"너와 입술이 닿을 때부터

Since the time I kissed you

모든 게 달라질 줄 알았는데

I thought everything was going to change

별거 없어 넌 다른 게 없어

But nothing has changed, you haven't changed."

❁❁❁

"WHAT DO YOU want, Asher?" I groaned, placing my hands on my hips. I was clearly not in the mood for any of his stupid, insulting remarks. The white-haired heir stood tall and mighty in his tailored uniform, looking like he belonged at a fashion show rather than school. Not to mention, I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't someone else. The silly, romantic part of me wished it was.

You're welcome. Let me know, alright? When you figure it out.

I shut my eyes tightly, Robin's words echoing in my head for what seemed like the hundredth time. It seemed clear to me that he was choosing to pretend nothing had happened from the way he was ignoring my text messages for the past couple of days. The final straw was the way he was being so incredibly rude back at the lounge.

We cannot be together. We cannot be together. We can—

"What, were you expecting someone else? Preferably someone with blonde hair and a cold, granite stare?" Asher smirked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"No!" I nearly shouted, glaring at him harshly. "I don't like him!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, you crazy woman," Asher scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"What do you want, Asher?" I sighed in resignation, eager to get over with this conversation so I can go to my dorm and curse Robin to hell. Asher eyed me curiously, before scratching his head and sighing.

"Look. Don't take this the wrong way, but thanks for being a friend to Emily," Asher grumbled, crossing his arms and staring at the ground uncomfortably. I felt my lips quirk into a smile at the mention of my best friend.

"Is that so, Asher Dane?"

"I'm not going to say it again," he snapped, shooting me another glare. Only, this time it wasn't so scathing. "If you tell anyone about this conversation, I'll make sure your death is slow and painful. Besides, no one is going to believe that someone like me will associate with someone like you anyway, so save yourself the trouble and shut it, will you?"

"Why, of course, Your Majesty! Anything else? Shall I stitch my lips shut for you? Or should I go ahead and jump off a cliff and save you the trouble of hiring a hitman to make sure I don't speak of this?" I gibed.

Asher smirked, "Yes, that would be nice."

"I'm going to murder you in your sleep," I muttered darkly.

"I thought you were going to murder Robin in his sleep?" Asher asked, raising a triumphant eyebrow at me.

"I-I never said that!" I protested, my cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

"Sure, but your homicidal expression when he told you to leave begged to differ," Asher teased.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Whatever. Anyways, Logan sent me to tell you that you're invited to Emily's birthday dinner next Saturday," Asher said with a bored expression, while examining his perfectly cut nails.

"Why couldn't he send Yuko instead? Or just tell me himself?" I pouted. "You're clearly the least liked Royal around here."

"Now would be a good time to jump off that cliff, Alex," Asher scoffed, narrowing his eyes at me. "Now aren't you glad that I'll be the last person you'll see?"

"I'm going to rinse my eyes of your image before I go blind. I'll be at the dinner, of course. Hope to never see you anytime soon!" I smiled sweetly, before skipping back to my dorm.

"The feeling's mutual, Alex!" Asher guffawed behind me.

❁❁❁

I TRIED MY best not to get trampled on as everyone hurried to get down of the school bus.

"Can you believe it? A vehicle like that? We're not zoo animals!" I heard one girl cry out to her friend as they sprinted their way down the bus the minute the mechanical doors creaked open. I shook my head in disappointment and waited patiently for everyone to get down of the bus. Granted, school buses aren't the fanciest form of transportation, but these kids were overreacting. I climbed down the bus, wincing when my boot squelched as it sank into the damp dirt. Unfortunately for everyone, it had just rained the night before, so the ground was muddy and the air was humid, making this trip seem even more unbearable.

The cohort was informed yesterday that we would be going on a Survival Etiquette course and of course, everyone was rather clueless about what it was going to be about. After all, being dumped into a forest with limited supplies were not exactly what I had in mind. I was thinking more of How To Ties Knots 101 or self-defence classes, not how to build a shelter with twigs and fight off bears.

