Loca

The teachers droned on and on about nothing while I sat in between Danni and Jake on a picnic table.

Hector was behind me, sitting on the table with a crowd that was a mixture between the pack and his friends. His hands in my hair were somewhat possessive due to Jacob’s unusually cheerful self, sitting beside me.

He flipped a switch as soon as I asked him to sit with me, and I was glad to see he wasn’t going to be a sour puss about Hector hanging around. One less thing to stress about.

“And if you are to become separated from the campsite and the group somehow you should be sure to…”

Danni tapped her leg impatiently, eager to start in on the rest of the night. Most likely she was already eyeing the bags of endless marshmallows just waiting to be charred.

“Patience,” I warned her teasingly. Jacob chuckled and smiled at me. He was paying way more attention to me than to the speech anyways.

Ten minutes afterwards, the talks ended and everyone went their separate ways. My particular groups of friends all claimed a gigantic fire pit and I invited Whitney while Tabby and Tina went their separate ways.

I hoped being around us would help Whit break out of her shyness, especially since she usually hung out with the same group of three all school year, her friend Jayyde and cousin Vanessa, both of which had plenty of friends but hung out with only each other.

They were all pretty and very sweet, and they could’ve been extremely popular if they were vain like that, but they weren’t and they seemed to like doing their own thing.

I invited them anyways, and they didn’t seem to mind too much. They seemed to take to the pack really well also.

Especially in Nessa and Lizzie’s case; that girl had a gift. I’d never Lizzie talk and smile so much, and I’ve known her for a while.

I caught Hector smiling a lot at the pair too, and then what was weird was that whenever he did Danni would glare at him like she wanted to claw his face off.

I brushed it back. I would be able to talk to her about it later.

“C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G SONG!!!” Lafe screeched.

He wasn’t the best singer obviously, and his outburst earned him multiple giggles along with a few ‘shut the hell ups’ and burning chunks of marshmallow to go soaring his way.

Danni attempted to throw a marshmallow, but gave up when it clung to her skin and I rolled my eyes at the worshipping look on her face as she ate it.

“That’s disturbing to watch,” I told her as she licked her fingers clean. She rolled her eyes at me and smirked though. “Well maybe it wouldn’t be if you weren’t such a pervert.”

I laughed quietly. “Yeah okay, I’ll give you that much,”

It didn’t take too long for hours to fly by and the teachers to make their rounds and shuffle everyone off to bed. I hugged all my guys, including Jake, and kissed Hector before Danni practically dragged me off.

She had that unhappy look on her face again, her pout one that would put a lot of toddlers to shame.

“Something wrong?” I asked her.

She shrugged and we entered the tent.

“I need to tell you something…” She started.

“But Im not entirely sure I should; I don’t know how you’re gonna react and I promised Hector I’d keep my mouth shut...but Im not entirely sure I owe him anything at the moment.”

I was suddenly very sure I didn’t want to know what she had to say.

“Okay, now Im scared…” I told her in all seriousness. She fidgeted nervously and I chewed on my lip. We were alone in the tent and I didn’t know if I wanted her to blurt it out before we had an audience, or just keep her mouth shut.

“Okay…so you know how I’ve been giving Hector the evil eye all night?” Danni rushed, not giving me time to respond.

“I heard him thinking on patrol that he and Lizzie hooked up a few weeks ago, but I only just found out now…”

One of the metal poles suspending the tent in the air suddenly bent at an odd angle, making Danni jump.

“Jeez Troy did you do that?” She asked incredulously, staring to where the pole was now shaking, matching the tremors rippling down my spine.

“Calm down, now,” Danni ordered, suddenly serious and intense. I tried to focus on breathing and the tent poles groaned in abuse.

It was silent for about two minutes before our tents mates suddenly graced us with their presence. They didn’t even ask what happened to the tent poles and must’ve just assumed it was from our lack of being able to put the tent together easily.

