Luke finally made it to Raina. He brought the horse to a stop beside Artemis and hopped down.
"Dang girl, I don't know why the wet blanket was so worried about you. Got your camp all set up, fire going...did you check.." Luke began to be interrupted by Raina.
"I checked upstream already, looks to be clear." Raina said. She moved towards the fire and sat down. Luke shook his head.
"See... worried for nothing." Luke said with a big smile as he began to set up his own tent. Raina watched him for a while, trying to decide how to go about asking about the argument.
"So...are ya gonna spill or just keep me in the dark about what's going on between you and Leon?" Raina asked as she pulled grass out of the ground, fiddling with it. Luke let out a sigh.
"I'm sure you'll see soon enough..." he began turning towards Raina. She just stared at him, letting him know that it was not a good enough answer. "Eh shit, you ain't gonna let up, are you?" Luke said as he rolled out the tent. Raina just shook her head. "Well...it was about you. First, he came at me, accusing me of leading you on and treating you like all the other girls I've been with. Telling me to stay away from ya blah blah... Then proceeds to tell me how he invited some unwelcome guests to our camping trip. We went back and forth, led to him calling me a good for nothing and how I'd fuck up everything leaving him here to deal with it all once I head back to college in the fall... I called him over bearing, said he was the one if anyone leading you on and not crushing the fantasy when it began. You know all that fun stuff. Is that sufficient of an answer now?" Luke asked as he was still putting up the tent. Raina sat for a minute in thought. She was confused. Who did Leon invite? Why argue over her? Were her feelings for Leon that obvious? Though she did not try to hide anything. And why was wanting to be with Leon such a fantasy that needed to be crushed? She had never felt more for Luke other than a friend or a brother... Though she could not deny that her feelings toward him did seem to be shifting. Who was right? Luke, in saying she needed to give up on Leon? Or Leon in saying that Luke would just leave her broken after toying with her?
"Raina? Earth to Raina???" Luke said as he snapped his fingers in front of her face. There were only two things she knew were certain. One was that Luke never had a problem speaking exactly what was on his mind and the other...
"Who I chose to love or chase after or whatever will not be decided for me by you or your brother... Whether your intentions are good or whatever... It's not your choice or his!" Raina finally spoke with a tear streaming down her cheek. Luke sighed and wiped the tear away from her cheek.
"I know... And it's why I've never told you to quit... I just told him it wasn't fair if he had no feelings for you to keep allowing you to dream of more... Not for my benefit but for you so that you could let someone else in if he has no intentions.." Luke paused as they could hear horses coming and what sounded like the side by side. A groan slipped out frome Luke. "Well, they're here..." Luke stood up and moved to take his horse to get a drink. Raina could now see who Luke meant as unwelcome guests. It was supposed to be the four of them, and now there were six. Asher, Leon, Clarissa, and Ashley all rode towards them. Leon and Asher were on horseback as Clarissa and Ashley rode in the side by side. A sigh escaped Raina's lips. She was still not ready to deal with people, let alone Ashley of all people. And why ride the loud damn side by side of all things. Raina looked at Luke. Luke could tell by her eyes that all she wanted to do was run. Artemis seemed to be able to sense it, too, as the mare stomped in place. He grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. The four of them all came to a stop at camp. Ashley and Clarissa were laughing along with Leon and Asher something about the side by side beating the horses. But to Raina, it all sounded like buzzing in her ears. Peace, she just wanted peace. "Raina?" Luke asked as he gave her a nudge. Raina shook her head. The four made it up to Raina and Luke. An awkward silence fell over them all. Raina did not even look up she just stared at the ground. She was hoping that no one would say her name. There was finally some small talk between everyone else. Raina still sat looking down, fidgeting with the grass. Someone began to sit down beside her, as they did, Luke got up and walked away. She turned to see who sat down. It was Asher. Raina looked around them to see that Leon was helping Ashley and Clarissa. Her eyes averted back to the ground.
"Yeah, I was surprised as well to see them. Apparently, Ashley has been up Leon's ass and annoyed he hasn't had her over... You'd think they were a couple. Leon insists they aren't but...sure don't seem that way." Asher said as he watched Raina fidgeting.
