Camping Trip

Chapter One

"No way, Aiden?"

The familiar voice came with the usual strike on his back. He thought about it as a punch disguised as a pat, because there's no way Lucas hit others as hard as he hit him.

Aiden turned around and looked up from his clipboard. It wasn't just Lucas. Kal was behind him, which had to mean Hugh, the third musketeer, wasn't far off. "Lucas, Kal." He greeted them with a cold smile.

Kal gave him a nod before turning his attention back to his phone.

"You here with someone?" Lucas looked around, no doubt trying to spot a familiar face. There were a few hikers milling around still, but most had already started up the trail. The first checkpoint was so close and so easy to find that guides weren't needed to get there.

"I work here." Aiden lifted up the top page of his list and viola; there was his classmates names.

"Are you going to be staying up at the cabins too?" Lucas sounded eager.

Aiden put a line through his name that was scribble down for the same cabin as them; Maddy, his boss, tried to group them all with people their same age. "Yeah. Number Five." He lied, placing himself into the smallest cabin.

"Cool, same one as my brother."

Aiden read the name.

Connor Clarke.

A bit different from Lucas Graham.

"Connor?" Aiden questioned.

Lucas' expression flickered. It was too quick, and easily covered up, so it was impossible to read what it meant. "That's the one."

Aiden would have let it slide if it wasn't for that strange expression. "I didn't realise you had a brother."

"Step brother" Kal came forwards, "Lets head up Luke, Hugh says he's already up there and I want to put this bag down already."

Lucas shot him an annoyed look. "Fine, yes, I was just saying hi."

"Just 'hi' is hi. We'll all be there for weeks, you'll have plenty of time to annoy Aiden later." Kal went past him and made for the trail.

Lucas scowled at his back, repeated 'annoy' over and over in a mutter. "I'll talk to you up at the cabins." He hit Aiden's shoulder.

Aiden waited till they were gone to rub his skin and curse. Shit. He liked this job precisely because he never had to see anyone from school. It was the only summer job he'd found where he didn't have to see them every day. Back home, in the small washed up town with only a dozen shops to choose from – everyone knew everyone's business.

Aiden wasted as much time as he could by the carpark. He took inventory of the stock as it got dropped off, he directed the hikers he'd been spending the next few weeks with towards the trail – each time ticking their name off on his sheet. And even when the time ticked towards dinner, past when everyone should have been there, he volunteered to wait for a pair of stragglers who'd promised they were on their way.

He waited on the plastic table, swinging his legs underneath him and planned how best to avoid Lucas. Kal was easy to deal with, but that would only last until he no longer had signal. Hugh wasn't as bad as Lucas, but the football players played rough.

Aiden made a note to volunteer for all the long-distance hikes during the day.

He was just about to give up when a black, towering jeep pulled into the carpark. It gleamed, and even from where he was he could smell money. He hated rich campers. They were always fussy.