"arter! Thompson! Hills! Davis! Walker! Get up right now!" Coach Taylor's annoying voice shouts from outside the cabin.

"We'll be outside in a few!" Zach replies back groggily.

The two last beds are empty as usual. I don't know where the hell do these guys disappear to, but frankly nobody gives a shit.

Zach's face appears in my sight and he raises an eyebrow. "How much sleep did you get?"

"Three hours and a half," I sigh, rubbing the side of my face.

"Shit, man," he comments.

"You should consider taking sleeping pills, dude. You're really starting to look like crap," Alex tells me.

"No shit." I sit up and swing my legs off of the bed, standing up.

I grab some clothes and head straight for the bathroom. After I'm done with the usual morning routine, I walk outside and I find Sophie, Colette and Cherries sitting on my bed.

"How did you guys come here so fast?" I question, taking a seat on Alex's bed.

Cherries turns her head to me and smiles and I find myself smiling back at her. It's hard to see a smile like that and not smile back.

"We're early birds," she answers jokingly, the faint Australian accent audible in her voice.

"That's a lie," Sophie disagrees. "She was snoring her ass off until Coach Taylor came pounding on the door like the female ogre she is."

"Okay, that's true," Cherries admits, grinning and I chuckle at her.

"Luke, I truly thank you for blessing us with that view so early," Sophie says, nodding her head at my shirtless self. I look down at my bare chest, then I look back up and raise my eyebrow in question.

Colette sighs. "You have no filter."

"You have no filter," Sophie mocks her Scottish accent and Colette rolls her eyes at her.

I glance at Cherries for a moment and I see her lying down on her back on the bed with her head hanging off of the edge, her two braids dangling down while watching her two friends bicker. She notices me looking and grins. I raise an eyebrow and smile slightly. She holds one of her braids up and waves it in my direction. I laugh under my breath at her antics and she smiles.

God, she's so adorable.

"Anyways," Sophie's voice pops up. "We're going swimming!"

"Where exactly?" Alex asks.

"In the lake outside. The one with the waterfall," she replies, waving her hand. "They said it was fine."

"I'll get my flamingo floatie," Zach grins and I try my hardest to ignore his idiocy, but I just end up rolling my eyes at him.

Dumbass.

"You didn't get one," Alex frowns.

"He did. He has it in his suitcase deflated," I inform Alex. "Why the hell did you get a swimming float?"

"So I wouldn't drown, of course," Zach rolls his eyes at me as if I'm the stupid one here.

"You don't actually need it. The water is not that deep," Cherries laughs slightly.

"I'm still taking it with me," Zach shrugs and he walks over to his suitcase, opening it and getting out a few things before he walks inside the bathroom.

"We'll leave you guys to get ready." Cherries sits up and twists herself around, then she stands up.

"Or we could stay and-" Sophie starts, but Colette pulls her up.

"Come on, woman." Colette drags her out of the cabin.

Cherries walks around the bed and stands in front of me. "Don't be late." She narrows her eyes at me playfully and points at me.

"And what if I am?" I challenge her, smirking.

"Then I'll personally come, drag you outside and dunk you in the water," she replies, giving me an innocent look.

"That's called killing someone, Cherries," I respond, tilting my head a bit.

"You're dramatic," she comments.

"I'm dramatically sexy."

"Nope, you're just dramatic," she insists, shaking her head.

I love every small action that she does.

I let out a small chuckle. "I won't be late, Cherries."

Her eyes drop down for a second, then she smiles, a cute dimple imprinted in each cheek of hers. "Okay." I smile back at her in response.

"I won't be late too, Anna," Alex butts in. I turn my head to send him an empty look and he smirks at me.

"And of course, don't be late, Alex," she giggles. "Bye, guys." She shoots us one last smile before she walks out of the cabin, letting the door close behind her.

"You're an asshole," I tell him.

"And you're a dumbass," he shoots back.

"Asshole."

"Dumbass."

The bathroom door opens and Zach walks out with his swimming trunks on and the swimming float around his waist. "I'm ready!"

Alex looks at me and I grab my own swimming trunks and a shirt before rushing to the bathroom. "You deal with him."