"Alright, campers, listen up! First of all, let's get introductions out of the way. I am Greyson King, your camp and course instructor. Assisting me will be Marla Reigns," the man standing in front of everyone said, his voice loud and authoritative. He had tan skin and was very muscular, his hair close-shaven and his eyes a warm hazel brown. I heard a group of girls giggle behind me when he turned to look in our direction. A dark-skinned woman standing next to him took a step forward, waving her hand. I assumed that she was Marla.

"With that said, please arrange yourselves into groups of three," Greyson instructed, crossing his arms. His muscles bulged under his skin, causing another ripple of giggles from the girls behind me. Emily and I immediately hooked arms, grinning at each other. I wasn't sure about how much fun I would be having in the middle of a forest, but at least I get to spend it with favourable company.

I glanced around in hopes of finding a friendly face to join us when a black-haired boy approached Emily and I with a hesitant smile.

"H─," he began but was quickly cut off when a tall figure loomed behind him menacingly.

"Piss off." The boy didn't need to be told twice. A navy blue duffel bag was dumped at my feet carelessly and I shot the intruder an annoyed look. Asher did nothing but smirk, before removing his khaki-coloured baseball cap and running his hand through his straight white hair.

"Emily," Asher greeted, nodding his head stiffly.

"Ash?" Emily mumbled, eyes widening in surprise. His indifferent expression was replaced with a narrowed eyes and downturned lips when he looked at me.

"Hello, daft prat."

Remember when I said I was going to spend this trip with favourable company?

I spoke too soon.

"What are you doing here?" I asked rudely, wrinkling my nose.

"You're missing a group member, aren't you?" he sneered, narrowing his eyes a fraction.

"We are fully capable of finding our own group member," I argued, but Asher wasn't having it. He had gone back to ignoring me and instead was engaged in a silent staring competition with the ground. I was just about to protest when we were interrupted by the camp instructors again.

"Everyone, please send one representative to collect your tents and other materials," Marla commanded.

"You heard her," Asher retorted, raising an eyebrow at me and jutting his chin out in the direction of the pile of tents.

"Emily, can you please tell him to bugger off?" I pleaded, but Emily could only chuckle nervously.

"M-me?" she stuttered, pointing to herself. She glanced at Asher, who stared at her with an inscrutable expression. She let out a noise that sounded very much like a rabbit's last dying squeal before it gets eaten by a big bad wolf and then bolted towards the tents. "I'll just go get the tents!"

I sighed, shaking my head.

"See?" Asher said, his lips curling into a triumphant smirk. "She wants me here."

"You're deluded," I muttered, casting him a dark look. "Just so you know, a girl isn't supposed to be scared of you if she likes you."

"As if you'd know better, Knight," he snapped, narrowing his bright green eyes.

"Just a piece of friendly advice," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "If I were you, I'd try smiling, for one."

Emily huffed when she reached the two of us, carrying a crate of miscellaneous items. Asher took one look at her, then muttered something under his breath before begrudgingly snatching the crate from her small hands.

"Took you long enough," Asher grunted, but even though his words were harsh, the hostility in his tone was gone. Emily flushed under his narrowed gaze, quickly slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder. Asher's hard gaze grew icy and he even managed to look even more displeased than before.

"Let's go set the tent up before all the good spots are taken," Asher sighed, and trudged toward the clearing without another word. As he walked in front of us, I couldn't help but steal a glance at Emily who looked troubled. Asher Dane was definitely a confusing specimen, and it was starting to dawn on me that Emily might be the only person capable of deciphering him.

❁❁❁

IT TOOK A lot of time and energy to set up the small tent. Most of my energy spent was trying to resist the urge to strangle Asher and strap his lifeless body to a tree for animals to feed on. He could not stop bossing Emily and I around like we were his measly servants as he sipped from his metal canister and eyed the both of us with displeasure.

