Kisses after midnight (WICKED #0) | ✓

25

GABRIELA HAD NO IDEA why the hell Clarkson had announced an inpromptu camping trip, but it was messing her whole schedule up. She should have been studying these weeks, especially with mid-terms coming up, so this wasn't working out at all. The stress was building these days, especially now that the uncertainty of her getting a scholarship was growing.

Her parents couldn't pay for college, that much had always been sure, especially the one she wanted to attend. So she had studied daily, had done all the extracurriculars - and now she was becoming more and more sure that it wasn't enough. Even if she would succeed in making Sahar and Jay model students, even if that would let her transfer, would the stain of having attended St Joseph ever disappear?

She sighed, her increasing doubts giving her a headache. Though Clarkson had told her he would write her a gleaming recommendation letter, what good would that do from the principal of the most notorious delinquents school there was? Honestly, the carreer counseling had stressed her out more than it had done any good. Even when she packed her stuff she couldn't help but let the same worries consume her over and over, until she had reached the school.

They were all leaving with the school buses Clarkson had hired for the occasion, everyone reporting to their head teacher. Penelope seemed excited, waving a hand at her flannel shirt and baggy jeans as she told Gabriela she was ready to become one with nature. Sahar too was immune to Gabriela's complaints, her Elie Saab dress dotted with flowers.

"I wonder about the activities," Penelope said.

"Cleaning the forest, hopefully," Sahar beamed," I think that'll be rewarding."

"For who?" Penelope frowned.

"For our future, Penelope."

Gabriela glanced at Mateo, his arrival as always not having gone by unnoticed. Everyone always looked up when he came and people flocked to him immediately, his confidence and lazy smile radiating off him even from where she was standing. He was wearing a blue cap backwards, a simple white shirt and jeans, the look so innocently boyish in comparison to his usual leather jacket and dark clothes. Her heart fluttered and she averted her gaze.

It took them a couple of hours to reach the camping spot, trees surrounding them wherever she looked. Just when Gabriela thought they would be driving through this forest forever, the buses stopped and the teachers ushered them out, right to a clearing on their right. Everyone placed their luggage there, stretching and talking, a booming voice interrupted them all.

"Listen up, my sweet delinquents," Clarkson said, a wide grin on his face as he spread his arms," I'm sure you all know me as your lovely principal, but during this trip I'll be your main supervisor and friend as well. So take care to relax and have fun, as this will be your last year of high school."

He waved with a hand towards the small house they were standing in front of. It was a cottage and seemed dubiously habitable, with papers plastered on the wall. Beside it stood a heap of bags, with large water bottles and a heap of canned foods behind it.

"You can find your assigned groups here," he said, pointing at the papers with his thumb," each of you can take one bag, which is filled with the tent and necessary supplies. The food will be distributed in two hours here, so until that time go and get your tent set up."

"You want us to sleep in a tent?" Chase exclaimed," it's October!"

"It isn't winter yet," Clarkson said with a reassuring smile," and there are extra blankets in there." He peered up at the sky then, which was just beginning to spill through with light even though it was already nine o'clock. "Perhaps I'll do this in the summer next year."

With that he was done speaking and everyone swarmed towards the papers, eager to see their groups. Mateo made his way through easily, everyone practically jumping away from him and Jay as they walked to the front. Once he found his group his face lit up and he fist bumped Jay, before reading the rest. When his face became troubled, Gabriela knew she didn't need to walk to the front to hear her group.

They walked back, right towards her and Sahar, and Gabriela's eye was drawn to Jay's sleeves for a moment. He wasn't wearing a jacket, despite the starting chill, his tattoos on display. Honestly, the boy gave more the vibe of a gangster than anything else, the cigarette dangling from his lips causing smoke to unfurl in the air, one earring dangling from his right ear.

"We're in the same group," he said.

"All of us?" Sahar said, a smile brightening her face.

Jay took the cigarette out from his lips, looking mesmerized by her as he nodded. Before he could throw it on the floor though she grabbed his wrist, a stern look on her face.

"You are not going to throw anything away in the forest," she chastised him.

"But -" he began, blinking in surprise.

"No buts," she said," go and throw it away, Jay."

He chuckled, his other hand grazing her cheek then.

"It's cute when you're serious," he said softly.

With that he turned around to throw his cigarette away, leaving Sahar's cheeks on fire and Mateo and Gabriela alone. The silence between them was awkward and she wondered if she should be the first to break it. Still, she had said things she couldn't take back, things which he was, rightfully so, still angry for. And so had he. Some of the things he had shouted then had hit a sensitive spot and she knew it was because they were true.

Normally she would have apologized, but that had been the problem. They had finally communicated about the big problems between them and her just saying sorry wouldn't make those go away. Nothing between them had changed ever since their fight and that was definitely negative.

They were still the same people and they still had the same problems. She just wanted them to magically disappear and for everything to be fine. Perhaps this camp would be the chance to do so.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Clarkson's voice boomed then," in your bag you can all find a large cucumber and a pen. Don't eat the cucumber, for that will be your group's child these following days. You can draw a face on it and give it a name as you please." He grinned. "I'm sure this will make your group's friendship even stronger. Be sure to keep it safe, because you can win great prizes if it survives."

Jay had just arrived then and looked positively horrified, Sahar's wide eyes and Mateo's amusement a stark contrast to Gabriela's confusion. Mateo opened the bag then and fished the cucumber out, a wide grin on his face.

"Looks like we have a baby," he said.