A/N: This one is only here because of one certain person asking me to write it so this one is dedicated to Rach for making me do something the night before my hardest exams :P Anyways, tell me what you think as I always love to hear your opinions!

**********

We got back to the clearing and helped set up the bonfire, informing Nate that we were the best fetchers of logs there ever was. The twins started the fire and then we got talking before heading inside to make some dinner. Laziness was a key factor in determining what to make so it ended up ebing sandwiches. Rylie and Olly had just gone back outside to where Isaac was minding the fire. Rylie was still wearing my jumper.

"So how was your walk?" Leah asked me from across the bench, pulling her black hair back into an elastic band. Her tone was suspicious, capturing the interest of the others around the room. However it was mostly Tessa and Nate who's attention was captured enough to join in.

"Yeah, I heard you are the best 'log-getterers' out there?" Nate asked, quoting me from when we had returned from our walk.

"A bit happy, were you?" Tessa joined in with a smirk, raising a blonde eyebrow.

"Guys, too many questions," I told them, putting the lid on my sandwich. I began to put away all the ingredients as they debated over who's question was the best and should be asked first. Before they came to a conclusion, I decided to jump in again.

"You do realise not everything I think or talk about is to do with Rylie?" It was true. Sure, I really liked her and wanted to talk about her a bit, but other things crossed my mind as well. Speaking of, an image of Hazel flashed through my mind, reminding me to text her to ask how her piano pratice recital went.

The kitchen went quiet as they came to this realisation. I think that made them feel bad so I added, "But our walk was really good, we are the best log-getterers and I am very happy, not was. Present tense, not past."

The tension relaxed and I smiled, closing the fridge to return to my sandwich. I gobbled it down as the others talked, putting the plate on the sink when I was finished. Everyone else had already done the same but they were staying inside for a bit longer. I, however, wanted to go back out to the bonfire.

Because who doesn't love bonfires?

I excused myself and slid out the back door, allowing a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once they did, I followed the wooden steps to the ground and looked around the bonfire, only seeing Olly and Isaac standing beside it, clearly deep in their conversation. My eyes automatically searched for Rylie but I couldn't see her anywhere.

She did come out here, right? I know she did... I thought.

That's when I saw her. She was to the left of the cabins, sitting alone on a branch on the skirts of the clearing. She was hugging her knees with her dark hair falling over shoulders. But what had my face pinch with concern was the glimmer of something on her cheeks. It was only when the light of the fire caught on them that I realised what they were; tears.

My feet carried me to the place she was sitting and I crouched down to her level, my eyes in line with her closed ones. Closer up, I could see her face more clearly, meaning I could see that it wasn't just a few tears, but a waterfall of them.

"Are you okay?" I asked, not being able to stop my voice. Her eyes snapped open, looking like the ocean more now than they ever did.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She asked, a smile crossing her face that was clearly fake. I recognised that action though, trying to cover up real emotions with a smile. It made me wonder if she had a mask. The thought had crossed my mind a few times before but I wasn't sure.

"Well," I said, wiping the tears of her cheeks with my thumbs, not caring what she thought, "You're crying to start with." I held her face for a moment before I thought better of it ad dropped my hands.

"Really, I'm fine," she said. No she wasn't. Maybe she just wasn't telling me because she hated me.

"I know that you hate me." I said, trying to sound unnaffected by this fact. "But I really do want you to be fine, and I know you're not. I won't pry but I'm here if you want to talk."

Everything that tumbled out of my mouth was unfiltered; I was just speaking my thoughts and it was true, I did want her to be fine. My eyes darted sideways to where she was sitting on the log, looking at her hands in her lap. She was quiet for a moment and I looked away, not wanting her to feel pressure to tell me anything.

When I did this I saw Leah coming towards us, unaware of the somewhat sad atmosphere surrounding the two of us. In the dim light from the fire I saw her smile as she stopped a few feet away from us.

"Are you guys up for playing poker?" Leah asked, putting her hand on her hip. For a minute I thought she understood the situation because her face turned slightly guilty, but the guilt was aimed at me. Maybe she thought I was pulling a move on Rylie, which I really wasn't.

