7. Maggie

CHAPTER SEVEN

maggie

Of all the stupid, careless things I could have done, I just did the one thing that makes me the queen of the idiots. But he was just there, looking so ruggedly handsome in the dark hallway, and I felt such a rush of the anger and humiliation I felt on that night, that for some reason, kissing him seemed like the perfect solution. The one way I could get him back for messing with my head back in high school was by messing with his head.

But it might have messed me up more. As I hurry back to the table, I can still feel his soft lips on mine. He barely had time to register what was happening, let alone actually kiss me back, but I'm forever ruined.

His soft, pillowy lips are just so kissable. It was exactly like I imagined it would be in high school. Well, not exactly, because in all of my daydreams, he would kiss me tenderly and there would be fireworks.

It wouldn't be an anger kiss. A hate kiss. Yup. That's what it was. A hate kiss.

I'm breathing heavily when I reach the table. "When are we heading back to camp?" The words tumble out and I feel kind of like a crazed maniac. Maybe I am one. I just kissed the guy who's supposedly my enemy. No, he definitely still is and I should not have kissed him. No matter how kissable he looked.

I know why I did it. I know exactly why. Being around Jack has made me lose all sense of self control, and it's only been a few hours. I was thrown back in time, when I watched as that girl wrapped her arms around him and kissed him—and he kissed her back, when he was supposed to be meeting with me. So yeah, a kiss is why I hate him.

But that didn't mean I had to kiss him.

"You okay?" Fiona reaches out for me, touching my arm. I need to get my crap together because I'm obviously not okay, and if she can tell, then Jack might be able to tell too. I want to be more put together. Put-together people don't go around kissing people.

I offer her a fake smile. I know that if I fake it long enough, I'll feel fine again. "Just want to get some rest before our hike tomorrow."

"Rest is good."

I shiver as Jack's deep, smooth voice sounds behind me. I don't turn to look at him. I can't look at him, not after I just told him I hate him and then kissed him. It was a hate kiss, but with all the flirting he's been doing, I don't know if he knows that.

"Let's head back to camp," Hannah says, sliding out of the booth.

Fiona eyes me and then Jack, who I still haven't looked at. "Want to tell me what's going on?"

"I just really hate him," I whisper. Hoping that no one else can hear our conversation. The restaurant is full of chatter, so maybe I'm safe.

"Uh-huh," she says, but her eyes swivel between us again. "I don't buy that for one second."

I feel Jack's eyes on me as we head outside, but I ignore him. I can do this.

Once outside, I take a deep breath of the glorious mountain air, but my chest still feels tight. I'm stiff as we head to the car. Just before I hop in, Jack appears by my side. "I loathe you, too, you know."

Ignoring him, I jump into the car. Everything about this trip is a bad idea. I should have walked away as soon as I knew he would be here. But I'm here, and I have to make the best of it.

I kissed him.

I type out the text and then delete it three times. I'm not ready to tell anyone about what I just did. Thankfully, Fiona is distracted with Hannah telling her all about running the camp, so no one is watching me as I type out the text once more.

I slide my phone into my pocket before I can lose my nerve, and don't send the text. I don't need the girls' reactions right now. Right now, I need to figure out what on earth I'm going to do.

I take a deep breath. A plan. A plan is good. Okay.

Tomorrow, I'll wake up early and we'll go on this hike. I've watched YouTube videos about the hike several times, and I even read a book about the history of the trail—which is saying something, because I really don't read much. I know the path we'll take. I know that by this time tomorrow, we'll be camping at Boulderfield, ready to hike up to the summit the next day. It's not going to be easy—in fact, I think it might just kick my butt—but I also can't wait. The entire hike is about fifteen miles, with a pretty steep incline. Do I wish that I were slightly more in shape for this? Sure, but it's going to be fine.

Our packs are ready. I'm ready. I can do this.

"Best get some sleep," Graham tells the car as we pull up to our cabin. "We'll be up dark and early to get started."

That's the understatement of the year. We'll be up by four to get started on the hike at five. Most people start earlier than that, but Graham says that we'll do okay if we start that late since we're doing it in two days. I hope he's right. Everything I read recommended starting at one in the morning if you want to do the hike in a day. But the weather is supposed to be clear tomorrow, so it should be okay.

I change in the small bathroom and brush my teeth. Fiona is already sound asleep when I get out. While Jack gets ready for bed—not that I'm thinking about Jack—I tuck myself into one of the sleeping bags that Graham and Hannah provide for their campers, just so we don't have to pack up our own sleeping bags in the morning

I'm asleep before Jack even comes out of the bathroom.