Chapter twenty-one: Voice inside my head (Emma's POV)

After we had dinner and everyone else got back, we built up the campfire to sit around and talk. I threw a couple of branches and a log into the pit before sitting down. 

"You okay? You look a little different?" Zoey asked while sitting beside. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," I shrugged. 

"Sure? You're grinning like a Cheshire cat," she huffed. 

"He kissed me," I mumbled a little more to myself but obviously she heard it. 

"Nick?" she gasped. 

"I'll tell you everything tomorrow, I swear," I muttered quickly, sealing my mouth shut when he came and sat beside me. 

"Hey," he smiled. 

"Hi," I smiled back. 

"Nick," Zoey nodded, looking at him knowingly. 

"Zoey," he nodded back at her with confusion written all over his face. 

"I will be right back," she stood up and went over to talk to Landon. 

"Did you tell her?" he questioned. 

"Did you expect me not to?" I questioned. 

"You're the one that wanted to keep everything casual and a secret," he gave me a pointed look. 

"She doesn't count," I waved my hand dismissively. 

"Hey," he nudged my shoulder with his. I turned to him in confusion but he didn't have anything to say, he just kissed me. A quick peck. 

"You're crazy. If someone saw that..." I trailed off while shaking my head and increasing the distance between us. 

"Then they'd think they were hallucinating," he shrugged, scooching closer to me. 

"I really hate you," I narrowed my eyes at him playfully. 

"You really don't," he smirked at me as the others sat down around the fire. 

We didn't bring grandparents here to camp, I'm not sure they could handle it so here we have just us. Mads, William, Finn, Allison, Zoey, Landon, Liam, Nick, a bunch of other cousins and me. Everyone was part of one conversation or another but not me. I was zoned out, watching as the flames got higher. 

"Oh, a little bonfire! Can I join?" 

All heads turned to that voice, most people confused but a handful of us knew who Rachel was. Mads, William, Zoey, Landon, Nick, and me. And we all hated her. I think. "Do we know you?" Allison asked. 

"Well duh, I'm Nick's girlfriend," she laughed while sitting down between Nick and Landon. 

"Um- no, you're not," he distanced himself, making me move over. 

"Nick, come on," she laughed scooching closer to him. 

"Rachel, you're not," he moved closer to me. 

"Nick, don't do this right now," she said, keeping her voice low. 

But he just shifted closer to me. 

"Okay, you shift any closer and you'll be sitting in my lap, Nick," I mumbled to him. He looked at me before standing up and moving over to my right, putting me between him and Rachel. "Are you kidding?" I asked him in disbelief. 

"Sorry," he shrugged. 

Rachel huffed before sticking her hand out, "I'm Rachel," she smiled. 

Is she dumb? 

"Yeah, I know," I nodded, "We have Home Ec. together," I resisted an eye roll. 

"Oh, you're in Mrs. Stephanie's class too?" she grinned. 

"No, but you were in Mr. Harrison's with me. Now you're not," I explained. 

"Oh yeah," she laughed, "I'm in Nick's class now," she waved her hand while gawking at him. 

He cleared his throat, "Actually, I've been moved to their class," he gave her the fakest smile I have ever seen him give anyone. 

"Oh, that sucks," she mumbled to herself. 

Seeing her here was literally making my blood boil. And I was getting hot with the anger that was fuming in me. I swear, there has never been a moment in my life that I haven't wanted to punch her. I despise this girl, not because of what she did with Nick, or what I thought she did, but because of how I felt when all that happened. That was the lowest point of my freaking life. 

Not because I'd just lost a dumb boyfriend, but because I fell into a rabbit hole and dark pit of insecurities. He never bothered giving me an explanation as to why he did what he did, so my mind automatically assumed the worst about myself, and I was convinced that there was something wrong with me. 

