CHAPTER 3:

"Surprised to see you here," Leah said.

"I can say the same for you," Valerie agreed.

"I haven't seen you since the night you broke up with me and ditched me," Leah recalled, frowning.

"What was I supposed to do, Leah? We had a fight and it could've escalated during the car ride home," Valerie explained.

"Well, that still would have been better than leaving me in an alleyway crying. If it wasn't for Tori, I would've had to walk 14 miles in the pouring rain," Leah argued.

"It's not like you were that far away from home," Valerie said, flippantly.

"My phone was down to 4%," Leah argued.

"Well, there's no way I could have known that. What do you want me to tell you?" Valerie fired back.

"Well, if I knew I had such a low battery, I would've brought a charger. I didn't think I needed one," Leah said, trying to defend herself.

While the two exes continued to argue, voices raised, Tori and Jade overheard from the kitchen. Tori poked her head back into the living room, wondering what was going on. "What's going on? she asked, curiously. "I'm not trying to be nosy, but I couldn't help overhearing."

Leah paused and sighed. "Okay, Tori," she began. "Valerie is my ex-girlfriend. She's the one that broke up with me and ditched me that rainy night when you found me."

"Wait, you mean to tell me you're...Batting for the other team?" Jade asked Valerie, eyebrows raised.

"If you put it like that, then yep," Valerie admitted.

"That's not what I'm concerned about at the moment," Tori interrupted. "The thing is, this is your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah, shocking right?" Leah asked them both.

"It's a small world, I guess," Valerie said with an awkward shrug. "But c'mon – let's put that in the past now, like sensible adults. I know what I did was wrong and I'm owning up to that."

"That's big of you," Leah added sarcastically.

"I can tell you're being sarcastic. But listen, seriously, I'm really sorry for what I did to you," Valerie said.

"I don't know, Val," Leah replied, unhappy. "Sorry, it just doesn't cut it."

"I understand it'll take a lot to win your trust again," Valerie said, resigned.

"It's not just that, Val. I've been through a lot of trauma since the breakup," Leah explained.

"Wait – what else happened? Was the trauma my fault?" Valerie asked, shocked.

"No! It was my parents," Leah explained. "They wouldn't accept me being gay and now they're in jail for kicking me out of the house."

"OMG. I'm really sorry that you had to go through all of that," Valerie said. "So where are you staying now?"

"Here," Leah answered. "With Tori and Trina. With my parents in jail, the Vegas are my new guardians. And unlike my parents, they accept who I am. Which just goes to show that love triumphs over blood."

"Yeah, it does. And I appreciate the Vegas for taking you in," Valerie said gently, chastened. She looked at Tori. "Thank you for finding Leah and helping her out when you did."

"That's alright. I would have done that for anyone, if I had found them like that," Tori explained.

"Well – you guys alright now, or what?" Jade asked. "Maybe we could watch that movie like we planned?"

"Yeah, I guess we'll be alright for now," Leah shrugged.

"Mhm, let's pick that movie," Valerie said slowly.

Jade updated her status on TheSlap which read: "Never realized how complex family could be - MOOD = Neutral".

The next day, the gang arrived at Govern's Creek in the afternoon, in Beck's RV as they had all planned.

They had decided to split the gang in two, with each group camping in its own separate area. Jade, Beck, Andre, Grandma Harris, Robbie & Cat camped in one section. Tori, Trina, Leah & Valerie camped in another spot, close by.

"Are you sure we couldn't have left your grandma back at home?" Jade asked in a whisper, as they set up camps on a clear patch of land.

"Nope, I tried," Andre whispered back with a shrug. He snuck a look at his grandmother, whose eyes were darting around at everything. "Believe me, the neighbors won't even take her."

"Andre, the toilet's backed up again!" Grandma Harris yelled from the door of the RV.

"Grandma, if you need to go, there's a porta-potty somewhere," Andre called back.

"Okay, Andre!" Grandma Harris responded.

"I can't believe you actually still live with her," Jade told him.

"I thought it would be cool at first. And it was, until she lost her mind," Andre recalled.

"Hey, so we've got our tents set," Tori said as she and Leah came over.

"Good for you," Jade added sarcastically.

"Where's Beck and Robbie?" Tori asked, curious.

"They went back to the RV to gather a few things," Andre answered.

Tori nodded her head in understanding. "What about Cat, though?" she asked, looking around.

Jade paused in puzzlement. "I don't quite know. I think she's out there skipping stones or something."

"It's lovely out here," Leah remarked. "I love nature and outdoors."

"Well, it's still daylight," Jade started to tease. "When the shadows crawl, you might change your mind about that."

Tori placed an arm around Leah. "Don't listen to her," she said calmly. "She's just playing with you."

"Yeah, well, I'm not good in the dark," Leah frowned. "I'm not real good alone either."

"Leah, first of all you won't be in the dark," Tori said trying to comfort her. "There'll be campfires, lanterns, candles even. And second, you're not alone."

"Thanks, Tor, it means a lot," Leah said with a smile. "Now come on, we'd better get back before Trina knocks the tent over again."

Tori updated her status on TheSlap which read: "Finally camping! Love the fresh air :) - MOOD = Happy".