"What's it to me... I don't care what they are to each other..." Raina began then sighed. "I just thought it was going to be like old times. However, Leon and Luke have been arguing, and now there's them two... just wasn't what I planned, that's all. As long as they don't treat me out of pity and I can have some peace..."
"Leon's literally been..." Asher began, but seeing the look on Raina's face, he didn't have the heart to say it. Even though she was agitated at the moment, she was starting to look normal again. Raina now stared at him with a questioning look. "Nevermind its nothing... as for Ashley and Clarissa. Leon already explained your feelings, it seems. Even though they both wanted to give their condolences, they won't. Nor will they bring anything up about it. So just enjoy... even with the extra bodies, we can still have fun, right?" Asher said, giving her a nudge. Raina gave a nod in response. Then she got up and walked over to Artemis. She patted the mares head.
"Are you planning to run off?" Luke asked from behind her. Raina gave half a smile in response. "That smile says it all...well, let's go. We're not needed around here." Luke added. Raina hopped onto Artemis as Luke followed suit on his horse. Raina was stopped by Leon coming up to the pair.
"Where ya going? I thought you'd be ready for a swim?" Leon asked but looked at Artemis rather than her. Raina looked towards Ashley and Clarissa.
"Eh, just feeling a little crowded at the moment... figured I'd go for a ride for a bit. Those two look like they're nipping at the bit to swim, take them out." Raina said as she realized the two girls had switched to barely covering swimsuits. Leon followed her gaze to Ashley and Clarissa. He then looked to the ground, letting out a sigh.
"Raina, I just..." Leon began. However, Raina cut him off with a wave of her hand and a shake of her head.
"No need to explain to me. I appreciate you telling them my feelings. Don't be surprised, though, when they're begging to go home tomorrow." Raina said as she gave Artemis a light squeeze. Then, she led the horse to come up beside Ashley and Clarissa. She could hear Luke moving in behind her. "Just a heads up. With nighttime moving in and how hot it's been, the leeches will be out..." she warned. Even though they never really had a problem with leeches in the creek, Raina could not pass up the opportunity to poke fun at the two girls. She saw Ashley and Clarissa exchange glances as she gave Artemis another squeeze and yelled yah! Artemis took off running. Luke and Raina kept at a steady pace the whole time till they came on top of a hill where you could see a painting like sunset. The two got down from their horses. Raina grabbed her water bottle and took a drink from it. Then she grabbed the small container for Artemis from her saddle bag and filled it. She patted her side, then sat down beside Luke on the ground.
"Trying to scare them off?" Luke said as he gave Raina a smirk. Raina stared out to the sunset.
"If all it takes is the mention of leeches to scare them off, they shouldn't be out here." Raina answered as she turned to look at him. Luke gave her a nod as he plucked a wildflower that was beside him. Gently, he placed it behind Raina's ear.
"I doubt it will be enough. But I'm sure it'll make them weary about where they step." Luke said as he smiled again. His blue eyes seemed to reflect the sunset, and for a moment, Raina found herself lost in them. "What do I have something on my handsome face?" Luke asked as he motioned his hand in front of his face. Raina laughed a little and shook her head.
"Just arrogance." She said as she gave him a shove. Luke looked offended.
"Arrogance is for those who exaggerate their worth... you and I both know damn well that this face is handsome, ok?" Luke said as he nudged her with his shoulder. The two of them laughed. Raina then let out a sigh. "Yeah, we should probably get heading back. Though you know... we could just say fuck them and sleep here under the stars. Use our naked bodies to keep warm?" Luke said teasingly. Raina really gave him a shove now. However, Luke caught her hands and pushed her back onto the ground. The two began to wrestle. Raina was somehow able to maneuver her way on top and had Luke's hands pinned behind his head. They both stopped a bit out of breath and stared at each other for a moment until Raina snapped back to reality and jumped away from Luke. "Damn, I thought we were finally getting to the good part." Luke teased as he moved to his horse. Raina just shook her head and tried to hide her cheeks that had turned bright red. She hopped back on Artemis, and the two of them began to head back to camp.