New Twins in Town Pt. 02 Ch. 09

Once again, a big thanks to everyone who has read and contributed feedback to the story. AuroraIncident, adub, and Boots continue to help me with each chapter. I'm also still trying out other Beta Readers in hopes of further refining things, reducing spelling and continuity issues, and really building a believable reality in this universe that AuroraIncident lets me play in.

As always, any characters involved in sexual activity of any kind are at least 18.

9 - A Very Different Week at Camp

Tuesday, August 22, 4:00AM, Belews Lake Cabin

Restless nights from the week prior weren't welcome upon their return. Nor was the compunction that had settled in his lower intestine. Yet Miles had another night of almost no sleep.

Guilt is a funny emotion.

Humans feel guilty for things out of their control just as much as they feel it for the things they have complete control of. In the hours he'd laid awake hoping for sleep to overtake him, he had a lot of time to think about it. He could only stifle a laugh as he tried to determine whether an emotion like guilt itself was something humans had any control over.

His guilt gave him a headache.

He wanted to be there for his sister. Wanted to ensure her safety. Wanted to supervise her friends who claimed they'd be keeping watch. Wanted to make sure the people who attacked her got what they had coming to them. Wanted to know why she'd been attacked at all.

But most of all, he wanted to know what he'd done to upset her.

He hated not knowing.

Almost as much as he hated knowing that neither his sister, nor her attack, were the source of his guilt.

His guilt could be traced back to the dock at the lake. Not the one where she was attacked.

That dock he'd missed as he wandered, nearly blind, through the woods. When Chris had led him to the lake in the middle of the previous week, he'd chalked it up to seeing it in different lighting that made it so unfamiliar. But after spending hours there as they waited for the first responders to do everything they needed to, he was certain it wasn't the same. Somehow, he'd wound up at the dock to another campsite.

And Pixie had found him at that other dock. She'd let him hold her. Kiss her. Caress her. Fondle her. Taste her.

The source of his guilt.

Not that he felt guilty about fooling around. He'd spent enough time like that last week.

His guilt was because last Tuesday, at 5 in the morning, he'd been holding someone else. Kissing someone else. Caressing... fondling... tasting...

And now, one week later, he was no closer to finding out who she was.

Yet, he was drawn to her.

He couldn't determine if it was because of the mystery of not knowing who she was or if it was some ineffable connection that neither logic nor science could explain.

His heart raced as he got out of bed. With every step toward the door, his inner monologue cursed at him for taking Pixie for granted. There was a real connection with a person whom he adored. More importantly, he knew. Her name. Her face. Her personality. Things that actually qualify as a connection.

The girl from the lake? It started and ended with mystery.

And a little sluttiness.

He couldn't ignore the appeal of that.

He took hold of the door handle, unable to ignore his desires that had been halted so abruptly a week prior.

Slowly, he pulled. There was no concern that it might creak or get stuck. But swinging it wide and fast could still rouse one of his bunkmates.

Glancing out, his heart sank.

Two figures, making their rounds on the path. Chaperones that had been tasked with keeping watch.

Their presence eliminated his chance to sneak out to the lake. And with it, the last opportunity he'd have to find out who the girl was.

7:22 AM

"After everything that happened yesterday, I can't believe you snuck out again," Cleo chided.

"You'll be happy to know that there were multiple chaperones out and about by six this morning, and even more when I was walking back," Zoe glanced at her watch. "You're up earlier than usual. Something up or...?"

"Too excited to sleep. I nearly followed you to get a makeup tutorial but figured I'd sweat it off in like an hour or so."

"I'd hook you up with stuff you can rely on," Zoe smiled and rolled her eyes. "But a tutorial would take way longer than we had time for."

"Well, it's not like I don't know anyth-" The look on Zoe's face warned Cleo that she might as well be telling a flat-out lie.

"Don't worry. We'll get your makeup game on point," Zoe assured. "Are you more nervous about the new position or having to work with Kristina and Boon?"

"Well, it's not Boon I'm worried about," Cleo contemplated which of the alternates was most accurate.

"Boon'll make sure she's not too brutal," Amber spoke up without a trace of being sleepy.

"Does anybody sleep in this cabin anymore?"

"Probably not," Lindsay said as she sat up.

"Don't worry about the Drum Captain responsibilities," another girl stated from further in the cabin. "If Tamera could do it, then you definitely can too."

Zoe smiled at the vote of confidence Cleo was receiving from girls outside of their small circle of friends.

"Plus, everyone likes you. So, it'll be easier to work with you."

"See," Zoe leaned in so they could speak without having the rest of the cabin overhear. "You got this. Everyone has faith in you."

"What's one of the things I'm afraid of, " Cleo whispered.

10:30 AM Belews Lake Field

Instead of rehearsing together in the auditorium as had been scheduled, Boon and Kristina worked privately with Cleo to bring her up to speed.

While their marching band wasn't quite large enough to merit having a Brass Captain, it was understood that Seph was the de facto leader when the Conductor, Drum Major, and Drum Captain were absent. Her section had long exceeded her expectations, in no small part thanks to the observations and advice of Miles. They ran through a single routine without error, at which point she put Miles in charge of the next, while she went to check on how the other sections were progressing.

"Looking nice, Chris," she called after watching the trombones for a few minutes. Once they wrapped the exercise they were practicing, she stepped closer and spoke softer so the other members wouldn't hear. "Keep an eye on your rookies, I think one of them is having trouble keeping up."

He nodded and made a note to keep an eye out.

Seph moved on to her brother's section. They were doing fine, and she didn't have any comments to make.

Watching Pixie lead a group of her peers was a highlight to Seph. It helped that she was well-respected by those following her. The veteran flautists had all played and marched along with her for years, and she never asked them to give her any special treatment. In return, they saw her work hard to make sure she was always prepared and able to coach anyone who needed extra assistance.

"Squads looking good this year, Pix," Seph complimented.

"Fierce Floutists!" Pixie barked with more authority than Seph had heard from her before. As one, the group clicked their heels together and turned to face Seph. "An intruder has come to steal our secrets. Do what must be done!"

Without breaking step, the ensemble advanced on her, brandishing their silver pipes as if they had sharp blades instead of capped keys.

Wide-eyed, Seph wasn't willing to linger to discover what happened if they caught her. She turned and fled toward the next section. "Pix, I love you, but don't think I won't get you for this later."

As she sprinted away she heard Pixie give more commands to her section, "Nice work, Troops. The enemy is retreating. Back to one!"

Seph couldn't help but laugh as she processed what transpired. When the heck did she find the time to get them to coordinate that? And more importantly, why?

Her eyes fell upon Mel's section and her heart sank a bit.

