AllFreeNovel
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Smiling, I decline. “No thanks, Tuck, I’ll just catch a ride with—”
“She’ll ride with me.” Branson slings my bag over his shoulder, winking.
My nose scrunches up at him. I was going to say Kyler.
Branson tosses it in the back. His black boots are tucked over his dark jeans, paired with a black t-shirt and a red flannel, hat flipped backward. I groan. How could a sexy person be so annoying?
I am dressed similarly in tight jeans, brown boots, and a white tank top with a purple flannel, my hair in box braids.
Tori and Josefina walk out giggling. Tori is in sandals, a jean skirt, and a crop top. Josefina is much the same, except she wears shorts. I knew it. They’d never been camping. Who wears that kind of camping gear? No one.
Maybe they’d get lost in the woods for most of the trip.
Tori is saddled up by Branson, putting her hands on his arms. “Hey, Bran.” I make a gagging noise. “Can we ride with you?” She ignores me.
“Yeah, Branson, can we ride with you?” Josefina pushes herself on his chest.
“Sorry, ladies,” he smiles, “my ride is full.”
They pout, their bottom lips poking out. I smirk.
“Come on, ladies.” Dante hooks an arm around them both. “I always have room for beautiful women.”As they pass, Branson’s knuckles bump Dante’s.
The ride is long. I’d forgotten my book, so I focus on the nature around me. Branson is silent. He keeps opening his mouth like he has something to say, but words never come. It makes it awkward, and I beg to be released from this tension.
We finally arrive hours later, to find everyone sitting in lawn chairs, with Kyler standing in the center, a jar in hand. “Okay, before we start, we need to pick camp buddies,” Kyler says, shaking the jar.
“Excuse me?” I put my hands on my hips, not liking it one bit.
Kyler glares at me for interrupting. I throw my hands up. “Sorry. I just… thought maybe I’d be able to be alone for this trip.”
“That’s so nice of you to think so highly of us.” Kalisha smiles and winks at me.
“All right, enough. In this jar are all the girls' names. Each guy will pick a name and that’s who you will spend the weekend sharing a tent with and doing camp activities.” Activities? I came here to fish and nap. Not exercise. It can never be normal with them, can it?
“Branson’s up first.”
Branson walks over, grabbing a name out of the jar. His eyes connect with mine as he licks his lip. “Darling.” I sigh.
“He calls her Darling?” Tori gasps.
He drops the name back in the jar.
“Dude, you obviously wouldn’t do that. What if someone else draws her?” Kyler groans.
“My bad. Just have them throw it out if that happens.”
My eyes narrow on Branson. “You didn’t draw me, did you?” He winks. Cheating, cosmic-brownies-tainting bastard.
Everyone else draws. I smile when Tucker gets Emerald, who blushes when he says her name. There is something there. I can see it.
Tori and Dante are paired together. I’d bet my life savings they can’t put up their own tent.
Kyler and Kalisha would vibe good with their free spirits and shit.
Josefina and Justin seem to not care either way. The only ones who don’t seem like a power team besides them are Branson and me.
Branson throws the tent down at the farthest point on the campsite. I roll the tarp out, making sure to smooth it all down, then I open the tent bag up. It’s huge. Especially for two people. It is a ten-person tent, I’m sure of it. I start rolling the tent out when Tucker yells, “Strawberry, what are you doing?”
