"Ash...don't cry," he told me, wiping away a tear from my cheek. A frown made its way to his face, his brows furrowing together.
"I'm sorry," I sniffed. I leaned in and hugged him, squeezing him so tight in hopes he wouldn't leave.
He shook his he...
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• Griff •
I awoke to the sound of snickering. It was happy and quite loud, forcing me to open my eyes. Sun shone through the window, laying on the wooden ground of our cabin.
"Oh—shaving cream? Jorge, Griff!" Ravi groaned.
"It wasn't me," I huffed, sitting up in bed. My t-shirt was clinging to me, due to sweat. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I turned towards Ravi, watching as someone shot up from the side of his bed holding shaving cream and a feather.
"Luke?!" Ravi and I shouted at the same time, excitement prominent on my face. "What are you doing here? And will I have to lie to the police about anything?"
I shot out of bed, a smile embedded on my face. I suddenly wasn't sleepy anymore, all jittery and excited to see Luke. "Does Ash know you're here yet?"
Luke chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course not." He set down the shaving cream and the feather, continuing to laugh as he stood up from Ravi's bedside.
"Oh, she's gonna freak!" I exclaimed. Ash always told me that she loved Luke. He protected her, made sure she didn't get in trouble, and he showered her with brotherly love.
"How is she? Have you been taking care of her?" He asked me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Luke kept a close eye on me always, making sure I was 'treating Ash right'.
I nodded as a laugh escaped Jorge's lips. "Shaving cream while you're sleeping? Classic!"
"Yeah, I call it The Sleeping Santa," Luke told us. The words came out as if he'd said them a million times, which he probably had.
Ravi rolled his eyes as he wiped the shaving cream off, annoyed that this seemed to be a routine now. "I call it Not Funny the First Ten Times."
"You must be Luke!" Jorge cheered. He hadn't got to meet Luke last year, so now was his chance. "Is it true you put fake puke in Ravi's lunch box, so he hurled on the lunch lady?"
"Nah, that story isn't true," Luke dismissed. "I didn't use fake puke, I used real puke. I'm a prank purist."
Ravi retched. "That was real?"
•
"Where are you taking me?" Ash giggled, placing her hands over mine, covering her eyes. She stumbled forward, a smile bright on her lips.
"It's a surprise," I sang, leading her to the mess hall. "And...now!" I pulled my hands away from her face, allowing her to see what was in front of her.
"Luke!" She cried, rushing over to him. She ran super fast, engulfing him in a hug, smiling happily. "I missed you!"
"That's what Griff said," he commented, sending me a wink as he wrapped his arms tightly around his little sister, lifting her into the air. I walked over, sitting down next to Ash who had set herself down next to Luke. She placed her hand in mine as Xander called Emma over. "Hey, Emma!"
