Sommerstall Academy

Chapter 18

Florence

I've never appreciated fresh air as much as when I got off that stupid bus. I've never appreciated the quiet as much as when I finally collapsed on my sleeping bag after spending half an hour setting up my tent. The girls I share the tent with all seem to have other plans than taking a nap at 5 pm but that won't stop me. Being surrounded by people all day has really drained me.

"Flo?" I hear someone say from outside my tent.

"Are you sure this is hers? Seems empty," I recognize Orion's voice and nearly groan out loud. While I appreciated the guys' presence on the ride here, my social battery is down.

"Maybe she's not in there," Liam says boredly. For once, I hope the other guys listen to him and decide to leave.

"Let's go find a place to hang out first. Then we can look for her again," Marcus proposes. Hearing that makes me feel bad. They want to hang out and I'm pretty much hiding.

"Jamie, what are you-? Hey, don't!" Elija yells right before the flap of my tent bursts open.

"See, she's here. You good, flower girl?" I turn my head to see Jamie standing in the tent, shoes and all. Even from where I'm lying I can see the dirt that now stains the previously clean floor and my irritation spikes.

"Your shoes are dirty," I mumble. When the boy's face loses some of its cheer, I instantly feel bad. "Sorry. Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired. You need anything?" I ask with a smile. I don't want to be the kind of person that kills a friend's mood.

"The guys and I are about to look for a place in the woods where we can hang out without Marcus' groupies ganging up on us. We were wondering if you wanted to come."

"Dude, she just said she was tired. You don't have to come, Florence. I'm sure the marathon you completed this morning knocked you out." Elija pulls the tent doors to the side enough for me to see him. He pulls Jamie outside by the back of his shirt and smiles at me.

Who said anything about tired? Never heard of it. I'm wide awake.

"You know what, some fresh air might be just what I need," I tell him as I get to my feet.

"You sure? We can come to get you a bit later if you want," he asks but I'm already putting on my shoes.

"Careful, Elija, or I might think you don't want me to tag along," I tell him with a smile as I walk out of my tent. I intended to look really cool doing that. Instead, I'm now standing inches away from Elija since he hasn't stepped away from the door. He seems to enjoy this position profusely judging by the smirk playing on his lips. Meanwhile, I have my head tilted back so I can meet his eyes in the first place.

My cheeks are heating up further with each second we spend in this position and my heart is beating so furiously I'm scared he can hear it.

When I finally can't take it anymore, I gently lay my hand on his chest to push him away. Only that as soon as I make contact with his body, I can't seem to move at all. He is radiating heat even through the fabric of his shirt and I can feel the soft beat of his own heart against the palm of my hand.

Elija looks down at where we're touching and when he meets my eyes again he's not smiling anymore. The look he gives me now only makes me burn up hotter.

For a quick beat, I could have sworn his eyes dropped to my lips but it was too fast for me to be sure. I hope my mind isn't playing tricks on me.

"So, should we leave or..." Benji breaks the silence. I forgot the others were still surrounding us and the sudden reminder makes me jerk my hand back so quickly I lose my balance. It only gets worse when I take a step back to regain composure and my foot hits the side of the tent instead. I'm about to topple the whole thing when a pair of hands steady me by the waist.