"Dumbass!" Alex shouts.

"Asshole!" I yell back.

Fifteen minutes later, we're all done with changing and getting ready, then we walk outside. There are only a few people who are hanging by the waterfall. Jennie is standing with her friends and I spot Cherries sitting by the bank of the lake, her legs dangling in the water as she chats with Colette, while the rest of her friends are already in the water. A smile appears on her face and she laughs at something Colette said. With that small action she did, I feel myself smiling too.

Shit, not this again.

She has been on my mind, since God knows when. Everything about her is stuck in my mind and I hate it so damn much because I keep thinking back to Jennie and I start feeling like shit because I'm supposed to be helping her and me liking Anna can ruin everything.

That day when we were walking to the hill, my mind just wandered to her and I wasn't even thinking about something related to her. I was thinking about college and she popped up in my mind as if it was automatic. College, Cherries. College, Cherries.

It's annoying as hell.

"Hey, you," I hear Jennie's voice and I turn to her.

"Hey, Jen," I give her a tight-lipped smile.

"Why are you frozen like that?" She asks.

"What do you mean?" I question in confusion.

"There's something up with you," she eyes me suspiciously.

"Nothing's up. I'm just a bit tired," I lie.

"Okay," she drawls out. "Can we talk for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?"

She takes a deep breath. "Do you like Anna?"

"What?" I raise my eyebrows at her in shock.

"Do you like Anna?" She repeats. "It's fine if you do. Just tell me the truth."

"Jen-" I rub my face with my hand.

"Just tell me the truth."

Okay then.

"Kind of," I answer.

"Yes or no, Luke?"

"Fuck," I mumble. "Yes, I do."

"I knew it," she grins.

"And you're fine with it?" I question in surprise.

"Yeah," she nods. "I'm sorry if this is a bit late, but my mom left a few weeks ago actually and I guess she was convinced by how 'in love' we were that she finally left. I'm sorry again, I totally forgot to tell you."

"That's great, Jen," I smile, feeling as if a huge weight just got lifted off of my shoulders.

"You should tell Anna," she tells me.

"I can't just tell her. It's not that easy," I reply, rubbing my face tiredly.

"Yes, you can and you will. You need to tell her. I don't care if you do it today, do it tomorrow. You have to tell her."

"I'll tell her, just not now," I respond, running my hand through my hair.

"I'll take that." She nods her head. "We are still friends, right?"

"Yeah, of course," I answer.

"Great."

"Thanks, Jen." I give her a small smile.

"No, thank you," she smiles.

"Of course."

"I'll be in the water," she gestures to the lake and I nod at her.

If I had known I'd be involved in all of this shit, I would have stayed at home.

Jennie marches to the water and she greets Cherries, giving her a smile. Cherries smiles back at her and waves. Jennie tells her something and she nods at her in response.

Suddenly, a guy runs towards the lake and jumps in the water, then I realize that this guy is Zach because of the swimming float. A couple of girls scream at the sudden wave that Zach sent. I really wonder about his weird ass sometimes, but other times it's best not to question it; it simply doesn't have a proper answer.

Alex comes and stands beside me. "Don't question it?"

"Don't question it." I agree.

"Come on."

We stroll to the lake and Cherries notices me, then she gives me a cute smile. "You're not late."

"I told you I wouldn't be," I remind her, grinning and I reach for the back of my shirt, tug at its neck and take it off, then I throw it on the rock nearby.

Jennie sends me this weird grin and I look at her questioningly. She just shrugs in response. Alex jumps in the water and Zach swims by him, the swimming float around his waist as he paddles.

Don't question it, I remind myself before I take a large leap and jump in the water. I push through the surface of the water and shake the excess water off of my head.

"Anna, come on. Everyone's in the water except you," Sophie says.

"I'm going to get in, just after awhile," she replies hesitantly.

"There aren't any piranhas in the water," Abby states.

She thinks that there are piranhas in the water?

"How are you so sure?" Cherries crosses her arms stubbornly.

She actually does.

"We're in a freaking lake. There aren't even any fish for the piranhas to feed on," Sophie retorts.