I expected Rylie not to say anything but her voice changed from sad to way too excited. "That sounds awesome!" She said, over-enthused. "Let's go." She got up and brushed the bark off her jeans before falling into step beside Leah. I trailed a few steps behind, coming to the conclusion that Rylie had to have a mask. No one could go from that ruined to that happy in such a small space of time.

Everyone was at the table with their own lollies, suggesting that we would be betting them in the game. I followed Rylie into the kitchen and got out my M&Ms before taking a seat at the table between Seth and Tessa. Talk about third wheeling....

We played for hours, but I wasn't really paying attention. My mind was elsewhere, on the girl sitting directly across the table. She looked so happy, but I knew from her eyes that she wasn't. Regardless, she was kicking everyone else's butts at poker; everyone's except mine.

By the end it was just the two of us with everyone's eyes watching intently. Rylie was dealing just as Nate declared this the last hand. It was almost midnight so I understood their want to leave, especially considering they weren't playing.

When I picked up my cards I knew I was going to win. I had the second best hand in the game and unless Rylie had the first, I was going to win. We began bettingamd within the minute I went all in and she didn't have anything else to bet.

"You can always start betting your clothes," I smirked, keeping up the act. "God only knows I don't mind!"

The look on her face was sharp enough to cut ice and I just kept smirking until a brilliant idea popped into my head. There was no way she would or could refuse this and I knew I would win. I put my 'serious face' on.

"Okay, this time I'm serious. How about no sweets. We donate them to the less skilled poker players-" everyone protested that comment "- and make a verbal bet?" I raised my eyebrows, ignoring the shouts from our friends around the table.

"Hmm... I'm intruiged. What do you have in mind?" She asked, putting her cards face down on the table and leaning her head on her hand. I knew she wouldn't like what I was about to say but I couldn't resist.

"If you win," I paused, thinking of something that she'd want that would never happen. "You get to slap me three times. In the face. Whenever you want. Because let's face it, we all know you've been dying to," I said, rolling my eyes. As much as I hated that fact I knew it was true.

"And if you win?" She asked, raising her eyebrow to match my expression. She was interested, and strangely confident.

"If I win, we have to be friends."

Her expression turned to one of mischief as she nodded, but her eyes gave her away. I shook my head. "No, when I say friends I mean the hanging out after school, going to see movies together, talking nicely to each other sort of friends."

Rylie's face dropped to a frown and I just held out my hand to be shaken. She'd take the bet though, I knew it.

"Deal?" I asked.

She took my hand and shook it once. "Deal."

The others were making comments about who they wanted to win but I was focussed on Rylie's hand that she was laying on the table. She was confident, and so she should be having the third best hand you could ever get. It was hard to beat.

I put on a dissapointed expression to trick her and it worked; her face turned smug and I couldn't help but dissapoint. I lay my hand down and smiled.

"Dammit!" She groaned, putting her head into her hands. I felt like jumping up and down because I had made progress; we were finally friends. But I didn't because let's face it, that would be weird. I picked a red skittle and put it in my mouth, truly happy in that moment.

"He-ey," Seth stuttered, getting the attention of the group as the conversations were dying off. "Does anyone mind if we completely switch the sleeping arrangements?"

Rylie's laugh quietly sounded in the room and I couldn't figure out why. None the less I agreed, along with everyone else.

"Do you have any ideas?" Nate asked him but his eyes averted to the black-haired girl sitting beside him.

"Well," he said. "I was thinking that Nate could go with Leah?" He asked. Both of them nodded.

"Okay, and Olly and Isaac can stay in the same room?" Seth continued and I knew that wasn't going to be a problem. They both nodded as well.

"And I can go with Tess, leaving Max with Rylie," he rushed, averting his eyes from Rylie as he said this. I was more than happy with this and Rylie didn't protest so I figured we were getting somewhere.

I headed straight back to the cabin with the rest of the guys. Nate and Seth got their bags right away and left again, whereas Olly and Isaac went to their room and closed the door, leaving me in the hallway. I stood their mindlessly for a moment before I moved to my room at the end of the hall.

