Nicole Marshell's Story

Sera sat in the parking lot waiting for the others to show up, this was their first trip together, just the six of them. They were planning on camping over the weekend, have a chance to get away for a while and just relax and have some fun. She leaned against her car with a sigh as she checked her watch. Everyone seemed to be running late, which was strange because she was always the late one. What was keeping them all?

Sera felt the wind beginning to pick up, sending a cold breeze through the air. She folded her arms over her chest and shivered a bit. Finally she spotted Jasper walking hand in hand with Tessa. She always believed they were the cutest couple ever, though she felt bad about keeping this huge secret from her. But if she were to tell her what happened at the back to school party, everything would be ruined between the three of them. That was definitely not something she wanted to deal with. She loved her friends to death and the last thing she ever dreamed of doing was hurting any of them. If Tessa found out she slept with her boyfriend, that would definitely do it.

"About time slow pokes. It's usually me who we're all waiting on," she stated as she popped the trunk for them to place their bags inside. "Where are the others? Have you heard from them?" she questioned as she helped them place their bags into the trunk before closing it.

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Jasper sighed as he stepped out of his room finding Tessa standing there, beautiful as ever. "Alright, let's go," he stated as he grabbed a hold of her hand, carrying his bag in his free hand. He lead her through the halls and out the building towards Sera's car. "How excited are you about this trip?" he questioned just as they stepped out the door of the building.

To be completely honest, Jasper wasn't at all excited about this camping trip. All he knew was that he had a horrible feeling about this, something was bound to go wrong...it always does. When he noticed Sera leaning against her car, he smiled remembering the night they spent together at the beginning of the school year. That was one hell of a night. Though he kept his mouth shut about it. There was no way he was going to tell Tessa something like that, he would definitely lose her if he did. All he hoped was that she wouldn't find out about it from anyone. But knowing his luck, he knew it would happen eventually.

After hearing Sera's words he just smirked and rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure where they're at. I thought they were all already here," he answered as he placed the last bag in the trunk and watched as Sera closed it. He leaned against the back of the car, waiting for the others.

Why he even agreed to go on this trip, he wasn't completely sure. Oh, that's right, Tessa begged him to go.

Tessa shoved her things together in her last minute bag, carrying the lot along in one hand while the other hand was locked happily with Jasper’s. “Are you kidding? I’m super excited,” she replied to him. She could have continued carrying on about how she felt it will be an experience and educational for them all and bring them even closer but she didn’t want to over talk about things people really didn’t care about. The trip and camping was happening and that’s all there was to it. Besides, she wasn’t feeling too talkative and hyped at the time because of recent issues. Sure, Jasper and her wore the happy, cute couple easily and it was always flattering and he was a handsome good guy but things felt off these days. Not with him so much but with herself. Or maybe it was both. She didn’t know.

She threw her bags in the trunk and smiled at Sera’s comment. She was always the ice breaker whether she knew it or not and it made Tess grateful for Sera’s friendship. “Nope. Haven’t seen them aroun…” She trailed off as Ben’s perky voice spoke for itself. One down, two to go. Then pretty soon Nicole emerged too and she found herself smiling even more at her best friend. Two down, one to go.

Then it struck her. The car issue. Six of us with luggage and one car that wasn’t a mini van.. Tessa looked to Sera. “So do we plan on making Zack sit on someone’s lap or is there another car coming?”

Okay, it was true. Sometimes Sera was never the brightest of the bunch but why hadn't she thought about the fact of needing to take two vehicles? "Yeah, um, I hadn't thought about that. Would any of you be willing to drive too?" she questioned as she opened the front door and sat in the driver's seat, still waiting on Zackary. At this point he was about an hour late which was making her very worried about where he might be or what happened to him. She pulled out her cellphone, an android with a hot pink, solid case holding it in place. She scrolled through her contacts and began to text Zackary. "Hey, where are you? Is everything alright?" she texted before sending the message.

The brunette sighed as she set her phone down on her lap and brought her arms up behind her head, pulling her thick strands into a messy bun. It was about eleven in the morning and it was already scorching hot outside. It's crazy. The only place she had ever heard of where you can get heat stroke and hypothermia in the same week is Redwell. The weather was always so bipolar that sometimes it made her feel as if she were going crazy at times.

