Chapter Thirty Five - Not Today, Satan

"This isn't so bad," I said once I'd taken a thirty minute nap after setting up our tent. Meera, Cheryl and I had decided to share one tent. The tents were small and only meant for at most two people, but we'd decided we'd rather snuggle up together than be separated.

I was now seated out in the open, under the starry sky. The air was cool but also brought in waves of warmth from the bonfire that was a few feet away. It did feel good.

"I knew you'd come around." Meera leaned back on her elbows and crossed her ankles. "You were cranky earlier only because you'd missed your afternoon nap."

"I'm not gonna disagree."

She chuckled, then flinched because she'd turned her foot.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "It still hurts sometimes when I move it too quickly."

"When does the doctor think it will recover fully?"

"A couple of months probably."

"I'm surprised your parents let you come for camping."

"They'd already made me miss my first junior year party. When I mentioned that I wouldn't have twisted my ankle so badly if I wasn't trying to sneak out that day, they agreed to let me go. I hope they felt guilty."

I chuckled. "I know they did."

"Good." She grinned and sipped on her soda. "Hey, do you mind getting me another? I'm saving my energy for exploring later."

"Sure. But what exploring? Do you really think the teachers will let us go exploring the forest at night?"

"Of course not. Which is why we'll wait for them to go to sleep," she explained. When I raised a brow to show my disapproval and... fear—woods were scary at night, okay? —she rolled her eyes. "As will the rest of the students. Do you really think everyone's just going to sleep at 9 p.m. and pass up on this golden opportunity?"

"Golden opportunity to get murdered in the woods at night? Do people not watch movies at all?" I asked, horrified.

"Or you watch too many. I'm definitely going, Becks. I don't care if anyone else goes or not."

"You know I'm not gonna leave you alone to limp across the forest."

Her eyes narrowed playfully, and soon enough, her lips pulled back to make way for a toothy grin. "I know."

"I have a feeling my best friend is getting me killed tonight." With a sigh, I got up and made my way to the dining hall. It was crowded, but it wasn't half as crowded as the lakeside.

I opened the refrigerator to get Meera's soda, but they had run out. Blowing out a breath, I started to look for a teacher in the room until my eyes caught sight of the fully stocked vending machine.

I didn't understand whose bright idea it was to keep it stocked when it wasn't even working. I eyed the crackers and strawberry milk sadly, and Meera's soda next to them.

"If you want something, have a go at it."

I flipped around to find Chris pointing at the machine. "I kicked the hell out of it five minutes ago and got my soda." He lifted his can. "I can surely lend a few more kicks."

My eyes lit up. "Thanks, but I've got this. Pretty used to it with the school vending machine."

"Right. That piece of junk," he scoffed. "Good luck with this one."

I gave him a thumbs up, and once he walked away, I rubbed my palms together before turning to the machine. Eyeing it carefully, I inserted some coins in the slot and punched in the numbers to get my items.

A big smile formed on my face when Meera's soda took mercy on me, but when it was time for my crackers to take the glorious fall, they got stuck between the glass and another row.

"No!" I groaned, shaking the machine. When my crackers didn't move, I placed my palms on the glass firmly and just watched them for a few seconds to calculate some angle to work with. Then I pushed. But it didn't work. So, I moved to the side and kicked the machine as hard as I could.

And nothing.

"No." I dropped my forehead against the glass and stared at my crackers. "Come to me. Please."

My fingers lifted up to the glass, and I tapped lightly, whispering, "I'm being nice to you. Please. Come on—oh fuck it!"

I took back a step, heaved up a shoulder and prepared to launch myself at the machine but someone clearing their throat right behind me caught me by surprise.

I looked over my shoulder to find Matt leaning against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest. I had no idea how long he'd been standing there but his face suggested he'd witnessed enough.

He looked amused.

"Need help?"

"Oh? You have the decency to ask someone that? Shocker!" I retorted.