Instead of the rigid, almost robotic poses of the other sections, each of the sax players moved with a slight dip and swing to their step.

"Wha- Mel, what's going on here?"

"I figure Tune put the girl from Nawlins in charge of the funkiest section of the band 'cause he wanted some of that Mardi Gras stank to break up that stick-in-your-butt marching y'all got going on," several members of her squad had trouble keeping composure at Mel's statement.

"Kristina is going to crucify you," Seph marveled.

"Oh, shush, we saw what you were up to and were having a little fun," Mel stood upright and gave a fresh count for her squad to start on.

To Seph's relief, the squad fell into near-perfect traditional chair-step.

"Not funny," she called as she began moving to the clarinets. "By the way, it looks like a couple of your players can't shake that 'Mardi Gras stank' you introduced them to."

"What?" Mel shrieked and looked at the members of her squad, who were still dipping. "Noooo!"

Serves you right for teaching them that, Seph laughed under her breath as she moved on to the next group.

She had nothing of note to provide Sam, who was leading the clarinets. Which meant Seph could either move on to the drums or go back to the trumpets. As much as she feared going to the drummers, she knew she was seen as a leader for the entire band and didn't want to let any section down.

"Amber!" She hadn't realized that one of the girls she'd been hanging out with at the bonfire would be leading the snares. Or at least, attempting to lead. There was almost no point in voicing the question. "How... are... things?"

"Let's take five, y'all," Amber called to her bandmates as she turned to face Seph.

"Is everything alright?"

"Nooooo," Amber, nearly in tears, whispered. "Tamara was center snare, then Cleo would have been the next best. I am way underprepared for this and they need a ton of work. We're a mess."

She looked over at Zoe who had come over to stand next to her. "No offense."

"Hey, it's not like I'd be doing any better," Zoe shook her head.

"Tam had us working on routines, but I'm afraid all I've done is set us back a day or two... or ten," she let out an exhausted sigh. "I think maybe I should just have us move back to conditioning. At least I can't set us back any further than I already have."

Seph bit her lip, unsure what she could say to give Amber the confidence she needed.

"You're doing fine," Zoe offered. It's just... this group is short three of its top players now."

"Uh..." Amber furrowed her brow. "I don't think anyone considered June a top player."

Had it not been discussed at their dining table, Seph wouldn't have recognized the name of the other snare who had quit.

"Not June. You!" Zoe rolled her eyes, "They put you in charge because you're the best drummer out there. You know the patterns and routines better than anyone else. But you've been so distracted trying to think of what Tam or Cleo would do, not to mention keeping an eye on everyone else, that you're letting it affect your own playing."

Damn, that's a good point.

"Hey Zo," Seph called. "Who's the better dancer, you or Miles?"

"Uh..." Zoe Shorty Georged her way closer. "Me of course. Why?"

"Uh huh," Seph leaned back to fully witness the strange movement. "No chance it's Miles, eh?"

"Not unless you ask him," she said, transitioning to a lock-step and ending with a full turn. "Or my mom, but you can't trust her. She coddles him."

The few drummers from their squad who'd stopped to watch gave a quiet yet uncomfortable applause.

"Thanks, I'll be here all week," Zoe boasted with a wave.

"Oh... kay then, what was I... Oh yeah!" Seph turned her attention back to Amber. "Pull Zoe and have her observe the squad."

Amber cocked an eyebrow.

"Zoe, could you do the routine turned around?" Seph asked.

"What, you mean like from the last step to the first? Uh... I mean, I could probably make it work, but it'd take me a moment."

"No, I mean like literally turned around and keeping an eye on the guy behind you."

"Oh, uh, Yeah, that shouldn't be too bad. Why? Has he been staring at my butt or something?"

"NO!" Seph sighed, frustrated at having to break it down so much. "Could you watch the other players, so Amber can focus on the timing and her own steps?"

Both Zoe and Amber burst out laughing.

"I knew exactly what you were getting at the second you asked if I was the better dancer."

"Uh..."

"Plus," Amber said, barely able to hold herself together. "She's had Josh P behind her all week. And you know he'd be looking at her ass."

Zoe didn't find this revelation as amusing, though it nearly brought Amber to her knees. A glance to her friends caused Amber to adopt their more solomn tone.

"Miles told us you used him to check on the rest of your squad. I think you were still in the meeting with the section leaders and Tune," Amber clarified, wiping the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes from laughing so hard. "I'm just annoyed I didn't think of it first."

"Y'know what?" Seph wanted to be mad at them but found their laughter too infectious. "You two are on your own now."

Her attempt at storming off was undermined by a grin and giggles.

Checking on the bass drums, which included Judy, and then the quads, which Lindsay was now leading, wasn't as eventful. Both groups were doing fine on their own. As she approached the cymbals and the mallet sections, she realized she'd shared classes with many of the students in these groups, but had no idea who any of them were. Like most of the rest of the band, they all seemed to be functioning quite well on their own. Though, it reminded her once again that she might not have been the warm and friendly person she'd always considered herself.

12:20 PM, Belews Lake Cafeteria

By lunch, which was now a two-hour shared block instead of the single hour for drummers followed by another for everyone else, almost all the students were feeling more exhausted than they had the previous week. The majority of her friends had nearly finished their meals by the time Cleo set her tray down amongst them.

"How'd it go?" Seph asked.

Zoe couldn't help but notice how much of an effort Seph had been putting in to make sure Cleo was acknowledged.

"Ugh, kill me now," Cleo groaned. "How did y'all talk me into taking that position?"

"Hey, Boon made up his mind without our involvement at all," Chris put up his hands in defense.

"And, you're trying to get a read on what Kristina is up to," Amber reminded.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Lindsay added.

"About that..." Cleo looked at her friends around the table. "I'm not so sure she was behind the thing at the lake. Or the bottles in my bag. In fact, she seems just as upset as any of us are about it."

Cleo's revelation caused every head at their table to turn towards her.

"Oh, God!" Pixie gasped. "She's been brainwashed. Or Invasion of the body snatched."

"Pixie!" Chris scolded.

Judy shook thoughts loose from her head, "I'm sorry, I tuned out. Whozawut, someone said snatch?"

"Don't you start," Chris warned.

Miles brought a hand to his mouth to cover his reaction.

"I wasn't brainwashed," Cleo sighed.

"Exactly what someone who was brainwashed would say," Amber joked.

"No, someone who was brainwashed would ask if they were," Lindsay corrected, her friends unable to determine whether she was being serious or just deadpan.

"Why don't you think it was her?" Zoe asked, more concerned about the news than the sidetrack.

"She apologized for the bottles that were in my bag. And she said she'd find you and apologize to you, too," Cleo said. "She said as the leader of the band, it's her fault that something like this happened. And it's also up to her to make sure that everyone involved gets what they deserve."

