Camp Riverbed

Chapter 3

"How did I let you talk me into this again?" I ask, as Kate takes a right.

"You owe me. I saved you when she tried to humiliate you during lunch. Do you have any idea how much that blouse cost me?" she replies.

I groan. "I hate Patrice for that. And yes. You use it against me whenever I don't want to do something. You basically make me do everything you don't want to do. Tests, homework, having me do the volunteer hours under your name to make you seem better on a college application. But, I also seem to remember that Todd took you to the bathroom to help you get cleaned up and he had smoothie on his lips." 

We both laugh. "Hey, you remember what happened too. He slipped and fell on some paper towel and landed on me." she says.

"That's right. That has to explain his funny wa-" she cuts me off before I finish.

"Here we are!" she replies loudly. I grin, knowing what really happened. She pulls onto the side of his place.

"I thought you said he had a house." I tell her.

"Yeah. This is his house." she replies.

"You didn't tell me he was practically rich! You see this place? This isn't a house, this is a mansion." 

She fake gasps. "I guess it slipped my mind." She giggles as we walk up the lawn. As we were driving, we could hear the music from about a mile away. We pass people partying outside, although why in the front, I couldn't say. 

We go in, and the sound and the smell practically knock me out. Already, I have a pounding headache from the smell of alcohol and the loud music. I walk five steps forward and already Kate is gone. Probably off making out with someone going up the stairs. Probably with a condom in her bag.

"Hey babe. Wanna bang?" Todd, who is clearly drunk, grabs my butt when he says it. I turn around and spray pepper spray into his eyes, causing him to spill his drink all over my top.

I run off deeper into the crowd and go outside into the back yard. I see Jake, sitting at a table alone and I go sit with him. 

He looks up and smiles. "Hey Zara. Glad to see you could make it."

"If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't planning on it. Thank Kate."

"I will. Wanna drink?" he asks me, offering me a cup of something.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Some red, some clear, a little green, and a lot of blue." He holds out the cup and I take it.

I take a sip of it. Although I wouldn't normally do this, it's Jake Burton. Quarterback of the football team, captain of the basketball team, pitcher on the baseball team, valedictorian, and a Youtuber. I don't like it, and he can tell, but I drink it anyway. 

"It's good." I lie.

"Zara, you couldn't lie to save your life." We both laugh. "Hey, I wanna show you something."

He takes me inside and leads me upstairs. We pass multiple rooms on the way, and I can hear Kate moaning from one of them. Being the wonderful best friend that I am, I open the door all the way and bolt, taking Jake with me. 

We hear Kate scream from down the hall and we both laugh. He takes me to the end of the hallway and into a room. 

I immediately tense up, and I'm about to say something when he says, "Relax, I'm not trying to get into your pants or anything like that." I calm down, glad that he isn't doing that.

I look around the room, and I realize that it is a bedroom, but that's not what sticks out. What sticks out is all the paintings. I gasp, looking at them. They are all so good!

"This is amazing." I tell him.

"I did these. You like them?" 

"I love them." I respond. 

He shows me another room connected to it, and I die. There is so much art in here, from drawings to ceramics. 

"You are really good." I tell him from in here. He stayed out of the room. 

I walk out, wondering what he is doing when I see him sitting on the bed. He motions me over to him, and I sit next to him. The lights are off, and it's just the two of us. 

He leans in to kiss me, and I lean as well, then the door opens.