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Jasper chuckled a bit at Sera's words and shook his head. There was no denying that she was a natural blonde, that's for sure. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. The heat was scorching, honestly he wished he brought a hair tie with him so he could pull his dark locks back out of his face. That's when he turned to the girls and questioned, "Do any of you have something I could tie my hair back with?" he questioned. Although he loved his long hair, he knew it had to be time for a haircut. "I think I'm going to get it cut when we get back," he added as he leaned against the vehicle.

Jasper tried his best to keep most of his attention focused on Tessa, but it was definitely a hard thing to do when Nikki was around. He always believed she was gorgeous and a great person to be around. But he felt back for having a thing for her when he was still dating Tessa. To this day he felt that the two of them were slowly pulling apart because of the many secrets he hid from her. Though in a way he had a feeling he wasn't the only one keeping secrets. His entire group had secrets, though he wasn't that worried about it. Whatever was bound to happen, would happen. Maybe the secrets were better staying that way.

Zack had gotten a text late at night from his sister, "Kary hide and seek." Which meant she need him and that she was at one of their old 'secret' playing areas from when they were young. With her calling him Kary it meant that it was very important, so he had darted out of his room half dressed. He spent the rest of the night and the morning with her and his brother. When all of a sudden his phone beeped, a text from Sera, the second friend he made since coming to this collage and also the first girl he ever slept with. He doesn't regret that night but even before that he had started to develop feelings for her, that only grew deeper afterwards. "Hey, where are you? Is everything alright?" Oh great the camping trip and he was late. After saying goodbye he sent a quick reply, "Family thing on my way." He hated being late, luckily he packed the car before he got his sisters text.

About ten minutes late he came speeding into the parking lot were the others were waiting for him. Fortunately there was a free spot next to them. Zack quickly pulled in and without turning the car off he hoped out, "Hey. Sorry I'm late. had a family thing come up." He sound annoyed and apologetic. "So... everyone ready for this then right?" He was still very annoyed at himself for being late, tired from not sleeping at all last night and uncomfortable not knowing who know what about him and Sera or how she felt about him. The way he saw it the quicker they start the quicker he can get back and surf, one of the few places he felt safe and free. Plus he could show off a little while surfing, not so much camping. Surfing was the one thing his father forced him to do that he liked, many cause the surf doesn't judge you, rich or poor, tall or short, smart or not, the surf doesn't care. Now he was going to be stuck camping with his two best friends and three other, that he didn't want to do but when both of his friends asked at separate time, how could he say no. On to of that he lost the surfing contest against Ben.

After about ten minutes Sera received a reply from Zackary. She smiled when she lifted the phone from her lap and read the message. "Zackary had a family thing, said he'll be here soon," she stated to the others as she set her phone back down on her lap and leaned against her steering wheel. If she knew they would be leaving this late, she would have gotten a couple more hours of sleep. She yawned a bit as they all stood there in silence. Apparently everyone seemed to be a bit tired, that or they all had something on their minds. But Sera, all she could seem to think about was Zackary. The couple nights they spent between the sheets, the times they hung out together alone, it all was amazing to her. Though she would be lying if she said he was a slacker in the sheets. He definitely knew what he was doing.

Sera's thoughts were broken by the sound of Zackary's voice. She instantly perked up and turned her attention to Zackary, who was climbing out of his own vehicle that was parked on the right side of her car. "So, I guess that answers the question that was never answered," she stated with a soft smirk and closed her door, starting the engine. "So, who's riding with me?" she questioned as she stuck her head out the window, looking to the other five of her friends.

The sooner they got out of the school's parking lot, the faster they could get things set up and she could hopefully spend some time with Zack. Yes, there was no way Sera would ever admit her feelings to the boy, mainly in fear that it would screw up their friendship and that she would end up dealing with a serious relationship. Sera was never the type to have a constant boyfriend. She preferred the life of sleeping around, being free.

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Jasper sighed as he remembered he had a hair tie in his pocket and pulled it out, pulling his hair back. For the next twenty minutes, the five of them seemed to have an awkward silence amongst them. Everything just seemed strange for some reason. Why was everyone suddenly being so quiet? He just continued leaning against the car, constantly glancing back and forth between Nicole and Tessa, hoping neither of them would notice. Every now and then he would glance and see what Ben was up to, but that never lasted too long. Finally he just sighed and opened the backseat door to Sera's vehicle and sat down, pulling Tessa into his lap with a soft smile.

