Alice glanced around before leaning in for a kiss. She pushed Briar down into the brush, slotting their bodies together. Briar kissed her back just as hard, pulling at Alice’s hair. Her other hand slid into Alice’s back pocket. Alice gasped into her mouth, biting Briar’s bottom lip.
‘Ow.’ Briar broke away with a wide grin, then felt her lip split further. ‘Oh, fuck. Okay, no more kissing.’
Alice laughed, standing and then helping Briar. ‘I’ll take the request into consideration, but I’m not sure I can be in full compliance.’
Briar tried to glower but couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. ‘I’m gonna have to haul you in.’ She grabbed Alice’s hand and walked her back towards the jail. They were nearly there when Briar heard the telltale horns that signaled the end of the game.
She shot a questioning glance at Alice, who looked too smug for her liking.
‘This was a distraction?’ Briar asked, putting it together. Alice beamed back at her, looking particularly angelic in the light streaming through the tree canopy. ‘You’re evil.’
Alice pulled her hand out of Briar’s grasp, skipping back to the center of camp. ‘I’m competitive.’
At that moment, she reminded Briar so much of her younger self that she didn’t care about losing.
Of the VHS tapes Briar had picked up, the campers selectedA League of Their Ownfor movie night. They lay in their sleeping bags on the mess hall floor, watching the giant projector screen at the end of the room, as the counselors watched from the back. Cook, who had fully recovered, was in such a good mood that he was passing out bags of popcorn and chocolate chip cookies.
Briar smiled into her cup of Sunny D, her eyes skipping around the room before finally settling on Alice. She was in a corner with the counselors from Cabins 5 and 9, talking quietly but animatedly, her hands waving wildly as she spoke. Watching her sparked something warm in Briar’s abdomen.
‘Whatcha looking at?’ Sierra sidled up to her, and Briar quickly covered her smile by taking a sip of her drink.
‘Just enjoying the movie,’ Briar said. ‘Trying not to think about what could go wrong next week.’
Sierra eyed her like she saw through the subtle verbal parry.
‘Yeah, this session is going much smoother,’ she said finally. ‘You and Alice make a good team when you’re actually working together.’
Briar nodded, tight-lipped, suddenly nervous that even talking about Alice would give them away.
‘We do,’ she managed.
‘So… why aren’t you trying to kill each other anymore?’ Sierra asked, sensing a bruise and poking it.
Briar shrugged. ‘We’re just making it through the summer.’
And that was the truth. Maybe Briar didn’t want anyone to know about Alice because she knew that it was stupid to have started something with her in the first place. Alice was leaving in two weeks. Whatever was going on between them had a clear expiration date, and yet, Briar couldn’t help herself. Her crush from high school had come back in full force.
Alice came to save her then, raising her cup to Sierra. ‘Cheers, River Nymph.’
‘Cheers.’ Sierra clinked her cup.
‘I can’t believe we fooled you,’ Alice said, grinning at Briar.
‘I’m out of practice,’ Briar said. ‘Should’ve seen your jailbreak for the Trojan horse it was.’
‘It’s funny how Alice was so sure you’d go after her,’ Sierra said, a knowing glint in her eye.
Briar’s face was now permanently flushed. ‘I guess my competitive streak got the best of me.’
‘I came here to see if you want to review the schedule,’ Alice said smoothly. ‘I think I’ve worked out how to cover for Josh and David.’ Briar stood, following her outside.
‘Can’t wait to see this timetable,’ Briar said as they walked towards their cabin. ‘I know you’re just dying to show me, you geek.’
Alice huffed. ‘I was lying about the schedule.’ Briar raised an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged. ‘I just wanted to get you alone.’
Briar grinned and, with a quick look over her shoulder, took Alice’s hand. The night air was humid as she led them down the path. But before they reached the cabin, Alice pushed Briar against a nearby tree, grabbing Briar’s hips.
‘Hi,’ she said, mouthing at her neck, making Briar gasp. The rough bark bit at her skin, pain coupled with the sharp nip of Alice’s teeth on her clavicle. Her hand fisted in Alice’s hair, pulling her head back for a kiss.
