hope it's not selfish...I'm glad this trip happened. Nothing can be what it was...because we're not who we were before. At least some good came from this trip...I'm with Petra. And you seem to feel something for Andre."

Tori cracked a smile. "I do. I didn't expect him to like me back, but I do really like him...And I'm glad you and Petra made up."

"I'll be staying with her for the rest of the trip. I hope you don't mind."

"I get it." Tori stood up and hugged me. "Go ahead."

I hugged her back tightly. Heading upstairs, I packed my things and changed into fresh clothes. I took the time to clean the bathroom, taking that off Tori's chore list.

Back at Petra's, I found her curled up with a book. She shut it when I walked in. "How'd it go?"

"Fine. Jade left. She went back to L.A."

"Really?"

"At some point while I was gone, yeah. No note this time."

Petra took my hands and brought me down on the couch, to sit beside her. "You still want to stay with me, then?"

"If you'll have me." I grinned.

She ran her fingers through my hair, fluffing it out. "I can be persuaded."

The sound of loud music starting up in the distance distracted us. "They must be starting the live music. They'll probably do the fireworks within the next couple hours."

"It's the big event everyone came for. We better go to it." She kissed me before hopping up. She shut herself in the bedroom for a couple minutes. She stepped out in dark a blue sweater, skinny jeans and black boots.

I looked her over. "Wow..."

"You say that no matter what I wear." She smirked.

"I mean it no matter what you wear." I pulled her back on the couch as soon as she was in reach. She happily made out with me for a while. When singing started at the campgrounds, we reluctantly broke apart. "Ready?"

She sighed. "Yeah...Let's go."

We left the cabin, enjoying a proper sunny day. At the campgrounds, we found Tori, Andre and Cat on a big picnic blanket in front of the stage that had been under construction all week. The band, Live Inaction, blasted out their signature song from the speakers. We went to sit with them.

"You made it!" Tori hugged Petra.

"I love this band!" Petra yelled over the music.

"Me too!"

Andre and Tori got up, taking everyone's preferred food orders. They came back with two trays loaded down with hot dogs, burgers, soda cans and slices of chocolate cake. Cat happily took some cake and ate it while chatting Petra's ear off about every little thing under the sun. Petra looked over at me throughout the meal, offering a smile or some look to let me know she's amused.

Shortly after dark, Tori stood up. "I need to grab a thicker jacket."

"I'll go with you." Petra volunteered. "I need some pain pills. We're a little close to the speakers."

"We'll move the blanket further back while you're gone." Andre offered. I got up when he did and slid the blanket back, Cat still on it. She squealed and fell over, laughing.

I waited a while. Eventually, Tori returned, looking perturbed by something. She sat down by Andre. "So, someone showed up for Petra. I pointed them her way."

"Greta?" I asked. "Long blonde hair. She's her best friend. She might've come back for the concert."

"No, a guy. Short brown hair, medium build, about your height. He said he's Petra's brother."

A cold chill shot down my spine. I stood up and booked it for the cabins, ignoring my friends as they called after me, demanding to know what's wrong.

Rounding the tree line, I ran up the porch steps and threw open the door, finding the guy Tori described. He stood in the kitchen while Petra sat at the table, in the chair furthest from the door. She looked over at me, eyes wide with fear. The guy spun around, genuinely shocked to see me.

"Who the fuck's this?"

"Beck, this is Jason." Petra's tone was low, controlled. "Jason, this is Beck. We went to middle school together. He's here with his friends."

Jason sized me up, looking a little more guarded. "Hey, man. Just here to see my fiance."

He grabbed Petra's hand and pulled her to his side, an arm locked around her hip. I tried to keep my expression neutral, not wanting to set him off. Inside, alarm bells were going off. I tried to keep my angry down at the sight of him manhandling her like that.

Petra cringed. "We broke up...remember?"

He visibly tightened his grip on her, to the point she winced. "Babe, don't be stupid."

I circled around them, keeping as much of a distance as the kitchen would allow. Jason turned with me, not letting go of Petra. By the sink, I spotted a silver serving tray out of the corner of my eye, mixed in with some other dishes. I stopped just shy of it, when Jason's expression started to change.

"She didn't mention you." I smirked. I tried goading him a little, hoping he'd come for me if I said the right thing to push his buttons. "Like, at all..."

He didn't let go of him, but his grip loosened. "Why would she? You're just some punk she went to school with...Unless you're trying to say something."

"She had every opportunity to mention you." I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "She just didn't."

Like I hoped, he loosened his grip enough that Petra was able to slip out of it. Realizing my game, he grabbed her and dragged her back to him. "We're going."

He backed up, towards the door. I reached into the sink and grabbed the tray. Scrambling for his back pocket, Jason pulled out a pocket knife and brandished it at me. His hand shook, clearly not expecting to have to use it.

"Let her go." I held out the hand not holding the knife.

