Loose Ends {new version}

0.3

Jaden (Robbie Amell) at the top!

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 The entire Water Crew was sat at a rectangular table waiting for food. Briane sat on one side of me and a short boy who couldn't be older than fourteen named Bola sat on my other side. Bola didn't speak English very well and Briane didn't speak at all and so, I was left in silence. Across from me sat Jaden and just to my luck, Malik sat right next to him.

Malik and I hadn't spoken since he had caught me staring at him in the woods and that was over an hour ago. I was feeling quite relieved and slightly hopeful. Maybe he's given up. For some reason, that theory didn't seem likely but I tried to keep the hope alive.

Eventually, the food was brought out and we were served dinner. The macaroni and cheese tasted like cardboard and the apple juice served with it made me parched more than anything but I ate the dinner like it was my last meal. I hadn't been hungry that morning and so it was the first meal I'd had that day. There wasn't a lot of conversation at the dinner table. Malik and Jaden would murmur things to each other so often but they spoke too quietly and I was never able to catch what they were saying. I was beginning to guess that they probably knew each other. The only person who was really talking was a girl named Bree.

"This food is so gourmet! They have gourmet chefs at this camp, don't you know!" her voice rang throughout our table and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Her friend Misha even seemed fed up with her. I had a gourmet chef that lived at my house. I dined in lavish, gourmet foods every single night and none of them had resembled or tasted like cardboard. Not that I was going to speak up and say that, I did not need to make a snotty impression on the first day of meeting these people. So, I scarfed down my meal without a complaint as my table at in almost silence.

The only noises that could be heard from our table was Misha, who was chewing with her mouth open, and soft murmurs spoken between Jaden and Malik. For some reason, I still felt paranoid that they were talking about me. Even I knew that it was a silly assumption but every time one of them would lean over to whisper something in the other's ear, my stomach would clench in nervousness.

"So, Malik... how did you get this job?" Misha asked, breaking the silence. She twirled a piece of her curly hair between her fingers and smiled at him flirtatiously.

His eyes glanced to mine before he lazily looked in her direction. "Well, my uncle owns the camp and I was looking for something to do over the summer, so here I am." His voice was bored but he smiled slightly at the end.

Warmth spread through my chest at the sight of his smile. I quickly dismissed the feeling before it could get too ridiculous. I had only known this man for a few hours, these feelings should not be occurring. Never mind the fact that I had a boyfriend already. I shook my head in attempt to clear the silly thoughts that were running through it.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Jaden startling me. He had jumped from his seat, causing the flimsy plastic table to shake and glasses filled with juice to fall over. His eyes bulged out of his head before he high-tailed it out of the cafeteria.

 "Shit." Malik cursed under his breath before getting up from his seat. He began walking toward the exit before he stopped short and turned back to me. "Come on, Seagan." He said my name so formally but it still sent shivers down my spine. I mentally cursed myself before slowly getting up and robotically following his lead. 

 My mind kept replaying the sound of him saying my name over and over again. I was in such a zombie-like state that I barely noticed that everyone in the cafeteria was staring at us. I was stuck in the trance until his hand wrapped around mine once we made it outside.