It didn't take long for Zackary to arrive, but with all of the silence, it seemed as if it were an eternity. After hearing Sera's statement, he just shrugged his shoulders and stated, "Seeing as how I'm already sitting here, I suppose I'll ride with you," he stated as he glanced at Sera and then looked to Tessa, giving her a questionable look as if asking if she were okay with it.

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Ben wandered what the dying silence was about. For 5 friends they were awfully quiet, he hoped it was just the early morning and that it wasn't a sign for the upcoming trip. He couldn't help thinking he was not the only one with a secret. Once again it seemed Tessa wasn't giving him the time of day. Not strange given the fact he never really talked to her. Probably for the best, I couldn't do that to Jas...

Before things got too uncomfortable he was glad to hear Zack's car coming. "Ah, look who just volunteered his car for this trip," Ben said with a smile on his face. He took his stuff and put his bag and guitar in the trunk of Zack's car. He avoided putting his stuff on top of Nikki's, not wanting to break anything fragile. Seeing Zack's tired face he leaned down next to his window, and made sure Zack was the only one to hear his words. "Dude, you look tired. Is everything allright with the sib's?" He was worried about his friend. He met Zack's little brother and sister ones or twice before and he knew how much the oldest felt responsible for the younger ones. Weird, as Ben had never felt that responsibility for his sister. "If you want me to drive, just shout okay?"

He saw Nikk's jumping in the back and so he took the rightful shotgun space next to Zack. Don't really want to sit with the happy couple..., Sera can deal with that. Sitting in the car he turned around to the back seat. "So, Nikk's, I was kinda hoping you took care of music for this road trip. What are the melodies you are gracing us with today?"

Sera smiled and glanced over at Zackary, "So, do you know where you're going or do you want to follow behind me?" she shouted out the passenger side's window. In a way she kind of felt like a chauffeur with Tessa and Jasper sitting in the backseat, but honestly she didn't mind it. Sera wasn't the kind of person to force one of them to sit up front if they wanted to sit together, that just seemed rude in her opinion. As long as the two of them didn't start making out or anything, she was perfectly fine with them sitting together in the back of her car.

Sera turned on the heat, feeling a bit chilled from sitting outside for a good hour and a half waiting on everyone. She was still surprised to find she was the first one out there. Usually she was the last one everyone is waiting for, but for some reason she was early. She sighed and turned her attention away from Zackary, beginning to pull out of the parking spot.

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Jasper climbed into the vehicle all the way, with Tessa still on his lap and closed the door. He chuckled a bit and looked to Tessa with a smirk, "I don't think this is legal babe," he stated as he helped her off his lap and onto the seat. He then reached for the seat belt and buckled himself in. Sera was a wild driver, that was for sure. But he knew she wouldn't do anything to put their lives at stake even though she drove wildly. She was always more careful with passenger's in her car. He sat there, listening to the conversation going on between the two drivers, not being able to wait much longer to get on the road.

The faster they arrived to the campgrounds, the faster the trip would end and he could be back in his comfy bed, not having to worry about sleeping comfortably on the solid ground. Though at that moment he was a bit curious about how the tent arrangements would end up. Who would share with who? All he knew was that he would be more than willing to share a tent with his girl if she wanted to. But if she wanted to share a tent with Sera or Nicole, that would be fine with him as well. Besides, he wasn't going to be the kind of guy who controlled every action his girlfriend made. He gave her more than enough room to make her own decisions.