"And that was supposed to be reassuring?" Mel exclaimed.

"Right?" Joe laughed. "That sounds ominous as shit."

Chris grunted his disproval of the word choice but the comment succeeded in reviving the jocular mood from before Lindsay's statement.

"So, if that wasn't her, what about her threat of getting us on Monday?" Zoe asked.

"Apparently she was going to have us polish all the instruments in the storage area."

Zoe pictured the chrome pieces on each of the drums, the cymbals, then tried to imagine what else might be resting there waiting to be polished. It would have been a decent punishment, and the fact that they still likely needed to be polished made her nervous.

"Huh," Seph said. "So either she changed her mind about it after what all happened... Or you're right, she's not involved and we just had the wrong impression about her."

"Mmmm-hmm," Cleo agreed as she quickly tried to swallow the bite of sandwich she'd just taken. "And she was actually super helpful with me this morning. There is so much stuff to do and remember."

It was a role the rest of the table hadn't ever put much thought in. It was understood that it would be more responsibility, but the extent of that was a mystery to the others.

"So, what about the rest of you?" Cleo continued as she polished off the remainder of her meal. "Are you just doing sprints and marching like last week? What about the section leaders who quit, did anyone take their places?"

"I'm leading the snares until you take over," Amber stated.

"Well, obviously," Cleo chuckled. "Anyone know who's leading the cymbals or the quads now?"

"I'm heading the quads," Lindsay said.

"Awesome, and the cymbals?"

A long pause informed them that they had no idea about the status of the other percussion sections.

"Didn't you go around checking all the sections?" Amber asked Seph after no one answered Cleo's question.

"Uh... I did," Seph answered tentatively.

"Then how come... oh. Yeah," Cleo realized why Seph hadn't spoken up.

"They seemed like they were managing," Seph stated defensively. "But... I didn't catch any names."

"Well, you'll get an opportunity this afternoon. Boon is having us make up the missed rehearsals at the auditorium, and we're officially choosing who the new section leaders are."

"Challenges?" Joe asked with a fair amount of enthusiasm.

"Probably. You gonna see if you can move up a chair?" Cleo suggested.

"I dunno. I worked on it a bit over the summer, but I don't know how much of a noticeable improvement I made."

Seph briefly glanced at Miles before turning her attention back to Joe, "If you're interested in it, I could try to make some time to work with you. I think you could take Tanner's spot."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Chris chuckled. "He wanted to kill Miles when he found out he got bumped. Hey, you think he'll challenge?"

Miles shrugged, "I haven't even heard him play, but if I were him, and I'd gotten bumped without hearing the person who took my spot, I'd definitely consider it."

"I think once he hears you, he'll back off," Seph reflected.

"You think that'll make him more pleasant?"

"Hah, couldn't hurt," she took a second to consider her words. "Actually it absolutely could. You could really piss him off if he challenges and winds up embarrassed."

"Or maybe," Pixie suggested. "You're too much of a threat, so at night when you're asleep, he'll sneak over to your bunk and smash your hand with a-"

"Too close to home, girl!" Seph criticized.

"Heh," Pixie laughed to herself. "Homegirl."

"If you're as good as Seph says," Chris reasoned. "Might be able to get some of the bones to lay off you. They'll see you deserve the spot."

"Well, let's hope it works out that way."

_____

Boon was not surprised at Cleo's uncertainty to inheriting the Drum Captain role. But the weary look on her face was replaced with a grin as the other section leaders voiced their approval when he made the announcement. It was reassuring. After the previous day's losses, Cleo being the source of such joy was further reassurance that he'd made the correct choice.

Seph leaned over to the other girl and whispered something in her ear. Cleo's response was to grin even wider as her face turned a vibrant shade of red. Boon couldn't tell if Amber overheard what was said, but she also appeared amused by the reaction.

Boon decided not to wait for their enthusiasm to die down completely before speaking again.

"Now, as for those of you who have assumed leadership positions and invited yourselves to this meeting..."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room.

"I can't say I'm surprised, and certainly not disappointed, with whom each section has selected to take over the vacancies in leadership," Boon nodded to those who were new to the meeting. "And I'm proud of all of you for stepping up when you saw the need."

The students looked among themselves and made mental notes of who would be at their side, guiding their classmates through half-times and competitions.

"That being said," Boon continued. "I'm a little weary just allowing it without an official vote like we've always done."

"I kinda think that's what they did," Seph spoke up. "I mean, at least within each section. I don't mean to single you out, Amber, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have volunteered to head the snares."

"No," Amber blushed. "They kinda insisted."

With that in mind, Boon took a new look at the students in the room. He'd been viewing them as musicians. How he primarily thought of them. But over the years, he'd seen elements of each of their personalities come out. Different than what they demonstrated when they had instruments in hand and uniforms making them nearly indistinguishable from their bandmates. Amber avoided attention, but it was Lindsay's presence which made him realize the leadership positions were mostly comprised of who he considered wallflowers.

"That won't be necessary. I really..." he smiled and nodded. "I don't have the words to express how proud I am at each of you."

While the students basked in the praise, one of the doors to the auditorium parted from its mullion. Warm autumn sunbeams flooded the room, backlighting the person interrupting their meeting.

Gulps of uncertainty splashed across the auditory canvas as the door returned to shielding the room from light. Boon frowned in anticipation of how the next several seconds might unfold.

"Tamara," he acknowledged the returning student. "After yesterday, I didn't think you'd be rejoining us."

"Hey, yeah, I, uh..." She surveyed the room. Clearly shocked at Ambers presence, alarmed by Cleo's, and angered by Kristina's. "I heard some other girls talking the other night. I think I let them get in my head. Started worrying that I was taking on too much this year. But once I got home, I realized how unfair it would be for the band to have to go on without your Drum Captain, so... Here I am."

She gave a friendly wave to the other students. Boon wished one of them would call her out on what he believed to be a bullshit statement. But they remained silent.

"Here you are," Boon repeated. "Well, as you can see, your classmates have agreed to take on the challenge. So, you're off the hook."

The look of uncertainty on her face was something Boon had never seen before. Most students enter high school with a faint idea of what they're aspiring to get out of it. Some, to get good grades and move on to college or at least keep their parents off their backs. Others, neither grades nor attendance were of value. For Tamara, from the first day she set foot on campus, she knew where her future was heading. High School was a stepping stone to the Marines. The Carter High School Wind Ensemble was a precursor to one of the Marine Corps Field Bands. At some point, she'd parlay the skill and disciplined she learned to play for The President's Own, or more realistically, The Commandant's Own.

That had been the plan she'd conveyed to him for years. He couldn't picture a scenario where some other student talked her out of it.