The door was open as I had left it with my bag at the end of my bed. I smiled as I realised who would be sharing the bed opposite mine in only a few minutes. I changed into a t-shirt and sweats and sat on my bed with my back against the wall, facing the other bed. The room was dull even with the light on, highlighting the rustic window and the lampshade in between the beds.

A few moments later a door opened and closed, leading to footsteps sounding down the hallway. They paused at the start of the hallway before continuing down to this room. Rylie's figure came into the door frame with a bag slung over her shoulder.

She moved to the opposite side of the room, dumped her bag at the end of her bed and sat mirroring my position, facing me. I automatically smiled before she started talking.

"Where's the bathroom?" She asked after a moment of me thinking of multiple ways to get her to like me. I came up blank.

A smirk covered my face as I came up with a line. "What? You don't just want to get changed here?" I asked. Despite wanting her to like me, teasing her was sometimes far too fun. I then told her seriously, "Next door down the hall."

She pulled out some clothes from her bag and left the room, taking the shortest amount of time I'd ever could of thought possible to get changed for a girl. I wasn't being sexist or anything, but from growing up with two sisters, the only experience I had was with girls that took at least ten minutes to get changed. Rylie was back in two.

During the time she was away I had managed to switch off the light and turn on the small lamp.

Rylie walked back into the room and threw something at me, which I only realised after a moment was my jumper. "Thanks," I told her, throwing it to the end of my bed. She got on her bed in her pyjamas and mirrored my position once again.

It was silent until I got the urge to voice a question I'd had in my head from the first day we'd met. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she smiled, seeming curious in the dull light which cast shadows on her face.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

Her smile faltered and she took a deep breath. "I don't hate you, personally," she paused. "I hate who you reminded me of when I met you."

What?

"And who's that?" I asked, leaning foward on my bed.

"My ex boyfriend."

Ah, something must have happened between them, and something bad from the way she had been acting towards me; really bad.

I don't know why but I felt the need to be closer to her, so I got up, dragged my bed over beside hers with her acceptance. When it was touching her bed frame I stopped, climbing back onto it.

"Bad break up?" I asked, though I figured it would be more than that.

"It's complicated, but essentially, yes," she hesitated, as if she wasn't sure if she should continue. But she made up her decision and explained.

She proceeded to explain what happened with her ex, which - if it had gone any further - would have been rape. A red cloud covered my vision and I focussed on her voice - not her words, but the tone - to calm me down. When the cloud passed, I was still left with the need to hurt this guy.

"Does he still go to our school?" I asked, but she shook her head. Damn, if only he did....

"No, he moved to Canada a few months after," she explained, sounding relieved. I don't blame her.

"Good, because if he hadn't then I'd bash his freaking head in," I muttered under my breath.

"Hey," her gentle voice said as she put her hand on my arm, a gesture that surprised me. "It's okay."

No, it wasn't okay. Not if she thought I was anything like that asshole. If she said I reminded her of him then I had to change her mind.

"You know I'd never do anything like that right?" I asked, pleading for her to understand. "I'm nothing like him. I'd never do anything to make you feel uncomfortable." Uncomfortable was perhaps the wrong word, but it was the closest one to what I was trying to describe.

"I know Max, I know," she told me, stopping me from continuing.

After a moment she took a breath and tried to lighten the mood. "You know, I can't promise that I'm going to be a good friend..." She trailed off, confusing me.

Why on Earth wouldn't she be a good friend?

"Why not?" I asked, smiling a bit at her random comment.

"Well, because I'm emotional, annoying, moody and just not a great friend."

I looked to her face to see if she was joking but her expression was straight. I couldn't help my laugh.

"You're kidding right?"

When she shook her head I had to dispute her theories. "You may be some of those things," I allowed, mainly talking about the comment of being moody. "But just no. You are witty, imaginitive, fierce, funny, caring and so much more. I doubt it is possible for you to be a bad friend." I rushed, wincing at how tacky that sounded.

Fuck it, she needed to know that and it was all true. I had momentarily given up wearing my mask in front of her.

Rylie just laughed quietly while shaking her head. She clearly didn't believe me but she didn't have to. I was right and she wasn't. After a moment she yawned and without any further words I switched off the lamp, turning the room to darkness.

"Goodnight," I whispered with sleep evident in my voice.

"Night Max."