"Maybe they will feed on you."

"Anna, don't you think if there were any piranhas, we would be digested by now?" Zoey says and Cherries just looks down with pursed lips and kicks the water repeatedly.

How can a person be so fucking adorable?

"Come on, Leni," Zach encourages her.

"Guys, don't pressure her. If she doesn't want to get in, let her be," I tell them and Alex nods, agreeing with me.

"I do want to get in. I'm just scared that my anxiety would kick in," she says in a low voice.

It's settled, anxiety is a bitch. It always was.

"Don't worry, Anna. You'll be okay. We're all here and if anything happens, we'll be there for you," Jennie assures her.

"Fine," she gives in and gets her legs out of the water, then she stands up and walks over to one of the huge-sized rocks by the bank.

She takes the fabric on her body off, revealing a white swimsuit. I take notice of the yellow butterfly tattoo on her leg on the side of her calf and I bite my lip at the sight of her. It's hard to see a sight like that and act like it's nothing. Her beauty is just...mesmerizing.

I find myself staring at her longer than I should be, until a splash of water hits my face and I turn around to find Zach smirking at me as he paddles in his swimming float. I roll my eyes at him and flip him off.

"Get your hair out of those braids!" Sophie yells at her.

Cherries rolls her eyes, then she tugs off both hair bands, puts them around her wrists and she unbraids her hair, making it fall down her shoulders in waves. She walks over to the lake, then she looks down at the water before she jumps in it and seconds later, her head pushes through the surface.

"Now that everyone's in the water, let's play a game!" Zach throws his arms in the air.

"No," I deadpan.

"Yes, we will and especially, you will."

"Lottie, aren't you gonna play with us?" Abby asks her.

"I would, if it wasn't a Red Sea leakage downtown," she responds.

"Oh."

"Yikes, too much info," Zach chuckles nervously and Colette shrugs.

They decide on some game where a person has to sit on the other's shoulders, preferably the lighter one on top and each pair have to try and make the other pairs fall and the pair that lasts 'till the end is the winning team or something like that.

"Okay, everyone choose a partner," Sophie instructs us.

"Zoey and I will be with each other," Abby announces.

"I'll be with Sophie," Alex adds.

"Guess I'm with Zach then," Cherries says.

"That's okay, I'll be with Zach and you be with Luke," Jennie says with a wide smile and I run my hand down my face, keeping it over my eyes for a bit. I'm not telling Jennie shit from now on.

"But I thought you would-"

"Nope, I'll be with Zach," she insists.

Cherries mutters something, but I don't catch it from the sound of the waterfall. Yeah, I'm never telling anyone anything from now on.

"Everyone, team up!"

| | | |

"I'm going to fall. I'm going to fall," Cherries chants, clutching on my shoulders.

"Calm down, you'll be fine," I assure her.

She starts to slip off of my shoulders and she calls my name repeatedly in a warning tone, but I grab her legs and pull her back up.

"Nope. Put me down! Put me down!" She tells me and I'm about to let her go, then she lets out a squeal and wraps her arms around my neck. "Never mind. Pick me up! Pick me up!"

"Lyn?"

"Yes, Luke?" She replies.

"Choose one, woman," I state.

"Well, I'm sorry for not wanting to drown," she scoffs.

And she calls me the dramatic one.

"You'll be fine. I'm holding you."

"You won't drop me?" She tilts her head to look at me.

"I won't drop you," I affirm.

"Promise?" She puts up her pinky finger.

"I promise."

"You have to use the pinky," she wiggles her small finger and I sigh, then I wrap my smallest finger around hers.

"Look at that! Yours is taller." She places her finger beside mine to prove the height difference.

"Shortie," I snort.

"We're the same height, idiot," she retorts.

"I know, but our fingers aren't, so now I get to make fun of you because of that." She just shakes her head, rolling her eyes with a beautiful smile on her face.

"If you are done with your scene, please do inform us, so we could start," Alex says and I give him a dry look in which he takes it as a hint and he grins. "Good."

"Get ready..." Sophie starts.

"Set..."

"Go!"

| | | |

❀