Dear Lover, I Loathe You.

26

"Everybody up!" Mr. Harris shouted. Taylor and Genevieve both tiredly groaned. Genevieve rubbed her eyes and looked around the tent. Taylor tiredly sat up and looked over at Genevieve. "Morning." She tiredly spoke. "Shut up." Genevieve mumbled and snuggled back under her blanket.

"Girls. Breakfast time, you're helping today." Ms. Clark said from outside the tent. "Why us?" Genevieve shouted. "Punishment for getting into an egg war yesterday." She replied and walked away. "This is your fault." Genevieve mumbled and sat up. "How is it my fault?" Taylor asked. "You threw the egg at me and got us in trouble." Genevieve replied.

"You threw the egg at me first." Taylor glared. "It was an accident." Genevieve replied. "Accident my ass, you threw it at me twice." Taylor argued. "Well you deserved it." Genevieve replied. "Are you always a bitch in the mornings or does it come naturally?" Taylor asked.

"I hope a bear eats you." Genevieve glared. "I hope it eats you after and spits you out because you made it sick." Taylor replied. "I hope it doesn't become a stupid band geek like you." Genevieve argued. "Well I hope it doesn't start reciting Shakespeare and boring the rest of the animals like you." Taylor replied. "Band geek." Genevieve glared. "Theater nerd." Taylor glared. "Will both of you nerds just come out of the tent and go help with breakfast!" Mr. Harris shouted.

--
Taylor and Genevieve were handing out the last plates of breakfast to everyone in passing. "Thanks girls, Taylor why don't you make yourself a plate and Genevieve you can help me clean some of this up and go off and eat after." Ms. Clark said. Taylor made herself a plate and went to sit down alone.

Genevieve was making her plate of food and frowned. "What's wrong?" Ms. Clark asked. "We're out of bacon." Genevieve replied. "Oh I'm sorry hun. We must have miscounted." Ms. Clark frowned. "It's fine." Genevieve replied and went off with her plate of food and sat near Taylor.

Taylor looked over and saw the disappointment in Genevieve's face. "What's wrong?" She asked. "We ran out of bacon." Genevieve replied and ate her food. Taylor took the bacon off her plate and put it on Genevieve's plate. Genevieve stared down at her plate and looked at Taylor confused. "You can have mine." Taylor shrugged.

"Why?" Genevieve asked. "It's just bacon. I'll live." Taylor said and continued eating her food. Genevieve faintly smiled to herself and ate her food in silence.

--

"Gather up!" Mr. Harris shouted. "Get in your pairs and line up." He instructed. "You're going on a scavenger hunt today. You get to wander the trails and work with your partner to find some of these items together. When you've found all your items gather back at the campsite." Ms. Clark explained.

"But with a little twist." Mr. Harris smirked. "Taylor and Genevieve will you please come up here." He said. They made their way up confused. He pulled out a rope and tied it around their wrists. "What the hell is this?" Genevieve asked. "You and your partner will be tied together until the end of the hunt. No switching partners or cheating. You work together." He explained. He and Ms. Clark finished tying the pairs together and gave them a list. "Go have fun and be safe." Mr. Harris dismissed.

--
Taylor and Genevieve awkwardly walked the trail. "She wants us to find a mushroom." Taylor said reading the list. "A mushroom?" Genevieve asked. "See a mushroom anywhere?" Taylor asked. "No." Genevieve replied. "I know you would rather be with anyone else but I'm actually kinda happy I'm stuck out here with you." Taylor said.

Genevieve stayed silent and continued walking. Taylor noted her silence and looked away. "I know you don't want to talk to me or even look at me after everything but can we please just talk?" She asked. "Found one." Genevieve stopped and picked up a mushroom. "Okay well that's one off the list." Taylor sighed and looked at the list.

"The next item is a blue flower." Taylor read. "Where the fuck are we supposed to find a damn flower?" Genevieve mumbled and walked. "On a bush?" Taylor shrugged. Genevieve looked at her unamused, "Don't be a smartass right now." She replied. "I'm not trying to be." Taylor replied.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Genevieve asked as they walked. "Because I don't like fighting with you, Genevieve. I just want to talk." Taylor replied. "We have nothing to talk about." Genevieve said. Taylor stopped making Genevieve jerk back. "Why did you stop?" Genevieve asked. "I will stay out here and not move unless we finally talk about this. I do t care if a bear comes by and eats us." Taylor replied.

Genevieve groaned. "Taylor what the hell do you want from me?" She glared. "I want you to listen!" Taylor said. "I'm listening, now what?" Genevieve asked. "I know you hate me right now and you would much rather drag me to a river and attempt to drown me in it, but I just need you to listen to me and talk." Taylor begged. Genevieve stared at her in silence.

"I wasn't the one who leaked that video." Taylor explained. "Then who else was it?" Genevieve asked. "I don't know! But I wasn't recording anything and I would never leak anything like that. I was just as surprised as you were." Taylor explained. "Bullshit." Genevieve glared. "Why would I do that to you? Or to myself?" Taylor asked.

"Because you got pissed about me ending things with you and wanted to get back at me. You made your fucking case to the entire school and Bryan dumped me, are you happy now?" Genevieve glared. "I mean I've been hoping that you would finally dump Bryan but I never wanted things to happen this way." Taylor replied.

"Do you know what the hell this mess did? I can't even walk the fucking halls without people whispering and talking about me. People make fun of me. My own theater peers don't even respect me anymore. The only person who treats me like a person anymore is Evan." Genevieve said tearing up as Taylor silently listened, "Any little ounce of respect and command I had...it just went away. I lost everything in the matter of a day for doing something that half the students in our school do. My entire life is in shambles all because I had sex. How is that fair?"

Taylor frowned. "Genevieve...I'm sorry you have to go through that but I swear I didn't do any of this." She softly spoke. "Then who the hell did, Taylor?!" Genevieve glared with tears in her eyes. "Genevieve I honest to god don't know. I would never do something like this to you, I love you." Taylor replied.

Genevieve's face softened. "You what?" She asked. Taylor didn't realize what she had said but Genevieve did. "What?" Taylor asked. "You just said the L word." Genevieve replied. "No I didn't." Taylor denied. "Yes you did." Genevieve said. Taylor's cheeks grew red in embarrassment. "I thought you never said that word?" Genevieve asked.

"Because I only say it when I mean it." Taylor replied. "So did you mean it?" Genevieve asked. Taylor's cheeks grew a darker shade of red than before, "I don't know." Taylor mumbled. "Taylor, I swear to god I'll go find a river and drown you in it." Genevieve threatened. "Fine!" Taylor shouted. "I love you, okay? I love you. I'm madly in love with you that it drives me crazy and scares me to death because I've never loved someone this much and I don't know what to do about it. That's why I would never do something like that to you because you don't do shit like that to someone you love." Taylor confessed.

Genevieve smirked and crashed her lips to Taylor's. Taylor was shocked for a moment and returned the kiss. This kiss felt different. There was always a sense of secrecy and fear of getting caught. This time it didn't feel like it mattered. Everything had gone to shit around them anyway so there was no reason to be ashamed about it.

Genevieve slowly pulled away and leaned her head against Taylor's. "Let's just finish this stupid scavenger hunt and get back before it gets late." She whispered. Taylor softly smiled and nodded.