"No need," she said confidently as she walked up to Cleo and Amber. "It'd be a huge setback, and unfair to them to spring this on them so last-minute."

Boon frowned and cleared his throat, "I believe the unfair thing would be to ask them to leave at this point."

"Huh?" Tamara, panic-stricken, looked at the other snares. She pointed to Cleo. "What? No. I'm better than her. And I don't even know why Amber is here."

"Amber is here," Kristina answered. "Because this morning we were without a Drum Captain. So, she led them while Mr. Boon and I went over everything with Cleo."

"Wait, how? I was barely gone a full 24-hours and you held votes already?"

Cleo and Amber slouched in their seats.

"We were a ship without a Captain," Boon stated, unsure if Kristina would take it as a slight. "But we couldn't let that sink us. So yes, it has been decided that Cleo will take over your former responsibilities."

"Then I challenge," Tamara said flippantly.

Boon sighed. "You may."

Cleo looked as though she may throw up.

"... after the retreat," Boon added.

"But-"

"Cleo needs time to learn. The other students haven't even had a chance to see what she's capable of."

"They don't need to worry about it," Tam insisted. "I already know what needs to be done. You don't have to waste time teaching someone new what to do. I'm back."

"For how long?" Boon asked. "Confident as you may be in your skills, I don't think you're grasping that it won't be shared with many of your classmates."

"They know how good I am."

"It's not confidence in your skills that they're likely to question," it pained Boon to have to explain the repercussions to the girl. "It's confidence that you won't abandon them again."

2:30 PM, Belews Lake Auditorium

The auditorium was a barrage of noises as students struggled to find their seats, assemble their instruments, or do a warm-up before the rehearsal officially started. Ed Boon stood patiently to the side as he watched his students get situated. He'd been Carter's Band Director for over 20 years, yet this was the first time he'd ever felt this nervous to address his students. When it appeared that only a few students were left getting ready, he took the podium.

An eery silence fell over the room as the man stood ahead of them.

"Thank you," he began softer than he'd intended, he cleared his throat and started again.

"Thank you for choosing to be part of Carter High School Marching Band," his voice carried with it a confidence he lacked internally. Beads of sweat formed on his brow as every eye in the room stared, waiting for him to continue. "As many of you are no doubt aware, there are a few issues that need to be addressed before we can proceed with the year as we'd planned."

A murmur passed through the room but quickly died out.

"First, I must apologize to you all. I have failed as your band director, as a teacher and representative of Carter High, and as a member of the community who is responsible for ensuring the well-being of the students left in my care," his eyes briefly landed on Zoe's face, and he had to pause. "I let you down."

He hadn't been sure whether to expect more murmurings at this. There wasn't. No one spoke, but several students exchanged glances amongst themselves.

"By now, I believe all of your parents have been informed of the unfortunate incident that occurred on Monday morning," he grimaced as he thought of how poorly he'd responded to the situation. "I don't feel it would do any good to go into further detail. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on it and will carry those thoughts with me for any future situations that may arise as long as I am teaching at Carter High."

However long that may be. He wasn't sure if he would be relieved of his position, but for the foreseeable future, he would have to believe he didn't hold the job security he once had.

He cleared his throat as he moved on to the next topic he needed to discuss.

"Next order of business," He hated the phrase, but it was there, "I realize many of you were eagerly awaiting Tamara Taylor being Drum Captain this year."

The silence of his audience was interrupted as some students processed this information for the first time. Ed paced himself, unsure of how his next sentence would be received by the rest of the band. As well as Tamara herself.

"For reasons that we won't go into, Tamara chose to leave the retreat yesterday, forfeiting her role."

The quiet whispers began to amplify.

"Fortunately, we have a student ready to take over the position and be your field commander this upcoming marching season," his assumption was right, and the whispers disappeared as everyone in the room seemed eager to hear him name the student. "I am proud to inform you that Cleopatra Goldstein will be this year's Drum Captain."

He stepped away from the podium as the room erupted in loud cheers and applause. The majority of the noise came from the back of the room, where the percussionists stood, but it spread as more students looked over at her. It became apparent that she was more recognizable by sight than by name. It also appeared that the band as a whole was very much in favor of her filling the role.

"Excellent! Excellent," Boon smiled at the blushing Cleo as he retook his position. "There were, as you may have noticed, other positions that were vacated yesterday. It seems that, while your Drum Major and I were familiarizing Cleo with her new role, the leaderless sections took it upon themselves to elect new... uh... I guess, leaders."

He waited until they were ready to move on from quietly assessing the changes.

"Normally, we would have an opening for challenges at this point. Given the number of new students we have joining us and veterans being moved into new positions, all challenges will be postponed until our first Saturday rehearsal."

Expecting Tamara to raise some sort of objection, it caught Boon off guard that the majority of chatter grew from his Trumpet section.

"Now, if you do have objections..." Boon waited before proceeding. "Hang on to them. Right now, I'd like to get started with the first official rehearsal of the year."

8:30 Bonfire at Belews Lake

"Cleo pretty much called that whole thing," Miles stated as he stretched his legs towards the warm fire.

"Well, she's not dumb. And I think having Boon not give her an option about being the Drum Captain actually gave her quite the ego boost," Zoe said, not hiding her pride in her friend.

"Which is stupid because we all thought she should have gone for it last year," Judy scoffed. "Course that was when all the drum leaders were Kristina's flunkies."

"At some point, you guys are gonna have to explain to us how she got put in charge of everything," Miles said.

"Shhh," Joe warned, glancing around to see if they were overheard.

"What I want to know," Zoe looked over to catch the other girl's reaction. "Is if you're considering challenging Tanner?"

"I dunno," Joe blushed. "I guess I got a few weeks to make up my mind."

"I know Seph offered earlier, but I would also like to throw my hat in the ring too," Miles spoke assuredly. "If you want any additional help with your parts, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you. I will," Joe shied away from his smile.

"Hey, friends!" Pixie's greeting had been condensed over the past few nights as she squished between Miles and Joe. The latter giving a sigh of relief at the short girl's presence.

"Pixie?" Zoe inquired.

"Hmm?" The small girl purred as she batted her eyelashes in return. The response got Zoe to chuckle as she articulated her question.

"Is it just me or have you altered your entrance since last week?"

Pixie spread her legs more than was ladylike and pretended to scope herself out before returning eye contact with Zoe. "What business is it of yours how I have my entrance?"

Had Judy not chosen that moment to take a swig from her water, she would have had nothing to eject toward the bonfire in front of them.

Containing his smirk, Miles tilted his head to his sister, inviting her to rephrase her inquiry. He had no doubt that the girl sitting beside him had chosen to make such a display for his benefit.

