I swallowed the waffle, "Sorry, no, I'm fine. Luke and I took a trip last night and we'll be out of town for a few days." "Out of town?!" Joe exclaimed. It's the first time I've ever heard him get worked up, "You know you have your competition tomorrow. You worked so hard for this." Why does Joe sound like my mom right now? "Joe," I sighed, telling him the truth, "I was suspended from school this week. They forbid me from participating in any school activities, including the math competition." It was another blow that came with the whole Kaden-Luke-basketball incident. They took away my right to participate in the mathlete competition after I had qualified for the round last winter. "I know," he replied, "I spoke to Kaden yesterday who told me what happened. He's suspended too and won't join. Looks like you'll both have to try again next year." I spoke with Joe for a couple more minutes and wished him luck at the mathlete competition. I guess he would be playing for all of us. After Joe and I hung up, I picked up my fork again. But then I thought twice. I traded my fork for the pen and added another name to the suspects' list: Joe. Maybe. It's not impossible. Suddenly, the surround sound speakers started to crackle. I spun round on the kitchen stool, wondering who else was in the house aside from Luke and me. Luke was in the shower, wasn't he? "Luke?" I called out in the empty room. Music started to play. I got up and walked to the dining area, making sure none of the doors were open. The view now made me feel so alone in a huge landscape. The music got louder on the speakers: How you look so perfect on your worst days? Double C your purses, you deserve it It was A Boogie's song: the first song Luke and I listened to together. Back at the campsite, I played the song after he came to sit beside me. We had our first, genuine heart-to-heart that night. And he ate my turkey mayo sandwiches. I turned to the staircase and saw him. Luke slid across the smooth wooden surface, like he was Tom Cruise in that risky business scene. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist and his chest was still wet from the shower. I watched his skin sparkle as he moved towards me, getting ready for the chorus. Curvy little body, love your surface Yeah, I'm all on your body, make you nervous He came over and swept me up in his arms. I squealed from the feeling of his wet arms on my back as he spun me round. Swervin' How you look so perfect on your worst days? He kissed me, but I was smiling so he ended up kissing my teeth. His hand swept through my hair, messing it up as he left a trail of kisses down my neck, but I didn't mind. I squeezed his hard shoulders as he lowered me, letting my body slide down his. I was so sure his towel was about to fall off, but he gripped it with his left hand before it did. It felt incredible being out here, just the two of us. ** "Shoes! Phone! And I'm coming!" I called out, putting on one shoe as I hopped to the front door. Luke had been waiting for me for a while now. He leaned calmly against the door frame, now fully dressed after his shower. "You got a text from Jake," he said in a bored tone, holding my phone for me while he waited. "Can you tell him we're at the lake house for a few days?" I asked, digging into my backpack for a pair of gloves. I yanked the gloves on and walked over to Luke, finally ready. He handed me my phone and I looked at the text he'd sent Jake from my phone: We're at the lake house. He added a watermelon emoji. Why the random emoji? I thought that was a weird touch, but didn't mention it. Luke held the door open for me and I stepped outside. The sky was clear, but the air was cold. We walked across the hard ground. The rain from last night had frozen into a thin layer of ice so we had to be careful not to slip. My phone buzzed with Jake's response: F*ck you Luke I looked up at Luke, expecting him to explain himself. Luke peered down at the text and whistled, "He's so aggressive, isn't he?" ** I can see why Luke likes this whole nature thing. The air smells so fresh and the sounds are even better in real life than the nature playlists I listen to. I felt at one with the world. Like the birds were conversing with us and- "My sister has a bunch of hiking shoes. We have extra for guests as well," Luke said, punching in the code to the shed. "What do you mean shoes?" I asked, looking down at my sneakers, "What's wrong with these?" "They have no grip," he replied, pushing the door open. "So this doesn't count as part of our forest walk?" I asked, referring to the eternity we just spent walking. "You mean the five minutes from the house to the shed?" Luke asked, staring at me like I was crazy, "No, that doesn't count as our forest walk." I kept quiet, regretting my decision to suggest this activity already. Luke's phone was buzzing with notifications as he led me to the area where all the raincoats, ski jackets, wetsuits and hiking boots were. I sat on a bench while he dropped a few pairs in front of me to try. I kept seeing him ignore phone calls. I shoved my feet into a pair of shoes, trying on a couple pairs until one fit. I started to lace them up. Luke finally answered his phone, "What is it?" The caller shouted from the other end, "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! COACH SAID YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP TODAY AND I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU SINCE YESTERDAY!" Mr Dawson's yelling struck fear in my soul. I sat on the bench, with my hiking shoes all laced up, looking terrified. Luke, however, seemed unphased. He pointed at my shoes and gave me a questioning thumbs-up. I gave him a thumbs-up back and he nodded, leading us out. "I'll be gone for a few days, dad," Luke replied, locking the shed, "Taking a break." "A BREAK?! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE A BREAK?! YOU HAVE A TEAM TO CAPTAIN!"