Breathe || Max X Reader - Camp Camp

XLV

Word Count: 2,024
Y/N's POV

"Do you hear that?", Nikki asked. She sniffed the air vigorously. "I think it's a bear fight!"
I chuckled and shook my head. I sat up in my bed and focused on the loud noises coming from outside of the tent area. "I don't think it's a bear, Nikki," I insisted. I stood and crept over to our tent's opening. "I'm pretty sure it's somebody we know." I wasn't able to identify the voice right then, but I could tell it definitely wasn't an animal.
I gave Nikki a suspicious look and exited the tent. I walked forward, following the sounds. I could hear Nikki following close behind. "I feel like a secret agent!", Nikki piped up. I paid less attention to Nikki and more attention to the noises. I waved a hand, signaling for Nikki to follow. Though the Sun was setting, it remained bright enough outside to be able to see where I was going. The sounds led me near the docks. Before my toes could touch the sand, I crouched down and shuffled my way into a group of bushes. Nikki got down on all fours and crawled into the bushes, joining me.
Nikki and I exchanged glances. "Let's see what's going on," I puzzled. I gently pried apart a set of branches, allowing me a clear view of what was happening by the docks. Harrison was furiously stomping on his miniature top hat. He kept jumping up and down like a deranged madman. Harrison's once tidy and proper hairdo was now a frizzy mess.
"I can't fucking believe you, Preston!", Harrison screamed. Harrison collapsed to his knees. He beat the ground with his fists. With each punch, the following 'thud' grew louder. "Why would you lie to me?" Harrison continued on with his screaming fit. Nikki turned to me with a confused expression. I shrugged in response. "You promised me that your feelings for Y/N were gone! How could you lie to me for so long?"
My jaw dropped. Nikki bit her lower lip. I watched as Preston's expression turned colder by the minute. Harrison's cries were agonizing. "I'm sorry!", Preston begged. His pleas for any form of forgiveness were quickly dismissed by Harrison.
"Because of her, this is never gonna' work! It's always going to be about Y/N! I can't fucking stand her! This is over!", Harrison asserted. He stood and dusted himself off. "I hope you're happy now." His voice hitched. Harrison stormed away, hand on his heart. I watched as it shattered into a million pieces, scattering itself across the lakeside.
Nikki took me by the hand and laid her head on my shoulder. "We should go to sleep, now," Nikki soothed. She wrapped her arms around me. My cheeks heated. "Let's go." Never in my life had I witnessed such a seriousness from Nikki. Nikki softly tugged on my sleeve, urging me to follow. Before I left the scene, I took one last glance at Preston. All alone, he sat at the docks, accompanied by the broken pieces of Harrison's heart in which he'd left behind- pieces Harrison never get back, and never rebuild. A firefly landed on Preston's nose and illuminated his expression, exposing the tears streaming down his face.

My night was not restful. I sat up, tossing and turning. It went on that way for hours. How could a person rest knowing that they're the cause of so much hurt?
Most of my night was spent remembering the times I'd been there for Harrison. I remembered laughing with him, crying with him, and watching him perform his magic. When Harrison needed a friend, I was always there. I was the person there for him while he grieved Preston's injuries. The idea of such a great friendship ending so quickly felt entirely bitter.
Love is jealous. Jealousy is the single root of most, if not all, evil.

I chose to sit with Max for breakfast. Neil and Nikki were both glad to join us. "So," Neil started, "yesterday I made some ammonium nitrate."
"Wow, how impressive," Max replied, sarcasm filling his voice. Neil rolled his eyes. "Right, I forgot, you're rea-"
"Howdy, campers!", David boomed. The mess hall fell silent and turned their attention to David. Max let out a groan and slammed down his spork. "Today is the big day! I'm going to tell you about our big end-of-summer project!" David held for applause. To David's disappointment, nobody clapped. "Alright then." David tapped his toe. "That's okay, it must be a tiring morning!"
Max twirled one of his curls. "Yeah, you got that one right, David!", Max sassed.
David shushed Max. "I would've expected that from you," David sighed. "Now, as I was saying!" David rolled a portable chalkboard to the middle of the mess hall. The board displayed several doodles of envelopes, smiley faces, and hearts. "I present to you, The Goodbye Project!" David clasped his hands together and kicked the chalkboard away. "On your own, personal time, I would like for to you pick a camper and write a letter to them. This letter is meant to be read at the end of summer, after camp closes. As long as it's positive, you can include anything you'd like in this letter. If you want, you can even write multiple letters! The goal is to leave your fellow campers with a positive memento to look back on in their later years. Is this project understood?"
Max raised his hand. David locked eyes with the stubborn child. "What if I don't want to do the stupid project?", Max challenged.
David shook his head with disapproval. "I don't want to force any of you to participate. If I force you, your letter likely won't be authentic. If you choose to write, I want you to write from the heart," David instructed. "I can't force you to participate, Max, but I think it'd be to your benefit if you chose to." Max sunk down in his seat and crossed his arms. "Anything to add?" All of the campers remained silent. "Alright, then! Remember, you have a little over a week and a half to get this done!"