Does she not realize how little I've been able to think of anything else? The images populating his mind caused him to swell. He wanted to shift but wasn't sure how to do it subtly enough to go unnoticed. Acting like nothing was happening, though uncomfortable, was successful at not drawing unwanted attention to his growing erection.

"Pixie..." Zoe trailed off.

"Was my entrance a problem?" As Pixie asked, she leaned over, bracing her hands on Miles's thigh like a raven clutching a tree limb.

While the soft glow of the bonfire allowed Miles's hard-on to go unnoticed by the others, his school-issued sweatpants did little to hide him from Pixie's unexpected fingertips.

She gasped, smiled, and leaned closer to Zoe, giving no indication that her attention was anywhere other than the other girl's befuddled face. "Hi friend."

He could only hope that anyone observing the goofy look on his face would chalk it up to her erratic behavior.

"You're so weird," Zoe laughed, and before Pixie had a chance to make a quip about the statement, Zoe stole the words and used them herself. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Subtle motions went unnoticed by the rest of their group, but on the most sensitive part of his body, Miles couldn't focus on anything other than the small hands gently caressing him.

He knew it was unlikely the experience was one-sided. Just inches away, he couldn't detect any physical signs of her arousal. It was impossible to differentiate blushing from the warm glow cast on her skin from the flames of the fire. Likewise, the smouldering hickory logs masked any aromatic tells she may have had.

The primary fear lay in knowing what little self-control they'd demonstrated over the past week. And also the fact that he had no means of deterring her without drawing attention.

"Scoot, scoot," Seph's familiar chant might as well have been the ding on a commercial airliner, provoking Pixie to return to her upright and proper position.

"Hey," Miles's voice cracked as he welcomed his friend. The others all looked at him with slight astonishment, many on the brink of laughing at his uncharacteristic break in timbre.

Seph gave him a look of suspicion as she stepped between him and his sister. Unlike previous nights, she didn't sit right away. Which Miles didn't object to as he was either forced to look up to see her face, partially obscured by her breasts, or if he chose not to look up, he was nearly staring between her legs. She turned to look behind her, which presented him with a better view of her posterior than he'd previously gotten.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Seph did her best to channel her inner Michael Buffer, startling Miles along with the others sitting around the bonfire. "Let me present to you Carter High School's newest Drum Captain, Cleopatraaaaaa Goldsteeeeeiiin."

Even people not sitting near the campfire cheered and clapped as Cleo neared. No one was quite sure if Seph had been intending on embarrassing her or praising her, either way, she had succeeded.

There was a moment where they couldn't tell if Cleo would continue, or turn and run. That brief second of hesitation eradicated when someone else shouted.

"You go, girl!"

Miles was surprised. He knew the people sitting next to him were all fond of her. But the praise had come from outside their group.

"Yeah, Cleo!" Another voice chimed in with equal enthusiasm.

She made eye contact with Zoe, who simply nodded her encouragement and clapped along with the others. Embarrassed as she may be, turning and running away wasn't an option. There was little else she could do but whisper her thanks to her friends and let tears of joy stream down her face as she took her normal seat next to Zoe.

Wednesday, August 23, 7:25 AM, Belews Lake Cabin

With headphones kept just loud enough to drown out the sound of his shoes on the gravel, Miles made his way around the makeshift track. It hadn't taken much to convince the chaperones to let him jog before the students were expected to be up. Following the path around the field, he was easy to spot. They were surprised at the request, but didn't object.

Though he preferred swimming, running still provided him the opportunity to burn off excess energy. And process some thoughts.

"That's a bust," he mumbled to himself as he thought of the girl from a week prior. "If it was meant to be, it would have happened."

It was a disparaging thing to say, but with each day that passed, he grew to accept it more.

"Pixie's a bigger issue," he shook his head and picked up the pace slightly. "There's chemistry there and she's fun. But, we barely know each other. We've hardly had a full conversation just the two of us. Let alone any discussion on what we're expecting of each other. Is she looking for a boyfriend? Just experimenting? I swear at some point last week someone said she was a lesbian and... Well, I can say for certain that's not the case."

He shook his head to clear his thoughts before thinking about her made running uncomfortable and awkward.

"And then there's Seph," he rounded the corner and caught sight of a redhead exiting one of the girl's cabins, trumpet in hand. "And then there's Seph."

He slowed his pace as he neared, "Hey, I was just thinking about you."

She cocked her head and smirked, "Is that why you're out of breath and sweating?"

He was neither of those things, but she seemed amused at the comment so he let her have it. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be awake. What's up?"

She shook her instrument, "Gotta wake the others."

His mouth hung open, "Reveille? I thought that was a recording."

"Miles, you see any speakers?" She scoffed. "I gotta do this live every morning. It's nerve wracking. I always feel like I'm gonna screw it up and that's going to be the start of the day."

"I'd offer to do it but I don't know what notes- Well, that's dumb. It's made for bugle. It's all open, isn't it?"

She smiled and nodded, "All open. G to G. You wanna try?"

She extended the silver horn to him.

"Nah, I mean, I probably, I dunno, I shouldn't."

He didn't know why, but his heart was pounding.

"What? Are you scared of my germs or something?"

She shouldn't have said it. He picked a spot on the ground to focus on so he could refrain from making eye contact. But the blades of grass weren't as interesting as her verdant eyes. Coupled with her silence, he had no choice but to look. Her blushing and avoidance of his gaze confirmed that she, too, was thinking about the kiss that shouldn't have happened.

"You- you should probably play it," he said softly.

"Oh, shit! Right!" She scurried to the opposite side of the path and to a spot centered across from the cabins. She brought the mouthpiece to her lips and inhaled, but before she played a note she glanced at Miles. Instead of playing, she burst into laughter. "Dammit."

"Uh oh. I broke you?"

"You certainly did. Turn around, I can't play with you just staring at me."

He did as she ordered, but was still left waiting. "Things okay?"

"Yeah, just enjoying the view," she chuckled. "You really do go swimming every day, don't you?"

"Is there any way I can answer that will help you to play it?"

"Probably not. You sure you don't want to take a whack at it?"

"Well, definitely not now," he turned to face her again. "It's been built up too much."

"That's what I'm saying," she scrunched up her face. "I'm gonna have to wake up Joe and make her play it."

"I mean, you know her better than me, but I can't imagine that going well," Miles grimaced.

"It absolutely would not. Have you noticed what a morning person Joe isn't?"

"You were the one who suggested it," he deflected.

"Well... you- Wait, why were you out here to begin with?"

He hadn't anticipated the change in subject, "Oh, uh, trying to figure somethings out. And since I can't exactly bounce ideas of my usual sounding board, I was saying them aloud to see if I could process them."

