Patrick did not do okay that week and I thought that camping would get his mind off of the stuff that went down. We drove up the mountainside and he was even more quiet than usual. He looked outside the window with a blank expression. I was focussed on the road but I knew something was up. He wasn't like he usually was. Funny, the good kind of weird and a little crazy. I'm not good with these kinds of things but I knew I had to do something. "Nick, how can you believe in reincarnation when your life is like this?" "Well I try not thinking too much about it. That helps." He wasn't looking at me as he talked. Well he never did to people. He just sorta had this blank stare talking to people. Expressionless. Again, this was different than usual. He usually would face the people even in that blank stare. He was out of it this time. He didn't look even remotely at me. His expression was still blank, I saw that much in his reflection. "Are you sure that you're okay?" I watched the road as I drove us further and further into the mountainside. "I'm sure." Still didn't look at me. I was worried about him but I knew I couldn't do anything when he got like that. And to think he called me stubborn and determined. I drove into a small forest, knowing there was a small river funneling a decently big lake. I had decided to set up camp there. I stopped the car about 20 feet from the lake and got out of it, Patrick still sitting inside the car. "Get out! We're here to camp and that's what we'll do." He reluctantly got out of the car. "Good." I opened up the trunk and got out the folded tent. "I'll set up our tent and you can look for some firewood meanwhile." Since he still had that blank expression I repeated myself. "Get some firewood Patrick." This time it was more of a command and less of a suggestion and he moved at the command, making his way into the woods. I decided to remember that. It might be useful later. I began setting up the tent and managed to erect it in about 20 minutes. I got a little sweaty and took off my shirt, the gentle and warm near-summer breeze whispered around me. The sun was warm on my skin as it shined down through the treetops.
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I came back from getting wood and what was before me was truly magnificent. Nick was relaxing, his shirt off as his skin glistened from the sunshine. I let go of the wood for a small second which resulted in me dropping it all on the ground. The noise from it hitting the ground was immense. If my life would've been a movie right there birds would have flocked away out of the trees but this forest was empty. The only living beings were me and Nick who had turned around at the noise. He looked at me with a look of concern. "Everything alright?" "Y-yeah...." I couldn't tell him just yet. I couldn't say anything yet. I just couldn't. "Need some help with that?" I calmly shook my head. "No. I've been clumsy so I should do it myself." I began picking up the wood I had dropped, him sighing in a distance. "I'll take a swim. You can join when you're done." I still was picking up wood, occasionally peeking over when I noticed he took off his shorts and his boxers and just went in the water. I looked down at the wood with my face being red like a tomato. I picked up the wood slowly and, once I had it all in my hands again, carried it over near our tent. I didn't know what to say or think at that moment. Of course I had seen Nick shower after PE before and therefore seen him naked but this felt different somehow. It just was something I couldn't describe at the time. I walked over to the lake, watching him swim around as I did so. He was just.....beautiful. I sat down at the edge of the lake, just watching him as I sunk back into thoughts.
"He's never going to love you. He's way too beautiful plus he likes girls. You should just give up. Yes, give up. That's the most rational thing to do. You're gonna scare him off if you tell him. He won't be your friend anymore. You'll be all alone and die alone too."
"Patrick are you gonna get in here?" I hadn't paid attention to what was around me. I still wasn't fully there. "W-what?" I felt something grab my arm and pull me into the water. Instinctly I began waving my arms around, swimming up to the surface and looking around. I spat out water as I made Nick out who had pulled me into the water. "T-thanks...." "This is why I tell you to shut up your brain. You aren't you when you listen to your brain." "I guess..." I was holding over the water surface by moving my arms and legs, the water warm on my skin. "You are a cunt sometimes." "Yeah I know. That's why we're best friends Patrick. Because you're too much of a good person." He grinned at me in his usual fashion as I went out of the lake, my clothes drenched in water. "Goddammit Nick. Now I'm all wet." "That's what she said." I looked at him with anger but that vanished as I saw his smiling face. He was enjoying himself and I shouldn't mess with that. I sighed deeply before getting naked, hanging my clothes onto a nearby branch to dry. I was all naked and went back into the warm water, letting it caress me all over as I got onto my back and just let myself drift on the lake.
