Burnt House Hill (RainbowCaliber GX Story #0)

Chapter 3

Jake

It was Miley. She sat at the side of a tree playing an acoustic guitar. She hadn't noticed Jake yet, seeming lost in her own world, but Jake stayed where he was just in case.

"Wow. She's good. I'll step a little closer," He thought, before feeling a tickle in his nose.

"No, not right now," he pleaded with himself, before sneezing loudly.

Miley

Miley stopped playing. Had she heard something? She put down her guitar and stepped toward the direction from which the sound came from. She stepped toward the rocks, looking carefully. 
She didn't see anything, but she could hear something quietly moving. Turning toward the movement, she saw a glimpse of a kid's arm behind one of the rocks. She laughed quietly to herself as she crept slowly toward it.

Jake

 "Stupid allergies," Jake thought bitterly. "It's like the world wants me to get caught."

He was ducking down behind a rock, out of Miley's view. He couldn't hear anyone stepping to him, fortunately.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and got up from his spot. But Miley was gone.

"What?" he thought, confused and stepping toward the stream.

"Boo!" someone suddenly said as they put their hands on his shoulders.

Jake screamed bloody murder as he stepped forward. He felt himself trip on a rock, and was suddenly drenched in water as he fell into the stream. The air he had got knocked out of him as he hit the river bed.

He groaned as he looked up at Miley, who looked surprised at what she had just done and came to help him up.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" she asked, stretching out her arm to help him.

"I've been better," Jake replied as he reached up to grab Miley's hand.

After Miley pulled him up, they went back to the tree Miley had been sitting at and sat in awkward silence.

"Hey, sorry about the whole... um...thing," Jake said, finally breaking the silence.

"What thing?" Miley asked, confused.

"You know, the thing," Jake replied, trying not to get into details. He then noticed Miley's sandals on the ground beside her and glanced toward her feet, which were bare. Her right foot has a small purple bruise from where the cup hit her.

"Oh, that thing," Miley replied as she noticed Jake looking at her feet.

"Yeah, sorry," Jake replied sheepishly,

"Actually, it's fine. It's only a bruise," Miley said, looking at her foot.

Jake laughed nervously.

"Does Ethan bully you a lot?" Miley asked, looking at him.

"Yeah," Jake answered quietly.

"I've been there," Miley said, tucking her knees to her chest.

"What were you bullied for?" Jake asked.

"Interests, being quiet, and sticking to myself. I'm not really good at making friends," Miley responded quietly.

"Me neither," Jake added, "Guess we share that in common, huh?"

Miley didn't respond, still staring down.

"Nice, Jake," Jake scolded himself, before he changed the subject.