His brows pulled together but his amusement did not subside.

"No," I answered dryly. "I do not need your help."

"Are you sure? Because it really looks like you could use some..." His pause made me raise a brow and he finished with a smirk, "...brawn."

As unintentional as it was, my eyes ran across his body for a hot second before I quickly brought them up to his face and glared.

"I said I'm good. Besides, I don't think I want my crackers at the cost of someone getting to show off their strength. I've got this."

Once again, I tried to shake the machine with everything I had but it was to no avail.

Out of my peripheral vision, I watched him stop leaning against the wall and take a step towards me. It was only when he walked up to the machine that I realized that he had chosen to ignore the fact that I had refused his help. Or maybe he just wanted something for himself, I deduced as he pulled out his wallet.

"Or brain," he muttered.

He inserted some coins in the machine, punched in a code and voila! The protein bar a few rows above my crackers fell on them, dispensing them both.

I kept a straight face as he bent down to retrieve the items—correction: item. He only fetched his protein bar, ignoring me all the same.

Rolling my eyes, I picked up my crackers and muttered a stubborn thanks before I stomped away, feeling his eyes following me. I was tempted to look over my shoulder but I knew I wouldn't be able to hold myself from lashing out if I found even a hint of amusement in his eyes. And I knew I would've found just that.

I angrily stepped out in the cool air and desperately looked around for something to let out my pent-up frustration on. Suddenly aware of the crackers in my hand, I tore them open and bit into one. Then I grabbed another and ate it just as quickly as the first, fanning my face as I worked to swallow the dry bits. Dammit, Becks! Choking yourself to death is no way to get back at your enemy.

Taking in a deep breath, I opened Meera's soda can and took a sip, steadying myself before walking back to her. Hopefully, she won't mind.

She wasn't alone anymore. Right next to her was Chad and next to him sat Chris while he chugged soda from his can. Mack and Cher were there too, sitting across from them.

"Oh, you got it." Chris pointed to the soda and my crackers. "Did you break the machine?"

"Almost." I sat down next to Cheryl, extending the opened can to Meera.

"Too late." She held up a cup sheepishly.

"Oh."

I noticed all of them, except Chris, holding a red cup. I looked around for the source and caught sight of Steve standing next to a makeshift table far away. He was swiftly pouring the contents of a secret bottle hiding in his backpack into red cups, which were eagerly being grabbed by people.

"I guess the teachers went to sleep," I muttered.

"Yep. I fetched one for you as well." Cheryl held it out for me.

I eyed it warily. "Can we trust this? It's from Steve after all."

"Personally verified." Chris made a cross over his heart. "I'll be going for one right after finishing my soda."

"Okay then." I grabbed it from her and took a suspicious sip, then smacked my lips as the liquid burned its way down my throat. It was strong and I couldn't exactly place what it was but I liked it.

"Now might be the time to pull out those scary podcasts, Meera," Cheryl said.

"Or we can play a game," Chris suggested.

"What game?"

"Truth or dare?" Chad chipped in.

"Even better, how about hide and seek?" Chris wiggled his brows. "I can get more people and we'll hide in the woods. It'll be fun."

"Seriously? Does no one watch horror movies around here?" I ran a frustrated hand through my hair.

He chuckled. "Relax. It's a safe place. Our school camps here every year, and hide and seek in the dark is basically a tradition. I was here last year and it was fun. Come on."

"Let's do it." Mack nodded enthusiastically and got up, holding his hand out for Cheryl.

"Please." I rolled my eyes while finishing my drink. "You're just excited about making out with my friend in the dark."

"You know me, Becks." He winked just as Cheryl playfully narrowed her eyes at him but let him pull her up to her feet anyway. He wrapped an arm around her waist and muttered, "let's go find a spot, babe."

And they were off to the woods, checking off the final box of the lovey-dovey couple that always ended up dead in horror movies.

The rest of us exchanged looks.