"A little help wouldn't hurt, you know?" I panted, but Asher only shrugged and used his foot to gesture to the bags at his feet.

"I'm taking care of our property," Asher said in a bored voice, but lighted up slightly when he caught sight of a group of familiar faces headed in our direction. I couldn't help but feel uneasy when I realised Robin was among those who were headed our way. I was still pretty hurt from his blatant coldness back at the lounge. From the way he went back to ignoring my presence again, it seemed like he wanted to pretend nothing ever happened between us.

As if he knew I was thinking of him, he glanced up from the dirt and looked into my eyes, taking my breath away for a moment. Then, as quickly as he saw me, he looked away.

Well, it's not going to be my problem anymore. He can suit himself.

"Emily? Why are you so sweaty?" Logan pointed out when the three boys came to a stop in front of our tent.

"Tent," Emily puffed, wiping her brow and politely smiling at the boys.

"Oh, that?" Logan said, raising his eyebrows. "Scoot over, I'll help."

Logan pushed his sleeves up above his elbows and dusted his hands, bending down to help Emily and I lift the tarp. Before he could get his hands on it, a menacing leather boot suddenly obstructed his view. Asher grunted, pushing Logan aside and begrudgingly started to help the both us, much to our surprise.

"It's our tent," Asher muttered in displeasure, causing Logan to smile mischievously. Logan looked triumphant and obediently took a few steps back.

"Right, man. Should've known," Logan replied cheekily. He couldn't possibly be trying to make Asher jealous...right? It seemed like the only time Asher did anything for Emily, it was to ward off anyone who tried to make a move on her.

"Why couldn't you or Yuko join us instead?" I asked, sulking. Logan grinned, twirling my ponytail in between his fingers.

"We kicked him out," Logan shrugged, casting me a faux apologetic look. Luckily, I was too amused by the fact that Asher practically got purged out of his group to be annoyed that they knowingly set Asher on the loose. "He is, after all, the least capable person when it comes to the wilderness."

"That's true," Yuko added solemnly. "He hates anything that moves. Which includes everything in the forest."

"I can hear all of you," Asher snapped, but by the way he was using two fingers to grab anything off the ground, I had a feeling that Yuko was telling the truth.

"That's good, Ash," Logan cooed, his mischievous smile widening. "The bugs haven't gotten to you yet, I see. Do be careful, you don't want them crawling into your ear and laying eggs in them."

Asher scowled at Logan maliciously, cursing him loudly before shrugging it off and returning to setting up the tent. However, when he thought no one was looking, he discreetly cradled his ears and made sure no creepy-crawlies were inside. Just in case.

  ❁❁❁ 

A/N: Hello, loves! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :) I'll be going to Vietnam to do charity work in March, and thought about how I could extend the invitation of help to you guys. I know we are all little heros ready to help those in need, but we're sometimes stuck in the position where we are not able to offer as much help as we want to. I am fortunate that I am able to go overseas to do charity work, something that not everyone can afford to do. But, I know that my readers are so kind and that some of you might want to help in any way possible. So I've decided to donate all proceeds earned through Radish from chapters 23, 24 and 25. The money earned from those chapters as well as a small sum from my own savings will go to purchasing basic necessities for impoverished children, elderly and the blind in Vietnam. If you are interested in helping and you are in a situation where you can spare some change for the less fortunate, head on over to Radish to purchase chapter 24 (and chapter 25, when it is released next week). If not, chapters will be released on Wattpad as per normal, so no worries! Ever since I started my Wattpad journey, I've always known that I wanted to use my platform to educate and inspire readers and I'm glad that this year I am able to do so through my trip :) I will update everyone when I embark on my trip in March! Until next week,

shev xx

Song of the Chapter: Why So Lonely // The Wonder Girls