Zack tried to hide a yawn as he looked at Ben, "No I'm good to dive but thanks. And sis had an other falling out with dad, so they both took off. I talked them into going back then we just hung out. By the way when we get back I want a rematch." He then turned to Sera, "I know were to go but I'll follow you." Hoping in the car and buckling up he turned to Nikki, "Welcome aboard." He slowly pulled out behind Sera, who he had no intention of following. As they drove off campus thoughts of everyone ran through his head. To start off there was one of his closest friends, Ben Masters, he is like a brother to him and a fellow surfer, having him along will be great. Then there was the girl in the back seat of his car Nikki, a girl almost completely unknown to him. Its true that they may of had a few classes together and friends in common but that's about it, could be fun getting to know her. Then there was Tessa, again not much there except she was dating Jasper, that was going to mess with the trip, two love doves. Jasper, the second love dove, they hung out a few times but Zack wouldn't call him a close friend. This trip might be a chance to change that. Saving the best for last was Sera, the first girl he ever got close to. Having her on this trip was either going to be the best part of it or make it a nightmare.

He shook himself out of it, and looked at Nikki in the rearview mirror, "You might want to hold on." Then turned to Ben and gave him a 'this is going to be fun' look. Now Zack wasn't a big show off but, every now and again he gets an controllable urge to show off, expressly when he's diving. At one part of the trip he found his opening and accelerated to get close to Sela's car then sling shotted around her nearly missing a head on collation. "Sorry couldn't help myself."

When the driving arrangements unfolded she couldn’t help but cock her head to the side, when Nikki had selected Zack’s car instead. She didn’t guess for them to be close and particularly comfortable with each other. Then again, three and three made sense for an equal divide among the group.
Tess manoeuvred off Jas’ lap and into her own seat chuckling lightly at his comment, shaking her head and buckled up for the ride. She gazed out the window watching buildings and trees dash by, and as passenger allowed herself to get lost in thought until intriguing conversation was made. She wasn’t usually the type to day dream and think too hard on things but it was a weird morning. Or at least that’s what she narrowed it to. Most the group was being weird actually come to think of it. That could have been because of the camping for the first time together though. She turned her head to look between Jas and Sera and smiled to herself. They’d all warm up to each other in the end, she was sure.

When a lunatic driver sped by and overtook Sera, almost colliding with an oncoming vehicle, it interrupted her anticipating and calculating state, making Tess jump a little then roll her eyes when she realized it was their companions’ car. She blew out her lips bothered to be startled by a mini show pony act.

“So…”she picked up for conversation. “If this were some creepy horror movie who do you think would die first? Or order of deaths?” She added. Admittedly it wasn’t the most pleasant conversation starter but a random thought. She buried into her pockets pulling out some chewy as she waited for the replies.
"I think Ben or I would make survivor. No offense babe," she added to Jas, nudging him lightly with her arm and grinning. "But the innocent, optimistic ones always survive according to horror lore," she stated matter-of-factly looking between Sera and Jas.

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Ben acted like Nikki's abscence of music was the worst thing to happen since the cafeteria stopped serving curly fries, but his acting was certainly not his best feature. The moment they pulled out of the parking lot, Ben relaxed and slouched in his seat. Maybe this was a time to have a bit more sleep. The slouching was not for long when Zack pulled his slingshot manouver overtaking Sera. after his action Ben punched Zack on the shoulder. "Okay, okay..., I get it. No calming down for me. What? Do you need road games or something?" Ben turned around in his seat. His back was now against the seatbelt and he said cross legged in his seat facing Nikki. "Okay bro, my back is facing traffic, so don't pull one of those stunts again. I packed light, so me peeing my pants on the way is not gonna help."

He thought about the uncomfortable situation in the parking lot. He turned to Zack who had missd the entire thing. "So, dude, you messed one hell of a get together on the parking lot. Everyone is acting shifty as fuck. I don't know what is going on, but there might be more drama than someone originally plans for. Care to comment Nikk's?" Ben didn't know if Nikki had any secrets herself, he could only assume. Heck, Ben himself was not without them either, but accept for one, none of them really influenced this little trip. And his secret influenced none other than himself.

Ben was a bit surprised to see how comfortable he was in this position. New fave position...cool "Cookie?" He gladly took the cookie that Nikki offered him. "So, what are we playing to kill the short time we have Is it Zitchdog, Never Have I Ever with cookies instead of shots, Truth or Dare." He pointed at Zack and looked him straight in the eyes. "And you are not allowed to choose dare while driving. Well..., it's the ladies choice."