"So, are we playing or not?" Chad was the first to break the silence.

"Wait a minute. I got an even better idea from that." Chris had a suggestive little smirk playing on his lips.

"What?" I raised a brow.

"Hey everyone!" he shouted, causing almost every person's head in our close vicinity to turn in our direction. "Who's up for seven minutes in heaven?"

He's got to be kidding.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a swarm of excited students had surrounded us. I deadpanned, throwing a look at Meera, but was taken aback when I found her looking a little interested, cutting her eyes at Chad flirtatiously just as he threw her a wink.

I was torn between shaking my head and smiling. At least someone had a progressive love life.

Well, I'm out, I decided once I realized there was no one around I'd wanna be trapped in a confined tent with for seven minutes until—

"What's going on here?" the person's familiar voice rang in my ears and I lifted my eyes to find Matt walking up to Chris, eyeing the people curiously before his eyes set on me.

"Right on time, bud. You up for seven minutes in heaven?" Chris grinned, cutting a very subtle glance at me. But not so subtle when I noticed it, huh, Chris?

It didn't take him more than a second to respond.

"Is that even a question?" A little smirk curled across his lips while my mouth opened a little in surprise. "I was born ready for that game," he added with a shrug and something about his indifference ticked me off. I gritted my teeth and looked away to hide my irritation. Not his first time canoodling a girl for seven minutes then, huh?

A few of the guys around us hooted for him and one of them raised his beer in a praise. "That's right! Get it, Williams."

And slowly, my irritation morphed into uneasiness. I wasn't sure I could just sit and watch him go into a tent with another girl with the intention of making out with her or doing more.

Why the fuck would it bother you, Becks?

It just would, okay? Not everything has an explanation. Shut up, I snapped back to myself. Yep! I had officially lost it.

I watched as everyone started to sit on the ground in a big circle just as I'd started to subtly step back without drawing attention. But when Rebecca pushed a few girls out of her way to get the spot right across from Matt so the bottle would point between both of them, I froze.

My fists clenched and unclenched indecisively—get in the game or scram?

And just then, Matt's eyes lifted to mine, locating me amongst everyone without any trouble like he knew exactly where I was. I noticed the red cup in his hand when he tipped his head back to take a swig of his drink, holding my gaze the entire time as if in a challenge.

Like he was expecting me to be affected by him being okay with making out with Rebecca when he'd done it so many times before. Ridiculous of him, right? I think not. I was affected, but I'd be damned if I let it show.

Kicking my inhibitions out of the window, I walked over to the circle and sat down next to Meera without giving a shit about who was across me. It was only when I peeled my eyes off Matt that I looked ahead to find my classmate I'd never talked to before. He was already watching me with a drunken smile and once our eyes met, he threw me a wink.

God, if you're listening, please let the bottle break before it points between us.

"Okay. Let's begin," Rebecca started excitedly as she finished the last of her beer and leaned towards the centre to place the bottle. Since, it was a big circle, she had to crawl a little and she did that while throwing a sultry look at Matt from beneath her lashes.

One of the guys whistled but she didn't pay any attention.

I kept my eyes trained on Matt's face. Like everyone in the circle, he was watching her but showed no emotion. Nor any interest but that could've just been my overactive imagination. Or perhaps underactive.

"Hold up," Chris interrupted. "We're not doing that."

Her movements halted and I could almost hear the scene change sound effect in the background as she frowned at him. "What?"

"The typical bottle spin? Where's the fun in that?" he scoffed, then held up his phone. "I have a random name selector app in my phone which is going to shuffle names and pick out two. The bottle spin is too predictable. We already know who's going with who with the way we're seated. We're spicing this up, doll."

Her eyes narrowed at him. I wasn't sure if it was from the nickname or because he'd botched her plan to go with Matt, but either way, she looked on the verge of killing him.

But once everyone showed their approval with hmm and yep, she backed off while cursing under her breath.