"By 'usual sounding board,' I take it you mean Zoe."

"Yeah but with camp and everything, I don't exactly get a lot of one-on-one time with her, so-"

"She's right there," Seph pointed.

Miles was able to catch a glimpse of his sister before she entered her cabin.

"Her makeup routine!" He said, more to himself than Seph.

With his back turned, Seph took the opportunity to play the traditional morning melody. Once she finished, she brought the horn away from her lips and smirked. "Sorry."

"Nah, that wasn't so bad," he commended.

"So, it was bad?"

"It was fine."

"But not fantabmoneous?"

"You can be a bit of a brat, you know that?"

"Oh, you have no idea," she bragged. "And anyways, I was apologizing because I wasn't able to point out Zoe before she disappeared."

"Oh. Well, don't be," he assured. "I can talk to her tomorrow."

Thursday, August 24, 7:20 AM, Belews Lake Field

Zoe was surprised to see her brother waiting outside the restrooms for her. Initially, it sent her into panic, but the look on his face alleviated the sensation.

"Talk?" She called out.

"Talk," he confirmed before leading her to one of the nearby benches. They sat on opposite ends, their backs to the cabins.

"Miss me? Or did you have something specific in mind?"

"Are you kidding? Been missing you like crazy," he graced her with a smile she'd grown up seeing. "Even getting to catch up at lunch and by the bonfire, It's just not the same."

"Man, when was the last time we got to talk? I mean, just the two of us?" Zoe smirked at her brother.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to remedy," he acknowledged. "But before we get into anything too deep, I was wondering about the other day..."

As he spoke the color drained from her face.

"We don't need to go into that," he assured. "But it definitely seemed like I had done something that was bothering you."

"Huh? Oh that, uh... I'm over that," she blushed.

"Over it? How- What? I don't even know what you were upset with me for."

"Yeah, well, we can skip that. You said you didn't want to get into deep stuff."

"That was before I knew you were 'over it'," he insisted.

Zoe scrunched up her face and gave her best I-told-you-so look she could manage, "So, you and uh... you and Pixie, eh?"

Miles looked appalled at the accusation, "How did you- Were we that obvious?"

"Not so much her," Zoe thought about it. "But you went from being worried about me, to spending ten minutes answering a simple question she asked."

"Oh," he looked a bit crestfallen at the realization. "So, you were upset because... wait, you were jealous?"

"Jesus, Freud. No! You keep those thoughts in your browser's search history," she exclaimed. "I assume you two hooked up during your pre-dawn dip in the lake?"

"Uhhh..." he blushed.

"I'll take that as a yes," she rolled her eyes. "What I was upset about was the fact that, while I was terrified I was going to be raped and killed, you were off playing your v-card with this girl you just met."

"I- Hey! First of all, no v-card was played. Just a little mouth and-"

"Lalalala, I'm not Judy, I don't need those details!"

"Glad to see she's not rubbing off on you."

"Pretty sure she prefers it when guys rub off on- What is wrong with me‽"

Miles chuckled, "So, you were upset because something was happening, and when you realized I had pretty much the opposite experience, you wish we'd swapped places?"

"Well, I mean, probably not with Pixie but... yeah, I guess that's what it boils down to."

"Zoe?"

"Hmm?"

"That's what we call jealousy."

"That's not... dammit. It is, isn't it?"

"It's not porn search engine jealousy, but yeah, it is," he nodded. "So... you're over it now?"

"What can I say? I'm an empathetic person. I can think about someone's needs other than my own."

"Ummm, empathetic, no. Pathetic, yes, if you thought I was going to buy that."

Zoe sighed and grumbled. "Fine. You know how Pixie came to my cabin after you guys went to the field?"

"Yeah, and when you came back you were all buddy-buddy. Didn't want to let her go."

"Well, I realized that last week I made a snap judgement on her. And, once I actually listened to her, I saw... well, I guess I saw what you're seeing. And why Seph and all them adore her. She's kinda great."

"She is..." Again, he nodded, though this time there was restraint behind his eyes.

"What?" Zoe couldn't pinpoint her brother's hesitation. "It's not... this isn't going to be like Cheryl, right?"

"Oh, God no!" Miles insisted. "I learned."

"Then what? Donna? Amanda?"

"Why must you throw my past relationships back at me like that?"

"Because at some point you're going to stop inventing problems with these girls and actually let a relationship move forward."

"I didn't invent problems. I- they- we... wanted different things out of it."

"Miles... you know that thing dad used to say?"

"More than two shakes and you're playing with yourself?"

"The hell? No!" Zoe recoiled at the words. "The thing about, if you meet someone and they're an asshole, it's them. But if everyone you meet is an asshole, then it's you."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Don't know what I was thinking..."

"I mean, I have an idea," Zoe rolled her eyes again. "Well, she doesn't seem like an asshole. So, what are the different things you and Pixie want out of this?"

"That's the thing. I don't know. We've barely gotten a chance to talk about it."

"You haven't talked about anything?"

"Some things," Miles shrugged. "But it's weird. Y'know? We've sorta had to hide. And at first, y'know, people were telling me she was a lesbian so-"

"So, she wants you to have a vagina?" Zoe chuckled. "Yeah, I can see how that'd be a potential problem. But y'know, she seems cool. I think you should go for it."

"Shut up," Miles scoffed. "I'm pretty sure she discovered she isn't. And if you don't believe me I'm willing to go into detail on how I know."

"I understand that guys feel the need to brag about their sexual conquests, but I think it's very strange you keep offering that information to your sister."

"Huh... you might have been on to something with that Freud comment earlier."

"Ahh, this is something you're gonna need to discuss with a therapist."

Miles whined, "But there's already so much there to discuss."

"That doesn't give you the right to disgust your sister," Zoe said. "So, you think you might just be the guy she's experimenting with as she figures it out? It's sounding like you and Pixie need to have a chat. A real chat. Not a naked, pawing at each other while you- Dammit, now I'm visualizing things."

"See, you don't intend to, but those thoughts just creep in there."

"You wrapped those thoughts up in a pretty package and shoved them into my brains delivery slot."

"I am so glad Judy isn't here right now," his smile abruptly faded as he looked beyond Zoe to the cabin. "Uh-oh."

"Judy?"

"Worse," Miles, wide-eyed, shook his head. "Cleo."

"There you are!" Cleo's voice had a tinge of concern to it.

"Sorry," Zoe turned around and waved. "I didn't know you'd be looking for me."

"No, of course. What with me seeing you first thing in the morning every day for over a week? Oh, with one noticeable exception," her heavy sarcasm nearly masked her fear. "Why on earth would I have thought something might be wrong when you weren't there when I awoke?"

"It's my fault, Cleo," Miles confessed. "I intercepted her on the way back to the cabin."

