Aubrey Garcia's Journey home.

Chapter Twenty Six.

"Camping?" Leon asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Yep." Mom said, smiling at him.

"Whyyyyyyyyy?" Carter whined.

"Because." Mom said.

"Well when you put it that way..." Aubrey said sarcastically, causing Leon to snort.

Aubrey actually didn't mind camping all that much, after all nature was the best place to read books, find inspiration for art, and listen to music. Which coincidentally happened to be all her favorite things.

"No one here wants to go camping." Leon said, shooting glares at Aubrey and Carter.

Aubrey just shrugged, and Carter continued doing his homework.

"Guys." Leon said, painfully elbowing Aubrey in the side.

"Eh, I don't mind camping." Aubrey said, giving Carter an opportunity to say something.

"I accede." Carter said, not looking up from his coloring worksheet. Leon made an annoyed groaning noise and stomped out of the room, leaving Mom there smiling.

"Ok, now that that's all settled everyone can bring two friends."

Aubrey opened her mouth, but Mom said, "James doesn't count, he's already coming." Aubrey smiled and nodded, already deciding on bringing Eliana and Lexi.

"Now." She said. "Go pack."

Aubrey nodded, and ran upstairs to her room. She smiled and started shoveling clothes in her clothes bag. She grinned happily folding her clothes, when suddenly she felt a strong sense of familiarity with the action. Her hands faltered, remembering all the times she had to pack and leave foster homes. All the times she was thrown out like a toy you disregarded when you were bored of it.

She put down the shirt she had been folding as tears sparked in her eyes. Stupid. She thought to herself, trying to stem the stream of tears already trickling down her face. Just stop crying. Just as Aubrey thought that, she did that thing when you're trying not to cry and you make a weird gasping sound. Freaking idiot. 

Weak. 

She went back to folding clothes, tears still streaming down her face.

After about ten minutes of packing her face was still flushed from crying, eyes red. She immediately locked her bedroom door, and went to wash her face. She pulled a tank top on and walked out her bedroom door, immediately running into James.

"Ack! Oh hey. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "Your Mom said you have something to say to me?" Aubrey laughed at his confused and wary expression.

"Finally going to admit to your undying love for me?" James said with a grin.

Aubrey snorted, and tried to ignore this strange fluttering feeling in her stomach.

I do not like him like that. She thought sternly to herself. Apparently her heart hadn't gotten the message.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" James asked, startling her out of her thoughts. "Camping."

"Oh."

"Wait so you've been camping with them before?" She asked.

He nodded, and Aubrey felt a pang of sadness strike her. Just another reminder that I don't belong here. She absently traced the edges of her silver locket.

"Sorry." He murmured.

"Huh?" Aubrey said, looking up from her locket.

"Sorry." He said again, but this time Aubrey didn't need him to explain. How he always knew what she was thinking was a mystery.