Chapter Seven

The journey to Mount Mollejo took approximately five hours; if you removed all the time wasted while trying to pick up snacks and drinks from the supermarket. Arya yawned lightly as soon as the students started getting off the bus. She had always been excited about travelling. Her I*******m stories would be full of the nice environment while she travelled but because of the mentally tasking events that had taken place before’ Arya couldn’t even bring herself to do anything. Not to mention that Brad almost got left behind while searching for his camera and had to get into another bus entirely.

Arya lifted her bag over her shoulders and stared at Brad’s bag before trying to lift it.

“Babe, I’m so sorry” a very familiar voice drifted into Arya’s ears as the weight on his shoulder disappeared. A small smile fitted across Arya’s face while laughing at herself. It was already a lot of work trying to carry her own bag but Brad had lifted both hers and his very easily. She followed him out of the bus while looking as the wide scenery.

“This looks like a lot” Arya said smiling turning to Brad.

“The mountains sure have an entirely different atmosphere” Brad said looking around.

“And sure your camera would capture every single moment of ours in this school trip” Arya concluded clutching her arms with Brad who gave her a smile in return.

“I thought Eileen wasn’t going to be come; she was in the other bus” Brad said while Arya froze lightly.

“She was in the other bus?” Arya asked and Brad stared at her looking puzzled.

“She didn’t tell you?” Brad asked dropping their bags at a bare spot.

“She didn’t look very good so I think there’s something up with her” Brad added and Arya nodded her head.

“I’ll go and check up on her. You fix the tent, I’’ be back in a few minutes” Arya said.

“Okay Chica” Brad replied dropping a quick kiss on her lips while Arya laughed lightly.

She walked through the hundreds of students trying to build their tents her eeys desperately searching for Eileen. She knew the latter would be sorry for what had happened. A small smile found a way to her lips as she spotted Eileen with some cheer leading girls trying to set up their tents.

It had always been like this, she always found Eileen the way the latter always found her. It was more like they had a connection.

“Eileen” Arya called standing a few meters away from the girl pinning her tent down. Arya eyed the other girls who we relooking at her and murmuring things she didn’t hear and didn’t want to hear. Eileen stood up and dusted her palms while facing Arya with a straight face.

“Is there a problem?” Eileen asked and Arya stared at her blinking her eyes and making that puppy face that Eileen couldn’t resist.

“Arya Jenkins?” Eileen called again snapping Arya back to reality while she froze.

“Is there a problem?” Eileen asked again and Arya swallowed her saliva, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

“Don’t…. Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Arya asked her eyes prompting Eileen to say something.

“I don’t” Eileen replied her face straight and blank. Her reply sent Arya blinking her eyes in shock and surprise.

“Nothing at all?” Arya asked again and Eileen shook her head.

“Nothing at all Arya” Eileen replied watching as Arya continued blinking her eyes.

“Or is there something you want me to say?” Eileen asked while Arya chuckled.

“Aren’t you supposed to apologized to me? You blew out at me for no reason and called my boyfriend a dastard and even said I had low taste for dating someone like him” Arya started.

“You, my supposed best friend said that to me” Arya added gaining another crowd around them.

“Miss Jenkins, do you think I owe you an apology?” Eileen asked while Arya furrowed her brows in surprise.

“Miss Jenkins? Are you seriously calling me Miss Jenkins right now?” Arya asked and Eileen shrugged.

“Whatever should I call you so that you can get some senses back?” Eileen asked.

“I owe you no apology. I owe you nothing, zero thanks to your ego that made you think I owe you an apology” Eileen added.

“It’s been a long day and everyone needs to rest, don’t set up a stage for people to watch just because you need attention. I won’t be a part of this play” Eileen finished as she walked back towards her tent and continued fixing it.

And once again, Arya stood transfixed to a spot unable to move, she couldn’t believe that Eileen had called her an attention whore.

An attention whore.

That was what they called other people behind their backs, not to each other. Besides Eileen would never call her that. Arya could feel tears welling up in her tears and she sniffed repeatedly trying to push them back.

“You are not Eileen” Arya declared as a few heads turned including Eileen’s.

“You are not Eileen and you are not my best friend” Arya added with Eileen chuckling.

“What makes you think that?” Eileen asked.

“Because my best friend would never call me names and treat me like this” Arya replied and before waiting for Eileen to reply or say something, she stormed off. So much for a best friend who did nothing but insult her twice in a row.

By the time Arya got back to Brad, he was done seating up the tent. Arya forced herself to wear a smile tickling him at his sides and the smile vanished the moment Brad waved her hands away.

“What’s wrong?” Arya asked having a bad premonition in her heart.

“What have you been telling Eileen about me Arya?” Brad asked while Arya looked confused with her eyebrows set into a furrowed tone.

“Telling Eileen? Our affairs are private. I don’t tell her nothing” Arya replied defending herself.

“Oh really?” Brad asked one of his eyebrows raised up in mockery.

“Brad, trust me. I don’t share none of our affairs with Eileen. She doesn’t even ask and anytime I try to bring you up, she always looks bored so no, I haven’t told her anything about you” Arya replied nodding her head.

“Then why is she calling me a dastard? I heard what happened Arya and I can’t believe you lied to me” Brad shot at Arya while the latter started shaking her hands and foaling her arms around aimlessly.

“I don’t know why she said that Brad. I really don’t know” Arya said trying to defend herself.

“Don’t tell me this is because of my friends with those guys?” Brad asked his eyes narrowed and Arya shook her head.

“What do you mean? Eileen barely had an idea about it. I didn’t tell her nothing, that would be putting you on jeopardy if anyone overheard us talking. Why would I do that?” Arya asked.

“You see, you sound so innocent but yet Eileen called me dastard and everyone heard her. Now everyone thinks I did something bad to you and I did nothing of such” Brad declared.

“I said nothing to Eileen Brad trust me” Arya said in a desperate attempt to make Brad belive her.

“Look, she even said I had low taste for dating you!” Arya exclaimed and Brad turned to her with wide eyes.

“What?!” he asked.

“Look, I have no idea of what is happening. Maybe someone has been feeding her with lies and yet she’s my best friend so something serious must have taken place to this sort of thing happening” Arya replied.

“We’ve been dating for almost three years Brad and you and Eileen have always been on good terms even played games together right?” Arya asked but Brad didn’t bother to acknowledge her words. Seeing him un-responding; she continued trying to prove her point.

“And all of a sudden, she burst into I don’t even know what to call it. So trust me when is say that there’s something wrong somewhere; so until we find out what happens, we need to give her a benefit of doubt” Arya added sighing softly.

“I as well very much want my best friend back” Arya said and Brad sighed.

“I believe you and I’m going to trust your words” Brad replied and Arya’s lips spread into a smile.

“I knew it” she muttered.

“So where’s your tent? Let’s set it up together” Arya said while Brad swallowed his saliva.

“I gave it to the boys to set up” Brad replied watching as Arya stared at him with weird eyes.

“I thought…. I thought we agreed to have or tents right next to each other” Arya muttered.

“This is a school trip Arya, not some couple vacation. You do this every damn time” Brad muttered scoffing.

“And fix your best friend’s problem before sunrise else I wouldn’t take it” Brad added before walking away.

“What the hell is going on?!” Arya screeched.