I thought I didn't give him enough of myself but he never asked me for more than I'd give him, there was constantly a voice inside my head that told me I wasn't pretty enough for him so he left me and found someone else, I thought he didn't think I was good enough, I myself thought I wasn't good enough at one point. I even thought I must have said something or done something that pushed him to go for another girl, that I indirectly told him to do this and told him that it was okay when it really just wasn't. I hated myself more then than I ever have, and that's exactly why I'm still only going to call him my friend. I'm not ready to give my heart to him again. 

Not yet. 

"Anyway, how do you know Nick?" she questioned. 

Does she not know that I was his girlfriend when she was shacking up with him? 

"Um- we're friends," I shrugged, "I have a few classes with him," I lied through my bones. 

"Really? We've never actually talked, which is kinda weird because I think you and I would be great friends," she laughed. 

You bet. 

Bitch. 

"I'm sure," I nodded, laughing along with her as conversation resumed around me. "I will burn you alive in that fire, Nick," I mumbled to him. 

He smiled at me innocently while getting up to get some soda for everyone. 

"So um- what are you doing here, Rachel?" I questioned. I wanna see if I can get her to admit that she showed up unannounced. 

"I'm here for the wedding, duh," she gave me an obvious look. 

"Oh, you were invited?" I asked, playing along with her lies. 

"Yeah, Nick invited me," she glanced at him. 

"That's a little weird," I chuckled dryly, "He didn't mention having a girlfriend let alone inviting one," I looked at her knowingly. 

"He must have forgotten," she blew me off. 

"Well, you didn't come with any of us on the flight," I cleared my throat. 

"I came in today, I was a little held up. Some family stuff," she waved her hand dismissively. 

"Oh," I nodded, "So did you get the invite through the email?" I questioned. 

They didn't send it through email. They went all out. Sending the most beautiful wedding invitation card I have ever seen. I got it after Madeline personally invited me. It was beautiful. I'm just testing her. 

"Yeah, I got the email," she nodded. Liar. 

"That's um weird," Madeline interrupted from beside me, "We didn't send any emails, cards only," she gave her a plastic smile. 

"No, Nick emailed me and told me about it," she chuckled. 

"He emailed you? Really? He hasn't emailed someone since he was like nine years old. I don't even think he has an email anymore," William laughed, "Maybe we should ask him," he shrugged. 

"Nick!" Madeline called him over while I bit back a laugh. 

"Yeah?" he came over, handing me a coke. 

"Rachel here is saying that you invited her for the wedding through email, which is a shame! You should have told us, we would have sent out the card!" Madeline smacked his arm as he sat down between me and her. 

"I haven't had an email since middle school," he cleared his throat, "Not one that I use anyway," he shrugged. 

"Huh, that's weird," I mumbled. 

"Who invited you, Rachel?" Madeline questioned. 

"Nick did," she looked at him, telling him to play along. 

"No, I didn't. You're not family, or a friend so..." he trailed off, "And you're not my girlfriend," he arched an eyebrow at her. 

"Anyhow, now that I'm here I might as well stay. Whether I attend the wedding or not," she challenged back. 

"You won't be let in without an invite and if you're not invited to this trip or wedding, you're invited here to this bonfire, you can see yourself out," Madeline said to her sharply. 

"Whatever, this place is dead anyway," she shrugged, standing up and sashaying away. 

"Geez, Madeline," William laughed, throwing his arm around her shoulder. 

"I hate that girl," she rolled her eyes while taking William's beer. 

"I think we all do," he laughed. 

"Why?" Nick asked in confusion, "I mean I do too but I have a reason," he gave them pointed looks. 

"Are you kidding?" Landon laughed. 

"We all hate her," Zoey added. 

"Why?" he questioned again. 

"Because she broke up you and Emma," they all said in sync like it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. 

"Oh," he said, dumbfounded, "Well, we can change that," he smirked at me. 

"Yeah, you wish, Nick" I rolled my eyes. 

Zo looked at me knowingly but let it go and they all fell back into their conversations. 

"I did wish, and it came true," he whispered in my ear.

-

-

-

-

-

Chapter twenty-one

Next Chapter: A little spy

Sneak Peek: They might be getting cozy in secret, but nothing goes past our little Elijah now, does it?