I set up my sleeping bag near Danni’s so I could calm down and then eventually talk about what was going on when everyone had passed out.

My mind was going crazy in the meantime.

I kinda knew this would happen…it was only a matter of time…all the signs were there.

The rarely ever putting me on patrol so I wouldn’t be able to read Hector’s thoughts…the lack of visits or calls…the obvious paranoia that Hector had about ever guy I ever talked too. The looks he always gave Lizzie.

The reason behind all that had been that he loved her. And he didn’t want me to know.
Why couldn’t he just tell me?

I would’ve understood…Hector and I had never been the couple of the century. I’d have understood if he wanted to leave for her. I would’ve been able to smile as he walked away from me for her.

But keeping up a charade with me was not going to happen.

Danni nudged me and sat up the second it was clear we were the last conscious. I sat up and grabbed a flash light that was nearby, even though I didn’t need it. I just wanted to use it as a stress toy really. Hopefully it’d live through it.

“Let me see if I understand…” I whispered in the silence. My brain had calmed down its thought process, but it was still way too fast, and way too jumbled.

“He and Lizzie hooked up…and he was trying to get you to keep it from me? Am I getting it all right? ” I said, my voice unrecognizable.

Danni nodded in the darkness.

I cussed under my breath and shook my head.

“Im taking a walk,” I whispered and left before Danni could try and calm me down. More likely than not she’d end up getting hurt and I didn’t really wanna be pissed off at Danni.

Jacob’s POV

Quil and I ditched the tent.

We couldn’t take Paul and his girl anymore. It was bad enough that she had actually had the guts to ask us to join the two of them, but she was also one of the people who were in the clique that seemed to hate my imprint.

“What now man?” Quil asked. I shrugged, trying not to make too much noise as we walked through the darkness. No need to have the teachers ordering us around right now.

“Maybe give it a few hours?” I suggested, still looking at Quil, so I didn’t notice when I ran right into Troy.

She fell back wards and she would’ve hit the ground undoubtedly if it wasn’t for my reflexes.

“Smooth Jake,” Quil snickered, and I felt a bit of guilt eat at me as I released Troy’s arms. “Are you alright?” I asked her, ignoring him.

Troy looked up at me and her expression looked really mad about me bumping her, but then her eyes softened and she blinked, as if she was waking up from a dream.

“No worries,” She said with a tight little grin, and I only frowned. “You sure?” I asked and she nodded really fast.

“It was an accident,” She said softly, and I felt my body relax slightly. “Okay,” I allowed.

Quil cleared his throat and I glared at him. “Where you headed Troy?” he asked her, ignoring me just as I had to him.

She shrugged and I noticed she had put on an over the shoulder jersey and sweats to go to bed. It was odd knowing that I’d seen her in this a few times, and every time made her more beautiful.

But it was even odder just knowing that I’d seen her in this a few times. I was becoming a stalker in the worst kind of way.

“I just needed some air,” Troy said and shrugged, disrupting my thoughts.

“Huh, I wish we could say the same…Paul was getting loud,” Quil grimaced. Troy chuckled. “I feel bad for you.” She smiled, looking from Quil to me to Quil again.

“Oh well, its Paul. You gotta expect it,” I said casually. I somewhat wished Quil would leave. Troy looked so pretty tonight and I just wanted her all to myself.

It took Quil about half a second to realize this, and I was insanely grateful to have him as a brother.

“Im gonna go see if Embry’s up, later guys,” he announced, heading off through the campsite to Austin, Embry and Mark’s tent.

I watched Troy as she watched him leave and smiled when she met my eyes. It was hard to remember how ticked off she had looked just a little while ago.

“Wanna take a walk?” I asked her, oh so grateful for the alone time I’d been craving. She nodded and followed me as we took a walk through the woods around the camp and talked in low voices.

She went back to her tent early in the morning and I went back to mine, since Paul and his girl had decided to take it back to her tent.