Where It All Began

Chapter Nine

PIC OF KYLE ^^^^^^^^

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The hike back up the cliff side was exactly what I expected. Long and exhausting. I had regained more cuts and bruises then I had intended and I was honestly and completely done with today.

"I don't think I can sit down..." Emma groaned as she hovered her butt over a rock but refused to seat it.

"I don't think any of us can." Chloe sighed leaning against a tree for support.

"Not true!" Genna yelled bouncing over to a fallen trunk and plunking herself on it.

I raised an eyebrow at Nick who in return shrugged. Something had been up with Genna the past few days, she seemed more energetic and there was no way she couldn't feel any pain at all. Suddenly I felt arms snake around my waist and I felt a warm breath on my neck that tickled my ear. Nick.

"I think you're sore from other activities." Nick whispered into my ear teasingly. My eyes bulged out and I slapped his arms off me as he giggled.

"You two are chummy." Emma eyed Nick and I as she glanced between us in a suggestive way.

"Chummy, is that even a word?" Bronson asked looking quite confused.

"If it was, you wouldn't know anyway." Genna said offensively as she drew in the dirt with a stick. Everyone seemed to dismiss what she said and the attention was drawn back to Nick and I.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?" Emma asked getting more serious.

"I saw them hooking up in Nick's tent last night." Genna said without a care in the world.

"We weren't hooking up." I said defensivel.

"Oh yeah then what do you call it?" Genna smirked leaning back as if there was an imaginary back rest which caused her to fall back onto the ground.

I blushed a deep pink and looked away from the group at the ground.

"What do you call it Jess?" Jarrod winked at me, "You did wake up next to me."

Everyone's eyes snapped to me making me blush even more.

"Okay it was not like that at all!" I yelled pushing Nick as he continued to laugh loudly.

"Fine, fine." Nick chuckled, "She's my girlfriend." Nick smiled beamingly.

The whole group cheered and Emma gave me a willing smirk like there was something I didn't know about.

"Hold up, hold up. He never asked me to be his girlfriend if we are going to get technical." I said crossing my arms over my chest in a protective way.

"Fine, will you be my girlfriend?" Nick asked pulling me into him as he gazed lovingly down at me.

"I'll think about it." I winked and walked away from him.

"Dude you just got owned." Tom nudged Nick and laughed.

"Did anyone ask for your opinion?" Emma said under her breath, but loud enough for me to hear.

A few moments later the bus was heard heading towards where we were standing. In that time we had given Jecinta all of her stuff back from the hike up and had some left over snacks that consisted of apples, half eaten muesli bars and none cooked 2 minute noodles.

I sat next to Emma on the bus as I needed to talk to her about what she had said last night.

"Em, what you said last night about not caring if Kyle was dating Jecinta, that you would try to sleep with him anyway. Did you mean that?" I asked fearing the answer.

"No Jess, of course not." She smiled going back to looking at photos we had taken on our adventure.

"Then why say it?" I asked confused.

"I wanted you and Nick together." She stated simply without removing her gaze from her phone.

"So you told me you were going after Kyle? That makes no sense...." I'm starting to believe Emma is losing it, I knew the break up would be hard, but I never imagined this.

"I hinted and I knew saying that I was going after Kyle even though he was dating Jecinta would get a reaction out of you that would expect me to go after Nick and hey it did." She smiled nudging me with her elbow.

"Wow...you are damn smart." I laughed looking over at Nick who had been staring at me this whole time; I smiled back at him and looked back at Emma.

"You can be a dumb ass and even see the connection you two have." She smiled looking longingly at Tom who was looking sadly out the window.

"He made a mistake Emma, he feels awful for it." I said with empathy.

"Yeah well he shouldn't have made the mistake in the first place." She said spitefully looking away from Tom and placing her headphones in her ears to block out the world's problems.

The rest of the way back to the school Emma ignored me listening to her music and looking out into the scenery that surrounded the bus. We finally pulled up at the school, but for some reason pulled up just outside of the driveway to enter the school.

"Sir why aren't we going in?" I heard Brianna another girl in our year asked leaning on the seat infront of her own.

"The car park is too congested at the moment, we will have to wait here for about ten minutes, unless you want to walk to where you are getting picked up..." Mr Henry shrugged still reading his novel.

Nobody moved obviously preparing to wait, but I didn't exactly want to.

"Stuff that I'm going." I heard Jarrod scoff standing up and swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"I'm with you bro." Nick agreed standing up and coming over to me, "Coming?" he asked me smiling. I nodded in response and looked over to Emma who without a word stood up.

"Gem, Tia you coming?" I asked them looking to the seat behind me.

"Yeah I guess." Tia replied grabbing her things and Genna thought about it for a few moments before joining Jecinta next to me.

Our whole group ended up grabbing there things and walking off the bus. Well all besides Tom who refused to come. I secretly think he just didn't want to come because he didn't want to upset Emma anymore. We all headed towards the path that was hidden away by bush that lead along the driveway to our school. Just as we all got into the seclusion of the path a heavy force through us all off our feet and onto a ground. A loud ringing was split into the air accompanied by a warm heat. It sounded as if something has exploded. I turned around on the ground groaning and holding my head to see the bus we had all just got off on fire and in smaller pieces. My mouth hang open.

"TOM!" I heard Emma scream as she tried to get to her feet to scramble to the bus.

What the hell just happened.