The Bad Boy Stole My Heart

000

He kissed my forehead after a long tight hug. "I'm going to miss you so much, babe!" He whines. "It's only six weeks." I lightly shrug and raise an eyebrow. "That's six weeks without seeing you, babe! That's basically a year!" He says. "Brennan stop being so dramatic," Katie says annoyed with her brother. "Shut up Katie." He says. I roll my eyes, "You can send letters," I suggest. "Ugh, no one knows how to do that anymore! Why can't you just like bring your phone?" He says. "I am bringing my phone, but in the middle of nowhere, there will be little to no service," I reply. "Don't you have unlimited babe?" He says. I stand there staring at him for a second in complete and utter confusion. "Brennan are you stupid? No matter how much data she has if there is no service she won't be able to use her phone!" Katie says. "I need to go now. Make sure you write," I say before sitting in the passenger seat of the car. "I love you, Annie!" He says as I'm shutting the car door. I roll down the window and give him a fake half-smile, "Mhm bye Brennan! Bye Katie!"

I'm going to summer camp for six weeks and I am so excited. I get to see so many of my friends that I only see here at camp. My best friend at camp is Avia, we've roomed together every single year since we were eight. This being our eighth year here is crazy. I wait all year for these six weeks and they just fly by. I also get to see Kenzie, Lauren, Jayden, and Brynn here too. They've been rooming with us the past three years and we've all grown so close. Especially last year, we were all so shocked when Johnny Orlando cheated on his girlfriend of three years with Nadia Turner. Apparently, they did it after a campfire, back in the woods. That's all we walked about for weeks.
I'm skipping through songs on Spotify when I get a text from Avia.

Avia🥀: Officially 3 and 1/2 hours to go!
Annie💜: I know! I'm so excited!

"Who are you texting? Brennan?" my mom asks looking at my phone. "No! I'm texting Avia and keep your eyes on the road!" I say. Brennan and I have been dating for 2 months and my mom is obsessed with him. It's like he's her second son or something. "Oh." She responds.

Avia🥀: Have you seen Hayden Summerall?
Annie💜: No, remember he blocked me on Instagram when we were twelve.
Avia🥀: Ok but he got HOT
Annie💜: Ew I doubt it.
Avia🥀: *sends screenshot of his Instagram*