Cleo sat between the twins, turned sideways to face Miles, and leaned back, forcing Zoe to support her. In response, Zoe wrapped her arms around her friend.

"What?" Zoe asked as Miles gave them a look.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," he said, trying to sound innocent, "You two are just cute together, is all."

"Darn right, we are," Cleo tilted her head back and kissed Zoe on the cheek which turned bright red, the response catching her off-guard.

Miles knew his sister wasn't the best at picking up on social cues and knowing what behavior a moment called for. But Cleo had a unique way of putting her at ease.

"Now what?" She asked, noticing the grin Miles was wearing.

"Nothing," he shook his head. "I just don't think you've ever had a real best friend before. I mean, besides me."

She scowled at him. But after a moment of consideration, she smiled at the idea, and squeezed Cleo tighter.

8:30 PM, Bonfire at Belews Lake

"Is it just me, or does this week feel like it's going by faster than last?" Joe exclaimed as she stretched her legs out.

"Speak for yourself," Zoe called over.

"Shoot, sorry," she winced at her faux pas. "Now that I think about it, that feels like a lifetime ago."

"Yeah, not for me."

Miles gave her a playful nudge, "Things not getting better?"

"Yeah, no. I'm good."

"She hasn't been sleeping well," Judy said matter-of-factly.

"What? Sure I have," Zoe insisted.

"All that rustling, panting, and crying out you're doing in the middle of the night? I've been chalking it up to nightmares but, if things are fine, I guess you could be doing something else while you think we're all sleeping."

"Judy!" Miles had to keep himself from shouting, "Not an image I wanted in my head."

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's an image all the girls in the nearby bunks have pictured at one point or another since Monday," she doubled down.

Zoe slouched and covered her face. It was bad enough having Judy make the claim to friends while no one else from her cabin could come to her defense. The fact that it wasn't only friends sitting around the bonfire made it significantly worse.

"We can ask Cleo, Amber, and Lindsay when they get here if you'd like," Judy said nonchalantly.

"I don't..." Zoe huffed to keep the shame from getting to her. "Think that's necessary."

She wasn't sure if she was more embarrassed that her bunkmates might have thought she was touching herself, or just the fact that her experience had corrupted her dreams more than she'd realized.

"Hey, Zo?"

She hadn't expected Joe to speak up. "Hmm?"

"Y'know the thing we talked about on Sunday? For this weekend."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we both should do that."

"Uh... I don't know. I mean, is that really necessary?"

"Are you kidding me?" The scowl Joe wore was something the rest of the group hadn't seen before.

"Alright. Alright," Zoe acquiesced. "You're right. I shouldn't try to skirt this. Last thing I need is this to manifest into something in like twenty years and I wind up killing Miles and leaving his remains for the neighborhood dogs to feast on."

"Why did you have that image loaded in your head?" Miles asked.

"Awww, Miles, if you're scared of your sister, come sit over here, I'll keep you safe," Judy patted the spot next to where she sat and winked at him.

Miles look at the vacant spot and gulped.

"Sounds like a no," Zoe whispered to the other drummer.

"Y'know, Joe," Miles said, taking the conversation back to a more casual place. "Last week was a longer week. So, of course, this one feels like it flew by."

"Hmm? Oh, I guess that's true," Zoe nodded. "Last week was Monday through Friday. We kinda... 'skipped' Monday this week. Tuesday and Wednesday were fairly uneventful. Now it's Thursday and you're already acting like the week is over. We're here 'til Friday, friend."

"Er..." Joe frowned. You know tomorrow is different, right?"

Zoe exchanged a look with her brother before turning her attention back to Joe, "How so?"

"Hi, friends," Pixie still led the group, but there wasn't the normal gap between her arrival and the rest. The now much larger collective of section leaders joined in their usual spots. Sitting between the twins as usual, Pixie was quick to make an observation. "Uh-oh, tension? Has Miles been a bad boy?"

Trying to keep a solid poker-face, Zoe merely shook her head. "If he has I'm sure you can discipline him later. But no, it just sounded like Joe was on the brink of telling us something?"

"Oh?" Seph leaned in to ensure she didn't miss anything. "A revelation? Exciting."

"Ahem," Joe mock cleared her throat once everyone was situated. "From what I've heard, Kristina wasn't the welcome wagon when you guys met."

"She was not particularly welcoming, that is correct," Zoe admitted.

"She does check the box for 'wagon' though," Judy laughed.

"Gotcha," Joe ignored the comment. "So, Seph, you gave our new friends the rundown on camp, right?"

"Uh..." Seph wisely chose not to accept credit without knowing the full details. "Huh?"

"Did you not tell them about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Why would they... uh oh," Seph looked worriedly from one twin to the other. "Hey, so... funny thing, guys. Tomorrow is kinda like parent's day, and we have a small performance for them in the early afternoon, followed by a barbecue supper. But I told you about all that, didn't I? Heh."

Seph's awkward laugh didn't deter them from realizing they'd gotten no warning about the change.

"No, I don't believe you did," Zoe giggled, feeling indifferent to finding out this late.

"I can assure you, you definitely didn't," Miles said wickedly.

"Lots of us ride home with our folks, so we don't have to catch the bus after another lackluster breakfast," Chris contributed. "Plus, who wants to waste half of their last free Saturday packing up camp and commuting back on the busses?"

"Oh," Miles looked at Zoe wearily, "I mean, mom might be free. But I bet she's packed tomorrow with meetings."

"Y-you're making that up, right?" Seph pleaded. "Trying to make me feel worse for forgetting? Haha, just kidding. Mom can be here and everything is good... please?"

"She wants to get her practice up and running as soon as possible," Zoe explained. "Gotta set up an office and meet with clients."

"Oh," Seph sounded mortified. "I'm such a B. I'm so sorry, y'all. I didn't even think of it. Now she's gonna miss the first band performance of the year."

"Eh, performance is a bit of a stretch," Chris conceded.

"Especially after only three rehearsals," Joe added.

"It's more about giving them an opportunity to hear how we sound at the beginning of the year, and then they can compare it to how we sound at the next performance," Amber elaborated.

"So," Zoe looked among her new friends. "Do all of you guys leave tomorrow night?"

The twins looked among their friends as everyone either nodded or gave a short verbal confirmation.

"Well, it'd be stupid for y'all to stay here by yourselves." Pixie exclaimed before offering. "I'm gonna text my mom and ask if we could bring you."

"Oh, I don't think we should impose," Miles looked at Zoe, who was feeling equally concerned about making a bad first impression. "And I doubt we'd be the only ones left."

"Right," Zoe agreed. "It might give us the opportunity to bond with someone we haven't met yet."

