Camping Trip

Chapter Twelve

Aiden told himself he was glad it had happened. Glad that he'd seen first-hand why he and Lucas couldn't be friends. Why they couldn't be anything else, either. He wished the reminder had come sooner. When he hadn't felt what he'd felt. Before he'd decided that it was okay to feel what he had.

Aiden didn't think it was fine anymore.

Regret plagued him more than anything in the next few days. Not about turning in Hugh, but regret for indulging his fantasies about Lucas. He didn't want to forget them, he wanted to undo them. To unexpose himself.

"The swelling hasn't gone down." Tom frowned at his wrist. "It may be fractured after all."

Aiden flinched. No. His summer here couldn't end yet. He couldn't go back to that town. Not now. He wasn't ready. "Would playing the violin cause it to swell?"

Tom gave him an exasperated look. He put the ice pack down on the table. "Yes, Aiden."

Aiden watched him expertly rewrap it.

"No more violin." Tom warned, "And you aren't icing it. I can tell. Do it every night. More often if you can. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Aiden left his room. He wondered around the cabins, before slowly going to his own. Lucas and Kal had taken to avoiding it. Completely. Connor sometimes went with them, he sometimes made Aiden hang out with him. Not often though. Aiden wasn't much fun.

All it left Aiden with was his violin.

He played as soon as he got back to his room. He did the interview tunes. He did a few others. He mashed them into each other. He stared at the ceiling. He closed his eyes. Time passed weirdly like this. Minutes could feel like hours, or hours could feel like seconds.

His door banged.

"I'm trying to sleep." Kal called in.

Aiden stopped playing. His room was dark. Clouds hid even the moon from sight. He waited until he heard Kal's door closed and went out into the kitchen. His wrist was burning. He got out peas, the same ones that Hugh had used. He sat where Hugh had sat. Lay out where he had and put the ice on his arm.

It felt good.

Aiden lay motionless for a while, but now that he wasn't playing the violin anymore he couldn't stand the unease.

He'd turned Hugh in because he was different from before.

So, he may as well be different, and stop worrying about it.

Aiden knocked on Lucas's door. He only checked the time after he did. It was two in the morning. The door opened after only a few seconds. There was no sleepiness in Lucas's gaze. He was alert.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Hugh threatened me when we first came to the cabins." Aiden said, "And when he made good on the threat I reported him. That's it. That's why he was sent away."

Lucas didn't say anything.

Aiden wondered if he already knew. He wondered if he just didn't care. Aiden stopped himself from feeling regret this time. He wasn't wrong to tell him. "Sorry if I woke you." He turned away.

"What did he do?" Lucas asked.

"Hit me." Aiden said. He kept his eyes trained ahead. He knew from Lucas's cold voice that he wasn't about to do another 180 in his behaviour towards Aiden.

"And what was the threat about?"

Aiden sighed. He met Lucas's closed off expression. "I'm sure you can guess that one."