A Not So Innocent Crush | a Lauren/You Fanfiction

Chapter 13: Bad Fishing Skills and Natural Beauties

Chapter 13: Bad Fishing Skills and Natural Beauties

I swear, these team building exercises aren't even doing anything. But, it's better than school, so I can't complain. Besides, Lauren makes it ten times better.

We are all currently standing beside a lake and waiting for the teachers to hand out the fishing equipment. Yeah, fishing. That's our next activity. And, to make it even better, the fish is going to be our lunch. We have to catch one fish each. Awesome, right? Wrong. It's not. Times like this is when I deeply crave a chicken zinger burger and chips from KFC with a Pepsi on the side. Mm, yeah.

Anyway, before my stomach rumbles any more, I just listen to the other girls who are deep in conversation about what I think is whether they can climb a tree or not. Really? I bet my money that Camila started that one off.

"Here you girls go," Miss Jenson says once she stops at our little huddle. She hands each one of us a fishing pole and a small box of bait and says, "Good luck!"

Earlier on, the teachers taught us the basics of how to catch a fish, (which I already know so found pretty boring), and they expect us to 'put our skills to practice and have fun'. Yeah, that's their words exactly.

I follow the girls to some rocks that overlook a small lake, and we all settle down there. Other students are nearby on other rocks and some are obviously struggling to catch a fish whilst others aren't even trying.

"Can any of you guys actually fish?" Dinah asks as she struggles to put her line in the water without letting go of the pole.

"Yeah," Ally, and I say in unison as Camila, Lauren and Normani say, "No."

By now, we all of have our lines in the water and are patiently waiting to catch something. I can't help but take this time to admire the natural beauty of nature surrounding us. The sun is shining brightly in the sky and peeking through the foyer of trees around us, also reflecting off the water and making it glisten in the light. It looks beautiful and brings me some serenity.

The girls strike up a conversation once again and I just listen, sort of picking up what they're talking about: whether Waffle House would consider opening a place up in the woods. I guarantee Ally started that one off. I just focus on trying to catch a fish and soaking up the sunshine.

Every so often, I see Lauren's line rattling, meaning she has a catch, but then when she tries to wind it in, it doesn't work, so she has to replace the bait seeing as the fish took it and left. She does this a good six times and seems to be getting frustrated that she can't catch a fish.

"You okay there, Laur?" I ask her, glancing at her and biting my lower lip to hold in my chuckle. She looks so adorable as she stares at the fishing line with exasperation.

She sighs loudly and glares at the fishing rod in her hands. "It's not working."

I can't help but let out my laugh and she notices and pouts.

"Come on, I'll help," I say with a smile. I put my fishing rod on the rock after pulling the line out of the water, then walk to her side. The other girls are still deep in conversation so don't notice Lauren and I.

I hold out my hand for her to give me her rod, and she does. "First, make sure you have a firm grip on the rod," I say, emphasising my hold on the handle. She nods and watches me intently, obviously mentally noting how to do it. She's so cute when she concentrates and I can just tell that as a smart person, it must annoy her that she can't learn this one thing. "Next, you wait."

We both wait patiently for me to get a bite. Eventually, the line starts to shake meaning a fish is currently on the other end.

"Now, you wind this to retract the fishing line and bring the fish up," I say as I wind the handle. She nods and I pull the fishing rod back a little as I do. "Also, if you have to, pull back the rod to pull the fish out the water."