Chapter 86 *

Chapter 86 Chapter 86
Angelina’s POV
A horn honked. Silas's Jeep Cherokee pulled up beside me before I even reached the group.
"Master! Get in!" Silas leaned out the window, grinning.
The Jeep already had people in it. I could see Mia in the passenger seat and two other guys in the back.
I walked up to the driver's side and stared at Silas.
His grin faltered. "What?"
I kept staring.
"Okay okay, so people brought their friends and it got a little out of hand—"
"How many?"
"Um. About fifteen? Maybe sixteen? I lost count—"
I continued staring.
Silas looked like a kicked puppy. "I said in the group chat it would be just us and a couple friends! But then people started bringing their friends and those friends brought other friends and I couldn't exactly tell them not to come—"
"Get out."
"What?"
"Get out of the driver's seat. I'm driving."
"But it's my car—"
"Do you want me to come on this trip or not?"
Silas scrambled out of the driver's seat so fast he almost tripped. "Yes! Yes, please come Master! I'll sit in the back!"
I walked around to the driver's side and climbed in.
Mia turned to look at me from the passenger seat. She was wearing a Columbia hiking jacket and Lululemon leggings. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
"Finally! I texted you like three times!"
"My phone died," I lied.
In the rearview mirror, I could see Silas squeezed in the back between two other guys I vaguely recognized from PE class.
I pulled the Jeep forward into the main part of the parking lot where everyone was gathered.
Three cars total. Silas's Jeep that I was now driving. A pickup truck with people already loading gear into the bed. And a Honda SUV with a girl checking her trunk.
I parked and got out.
The group was bigger than I'd thought. Fifteen or sixteen people, like Silas said. Some I recognized from school. Others I'd never seen before.
Mia got out and walked around to my side. She lowered her voice and pointed toward the pickup truck.
"Kai Matthews brought his new girlfriend."
I looked over. Kai was standing by the truck bed, loading a cooler. He was wearing a North Face jacket and hiking boots that looked brand new.
"That's like his third one this semester. Such a player." Mia continued.
Next to Kai was a girl. Really thin, wearing a crop top even though it was cold out. Her makeup was perfect. Her hair was curled. She looked like she was going to a photoshoot, not camping.
"That's Zoey," Mia said. "She's clearly more interested in the gram than actual camping."
Zoey was taking selfies with the truck in the background.
"Good thing you didn't give him the time of day," Mia added.
I glanced at Kai once more, then turned away. "Whatever."
Silas came running up, dragging a huge backpack behind him. "Okay! Let me do a headcount!"
He started pointing at people. "One, two, three, four—wait, did John come? Is he in the bathroom? Okay, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen—"
"Sixteen," someone called out. "Emma's bringing her boyfriend!"
Silas groaned. "Sixteen people. Three cars. This is fine. This is totally fine."
Mia crossed her arms. "How many tents do we have?"
Silas's face went pale. "Uh. I brought two. Kai's group has one. Emma said she's bringing one. So that's four tents for sixteen people."
"That's gonna be tight."
I looked at Silas. He wouldn't meet my eyes.
"There's a sporting goods store near the trailhead!" he said quickly. "We can grab one there!"
"If we can't get one," I said flatly, "you're sleeping in your car."
Silas clutched his backpack. "Master, come on! It's gonna be freezing!"
Mia laughed. "You brought this on yourself, Silas."
I walked to the back of the Jeep and opened the trunk. My backpack was small compared to everyone else's. Basic camping gear. One change of clothes. First aid kit. Water bottles. Flashlight.
"Yo Silas, you got the trail map?"
I turned around. Kai was walking over. He glanced at me and nodded. "Hey."
"Hi."
I went back to checking my backpack. Made sure everything was secured properly.
Kai stood there for a moment. I could feel him trying to think of something else to say.
"Babe, can you help me with my bag? It's like, so heavy."
Zoey's voice cut through whatever Kai was about to say. She was standing by the pickup truck, struggling with a designer duffel bag.
"Yeah, of course." Kai turned and walked back to her.
But I saw the frustration on his face. He'd wanted to keep talking.
Silas leaned in close to me. "He's still not over you, huh?"
"Not my problem."
"Alright everyone!" Silas climbed onto the hood of his Jeep. "Listen up! We're heading to Thunder Peak State Park! It's about an hour and a half drive! Follow my car—I mean, follow Aria driving my car! Don't get lost! If you need to stop, text the group chat!"
People started getting into their vehicles.
I climbed back into the driver's seat. Mia got in passenger side. Silas and the two PE guys crammed into the back.
"This is gonna be so cool," one of them said. "I've never been camping before."
"Really?" the other guy asked. "Dude, you're gonna love it. Fresh air, campfire, no parents—"
"My parents would kill me if they knew I was doing this," the first guy said. "They think I'm at Logan's house studying."
They both laughed.
I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. In the rearview mirror, I saw the pickup truck and Honda SUV falling in line behind us.
The drive to Thunder Peak State Park was mostly highway. I kept the speed steady at sixty-five. The truck and SUV stayed close.
Mia connected her phone to the Jeep's Bluetooth and started playing music. Something pop that I didn't recognize.
"So Aria," she said after a few songs. "Have you been camping before?"
"Yeah."
"Like, real camping? With tents and everything?"
"Yeah."
"That's so cool. I've only been glamping once. You know, where they have actual beds and bathrooms and stuff." Mia laughed. "This is gonna be rough for me."
In the back, Silas and the two guys were arguing about something.
"I'm telling you, we should've brought more beer—"
"Dude, we're not getting drunk in the woods—"
"Why not? That's literally the point—"
"The point is to enjoy nature—"
"I can enjoy nature AND beer—"
"Silas, did you actually bring beer?" Mia turned around.
Silas grinned. "Maybe."
"You're gonna get us in trouble."
"Only if we get caught."
I kept my eyes on the road. The highway stretched ahead, empty and gray. I kept the Jeep at a steady sixty-five miles per hour. Behind us, Kai's pickup truck and the Honda SUV stayed close.
Mia had her phone out, scrolling through something. After a few minutes, she looked up.
"It says it's gonna be like 35 degrees tonight," she said.
From the back seat, Silas leaned forward. "That's why we brought sleeping bags rated for 20 degrees."
Mia turned around to look at him. "What if it gets colder? What if it snows?"
I kept my eyes on the road. "It won't snow."
"How do you know?"
"I just know."
Mia stared at me for a second, then went back to her phone. "Okay, if you say so."
Silas was practically bouncing in his seat. "Thunder Peak is sick. It's not super tall, but the view from the top is insane."