"Alright, then." Chris smiled and began to add names in his phone. It took him barely a minute, then he shook his phone and flipped it for everyone to see the screen while waiting for the two rollers to stop spinning and display the names.

The first name was Ben, the guy sitting across from me. He received a few pats on his shoulder from his friends as he grinned. I watched the screen anxiously until the second roller stopped at Jade.

Not today, Satan.

I sighed in relief, watching as the two drunkenly got up and sauntered towards one of the tents.

"Remember to turn on your flashlight and put it on the floor," Steve hollered after them with a smirk.

I didn't understand what it was for until they did it. We could now see their shadows on the tent. As they stepped closer, the shadows distorted and we couldn't really tell what was going on, just that they were standing very close.

I blew out a breath, suddenly cursing myself for skipping this game all these years at the parties when we had solid closet doors for some privacy. I could've just chatted with the guy and no one would have known anything. Of course, he would've declared me as the most boring player and everyone would've found out eventually but I could've lived with that.

"Ready for the next pair?"

"Are we waiting for them to come back or what?" Rebecca raised a brow.

"What for? It's not like we're running short on tents."

Good point

She pursed her lips, staring at his phone screen like she was threatening it through some mind connection to pair her with Matt.

The first roller stopped at one of the football jocks. He watched the screen with a toothy grin and my breath almost left my body when it stopped. I'd only read R-E-B and started to freak out. But I relaxed when I realized it was Rebecca, not me.

"It's her." Rebecca pointed her index at me immediately.

"Nope." Chris shook his head. "I entered her as Becks. It's you."

"Come on, Rebecca." The guy who was paired with her got up with a smirk, which she returned with a contemptible sneer.

"You wish," she snapped before getting up and stomping away.

"Hey!" he complained after her until something dawned on him, and he turned to me, shrugging with a lopsided smile. "I don't mind the other one."

"For your own damn good, dude, trust me, sit the fuck down. I mean it," Chris said to him in all seriousness.

It only made the guy let out a chuckle as he settled back in his spot on the ground nonetheless. "Got a thing for her, Chrissy?"

"You'd only wish it was me, bro." He chuckled. "Saved yourself the fuck around and find out situation, if you ask me. I'll pair you with someone else."

My cheeks heated up when a few pairs of curious eyes fell on me. Leave it to Chris to put me in awkward situations.

And what the heck was that even about? Even though, deep down I knew what he meant, as I cut a quick glance at Matt, I chose to be on the oblivious side. Pretend like nothing just happened here.

Next, Meera and Chad got paired and for a moment, I forgot all about my anxiety when I turned to throw her a smirk. She blushed as Chad cut through the circle to help her up and they were off to one of the tents.

It wasn't until the next name on the screen that I found myself panicking again. It was Matt's. And I didn't know if I wanted to see my name with his or someone else's. Both scenarios stressed me out but the latter stressed me out more so I hoped for the former.

It was like God granted my wish when the roller stopped at Becks. Just like that.

"Oh, look at that. What were the odds?" Chris grinned between us. "Now remember guys. This game is not about locking horns, okay? It's quite the opposite actually."

I looked at Matt's face to gauge his reaction, looking for any hint of demur and to my relief, there was none. He, on the other hand, was gauging mine too, as if waiting for me to either agree to it or reject it and walk away like Rebecca. Whatever it was I'd decided, he wanted me to make the first move.

So, I did.

"Of course." I smiled sweetly towards Chris, then got up. But Matt was still on the ground, eyes up at me, following every action of mine meticulously.

I tilted my head at him, letting him know I was ready whenever he was.

Face giving nothing away, he got up and that's when I started walking towards the empty tent, feeling him following after me.

The inside of the tent was dark and the moment I made it in, I turned around. His tall frame stood at the entrance, a dark silhouette staring into my soul. I didn't need to be seeing his eyes to know they were on me. The moonlight gave his face a soft glow. Soft enough to make me want to trace my finger over its chiselled features—starting from his dark brown hair, to his forehead, to his perfectly sculpted nose and finally, to his ever-inviting lips.

