camp cherry | hs

eight

HANA

Saturday passes at the same gruelling pace as the previous day, void of Harry's touch and warm smile.

Today, he's barely bothered attempting to talk to me, only mumbling out an apology when he accidentally bumped into me during lunch, but that's truly for the best. He seems a little lighter today, Amy and her friends swooping in like hungry vultures to replace me and Ella, just as I'd expected them to.

I'd hoped if they did so, he would be a bit happier, because, despite our distance, I don't particularly enjoy seeing him moody, especially when I'm the cause.

Luckily, it seems to be working; his gaze is often focused on Amy instead of me, her being the lucky subject of his smirk and stupid jokes. Only twice do I catch his eye, once during lunch as Amy tries to kiss his cheek, which Harry subtly rejects, moving his arm to block her movement towards him, and again as everyone sits around the campfire, hazy smoke drifting lazily into the air and the gentle strumming of his guitar following it.

The tune of his chosen song is solemnly charming, and his eyes sit everywhere but any of the girls beside him or me.

Upon the last chord, his pale green eyes, darkened and glistening from the firelight, fix themselves on mine. Harry soon finishes the song and disappearing back to his cabin, the turn of events eerily similar to the first night I was here; song, s'more, dimpled smile when he spots me staring at him - how can I help it?

Today, I leave his snickers outside his door, wondering absently what he could be doing behind the closed curtains of his cabin. I can hear a movie playing, flickering lights visible through the thin fabric; my mind inadvertently flips to the recent memories of watching a horror movie with him, our fingers linked gently and only breaking apart for a moment to reach for chocolate or have a sip of soda, before I screwed everything up with my rejection.

I scramble away from the familiar building before I can be so stupid as to knock on the door, beg him to forgive me and kiss him. Returning to my cabin to see Ella already passed out, I assume Penny and Kimi are still back at the fire.

Tomorrow will be much easier to avoid Harry and will hopefully be the end of our short-lived rendezvous; Sunday's are the days that gift a well-needed rest from the challenging activities of the week, the only requirements being attendance to breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I plan on spending the entire day wallowing in misery and comfortable blankets, a crazy amount of my chocolate stash shovelled into my mouth without a second thought.

My few hours of sleep are slightly less fitful than last night's, my eyes opening to slits as bright rays of sunlight blast through the window. I hear someone getting ready in the bathroom, who turns out to be Penny when I check sleepily, and the other two girls still sleeping.

Ella leaves at twelve, announcing that she's visiting the lake to swim with some of the other campers. Kimi heads out at around ten to the courtyard, her shiny black hair visible in the middle of her friends when I sit up. Penny disappears sometime about eight, claiming she's going for an early morning run and presumably joining her friends or maybe even Ella in the lake afterwards.

I hear nothing from Harry, the absence stirring up conflicting emotions within me; of course, I'm glad he isn't mad at me but I'm still missing his presence hugely.

I reread my favourite book for what must be the fiftieth time, beating my record with a time of three hours from start to finish. I'm just over halfway through my bag of Doritos when a hard knock sounds at my door. A counsellor, that I recognise as Nadia, stands on the other side, her bright smile visible through the dirty glass and screen door.