For this entire trip being a last-minute ass-pull, Miss Halsey had actually managed to secure a nice campground. It was a sparse clearing with a speckling of pine trees that had somehow strayed from the thick forest on the outskirts. There were four benches–mounted on two chopped logs each instead of their usual legs–around a fire pit. From there, the clearing came to a slight incline that was made up of large rocks. Waves from the crystal clear lake lapped up against them, explaining why all of the rocks were washed out and smooth. A short distance across the lake was another strip of land. Under the blanket of fog that had settled over it, I could only really make out the tops of the ever present pine trees poking through.

“Hey, instead of looking around and taking in the sights, shouldn't you be setting up the tents?”

I watched Miss Halsey take a swig from the flask before returning it to her hip. She giggled like the school girl she no longer was, did a little twirl, and plopped down on the bench farthest from the water. That was a shame since if she leaned any further to the right, she might have tumbled right into the lake. Some of the staff and students would miss her, but with enough time, I was certain they would move on.

“Shouldn’t you take it easy with that?” I asked, returning to the task of hammering the stakes into the ground. Admittedly, I was no stranger to pitching a tent, but camping brought a whole new element to it. On the bright side, though, I didn’t have an audience to see me floundering around; the others had gone to explore the forest and take pictures at our teacher’s request.

“God, you sound just like that sister of mine.”

“Somebody has to be the responsible adult around here.”

“Oh, relax.” I found that difficult to do as she took another drink. “It’s not like I’m going for a joyride in the van or anything.”

Shivering in response, I listened to the wind ripple over the flaps of the tent. Never would I have imagined somebody was bound and determined enough to drive so recklessly to cut the trip’s duration in half. Then again, I never would have imagined somebody putting two wheels on the sidewalk and claiming that was a viable shortcut either. I glanced back toward the beaten path we had come in on, relieved to see the white van still parked and with its headlights off.

“You should let one of us drive on the way back.”

“And have you go five under the speed limit the entire way back? I think not.” She stretched her arms over her head, then laid across the bench. Her feet dangled over the edge and she reached out to place her flask on the bench adjacent to her. “So, how’s the club been going?”

I raised an eyebrow at her question. “You should know. You check in on us every day.”

She laughed, and a bird hiding in the canopy cawed back. “And you guys don’t act any differently when I’m there? C’mon, you may think I’m ancient, but I can still remember how it was when I was a student.”

“I don’t think you’re old at all. Crazy maybe, but not old.”

“Flatterer.” 

Curious as to which part of that she took as flattery, I stood up and kicked at the stakes to ensure they were firmly pushed into the ground. They didn’t budge, and I took that to be a good sign. Dabbing at the beads of sweat that had accumulated on my forehead, I admired my handiwork. Three tents stood in what one could graciously consider to be a line. For someone who lacked camping experience, I figured I had done a pretty good job.

“Answer something else for me, then. How are you and the girls doing?”

I turned back to her, studying her relaxed face glowing orange under the setting sun. There wasn’t a hint of deceit there, eyes closed and mouth curved into a slight smile. “It’s going fine. Thanks to your ridiculous Volunteers Club, I’ve made some good friends. But that was your plan from the start, wasn’t it?”

Her lips parted to show her teeth. “I’m glad.”

Of course, she would ask me things yet refuse to answer anything I posed to her. It wasn’t like I was bothered enough to hound her anymore about it.

“Hey!” The yell caused a mass exodus of the birds from the treetops, their indignant squawks, and the flap of their wings directed at Serena. “You want to see some pictures, Grant? I got some great shots.”

She was dashing full tilt toward me with the other two a short distance behind her. They seemed intent on catching her, and I worried about the expensive DSLR camera slipping from her hands and breaking. 

“Slow down,” I called out. “You’re going to end up tripping and hurting yourself.”

“Yes, slow down so I can kill you!” Nicole helpfully tacked on.

The loud laughter from Miss Halsey only egged her on further, and the three barreled at me. I braced myself for impact and muttered about them being careful of the taut ropes by their feet. Suddenly, it felt like I was a parent to a bunch of misbehaving children rather than the high-schooler I was. Serena reached me first, using her momentum to grab onto me and swivel behind me. She clung tight to my back, prepared to shield herself from the others with my poor body. 

Aubrey stopped in front of me, bending over slightly and panting. Her clothes were damp–as were the others–and her hair was wet. “Serena, we shouldn’t show Grant those pictures. Actually, we can’t really show anyone them, so why don’t you just delete them?”

I could feel her hands tighten around the folds of my sweatshirt. “Why not, though? I thought they turned out pretty sexy!”

My mind whirled with possibilities of what kind of images that camera might contain until the combined glare of the girls before me had me thinking better. I held up my hands in surrender and tried to shift to the side to bring Serena to the forefront. It was to no avail and forced the bad cop to take over.

Nicole furrowed her eyebrows and heaved out an exasperated breath. “If you don’t give me that camera, pipsqueak, I’m going to toss you into the lake.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“With bricks tied to your feet.”

The shuffling behind me made me believe that such a threat did not sit well with her. However, she still was determined to hold onto the camera and the goldmine of pictures she took. “Can I just show him one?”

“No!” they yelled out simultaneously. 

“Fine, fine. Such a waste.”

Serena emerged from behind me and handed the camera over to Aubrey who accepted it with a quiet thanks. Nicole leaned over her shoulder, intent on deleting the evidence of what I assumed to be an impromptu swimming session. Satisfied with what she now saw on the camera roll, she returned the camera to the younger girl. She sulked over to the benches and placed the camera next to the metal flask as a huge grin overtook her face. Out of her pocket, she withdrew her phone and tapped the screen. I couldn't tell what it was from this distance, but the other two reacted in abject horror. Immediately, the chase renewed. There was a little more strategy this time as they tried to flank and pincer her, and I couldn’t help but shake my head at the scene. 

“I really am happy for all of you.”

“Me too,” I whispered.

“Don’t just stand there like a lump on a log, Grant! Get your ass over here and help us catch her!”

Miss Halsey laughed while I marched over to my doom. “Try not to wear yourselves out too much. We still have to do a cookout and get some pictures of the night sky later.”

She went ignored, and I ran after Serena with all the energy I had. The way she twisted, turned, and sprinted betrayed how small her frame was. Regardless, I gave chase to Serena who was clearly amused by the entire thing. Nicole and Aubrey shouted encouragement in their own unique ways and soon I closed the distance.

“What do you say, Serena? Truce? I’d like to help preserve that picture too.”

“You traitorous bastard!” Nicole howled.

I just laughed as Serena gave me her phone, and I became the new primary target for the girls, all while Miss Halsey watched us sprawled across the bench.

LonMair399

Lots of exciting news today! First off, we hit 200 followers and are closing in on 500 favorites. Thank you for that, and I'm excited to see the series continue to grow and reach more people. On another note, we are going to be getting a new cover soon thanks to a very gracious user on this site. There is still work to be done and hashed out on that, but I will obviously credit them once everything is completed and up.

And finally, I have begun work on the series I made a passing mention to a couple of months ago. I have already written three chapters in a single day, so I am hoping I am able to keep this pace and get a good backlog before the launch date. As of now, I am hoping to start releasing chapters in April, but that could be delayed depending. This will be a challenging novel for me as an author as it differs from my previous works. It will be a fantasy series, with elements of Litrpg, is written in (a very personal) third-person point-of-view, and has a rather unique cast of heroines. I hope this new series will have a wide appeal to people who like stories like this one or Harem Protagonist's Sidekick and for those who look for a little more adventure. Anyway, that's probably enough for today. Hope you all enjoy and I will see you next time!