WARNING: This chapter contains major feels and it broke my heart so please be prepared to cry and simultaneously want to die from sadness.

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I woke up to the sound of water off in the distance, and when I fully came to, I smelt the sweet vanilla scent that I had grown to love. A sleepy smile fell upon my lips as my eyes slowly opened, and I looked down to see Amelia lying asleep in my arms. For a moment, I just stared at her sleeping face, her long eyelashes just grazing the top of her cheekbones, her plump pink lips parted, and her hair splayed on the pillow.

Her front half was lying on top of me, with her bare breasts pressed against my chest. I felt "little Carter" stir when I realized that we were both still naked, but can you blame me? I'm a guy, and it's morning, and I have a gorgeous girl lying beside me in my bed. A girl, for that matter, that made me rethink everything I've ever said about detesting relationships and not believing in love.

My fingers play with the ends of her hair as I lay contentedly in bed, thinking about last night. It had been incredible, but it wasn't just the sex. Don't get me wrong, the sex was amazing, but there was something about the way I feel about Amelia that made the entire thing so great. I'm used to fucking random girls then moving onto the next one, but things were different with her.

I was in love with her, that much I was certain. I didn't think I was capable of loving anyone, let alone some girl I met at a camp I was forced to go to, but it happened. I shake my head, just thinking about how fucking sappy I sounded. But, when I glance down at the sleeping beauty in my arms, I don't care about how much I've changed, because I know it's worth it if it means she's mine.

"Carter," Amelia moans in her cute sleepy voice, her hand sliding across my chest. "Why is your heart beating so fast?"

I hadn't even realized that it was, but when her voice lulled me out of my thoughts, I realized she was right. But instead of answering, of telling her because I'm thinking about you, I murmur, "When did you wake up?"

She sighs, lifting her head off my chest to look at me, and her eyes crinkle when she gives me a smile. "Just now. How about you?"

I can't help but smile back at her, and hope that my expression doesn't give away what I was just thinking about. "A few minutes ago."

Suddenly, her smile drops from her face, and she sits up. It takes a lot of willpower for my eyes to not wander down south, where her perky bare breasts were on full display, but I try my hardest not to, because she looks concerned. "What time is it?"

Her voice was fully alert and awake now, and when she asked the question, I realize why. Her mother was coming today, and that was reason enough for a happy moment to be ruined. I reach over for my phone on the bedside table and check the clock. It was almost noon. She must've glanced at the time over my shoulder, because a second later she jumped out of bed.

"Shit, shit, shit," She curses as she runs around the room collecting her clothing.

I sit up too, and reach down to tug my boxers on. "What time is she coming?"

Amelia throws her sweater over her head, not even bothering to put on her bra, and gives me the answer I was hoping she wouldn't. "Noon."

"Shit," I repeat her own words.

Quickly, she steps into her underwear and then her shorts while I tug my tee shirt over my head and pull my pants on. Our little bubble had been popped just like that, and I couldn't help but feel selfishly disappointed. After all, who would want to leave when you're lying in bed with the girl you love?

When we were both dressed, we left the cabins, walking toward the campgrounds, careful that nobody saw us emerge from the back cabins. Luckily, nobody did, and we made it to the center of the campgrounds safely. I glanced down at Amelia and noticed her nervously biting her bottom lip, and reached down to grab her hand in mine as a gesture of reassurance.

She looked up at me and smiled, her eyes full of gratefulness. Nothing needed to be said, because we both understood each other without words. I squeezed her hand and returned her smile, and she got on her tip toes to press her lips against mine. Not expecting it, I stand still for a split second, but smile widely against her lips as I kiss her back.

"Amelia?"

A breeze hits my lips, which were just warm with the feeling of hers, and I frown at the absence of her hand in mine. I look to my side to see Amelia staring wide eyed in front of her, and the slight fear in her eyes was unmistakeable, let alone hard to miss. I follow her gaze and see just exactly who has been making her miserable for the past eighteen years.

A woman with dark brown hair and Amelia's eyes stood before us with a look of disgust plain on her features. She held her chin higher than I, looking down on the both of us. Her clothes were clearly pressed with not a wrinkle to be found, but she still smoothed out her blouse after regaining her composure from seeing us. Simply put, she looked like a tight ass.

Exactly the type of person I don't get along with.

"Mother," Amelia greeted, and then took a few steps closer to her. "I see you've made it back here."

"Amelia Kate," Her mother says lowly, her gaze flickering to me before looking back at her daughter. "Just what do you think you were doing? Kissing some random boy in public? Have you lost your mind?"