It's the alcohol, I thought as I snapped myself out of it.

I slid my phone out of my pocket and turned the flashlight on, earning a loud whistle from someone outside. The tent was now lit up dimly and the sight in front of me was nearly breathtaking. His skin appeared to be slightly tanned, a striking resemblance to his brown eyes. His broad shoulders led my eyes right to his biceps and packed forearms and the fact that he was in his signature white t-shirt and blue denims wasn't helping at all.

"Come on, guys! The north and south poles are closer than this," Chris shouted.

I put my phone on the ground and watched him with anticipation. But he stood at the entrance, not moving.

"I don't bite, you know?" I raised a brow.

"You don't."

My eyes widened a little but I composed myself just as quickly and spoke, almost in a warning, "nothing's happening. We both know that. So just come a little closer so they can get off our backs and focus on someone else."

Just as I said that, one of the guys hollered, "what's the matter, Williams? Not feeling in the game tonight?"

He answered with silence, not a hint of humiliation on his face, considering it was his reputation at stake. He really didn't give a damn about anyone's opinion, did he?

On second thought, I don't think he'd even paid any heed to the comments since all of his attention was on me. He finally took one step inside. A strong scent wafted to my nose and I was suddenly shrouded in his profound aura, realizing just how intoxicating his presence was in the confined space.

I tried to keep my breathing steady but something about him slowly closing the distance between us made me a nervous wreck.

He stopped about a foot away, allowing me a deep inhale.

"Come on. Come on. You can do it," another guy urged, which was followed by laughs from others.

Assholes

"They're not gonna shut up." I swallowed, looking down at the ground. "Let's just get close and get this over with, okay?"

I took the final step to close the distance, eyes still fixed on the ground between us.

A thought ran through my head. If I can see the ground between us, we're not close en—

"You call that close?"

I hadn't even gotten the time to finish my thought. His mouth and hands had worked in a harmony. Even before he'd finished the question, his arm had wrapped around my waist and snatched me in.

I crashed into his chest with a gasp and stared up at him with wide eyes.

A loud cheer broke outside the tent and normally, I would've rolled my eyes but right then, I could hardly think straight.

His arm around me was both life granting and hindering at the same time. While I couldn't breathe and thought I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, I also felt like my heart had never beaten so loudly before. It was hammering against my chest and I could bet he could hear it too.

"This is close."

As if under a spell, my eyes drifted down to his lips. My throat constricted and I had to work to swallow.

"I see," I whispered. And when my eyes locked with his deep brown ones, something inside me shifted and I felt at ease. It was almost like he'd flicked off my inhibition switch.

A wave of courage washed over me and feeling a new spark within myself, I boldly brought my arms up and looped them behind his neck.

I felt his hand flatten on my waist more firmly as his eyes darkened. I met his intense stare with a challenging one of my own.

And I'd never felt better about myself. Our current situation reminded me of when I'd almost stripped in front of him in my room. I hadn't been able to tell if I'd gotten him flustered, but right then, I could tell I was definitely stirring something up when his jaw clenched.

"You don't look worried," he observed.

My brows pulled together. "What would I be worried about?"

"Worried that he'll see you like this." His voice had a bitter edge to it.

He was talking about Sean. And that should've snapped me out of my courageous little stupor, but it only heightened my confidence.

"So, what if he does? He isn't my boyfriend."

"But he will be..." His eyes searched mine. "...right?"

I only gave a little shrug and our roles were reversed. This time, it was my indifference that made him vexed.

"Maybe," I said, then added further just for the fun of it because why not? "Hopefully."

One of his eyes twitched.

"In that case, if I were him, I'd be very pissed."

"He's nothing like you."

