Leaves mushed under my sneakers, already half decayed and turned a grimy brown. The whole forest was cast in a navy gloom. Just enough of the setting sun was cutting through the overcast for me to make out the back of Maverick's jacket and the trail we were supposedly following.

He wouldn't tell me what we were doing out in the middle of the woods. One minute we're just driving around the county, me watching the sun flash behind the trees and him counting mile markers, and then he's pulled off the road and is coercing me into the brush. He went slower in the beginning, periodically checking over his shoulder to make sure I was keeping up, but he lost all concern for me about fifteen minutes in. He worked along the trail at an impatient rate, keen to get to whatever this secret destination was.

I knew this invitation was out of pity. He could tell there was something off about me lately. Of course there was — Ellie and I hadn't spoken at all since our fight and I didn't anticipate that changing anytime soon. He didn't say anything about it, but I was pretty sure Maverick caught me sneaking into the girls' bathroom crying last Tuesday.

"Is this the part where you tell me I'm the only girl you've ever shown your secret hideaway to?" I called ahead. I was teasing him, but my voice was absent of the light hearted humor I usually projected. "I didn't wake up this morning thinking I'd be starring in the newest shitty teen romance flick."

He spared me a brief glance over his shoulder, eyebrows raised, before ducking under a low branch. "Actually, the first girl I took up here was Ally Anderson and it ended with her giving me head. I doubt we'll be able to top that one, Angel, but I'm willing to try if you are."

I caught his suggestive grin and rolled my eyes in response, hiding my slight smile until he was turned back around, tackling the trail. Reluctantly, I hurdled over a fallen trunk and half jogged to keep up with his pace.

By the time we reached our destination, the sun had receded far past the treeline, the dusk leaving us nothing but a faint glow. It was just enough light to see the makeshift fireplace dug into the ground and the dirty bench that sat a few feet from it. A broken cooler was tucked between the trees. Maverick turned towards me, his arms outstretched, wearing a proud smile.

"Are we going to sit around and tell spooky ghost stories?" I asked, my tone patronizing.

"Your looks are scary enough. I think we'll be fine without."

We forgoed the bench all together (probably for the best as it looked like it was falling apart) and Maverick stretched a ratty blanket over the layer of leaves. He sat down and I reluctantly followed his lead. I would have been much better off if we just stuck to the car and spent the rest of the night aimlessly driving.

"What are we doing here, Mav?"

"You seem like you could use a pick-me-up," he shrugged. He was hardly paying attention to me now, too busy digging through his backpack. I hoped he had a flashlight tucked in there somewhere or else we'd be stumbling back in the pitch black.

"You're right, a campout is exactly what I need," I retorted. "Get in touch with nature. Freeze my ass off."

He shot me a look, one sharp enough to shut me up for the moment. He groped around the bottom of the bag some more and then laid out his treasures on the blanket in front of me. A baggie of weed and a bottle of Jack Daniels. "Pick your poison."

"You noticed I've been upset lately so your answer is to get crossfaded together?" My words were slow, completely void of any amusement. I should have just stayed home, sat around mopping in my room like every other night.

"I brought you out here to have a good time, not for a group therapy session. You know I'm no good with that emotional shit."

That was true, but he knew I didn't drink. I must have told him a hundred times. I scanned the tree line to my left, wryly chewing on the corner of my lip, biting down until I could feel the sting. Why was I even here? Is this really my life now?

Maverick sighed, running a rough hand through his already messy hair, avoiding my eye. Obviously this wasn't going how he planned either. He wore an expression that told me the words were getting caught on his tongue. Finally he spat it out.

"Look, if you need someone to talk to—"

"I'll spare you the torture," I snapped back.

"I'm trying, okay?" he said, frustration grinding his words. And the worst part about it was that he was telling the truth. All pink cheeks and innocent eyes and messy hair. He was just trying to be nice to me, probably the only friend I had left. I couldn't figure out why he bothered sticking around. He was about the last person I'd expect to.

I dropped my gaze, picking at the hem of my sleeve. Maybe I just felt guilty for being a jerk to him these past couple of days or maybe deep down I really did want to talk about this with someone.

"Ellie knows about the crush. She read my journal," I said. He was quiet while I recounted the fight. I bit my tongue before I could confess all my worst fears — that this was permanent, that she wouldn't want to talk to me ever again.

"That's messed up," he breathed. I nodded absently. "Did she even know you were bi?"

"I mentioned I was questioning once back in middle school. First thing she did was tug me over to the foot of her bed. We got down on our knees and she started praying to God to fix me. I didn't really mention it after that."