Zack was waiting for Ben to do some thing so he was ready for the punch to the shoulder. "Okay, okay..., I get it. No calming down for me. What? Do you need road games or something?" "Hey I got to stay awake some how." he said with a smile. He stayed a little ways ahead of Sera for a while well watching her in the rearview, but not see any reaction he sped up. Since he was so late showing up he had to make up for it. "So, dude, you messed one hell of a get together on the parking lot. Everyone is acting shifty as fuck. I don't know what is going on, but there might be more drama than someone originally plans for. Care to comment Nikk's?" 'Oh great. just what this trip needed... more drama. Just hope his little secrets don't add to this drama.' he thought as he was pulled out of his head by Nikki, "Cookies?" To which he replied, "I would but I don't think Ben would like any more of my fancy driving." "So, what are we playing to kill the short time we have Is it Zitchdog, Never Have I Ever with cookies instead of shots, Truth or Dare. And you are not allowed to choose dare while driving. Well..., it's the ladies choice." Zack smiled and laughed, "Oh... Ben you're no fun. And sorry Ben but thanks to my nice driving we are already here." They pulled in and a short time later Sera pulled in next to them. Turned off the car and hoped out, popping the trunk. He then pushed his seat forward to let Nikki out and extended his hand to help her out.

At least Sera understood the stereotypes in horror that was indeed sadly agreeable and Tessa smiled and nodded along with the conversation and was quite happy in herself for ending the taunting lingering silence. But it appeared to hit another awkward bump at the conclusion of the topic. She squinted a little at her boyfriend and Sera but shrugged it off. Her efforts were done for the drive and if she were being honest with herself, her biggest concern was with Nikki and Jasper. It wasn’t even fully justified but a bad gut feeling.

She ran her hand down her face. She didn’t want to be that insecure paranoid one, especially during a camping trip. It was so not the time, she scolded herself. And not who she was. When they parked at the camping grounds, Tessa climbed out of the car quickly, grateful for all the openness available to her. She craved a walk. But business first. She wasn’t going to ditch them to set up camp themselves and stroll back in claiming tents and choreographing arrangements.
“Alright, so…yeah, tents and sleeping arrangements?” she prompted swinging her arms to clap her hands together. Hey eyes glazed over the others for suggestions. She was good with sharing with the girls but for all she knew Sera and Nikki might've had other plans or the guys might've hoped for other plans. And she was not about to be the one to block hopeful events.

Sera sighed as she pulled the key out of the ignition and dropped her keys into her purse before climbing out of the vehicle, listening to Tessa's thoughts about setting up and the sleeping arrangements. She glanced around the group and spoke up, "Well, how many tents do we have?" she questioned as she reached for her bottle of water and took a couple sips from it before adding, "I know for sure I didn't bring one. Didn't have enough money to grab one before we left," she stated as she closed the water bottle.

Thankfully they were already there, maybe now they would all be able to stop being so silent with each other and actually start having fun, enjoying their time with each other. This would also be a great time for her to get to know Ben, Jasper, and Nicole a bit better. As long as nothing happens that would cause her secrets to become known to the entire group, then everything would most likely be okay.

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Jasper climbed out of the vehicle with Tessa and smirked as he answered her question, "I wouldn't mind sharing a tent with you, unless you wanted to share with the girls, that's fine too," he stated as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He turned his attention to Sera when he heard her speaking and stated, "I brought one," he chimed in as he glanced at the others.

He stepped up to the driver's side of the car and popped Sera's trunk before beginning to unpack the car as they all kept discussing the sleeping arrangements. He figured he mind as well start the boring part and get it done and over with. Besides, it's not like he had anything better to do at the moment.

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Nikki's explanation seemed to be a valid one, he was tired, so the fact that the others were shouldn't be much of a surprise. "You're probably right. I must be seeing things." Zack's announcement came as a surprise to Ben. With his back to the traffic he had no idea they had been this close to the camp site already. He got out just like the others and instantly grabbed his backpack and guitar from the trunk. Joining the others he heard Tessa's question:"All right, so…yeah, tents and sleeping arrangements?” Ah, Ben thought, a subject that had been going through his mind from the moment the trip was planned. "If nobody else wants I'll gladly join your tent, don't worry." He was more serious than he sounded, but he hoped he didn't show it.