"Dude, you should probably just take her up on her offer," Chris chuckled. "Like I said, the people who stay until Saturday morning have to go around the camp with Tune and clean up anything that any of the students messed up."

"Well... we've been fairly clean haven't we?" Zoe asked as Pixie's offer was sounding more appealing.

"Need I remind you that our cabin is currently short one mattress? And we have a rough idea of some amount of alcohol that was consumed among who knows how many students? Can you imagine how some of the other cabins might look? Boys cabins." Cleo contributed. "I could give my dad a heads-up if you'd rather ride with me."

Words weren't needed for the twins to agree that it made more sense to get a ride home with one of their friends.

"Uh... Pixie, I think we'd like to take you up on your offer," Miles stated. "No offense, Cleo. Pixie's our neighbor, so I feel like we'd be less of a hassle. I mean, as long as you're sure it wouldn't be an imposition."

Pixie leaned over and kissed Miles on his cheek. "You're not an imposition."

Zoe raised an eyebrow. She doubted that Miles and Pixie had stolen time to have a conversation like the one they'd discussed. It wasn't until witnessing everyone else's reaction, or more accurately, lack thereof, that she realized the girl often greeted them in a similar fashion. It was only then that she realized what Miles said.

"Wait, she's our neighbor? How did I not know this until now?" Zoe asked as she looked around.

"Y'know those brownies that you loved?" Miles gestured towards Pixie. "Turns out, it was her mom who made them."

"She likes to bake," Pixie beamed.

"Ohhhh, we're definitely riding back with you," Zoe's mouth watered as she remembered the rich chocolate squares she'd devoured.

"I'll let them know," Pixie said as she fished her phone from a pocket.

"I should text mom too, so she doesn't freak out when we show up tomorrow night," Zoe exclaimed. "After our last conversation, I'm sure she's expecting someone to swing by with a letter starting with 'we regret to inform you...'"

The words forced her to remember the first time she witnessed her mother receiving such news. It hadn't mattered that she'd raised the kids while her husband was away. It didn't matter that she had family and friends to step in and help when she felt she couldn't do it on her own. She lost more than the father of her children. It was her best friend. Her guide. Her inspiration. Her greatest fan. Her love.

Despite years of prepping for it, watching as the disease wore him down, nothing in the world could prepare their family for the loss. Zoe knew her mother grieved after that day. But never again in front of her kids. Taking that grief in and buried it down to instead focus on the responsibility and obligation she had to her children. She forfeit her opportunity to mourn so that her children would have a rock to hold on to.

It was a pivotal point for Zoe. Not just the loss of her father, but the newfound respect and understanding she gained for her mother. Their differences became less significant. Their quarreling became less frequent. Their relationship strengthened. And with that new perspective, Zoe finally had a connection with her mother, an awareness she didn't believe either of her brothers shared. That connection was strengthened as the pain worsened with the loss of more loved ones.

A horrifying picture was painted in her mind with the joke she made. The morbid idea that her mother would suffer like that again on her own behalf. Zoe had never considered it before, but she realized she was less scared of dying than the suffering that would be endured by those who'd survive her.

"You alright?" As Cleo asked, her warm hand graced Zoe's shoulder.

"Yeah," Zoe nodded, relieved to be lured away from the dark place her mind went. "I'm good."

"Cleo," Joe said tentatively. "Judy said that Zoe hasn't been able to sleep well since Monday, is that true?"

"Oh... so, that got brought up, eh?" Cleo frowned and cast a nasty look upon Judy. "How and why did that get brought up?"

"I told you guys," Zoe attempted to sound stronger than she felt. "I'm good."

"I mean... does it matter how it got brought up?" Joe asked. "No offense Zoe, but you might not be the best person to determine how you're doing."

"Even if she was, this wouldn't be the setting where she'd go into it," Miles acknowledged.

"You guys!" Zoe whined. "I don't need you worrying about me. I can take care of myself."

"Right!" Judy enthused. "That's why Zoe and Joe are gonna go see therapists about their issues."

Joe grunted, unable to articulate her thought.

"You having trouble sleeping, too. Joe?" Chris asked.

"No. I-"

Zoe cleared her throat and regained her composure, "First off, Judy, your statement wasn't accurate. Second, Joe and I made plans for this weekend. And I'd appreciate it if we didn't need to discuss it further until we're comfortable."

Wearily, Zoe looked around the group to see if what she said was enough to stave off further inquires. What she received instead were Joe's eyes delivered the 'thank you' her mouth was unable to vocalize.

11:30 PM, Belews Lake Cabin

In the half hour that passed since 'lights-out', Cleo was no closer to drifting off. It wasn't the anxiety of the upcoming performance that plagued her. It was a concern that wasn't placated by the discussion earlier that evening. And she knew sleep would not come unless she voiced her thought.

The soft sounds of other girl's trips to dreamland provided little cover for the crumpling cacophony as she extracted herself from her sleeping bag. With a gentle touch, she woke Zoe from her light slumber.

"Hey?" Zoe whispered. "Everything okay?"

"I think so, you don't need to go into detail but... you and Joe are going to try to see a doctor this weekend?"

Even in the dark of night, she could read Zoe's face enough to determine the other girl was looking for a way to answer without divulging too much.

"You know that's gonna be difficult, if not impossible, right?"

Zoe sighed, "You really think it'll be that tough?"

"If you're wanting to do it in town? Absolutely. We have two local doctors, and they're gonna be booked. Every kid needs their vaccinations up to date if they want to participate in school related activities. And I'm sure there are plenty other reasons a doctor's office might be busy."

"That makes sense," Zoe answered, putting serious consideration to what Cleo was saying.

"Now, listen, you might have better luck outside of town." Cleo continued. "I'm not sure what you two need to see a doctor for. And it's obvious you want it to be kept private. I'm gonna text you the number of a someone I know. She's an ER doctor, but I'm sure she'll try to help you out as best as she can, and if she can't, she'll put you in contact with someone who can."

The swiftness and lack of sound with which Zoe exited her bed caused Cleo to wonder if she'd simply been resting atop her sleeping bag. The next thing she knew, the taller girl was warping her arms around her and scooping her into a big bear hug.

"Do you have any idea how awesome you are? Not to mention smart," Zoe said, nearly speaking at normal volume as she praised her friend. "Seriously, I owe you big."

Cleo was at a loss for words. She was grateful the darkness hid her blush as she accepted the embrace. "It's what friends are for."

"I dunno, I think 'finding solutions to problems I hadn't even fully realized' might be outside the scope of what I'd expect of normal friends."

"Is that the standard I just set for myself?"

"'Fraid so," Zoe finally released her.

"Shit," Cleo wasn't done with the hug and refused to let Zoe go. "I'll do my best."