My words were punctuated with a bitter laugh. A cold drop landed on the back of my hand. I distracted myself from the memory by craning my neck back and looking at the overcast sky, the spindly fingers of the trees reaching out to the stormy expanse.

"What a bitch," Maverick mumbled.

"She didn't mean it like that. She was just trying to help. It's twisted, I know. If you knew her mom it'd make sense. She's a total psycho. The kind that'd send you to conversion therapy in a heartbeat or spy on her own kids for the hell of it. Ellie's never gotten a single vaccine because her mom thinks it's going to give her autism. Completely nuts."

"That doesn't make it right."

"Don't you think I know that?"

My chest felt like it was about to bust, my own ribs broken into shards and clawing at my insides. This whole thing was so messed up.

"Screw it," I said. "Roll me a blunt."

"That's my girl," he grinned. His fingers got to work right away. I couldn't help but smile at his good spirits. Another cold drop landed, this time on my jeans, a dark spot marking its target. My smile became hesitant.

"Do you feel that?"

"Huh?" He was almost finished, hardly paying any attention to me. A few more raindrops splattered against my skin.

"I think we're about to get rained out. Maybe we should start heading back to the car."

He shot me a look, "Come on, Angel, you're not wimping out on me, are you?"

"Fine," I said, taking the blunt from him. He dug around in his bag for a lighter, offering a few tips on the best way to breathe it in. I cut him off.

"I have actually done this before, remember?"

"Okay then." He tossed me the lighter. "Have at it."

I sparked a flame, half a second away from lighting up when a raindrop splattered against my nose. The soft patter of water on the leaves above us grew louder, and in an instant it started to downpour. Maverick hardly had enough time to curse before our clothes were soaked through. Ducking our heads, we tossed our things into his pack and balled up the blanket.

He grabbed my hand, tugging me back through the trails with nothing but the soft glow of his phone light to guide us. I struggled over the slippery bark of fallen trees, nearly taking Maverick down with me, and dodged the low-hanging branches the wind was whipping into our faces.

We made a weak attempt to drape the blanket over our heads, huddled close together on the narrow trail, but it wasn't much use. We were already drenched, our clothes stuck tight to our skin. The cold cut through me with every gust of wind.

We were a lot slower on our way back, my teeth chattering by the time we crawled into Maverick's truck. I cupped my hands in front of the heater as soon as he fired up the engine, eager to work some warmth back into my skin.

Maverick peeled off his tee shirt and tossed the wet ball into the back seat along with our drenched blanket. I tried not to stare at the tattoo that crawled across his shoulder and up his neck as he dove back there, searching. He emerged with a hoodie and tossed it at me. In fact, it was the very same hoodie I had returned to him just days before. Funny how it kept working its way into my possession.

I gave a quick glance over to make sure he wasn't looking and tore off my shirt as well, having a tough time getting it over my head while it insisted on sticking to my skin. I quickly threw on his sweater afterward, trying to ignore the fact he had definitely noticed me disrobing in his passenger seat. Actually, he was staring.

"What?" I said, feeling the heat creep up my neck.

He shook his head, a crooked smile wrapping around his lips. He pulled the gear into drive as he answered, "Just not how I imagined seeing you in your underwear for the first time."

"Hope you got a good look then because you won't be seeing it again."

"Oh don't worry, Angel. I did," he said. His smile was teasing but his voice was distinctly flirty, enough to turn my cheeks a bright red. I folded my arms across my chest, suddenly a lot more self-conscious about my quick change.

The ride back was peaceful, despite Maverick's crappy taste in music and the way the rain coating the windshield made it nearly impossible to see anything more than a blur in front of us. I listened to soft plink-plink that drummed along the roof of the car and let my thoughts drift, but never too distracted to miss Maverick's occasional glances at me.

Even though it meant the opportunity to peel off the soaked jeans that had been painted to my skin, I dreaded the moment Maverick pulled the car in front of my house. My body ached with the thought of leaving the warmth of his truck, and a pang of loneliness attacked the center of my chest. I didn't want to walk into an empty house.

"Sorry things didn't really work out," Maverick offered meekly, "Guess I should have checked the weather before dragging you all the way out there."

"It's alright. I had a good time," I said, and strangely enough, it was true. I gave him a small smile and slid out of the door, ducking away from the rain. My arms were tucked tightly across my chest. I was halfway to the house when I stopped in my tracks.

I sighed, and before I could talk myself out of it, I bolted back to him.