Thankfully the silence after his comment was not for long as Sera asked the next question."Well, how many tents do we have?" Jas told them there was one with him, which relieved Ben. He almost thought he should have brought 2 tents, the preparation of the others didn't seem as good as his own. "I've got one as well, so we should be fine. You still can decide over the tent arrangements though, we're not there yet. The camping site is nice for old people and young families, not really our crowd if you hadn't noticed. I spoke to the owner over the phone and he told me there is an open spot in the forest, about an hour walk from here." Ben looked around and saw some surprised faces. He was pretty sure of his plan though, maybe they needed some convincing. "Look, I know it's a nasty walk, but we'll be completely alone, no one else to bother us. A bit more of an adventure, unless you guys are scared of course."

To add some confidence to his story he bent down to pick up his backpack and put it on his back. The tent hang underneath the the huge backpack, and the top of it came to above his head. This isn't my first rodeo... Ben had only started camping 4 years ago. His family always went to the best and most expensive hotels whenever they went on holiday, mostly in Hawaii. When Ben had said goodbye to his family, he had done the same to his wealthy lifestyle. Soon after he discovered that he felt far better at home in nature. Surfing, camping, rock climbing, it was a wonder to him to see how beautiful nature could be.

Out of one of his side pockets he took a compass with GPS function. After studying it for 10 seconds he walked towards the edge of the forest on his left. He turned around to the others. "Are we coming?" The smile on his face was unmistakeably real. "Oh yeah, or the people wearing high heels, I would suggest to switch shoes now."

Zack looked over at Sera as she asked, "Well, how many tents do we have?" As she took a sip of water he couldn't help but want to be that water bottle, to kisses her, to have one more wonderful night with her. He shock the thoughts of and focused on the task at hand to keep the thoughts away. Grabbed his backpacking pack from the trunk and seeing that everyone else already had their stuff closed the trunk. "I got room for one in my tent if anyone wants." He always kept a pack with a tent in the trunk just in case. After doing a double check of the inside of his car, he locks the doors and placed his keys in his shoulder strap pocket. Then put his pack on securing his waist and chest straps. Pulling out the hose of his hydration bladder and clipping it to his shoulder strap, he joined Ben. "I'm ready. Lets go lets go. The quicker we get to the site, the quicker we setup, the quicker we can start having some fun." He couldn't help but get pumped now that they were here, with his two closest friends, a on a beautiful day in the middle of the woods, this day cant get much better than this. Expressly once he pulls out the little gift he brought. Of course now that he thought about it, maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea, with all of the awkwardness...On the other hand... it could be just what the group needs. This was going to be great, competitions with Ben, hanging out with Sera, and getting to know the rest of them.

"I got room for one in my tent if anyone wants." She glanced over at Zack and gave him a soft smirk after hearing his statement, fully considering the offer. Though once she realized what she was doing, she completely looked away from him and looked to Ben when she heard him speaking. Sera's face went white when she heard about the one hour walk to the site Ben was talking about. Though once she noticed him put his pack on, she knew there was no point in trying to get out of his idea.

"Oh yeah, or the people wearing high heels, I would suggest to switch shoes now." Sera sighed at Ben's words and sat down on the pavement, pulling her heels from her feet. At this moment, she was glad she brought a pair of sneakers. Although they wouldn't look too well with her skirt, but she would rather be sure her ankles don't break during the walk than look tacky. She opened her pack and pulled her sneakers out, replacing them with her heels and placed the heels into the bag. She quickly tied her shoes and stood to her feet, placing the pack back on. "Alright, let's go," she stated as she glanced around at the others with a sigh and walked up next to Ben, waiting on the others.

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Jasper couldn't help but plaster a smirk upon his face, trying to keep his laughter to himself when he noticed the smirk Sera had on her face after hearing Zack's words. He had a feeling something was going on between them from that moment on, but he wasn't going to say anything about it around Sera. He figured he could ask Zack about it once Sera was nowhere around...or any of the others. Besides, it was probably something he didn't want anyone knowing about.

Jasper chuckled a bit when he watched Sera climb out of her heels and slide on her sneakers. Of course she would be the one to wear the heels on a camping trip. She was never the brightest when it came to certain things. He pulled his pack onto his shoulders and slid his hand into Tessa's and looked over to her. "Are you willing to take this walk?" he questioned to her with a soft smile.