I anticipated his reaction and forgot to breathe when a devilish smirk curled across his lips. Not what I'd been expecting. "Damn right. Because if you had something going on with me, you'd never find yourself in a position like this with anyone else. I wouldn't let it happen."

The humour abandoned me.

"In that case…" I licked my lips, making his eyes dart down to them. "…I'm glad I've got nothing going on with you."

"Don't you?"

My eyes widened for an infinitesimal moment.

Breathe, Becks, breathe.

"Not that I know of."

A little flustered, I unhooked my arms from around his neck but he didn't let go of me. I struggled once to break free but stopped when I found him searching for my eyes, a spark sitting in his own.

"What?" I snapped.

"The last time you looked at me like you did at the vending machine, you were pissed about something I had no idea about until you told me it was because Rebecca didn't know I was training you."

"So?"

"But this time, I have a working theory."

"And what is that?"

"I think you're mad at me because you wanted me to come back for you. To come and get you after I'd made it to the campsite."

My eyes widened again. How on earth could he know that? He hadn't bugged me while I was hiking with my friends, had he? Either way, I hadn't even mentioned it to them, not even to Meera. Was Matt Williams a mind reader?

"It's a crazy theory, right?" He tilted his head like he already knew the answer. "Because there's no way you could be mad about something like that at me."

"Y-yes, of course," I scoffed. "No idea what made you come up with that."

"Exactly." He nodded and just like that, his grip on my waist loosened. I fell back an unsure step, creating distance between us. When no noise came from outside, I was assured that the people had moved on to torment another pair. But that was the least of my concerns at the moment.

He looked down at his watch while taking a step back. "Looks like we're past five minutes. Think anyone will notice if we drop this early?"

The amount of irritation that radiated through me was surreal.

"We're not done here," I snapped, making him stop and lift a brow. "Maybe it's just you seeing a reflection of your own guilt in me, you know? Chilling at the campsite while other people were struggling. I mean, of course, you weren't obligated to do it, but there's nothing wrong with helping people."

"Are you saying you needed my help?"

For the sake of your dignity, Becks, say no!

"I didn't. Your precious Rebecca did. I already had help."

His arrogance faltered for just a fleeting moment. A very fleeting moment. "Well, you know I'm not the kind of guy who'd do something like that for anyone."

"Right." I nodded. "Matthew Williams carrying a girl's bag for her? Imagine the horror!" I widened my eyes for exaggeration. "It's the kind of shit one would expect from someone good like Sean, not you."

I pried my phone off the ground and started to walk past him, coming seconds away from bumping into his chest again when he stepped in my way.

I glared at him but it melted down as soon as I met his sharp brown eyes as he cocked his head to the side.

"I thought you'd be on cloud nine when he showed up for you."

"I-I was."

"Yeah? Then why didn't you look like you were when you made it here?"

"I'm sorry you couldn't see how elated I was about my Prince Charming coming back to help me. It must have been the two hour hike that put me in a lousy mood."

His eyes narrowed.

"And as for you thinking I was mad at you, when have I ever greeted you with a smile? What were you expecting I would do the moment I made it here? Walk away from the guy who'd gone out of his way to help me, just to greet you with a high five? No, Matt. We don't do that. Just like you have certain standards, I do, too. I wasn't mad at you. I simply had no reason to be. Nothing you do or don't do bothers me because you mean nothing to me. Just like I mean nothing to you."

His eyes darkened with emotions he had no reason to feel. Clearly, I was mistaken about him being affected by my words.

I always believed we could be as harsh as we wanted with each other because we didn't care what we thought of each other. Then why did he look like I'd touched a nerve? And why did I feel this guilt creeping up on me?

A few months ago, I would have said worse to him and gotten away with it. I would have even slept as peacefully as ever. But right then, I wanted to scream a little and shed a few pathetic tears.

Because I was expecting him to deny that. I wanted him to tell me I was wrong. But he didn't.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll leave. Pretty sure we're past seven minutes."

I walked past him and didn't stop until I reached my own tent.