I gasp quietly. Woah. He did get hot. Wait what! I have a boyfriend. I shouldn't be thinking about Hayden like this.
Two and a half hours later we finally pull into the camp's gravel parking lot. I practically jump out of the car before it's even all the way in the spot. I push open the truck and grabs my bags all in one movement. "Bye, mom! Love you!" I say running towards the entrance. "Annie Leblanc!" She shouts. I turn around and walk back towards her. I give her a quick hug and turn back for the entrance. "Love you too sweetie," she laughs to herself and goes back in the car. I sign in at the front table and set my bags down at bag check. "ANNIE!" I hear someone shout. "AVIA!" we run towards each other like in the movies and I embrace her in a tight bear hug. "I MISS YOU SO MUCH!" She screams in my ear. "I MISSED YOU TOO!" I yell back. After we let go I pat down my shirt and look around. "Have you seen our cabin yet? I'm pretty sure I'm the last one here so you better have saved me a good bunk." I say. "Yeah of course! Follow meee," she grabs my hand and runs towards the same cabin we've been in for eight years. "This is our bed. You're on top and I'm on the bottom. Like usual." She says. I immediately climb to the top and look around. "Sweet, no dead rats this year," I look around the cabin at the other beds, "Where is everyone else staying?" I ask. "Well, Kenzie, Lauren, Jayden, and Brynn asked Nadia and Ruby to room with us." She says. "Is that a joke?" I ask completely shocked. "No, sadly not," she frowns. "They hated Nadia and Ruby! What happened?" I ask. "I guess they got close this past year..." She says. "Without us," I said, sounding defeated. The door swings open and the six girls come in pouring in laughing and giggling. "Hey, Annie!" Kenz says. "Hi!! Oh my god, I've missed you!" Lauren cries. "ANNIE!" Brynn screams. "How are you?" Jayden asks. "Hey guys, I've missed you too! I'm great by the way." I say half excited half, not at all. "Are you guys excited for tonight?" Kenzie asks all of us. I start climbing down from my bed and onto the floor. "Oh my god yes! It's going to be so fun," Nadia says, never making eye contact with me or Avia. "What's tonight?" I ask curiously. "Everyone, 15 and older, is ditching the campfire to party in the woods," Jayden answers. "Won't we get caught?" Avia asks. "No, technically this year we're councilors, soooo..." Ruby says. "There's a slight knock at our door and Brynn goes to open it. "It's our bags!" We all rush to the door and pick out our bags from the mix. I slide mine underneath mine and Avia's bed, after grabbing sheets and blankets. We all start making our beds and cleaning them before we go to the dining hall for dinner.
After dinner, it's time to go to the party in the woods. I follow Avia down a skinny trail for half a mile before we finally get to a giant opening. Everyone I've known since I was eight was already here. There was music and a giant table of drinks. People were dancing, grinding, making out. My eyes land on Nadia and everyone else standing by the beverage table. "Avia, over there," I point and we start walking over to them. "Hey guys," Kenzie says, "Want something?" I actually look at the table and see that all they have is alcohol. "I'm not that thirsty," I say daintily. "Yeah me neither," Avia shrugs. "Ooo there's Johnny!" Nadia giggles and runs over to him. "Ew," Lauren says and has a disgusted look on her face. "Come on guys it's our first night! Have some funnnn," Kenzie insists. Before I can deny them again Avia decides to step in. "I guess," she says and pours a bud light into her red solo cup. I shake my head again, "No Thanks." I walk away and talk to a few people that I was close to last year. About an hour later I feel someone tap my shoulder. "Annnie, you sh-should try thisssss- drink!" Avia slurs her words and mumbles. "Avia what the heck?" I say. Anger builds inside of me as I look at my best friend who is completely drunk. "What?" She says clueless. "I'm leaving. You should too." I say firmly. "No! Thisss a party! It jussssstarted!" She can barely spit the words out. "Fine, have fun then!" I walk towards the path I took to get here. About halfway down the path someone from behind me grabs my hips and pulls me into the woods. "LET GO OF ME!" I start pushing my elbows back and kicking my feet but it's too dark and I can't see anything. The person turns me around and pushes me against a tree. "STOP!" I shout again but they have me pinned and I can't do anything. "LEAVE ME AL-" a hand covers my mouth and muffled my screams. Luckily, having taken quite a few self-defense classes, I know what to do. I bite down hard on his hand and he yells in pain. "Fuck you, bitch!" He spits in my face and stands closer to me. He's holding my wrists now so I can't even hit him. "ASHER! What the hell?!" A voice calls out. The boy holding onto me is Asher Angel. "Leave us alone dude we're having fun!" Asher says sharply, not letting go of his grasps on me. "That is not what fun is! Leave her alone," the voice says again. "Fuck off!" Asher says again. Before I know it, the voice has punch Asher square in the face, but Asher still doesn't let go. The voice hits him three more times before he finally falls to the ground. "Come on, it's ok," the voice grabs my hand and we run back into the path and towards the cabins. I trip in a root stick down in the ground and face-plant the dirt. "Shit," he says. He helps me stand up but at this point, he's as frustrated as I am. "Fuck it," he sighs and picks me up. I lay my head on his chest as he runs behind all of the cabins. "Here this one is mine, you can stay in my bed until you feel better," he says kindly. I nod my head and he walks around to the front and opens the door. "No one's here yet, they're all still at the party, and don't worry, I'm not rooming with Asher." He turns on the lights and walks me over to a bed and gently sets me down. This is when I get a really good look at the voice. Hayden Summerall. Hayden and I have never gotten along. We've been going to this camp since we were eight and from the very first day, we hated each other. We were always competing and fighting and proving to each other that the other one was better. In sixth grade, he blocked me on Instagram before I could even request him, and in fourth, he pushed me into a lake. "Annie?" He says surprised. "Hayden?" I say the exact same way. he stares at me for a second longer before he says anything, "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" It takes me a second to answer, "No uh no, I uh-" I start hyperventilating and crying. "It's ok, Annie it's ok. You're safe now. I won't let anything happen," he says putting a hand on my arm, reassuringly. As I start to calm down a little bit and my mind stops racing, I can finally form a sentence. "I am so sorry, I don't know what just happened, I'm fine. Thanks for the help, I should go now." I stand up from his bed and start walking out of the cabin. "Annie!" I turn around and look at him, "If he ever even looks at you again, let me know." I nodded my head and walked back to my cabin.