"We need to talk, mother," Amelia smoothly ignores her question.

Her mother shot me a dirty look before spitting, "We can talk in the car, away from people like him," Then she looked back at Amelia and raised her eyebrows. "Gather your things and lets get out of here immediately."

I hold back a rude remark and instead look at Amelia to see how she's holding up, but she seems to be doing well. She raises her head higher and says simply, "I'm not going."

The look of shock and disdain that passes across her mothers face was almost comical. "That's not funny, Amelia. If I were you, I'd stop pushing your luck, because my temper is about to run out."

"I'm not joking," She says, and turns back to me, then grabs my hand and pulls me next to her before looking back at her mother evenly. "I don't want to audition at Juilliard, mother, and I never have. I'm not going with you. I'm staying here instead."

Her mother's face was red in anger at this point, and she hisses, "Like hell I'm going to let you stay at this low class summer camp for another minute! You are coming with me, Amelia Kate, and you are auditioning at Juilliard. I didn't let you waste another summer at this stupid camp for nothing."

Her composure was long since gone, but Amelia was eerily calm beside me. I squeezed her hand again, and she squeezed back, her gaze steadily on her mom. "You can't control me anymore, mother. I'm eighteen years old and I can make decisions for myself. And I decide to stay here." With that, she turns to me and gives me an uneven smile, her nerves showing in her eyes. "Let's go."

I smirk a little at her sudden confidence, and follow her back to her cabin as she leaves her mother with her jaw dropped in front of the Recreation Center. The second she got into her cabin, she let out a long breath that I didn't realize she was holding, and turned to me with a triumphant grin.

"Did you see her face?" She asks excitedly. "God, I feel so alive right now! I've never stood up to her before! It feels so good!"

I grin widely at her. "I don't think anyone has ever stood up to her before. She looked appalled."

"You did it?" Poppy questions, and I glance up to see her sitting on her bunk bed with a wide eyed expression. "You just told your mom off?"

"It was pretty incredible," I pipe up with a small smirk.

Amelia turns to Poppy and squeals, "Oh my God Pops, you should've seen her face! I've never ever spoken to her like that."

As she's explaining to Poppy what happened, I suddenly realize I never grabbed my phone off the bedside table in Cabin 20, and pat my pockets to find that they are, indeed, empty. I look at the both of them and smile when I see a fierce confidence light up in Amelia's eyes, thanks to what she just had done.

"Hey," I say lightly, squeezing her hand. "I left my phone in the cabin. I'll be right back."

She nods, and then continues talking to Poppy, giving her the play by play of the past few minutes. I leave the cabin and start retracing my steps back to Cabin 20, but I stop short when I see Amelia's mother still standing in the middle of the campgrounds, looking furious and lost at the same time.

She catches sight of me and her eyes narrow, but before I can turn the other way, she walks up to me and points her finger at my chest. "You. You did this."

I roll my eyes at the woman. "No, Amelia is capable of making decisions on her own."

"No she isn't, or else she never would reject a chance at going to the most prestigious academy for the fine arts in the country," Her mother snaps.

"Well, she just did," I say casually, but weirdly enough, her words hit a chord with me.

I start to walk away, but her voice stops me. "Have you heard her play?"

I stop in my tracks and turn around to raise my eyebrows at the woman. "Play piano?" When she nods, I confirm slowly, "Yes."

"Then you know how incredible she is at it," Her mother presses, and then takes a step closer to me. "You know how much talent she has. When she was seven, she taught herself how to play five different Christmas songs. Do you know how rare that is? For a person to have such a natural gift at something?"

Again, her words hit me in a way that I didn't like, because I agreed with her. Amelia was outrageously incredible at the instrument.

"She is amazing," I say noncommittally, not wanting her to know that I agreed.

Her mother nodded. "You know that kind of talent only comes once in a lifetime. Amelia's whole life is piano, and I know she loves it, despite what she says. You can see it on her face when she's playing."

A memory of watching her play yesterday struck me, and I remembered the way she looked so calm, so at peace, while she was playing.

"I just don't want to see her give up her talent because of some boy," Her mother says softly, almost sounding genuine. "I know she'll regret it in the future that she passed up on an opportunity of a lifetime because she was young and naive."

Did I really want to be the reason why Amelia kept herself from playing piano, from doing something she loved? I was almost out of options in life: with a track record as long as mine for street fighting, stealing, breaking and entering, and the list goes on, I already fucked up my chances at a bright future. But when I look at Mina, I see her pure self.

