A Silver Summer

Chapter 33

Chapter thirty three

For the rest of the night Anika stayed with Ryleigh as they danced to every song. The wide variety of music choices shocked Anika. Everything from Frank Sinatra to All American Rejects and anything in between and outside the box came through the speakers but Anika stayed on the dance floor the whole time. With a few tentative kisses on the top of her head, Ryleigh kept her smiling all the way through the night right up until he walked her back to her cabin. Goodbyes were exchanged on the porch step and Anika hadn't hesitated in hugging him. After he had left, Anika continued to stare down the path still lit up by glow sticks. She was alone when she went to bed; something Ryleigh didn't seem comfortable with seeing as he hadn't spotted Victoria at all when they were setting up for the party, or at the party for that matter.

When Anika woke up though, both her cabin mates had returned sometime in the night and were sleeping soundly in their beds on the other walls of the room. Soundlessly, Anika crept out of her bed before dawn since she couldn't sleep anymore with her mind rerunning last night's events. She quickly changed out of her night clothes and into a fresh pair of shorts and tank top with her bathing suit since she planned on going to the lake before everyone was awake.

The glow sticks from last night were still dimly lit but some of the paint had blurred against the tree bark from the morning dew.

"Can't sleep?" Anika hadn't' even noticed Ivy sitting at the edge of the dock until she was a few yards behind her.

"Something like that." Anika shrugged even though Ivy had her back faced to her and wasn't looking over her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Ivy glanced to the side where Anika slowly lowered herself to carefully sit at the edge beside her.

"Besides the massive head ache and how my whole body wants revenge on me for last night, I'm doing pretty swell." Anika nodded honestly.

"Could that have anything to with Ryleigh? I mean, the swell part." Ivy kicked her foot up so the water was disturbed for a moment before it settled into glass again.

"I heard you two were pretty close on the dance floor and he walked you back to your cabin. Did he kiss you goodnight too?" Ivy bumped shoulders with Anika.

"He didn't kiss me good night. Sure he kissed the top of my head when I hugged him, but he left after that." Anika smiled at the memory.

"Did you want him to kiss you?"

"Maybe." Anika sighed as she looked over her knees into the water that threw her hair-framed reflection back at her.

"I think he's trying to test to see where we are. Not all of us simply click like you and Skin." Anika threw a smirk at Ivy to let her know she was teasing.

"Yeah well, remind me to never give Skinner alcohol. He becomes a huge son of a jackal." Ivy scowled into the water.

"Are things okay?" Anika gently pried.

The pink haired girl sighed and the energy physically left her slumped body. "Things are fine. He's passed out in the infirmary."

"And? You wouldn't look like crap if things were fine." Anika ignored Ivy's defensive stare.

"Gee thanks." Ivy sighed again. Anika reached an arm around her shoulders and pulled Ivy so that she laid her head in Anika's lap.

"Whatever he said, just remember he was drunk for what probably was the first time." Anika soothing ran her fingers through Ivy's short hair.

"I know that. But it was like I became the bully trying to harm him. All I tried to do was stay with him. I don't know, just to keep him company or something."