River Crossing

Chapter Eight

"Okay guys, put your phones in this bag," Orders Kendra as she unfolds a sturdy black garbage bag.

I pull out my device, switching on the screen to check for any notifications. Xavier walks up to my side, dropping his phone into the bag. He places a hand on my shoulder.

"Chill, princess, you'll get your precious phone back at the end of the day."

Scoffing, I shrug off his touch. "I'm not that kind of person."

Turning off my phone, I add it to the growing pile and move back to allow the others to drop off their phones. Andrew passes us on the way, not even stopping to talk to me.

I brush it off, Andrew is probably tired from yesterday's activities, after today's team breakfast he should feel better. Xavier throws an arm around my shoulders, leading me to the field where a circle of mats have been laid out.

Kendra starts a fire, lighting the solid fuel and piling rocks around the flame to keep it from going out. I sit down, grabbing a mess tin and rinsing it with the bottle of water that Kendra had passed to me.

After washing out about half the mess tins, I start drying them with a towel then putting them on a picnic mat that another group member set out. Patting my hands dry on my shorts, I reach for another dusty mess tin.

A terrible echoing screech of clanking metal registers in my ears and I turn to find that Andrew's sneaker had caught under the mat and tipped at the clean mess tins onto the ground.

"Hey!" I protest, trying to stand up and tipping the bottle over in the process, but it did not matter, I am more interested in finding out why Andrew is acting so strange.

He rams his shoulder into Xavier roughly, knocking the air out of him. Xavier stumbles back and reaches out to stop his fall, catching onto Andrew's shirt.

"What is your problem?" Xavier tightens his grip, almost lifting Andrew off the floor.

With his jaw set and eyes frigid, Andrew remains silent, staring at a point behind Xavier who eventually finds no reason to beat him up. When released, Andrew just lets Xavier shove him to the ground, not even finding the energy to pick himself up.

In the afternoon, we are sent out to do some volunteer work at a children's charity and I find myself put into a group with Xavier and Andrew. The sheer tension is enough to send me over the edge. I am constantly watching the two of them, hoping to stop them from starting another one of their fights.

"Pass these out will you?" I pass a tray laden with soup bowls to Xavier, allowing him to take it out.

I hold my breath as Andrew sets down the last bowl he has and comes back into the kitchen. The boys are on a collision course for disaster.

Relief is not enough to cover the way I feel when Andrew steps back to allow Xavier to pass. I smile as I refill Andrew's tray with bowls of chicken soup and macaroni. Sadly, he does not return my offer of kindness.

As I bring the now-empty pot over to the sink, I shake my head and sigh. Flicking on the tap I fill it up with water and scrub it off as well as I can.

Then drying my hands, I walk out to meet the children. The boys are on opposite sides of the room, Xavier watching my intently and Andrew looking down at his phone, slumped in a corner.

Kendra walks into our room. If she notices the tension, she does not show it.

"Hey guys, the bus will be coming in fifteen minutes, pack up and I'll see you outside for reflection time."

I nod. "We'll be right out."

Giving one of the girls another tight hug, I stand up and go back into the kitchen to grab my bag before following Xavier to the entrance of the charity's building. We walk in silence since I am too scared to even start a conversation.

Kendra makes us sit in a circle to share how we feel about yesterday's games and today's work. Unsurprisingly, we skip Andrew and Xavier – whatever is going on inside their heads too personal to share.

I fall asleep on the bus ride back, leaning against the window. However, every time the bus lurches forward, stops, or hits a bump, I find myself crashing into the seat before me or the cold, hard window.

Xavier moves from his seat on the opposite side of the aisle, buckling himself in then pulling my head so that I can rest it on his shoulder. I try to pull away, still guarded from him, but Xavier stops me.

"Just sleep, I'll wake you up when we get back."

I yawn. "Thanks."

Needless to say, I am awoken by Xavier's gentle shaking as he pulls me out of dreamland. The campus it dark, save for the lights illuminating the faculty buildings and pathways.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I file out with the group. Kendra gives us back our phones then shoos us off, wishing everyone luck for our first day of classes tomorrow. I hand around to talk to her as she folds up the empty garbage bag.

"I'll see you around, yeah?" She says to me.

I smile and hug her impulsively. "I'll miss you."

"You'll be a bigshot one day, I know it."

"Thanks, goodnight."

Kendra grins, waving. "Goodnight."

When I get back to my dorm it is as if all the tiredness from today is gone. I wash up and slip under the covers, but somehow, my body is still full of energy.

I reach over, picking my phone off the bedside table and shifting to lie on my side – just in case the phone slips. When I power it up, I notice that the lock screen is not the one when a mountain on it, but instead, it is a black background with the words 'We are the poisoned youth' plastered over it in capital letters.

Feeling guilty, I grab Jason, cradling my teddy bear in my arms as I follow the instructions that lead me into Xavier's most personal area.

Once I am past the lock screen I take one look at the picture and almost drop my phone, for there is Xavier standing with a group of boys by the pool in little more than their birthday suits. Quickly, I power off the phone, putting it on standby and returning it to my bedside table.

In an attempt to forget the image, I rub my eyes, my face feeling hot as I flush in embarrassment. Then it dawns on me, Xavier is holding on to my phone.

I bury my face in Jason's white fur, remembering that my background is a picture of Mikhail, Charlie and I that I imported from my laptop. It was taken on the day that we finished our exams and decided that crashing at my house is the best thing to do after months of endless study.

I would have smiled at the memory, but right now, I am too embarrassed by the fact that Xavier would have probably seen it and laughed. My pride has been shredded to bits.

I should probably call him. Fixing a date to swap our phones is the wisest course of action since we are in different faculties and will probably not meet in the near future. The sooner we return the phones to the other, the better.

Glancing at the electronic alarm clock on the table, I note the time. Almost eleven. With school starting tomorrow, I do not think he will run the risk of staying up late. Sighing, I try to relax, shutting my eyes and praying that he does not go through my photo album and see the many selfies I tried to take on the three plane trips.

Or the one I snapped of Andrew sleeping, not with Xavier's newfound hate for him.