"Like hell." Jason locked am arm around Petra's neck and dragged her backwards. He kicked the screen door open with his foot. "I said we're going, Petra. Call him off before I hurt him."

I took several steps forward, only for Petra to hold out a hand. "Stop...Beck. Just step back. I don't want you in the middle of this. He's serious. He will hurt you."

It was Jason's turn to smirk. "See? She wants to go with me."

Petra took several audible breaths, clearly trying not to panic. Jason dragged her down the stairs, her legs struggling to stay under her, I followed at a distance. Fireworks shot into the sky over the campgrounds, drowning out the sound of Petra's panicked noises.

Reaching the car, Jason struggled to open the door. Giving up, he let go of Petra by all but her arm and turned his head. Swinging the tray back, I struck him hard on the head. He dropped like a weight, his knife on the ground beside him. I kicked it across the yard.

Petra stood there, in shock. I carefully approached her, arms extended. "Hey, I'm here. I'm right here."

Tears filled her eyes as she turned to stare down at Jason, thoroughly knocked out. Looking back up at me, she ran into my arms, latching on like her life depended on it. I picked her up, hooking an arm under her knees and the other around her back. Rocking her a little, I tensed as something moved along the edge of the yard.

Tori and Andre came into view.

"What the hell happened?" Tori rushed to Jason. "Is he okay?"

"Somebody call the cops." I kept a hold of Petra, letting her cry in my arms while Andre pulled out his phone to call the police.

"What do I tell them?"

"That a dangerous man tried to kidnap a camper."

Tori gasped. "I thought he was her brother."

Petra pulled her head out of my neck. "My brother died ten years ago. This is my ex."

Tori sat on the porch, face pale. "I...I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

Hanging up the phone, Andre dialed the park ranger's station and let them know what happened. Within five minutes, we had about half a dozen rangers with us, all of them armed. Two stood over Jason's unconscious body. I sat on the porch beside Tori, Petra in my lap. Andre went to find Cat.

Thirty minutes after the initial call, the cops finally showed up. They took statements from each of us, checked the camera pointed at the path by Petra's cabin and determined Jason did warrant an arrest. I could see the clear relief in Petra's eyes as he was woken up and loaded into the back of a cruiser. He shouted obscenities at both Petra and myself the whole time. It took the cops leaving before we could no longer hear his tirade.

Petra finally crawled out of my lap and stood up. She had a far away look in her eyes. "That really happened..."

I stood up, pulled her into a hug. "It did. If you press charges, he'll stay behind bars for a while."

She looked up at me, shocked. "I...can do that, can't I?"

"You can." I kissed her. "If you want to. It's your choice."

Her face scrunched up, like she might cry again. In the end, she smiled. "My choice."

Tori ran to hug Petra. "I am so sorry!"

"It's okay." Petra rubbed her back reassuringly. "You didn't know."

Andre shook his head. "This has got to be the weirdest vacation to date. And I'm counting that trip to Yerba, when we go locked up in a Yerbanian prison."

Petra raised a brow. "You? In prison?"

"Yeah...Our friend Robbie killed a dictator's pet octopus."

Petra held back laughter. "You've got to tell me more stories like that."

She stood on her toes and kissed me. Nearby, Tori and Andre held onto each other. Cat got on the phone and called Jade, prompting her to make the drive back. Even Robbie returned for moral support. We all migrated to the big cabin to wait out the night, none of us in a partying mood.

As the sun rose, we all found some place to nap. I retired up to my room with Petra. Later that afternoon, as checkout time came, we vacated the cabin and headed for our cars. I made plans to meet back up with Andre, Tori and Cat the very next weekend, for dinner. I'd like it to not be five years until I see them again.

Petra grinned sheepishly, suitcase in hand. "I drove here with Greta, so I'm kind of stranded. Mind giving me a ride?"

"Sure." I helped her load her luggage in the trunk and situated her in my passenger seat. As I walked around the car, I saw Jade staring at me. She looked truly guilty as she waved goodbye. I waved back, determined to never speak to Jade again. Still...I don't have ill will towards her. Maybe, that's a sign I've grown. Maybe, like Petra thinks, it's a sign I still need to process the past.

Getting in the driver's seat, I started the engine and turned on the heat. Petra took my hand. "When we're back in the city, I want to do something."

"What's that?" I asked her as I backed out of the drive and turned towards the road.

"I want to properly press charges on Jason. I have some evidence of...other incidents. If they're going to actually put him through a trial for what he did, I want them to throw the book at him."

"You sure?" I squeezed her hand. "I can guess how draining that could be for you."

"Yeah." She smiled at me before looking out the window. "I really want to."

"Whatever you need of me, just ask."

"I will." The hesitation when I've offered in the past was gone. Still...something remained behind her green eyes. Whatever it is, I want the time to figure it out. From the looks of it, I think I'll have the chance.

The End. Please review and tell me what you think. Want a sequel?