Smoke Screen

Chapter 21

The rest of the day Layla pretty much stayed out of sight. Tony was able to catch a glimpse of her here and there, but she always disappeared before he could approach her. The same thing happened the next day, but instead of Layla disappearing, Tony kept getting pulled away by other campers before he could approach her.
Each time Layla saw that, she could not help but frown. Of course he had better people to hang out with than her. But it was not like she was hoping he would keep her company or anything. Why would she ever think something like that?
During free time, Layla found a bench close enough to the other campers that she would not get in trouble, but far enough away that she would not be seen. There she sat with her vape, looking off at the puffs of smoke that drifted away into the air.
It was so quiet and peaceful. It was something she could get used to. She felt so tranquil, like she could finally relax. In that moment she wished that she never had to leave. She did not want to go home at the end of the week. This was so much better than the chaos of her everyday life.
The time flew by quickly and soon it was dinner time. Layla was the first to arrive at the cafeteria and had already grabbed and finished her food before Tony sat down with his. After dinner, Layla decided to hang around the campfire to get warm. Though the nights were not freezing, they still were considerably cold.
As she stood close to the fire with her hands stretched out towards the heat of the flames, someone walked up to her and stood close beside her. "I swear it's colder than it was last year." Layla did not have to look up to know it was Tony.
"I chose a great year to come." She said sarcastically.
"It's not so bad though." He said. "All you need is a campfire and it'll warm you right up."
"I'm still cold." Layla shivered. Suddenly Tony wrapped an arm around her.
"I can warm you up." He said. Layla could feel a blush rise to her cheeks. She was glad that the lighting was bad enough that no one would have been able to notice.
"Uh, no thanks." She took a step away, shaking off his arm. As his body warmth left her she felt cold and empty. She slightly regretted stepping away and wished that he would put his arm around her again. But of course she would never say that out loud.
"You sure?" He stepped closer to her with a teasing smile.
Placing her hand on his chest, she pushed him back slightly. "Yeah, I'm sure."
Tony chuckled slightly. "All right." He shrugged before changing the topic. "You excited about the hike tomorrow?"
"What hike?" She asked. She did not remember anyone saying anything about a hike. Correction, she never paid enough attention to notice anyone say anything about a hike.
"Tomorrow we're hiking to the lake." He said. He looked excited, but she did not share his enthusiasm. "Better bring your swim suit."
Yeah, she was not going to do that. She knew that she was not going to be able to get out of the hike since it, like everything, was mandatory. But one thing she was not going to do was swim.
"How long is the hike?" She asked.
"Only about an hour." He said. She groaned. It was not so bad, but it did mean that she would have to be around people the entire time. That was not something she was looking forward to.
    Layla opened her mouth to say something to Tony, but before she could speak one of the other campers called out to Tony. Closing her mouth, Layla stiffened. Tony looked from her to the camper and she took that as her sign to leave.
    "Night." She quickly said as she walked past him. Tony reached out to stop her but missed.
    "You going to bed?" He asked, surprised that she abruptly decided to leave. She did not respond. "See ya tomorrow." He called after her.
    Turning back to the campfire, he let out a sigh. A couple other campers approached him but he did not pay them much attention as he was busy thinking about Layla. He wished she had not been interrupted. He had wanted to know what she was going to say.
    This week was his opportunity to finally get closer to her, but he kept letting her get away. Tomorrow was the third full day of camp. The week was already halfway over.
    He wanted to try again the next day, but at the same time gave some consideration to giving up. He kept persisting despite her making it obvious that she did not want to be bothered. If she really did not want to be friends with him there was not much he could do.
He could not force her and he did not want to keep pursuing something that would never happen. Especially if it made her hate him. Maybe it was time he finally left her alone.