7 Days of Camp

39

A/N: I am going to take a tiny break from the Rosie/Kanter plot, and do this chapter from Blake's POV. Sorryness. Enjoy!

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•Blake's POV•

After winning tug-o'-war, I went to my room to clean up. I didn't have much time to shower, since lunch was up next. I'd have to miss watching all the other teams play; but I was glad I'd been on the first team to go.

I peeled the sticky clothing off and stepped into the warm shower. I thought about Emily, and how I should probably tell her that I liked her. After all, Alex and Hunter had come clean to their crushes yesterday. How hard could it be?

I was just scared of telling her, because we'd been friends for so long. I was afraid she didn't feel the same way. And I'd always had a fear of getting rejected.

When I was done in the shower, I threw on a red T-shirt and khaki shorts, and stepped outside. It was nice out, with a cool breeze and the sun shining brightly.

I went downstairs and walked towards the cafeteria. So what if I was there early?

"Mind if I join you?"

I heard Emily's voice behind me, and turned to see her standing there. Surprisingly, she was wearing fresh clothes and her hair was wet from the shower. Then I remembered that she was on the orange team, the one that had faced mine in tug-o'-war.

"Not at all," I said, and let her catch up with me.

"That was some game," she commented.

"Yeah. All that tomato juice was so disgusting!"

"Don't forget the pancake batter," she reminded me.

"How could I forget?" I shuddered at the thought.

"Anyways, congrats on winning."

"Thanks," I said modestly. Truth be told, I felt kinda bad for beating her. I wasn't too competitive, for a guy.

"You wanna sit together at lunch?" Emily asked.

"Sure." We hadn't done that in awhile. This year, everyone seemed to be sitting with their teams more often than with their friends. It would be a nice change.

When we reached the cafeteria, we were still alone, and the doors hadn't opened yet. I checked my watch. We had about ten minutes before everyone else was to arrive. It was now or never.

"Listen, Emily...I know this might come out a little strange, and you probably aren't expecting it, but...I like you. As more than just friends."

She stared at me, not saying anything. I was afraid I'd scared her away, when she finally spoke. "I can't believe it."

"Why's that?"

"We've just been friends for so long, and I didn't know you thought of me that way. Like at all."

I had to admit, that crushed my ego just a bit. "But...do you feel the same way? Or am I just really stupid?"

"I-I don't really know what to say. Of course I like you. But I never thought we would be anything more than friends," she admitted. "So I've never really dwelled on it."

"Oh."

"But now that I know how you feel, I think it could be worth a shot..."

I felt my whole face light up. "Really?"

She just smiled and said, "Why not?"