꧁*｡ﾟ"I Wɪʟʟ Nᴇᴠᴇʀ" | 𝙼𝚊𝚡 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 *｡ﾟ꧂

Ch. 22 | Friendly Competition

- You frowned and rolled onto your side. Instead of feeling the soft fabric of your bed, you felt hot, sticky leather. Your eyes fluttered open, and you instantly remembered. You had fallen asleep on the beanbag. You felt nice- for about a minute. Then the memories rushed back.

Your father had gotten arrested. Again. You sighed and looked around, normally you would wake up with Max, but he was nowhere to be seen. You felt awkward, but you knew you couldn't get used to it. With a grunt, you stood up off the beanbag and stretched, then climbed down the ladder and walked back to camp. Max was sitting anxiously outside the Mess Hall with Nikki and Neil. "There she is!" Neil said, waving his hand at you.

Max perked up and gave you a look. You knew that look. It was the look he gave you before he would- "Y/N, where were you?" He asked. "I was.. thinking," you replied awkwardly. Nikki shouldered him roughly, preventing him from responding. He glared at her, then relaxed. "Oh, are you okay?" He asked, blinking at you. "I'm fine, I could use a nap, though."

 Neil blinked, "I thought you just woke up?" He said quizzically. "You can tell?" You asked grumpily, combing your fingers through your hair. "You're drooling and your hair is messy," Nikki said. You stretched and walked over to your tent, longing for the softness of your bed. Max rushed after you, "can I join?" You paused and turned around. "You didn't sleep on a sticky beanbag," you pointed out. "I didn't sleep at all," he countered, folding his arms.

"Oh, okay." You turned back around and continued walking over to your tent. Unfamiliar faces passed, faces that were deep with concern. You didn't want it- you wanted to get away from it. You pushed into your tent and collapsed into your bed, sighing with relief. "So soft," you mumbled, rolling onto your side. Max slid onto the bed, yawning, and spoon-cuddled you. "Mm.." You sighed and snuggled your pillow, drifting off.

- Time skip :) - 

You opened your eyes and yawned. Max's arms were wrapped comfortably around your waist and he was still spoon-cuddling you. "You awake?" You asked, sitting up. He hummed, annoyed, and rolled onto his side. "No," he responded huskily. "Good to know," you snorted. I'm gonna miss this you thought, climbing over Max and jumping off the bed. He grumbled and grabbed the pillow, dragging it over to him and nuzzling it. 

"Now I have to cuddle a pillow," he mumbled sluggishly. Everyday- cuddling a pillow. You pulled off your flannel and stuffed it into your bag, then you switched into some jean shorts and a white shoulder-less shirt. "Too tired to be perverted, huh?" You joked, ruffling his hair. He grunted and gripped the pillow harder. "I'll see you later," you leaned down and kissed the top of his head before walking out of the tent and into the Mess Hall.

The campers all froze and looked at you, quiet. Nikki, Neil, and Harrison walked up to you. "Hey," Harrison greeted carefully. Nikki forced a smile and Neil just watched you, his eyes swimming with unreadable thoughts. "Hi," you responded, "What's with the.. silence?" They froze and stared at you. "They don't know how to comfort you," Nikki responded quietly.

"Oh." You sat down at your table, the mashed potatoes suddenly seemed unappealing. "Aren't you gonna get food?" Harrison asked, trailing after you. "No, I don't- I don't think so," you replied gently. My father is in jail and my mom is most-likely gonna tear me away from all my friends. Harrison watched you, concerned. "Alright," he sat down across from you. "Oh, you don't have to.. you should go get some food."

He blinked and went to get in line. With an exaggerated sigh, you slammed your forehead into the table and screwed your eyes shut. I need to clear my head, you thought. "Good morning, campers!" Davids voice bounced across the room. Everybody groaned. "Good morning," you responded dryly. "Today we're going to play dodgeball!" He announced cheerfully "..With the Wood Scouts?" Neil asked, snorting. "And the Flower Scouts," he added.