Granted she was a pranking fiend and could beat me in a prank war any day- not like I'd admit that to her, though- but she was pure. She was smart, determined, and talented. My chest constricted when I realized that I didn't want to drag her down the bad path beside me, that I knew what needed to be done. I had to let her go so she could see for herself if piano is what she really wanted to pursue.

"You're right," I struggle saying, because I know the woman standing before me was an absolute bitch to Amelia. "But her mind is made up. I don't know what to tell her to get her to go to her audition."

Her mother says immediately, "Break up with her."

I froze when the words tumbled out of her mouth, half because I had been expecting them and half because even though I was prepared for her to say it, the prospect still killed me. The girl that I had come to love, the only one that knew how to calm me down after my nightmares, the only one who I played guitar to, the only one I opened up to, was mine, and I had to give her up.

But that's what you do when you love somebody. You give them up for the greater good.

"Okay," I force myself to say. "But only on one condition."

The woman before me lifts an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Stop being such a bitch to Amelia," I say, and ignore her scowl. "You are too demanding of her. She is eighteen years old and can make decisions by herself, whether you like it or not. She's incredible, whether you see it or not, and she deserves to be treated better."

I see guilt flood into her mother's features for a second before she nods hesitantly, smoothing out her pristine shirt once more. "Okay, I'll make an effort."

I nod once, and then look back at the cabin she was in with Poppy, feeling a wave of sadness rush through me all at once. I gulped before walking toward the cabin, walking as slowly as I could to procrastinate the inevitable. When I finally reached the cabin, my hand hovered over the door knob, and I let out a long sigh, ridding any traces of stress and sadness from my features.

"...tell him yet?" I catch Poppy asking as I open the door.

Both girls snap their gazes to me, and I immediately see Amelia's flushed face, her eyes searching mine nervously to see if I had heard her conversation. I keep my expression neutral and hold her eye contact, saying calmly, "Amelia, can we talk?"

She glances at Poppy nervously before nodding, and we walk silently outside, rounding the back of the cabin to walk toward the fire pit. She sat down on the log, and I carefully sat across from her, trying not to breathe in her intoxicating scent. I felt my heart beating quicker than it had the night I kissed her for the first time, but this time, it wasn't a good feeling.

An uneasy feeling was in the pit of my stomach, and I just stared at her for a long moment, trying to memorize every detail of her face before I ruined things between us. Finally, I forced myself to speak the words that felt toxic on my tongue: "Listen, I think we should call a quits on our arrangement."

Her eyebrows knitted together and she tilted her head to the side a tiny bit as she echoed, "Arrangement?"

I force myself to keep my tone neutral as I continue, "You, me, friends with benefits. I'm just not feeling it anymore."

And then I saw her face fall, and I felt my heart shatter in two at the expression she wore. She stared at me like I was a stranger, someone who barged into her life and flipped it upside down, destroying everything in the process. It took all I had to not shout "Just kidding! I'm in love with you!", to not wrap her up in a hug and take it back.

"W-What?" Amelia stutters, her eyes welling with unshed tears, before she shakes her head. "What about last night? What you said to me?"

And now, the hardest lie of all. "I didn't mean any of it."

She looked like she had received a slap in the face. Finally, a single tear fell down her cheek, and my eyes zeroed in on it, my hands itching to rub it away. She wiped at it furiously, looking at me with disbelief evident on her features.

"I thought we were more than friends with benefits," She whispers quietly, almost desperately. "I-I stood up to my mom so we could stay together."

Her voice broke my heart, and I clenched my jaw to keep myself from saying anything I would regret. Instead, I had to keep going, no matter how much it killed me to see her like this.

"I told you in the beginning that I don't do relationships. It has always been a strictly friends with benefits thing, and since I got the benefits last night, I'm done." I lie through my teeth, my voice level and steady, almost pitying. "Thanks for all the entertainment, though. It sure did make this stupid camp a little more interesting."

That was the last straw for her. She stood up abruptly and walked away, toward her cabin, without another glance back. And, worst of all, I heard her sob halfway back, and I dropped my head in my hands, my fingers gripping at my hair. I stayed sat like that, breathing heavily, willing myself not to run after the only girl I've ever loved and tell her that I didn't mean any of it, and apologize until she forgave me.

And ten minutes later, I heard Poppy shout goodbye to Amelia, followed by the sound of a car door slamming shut, and then tires skidding on the dirt path that leads out of camp.