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Molly was amazed she'd talked as much as she had. Even topics as superficial as how her school year had been had a way getting her flustered, and it was only Oliver's gentle smiles and patience that had gotten her through it. Truth be told, her social awkwardness had always made her question whether there was something wrong with her. She remembered one day from fifth grade in particular. Each student had been assigned a topic to research and was supposed to read their paper in front of the class. The report was on something silly (manatees or sea otters or some other aquatic creature), but Molly remembered being terrified. The anxiety she experienced as she waited her turn had been crippling-- her heart had raced; breathing had become difficult. When it was her turn to present, 10 year old Molly managed to stand in front of the class for approximately 7 seconds before panicking and running from the room. Her teacher had later called her parents to express his concern, but Molly's father, who, after his wife's miscarriage, wanted nothing more than to have a healthy, normal child, dismissed the issue as "a bit of stage fright". And that was that. Molly continued to spend copious amounts of time alone, and her parents continued to pretend that everything was fine. Maybe, if they'd done something earlier, Molly would've turned out more...well, normal. But there wasn't anything to be done now, was there?

"Well, you made it. That's a plus." Oliver's playful wink brought a smile to Molly's face, and she nodded in agreement. He was right, sort of. She'd won the battle against junior year, but she still had to win the war. She'd face many decisions in the coming year, but she didn't want to think about them now. Many campers viewed Camp Liberty as their escape from reality, and Molly was no exception. Things were different here, different and better. She was more sociable here, more adventurous, more...normal. Here no one ridiculed her for her oddities or whispered things behind her back. Here people paid attention. Here she was visible.

She listened for Oliver's response to her question as she walked beside him, careful to avoid the vegetation and gnarled tree roots that littered the trail. Was it just her, or was the trail already becoming more challenging? She looked towards Oliver as she heard him sigh, but he looked away from her, seemingly at a loss for words. Had she said something wrong? "Uh, well...I honestly haven't really thought of college," he began. That couldn't be what was troubling him, though; she knew plenty of people who didn't have their post-graduation plans worked out. He seemed to have something big to say, but was unsure of how to say it. "I'm actually considering joining the army, right after we leave from here." Surprised by Oliver's answer, Molly failed to notice a particularly large tree root jutting up from the damp earth. Her foot caught on it and she stumbled, only just managing to regain her balance and avoid getting a mouthful of dirt. The army? Right after camp? She didn't know what to say. How did you respond to something like that?

"Oh...wow..." (She wasn't off to a very good start, was she?) "That's really...I mean, if that's what...If that's what you want to do, then I'm happy for you." And she meant it. Really, she did. She wanted him to be happy. Sure a part of her had always hoped that the two of them would...that they could...well, never mind that. She didn't need to address those delusions as the moment. That's what they were, really: delusions. It was silly of her to think of them as real possibilities. Oliver was a friend, one of her only friends, and she needed to be grateful for that. Expecting anything more was as dangerous as it was impractical. For the moment she decided it was best to focus her attention on surviving the rest of the hike.