The next morning started out busy. The other girls ran around between doing make up and picking clothes. As I got up in Mason's hoodie, I saw the gasps and stares.
At first, I thought I was imagining it.
Gabriella ran into me soon after I left the tent, lips tight. "Ignore them," she said. "Girls are acting... weird."
"Weird how?"
"Doesn't matter, let's go."
I raised an eyebrow. "What did I do this time? Breathe too loud?"
Gabriella shrugged, but her eyes drifted past me. I sat hunched over my bowl of cornflakes. That's when I saw him. Mason.
He sat a few tables over, surrounded by a group of girls. Their laughter bubbled around him like a background track. He said something animatedly, arms gesturing wide, and two of them leaned in at the same time like they couldn't bear to miss a single syllable.
He grinned, teeth flashing, head tilted back with effortless charm. One girl touched his arm. Another giggled into her sleeve. It was all so... expected.
I looked away.
It didn't bother me. I mean, he was him. Popular, handsome, easy to like. I wasn't the kind of girl that boys like that liked. I told myself I didn't care. And I was almost done convincing myself when a shadow passed over my table.
"Hey."
I looked up. Mason stood there, hands in his pockets, eyes on me, not the girls still orbiting his last joke.
I blinked. "Hi?"
"They're loading us onto buses for the next activity," he said casually, nodding toward the chaperones waving at the edge of the field. "We're going to that old climbing course outside the camp."
"Cool," I replied, already bracing myself for being squished between two loud strangers.
Mason scratched the back of his neck like it was nothing. "Would you... be okay with sitting together?"
I stared at him. Behind him, I saw a blonde girl freeze mid-laugh.
"Why?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Are you suddenly allergic to attention?"
He smirked, unfazed. "No. Just figured I'd rather be next to someone who's going to roast me the whole ride instead of stare at me like I'm a limited-edition poster."
I rolled my eyes, but I could feel the corners of my mouth twitch.
"Fine. But I'm not holding back on the roasting since you offered."
Mason's smirk widened. "Deal."
He walked off without another word, leaving me alone again with my thoughts and my unfinished breakfast. It became harder to ignore the glares aimed like daggers. A few girls nearby were clearly talking about me.
Before heading to the bus I decided to grab something from the tent. Inside the tent, the air was thick, the tension was clear. I'd just stepped in to grab my jacket and my mp3, when one of the girls looked up from her phone with a smirk that made my skin crawl.
"Well, well, if it isn't the mystery girlfriend herself," she honed.
"I'm not his girlfriend," I replied flatly, without looking up.
"Oh, right. Just borrowing his entire wardrobe and hogging his time and attetion for yourself like it's no big deal," another girl chimed in, fake innocence dripping from every word.
"I saw him give you something again this morning, a note right?" Chloe added, lips curling. "What's next? His toothbrush? His last name?"
The tent erupted in a round of giggles. I clenched my jaw, trying to stay calm. I really didn't want to do this. I felt rage burn inside of me, but I had to hold my tongue and keep my head down.
"We get it," Chloe said, tossing her hair. "You're not like other girls. Mason likes that. But don't act surprised when he gets bored and goes back to someone who actually..."
"I'm not his girlfriend, nor am I having any idea's," I snapped.
Silence.
I looked up. My voice was low, even. But there was something in it that made the laughter stop.
"He didn't ask me out. He didn't confess anything. He didn't make any promises. So if you're looking for something scandalous, go find someone else to obsess over."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
Gabriella, who had been quiet near the flap, stepped forward. "Wow. You girls must be exhausted from all that stretching, you know, trying to twist reality."
Chloe's mouth fell open.
Gabriella crossed her arms. "Scarlett hasn't done a thing to any of you. You're just mad that she didn't even try, and still got his attention."
Mason had appeared outside at some point. He stood just beyond the tent, hands in his pockets, watching.
He didn't say a word.
He didn't deny it. He didn't correct them. He didn't even look uncomfortable.
Gabriella turned to him, her eyes sharp. "And you. Seriously? You're just going to stand there while they come for her? You give her your coat and your gloves, follow her around like a lovesick puppy, and then act like it's not your business when they drag her for it?"
Mason opened his mouth, then closed it.
"I thought you were better than that," she said coldly.
Then she turned back to me and gently tugged me out of the tent.
"Come on," Gabriella muttered. "You don't need to be around people who treat you like you stole something just by existing."
By late afternoon, I needed to breathe. I slipped away while everyone was distracted with team games and went up the hill behind the tents, my secret spot. It was quiet there. I was on my spot behind the hill, I enjoyed the feeling of the feeling of the sun on my skin. I sat down, legs crossed, hoodie sleeves tugged over my hands.
I liked the silence. I liked being alone. At least, I thought I did. But when the grass rustled behind me, I didn't move. He sat beside me, close but not too close.
"I figured you'd be here," Mason said, voice low.
"You're really bad at leaving people alone," I muttered, not unkindly.
He smiled. "You're really bad at hiding."
I rolled my eyes. "Usually I wouldn't have to, being a nobody had it's benefits."
"Well, a little too late now, I hope I can make up for it."
I bit the inside of my cheek. Looked away.
"I brought you something," he said, reaching into his pocket.
He handed me a pair of black fingerless gloves, way too big for my small pale hands. My fingers brushed his when I took them.
"You didn't have to..."
"I wanted to."
"I'm not cold," I said, even as I pulled them on.
"Your hands are like solid ice."
I glanced at him. "Why do you keep giving me things?"
His expression shifted, gentle, almost serious.
"Because I like you."
I looked away, as I felt my cheeks burning. I didn't answer. I didn't have to. Instead I just sighed and looked in front of me. He was kind, tempting, but I had walls around myself for a reason, I knew I'd have to leave it all behind sooner or later...
"I didn't know I needed to formally confess." Mason broke the silence after a while.
"Well, I'm old fashioned like that, I don't like to guess." I admitted.