The Unexpected Mate

Chapter 6 : Outside the fence

Elinor was excited to an unexpected degree. Her last outing with friends was in college and the only thing she remembered was being drenched in the uninvited rain until all of them laid sick in bed. It was memorable for sure.

This time they were being extra careful with the weather and camping location. Everything had to be perfect.

Gia called when they arrived. Elinor and Ginny came downstairs with their bags. Gia was driving a large SUV which was large enough to fit all of them as well as their camping equipment.

Elinor's face brightened up upon meeting her old friends. She had so many memories with these people. Some of the most amazing days were spent with them, yet she barely has the chance to meet them now.

"Hey!" Leo came out of the backseat and helped put the bags in the trunk. Ginny and Elinor sat in the backseat with Leo. Gia and Ross were in the front seat.

"I haven't seen y'all in such a long time!" Elinor expressed her feelings through a hug for each of them. It was difficult to hug Gia who was in the driver's seat, but somehow they made it work with twists and flexibility.

After Elinor was done with the greeting, she patted Ginny on the back to introduce her.

"This is Ginny, my cousin," Elinor wanted to add something else, like how she forgot about the plans when she agreed for Ginny to visit her. Or that she couldn't leave Ginny alone at home. That was why she brought her along. Both of them sounded offending to one or the other. It was better not to say anything.

"Hey Ginny! I'm Gia," Gia introduced herself and started the car. Ross and Leo introduced themselves as well. Ginny was an extrovert and it really showed when she got comfortable with all of Elinor's friends in a matter of minutes.

It was past six pm already and the camp site had to be reached early, so they had enough time to set up the tents. The drive took more than two hours. The sky was dark by the time they reached the camp site.

It was a popular camping site so there were people everywhere. They parked the SUV in the designated parking spot and went in.

A fence divided the camping area from the rest of the forest. It was advised against camping outside the fence as it could get dangerous. Elinor carried her bag and a sleeping bag on her back like the rest of her friends and Ginny.

Their tents were in the form of small trolleys which could be taken apart when they needed to set up the tent. It was conveniently pulled by them as well. But as they tried to find an empty spot, they came to the realisation that there was no empty spot!

Tents were standing tall, families and friend groups grilling on the barbeque grill. It was lovely and crowded. There was no place for Elinor and her group!

"Now what?" Leo dropped his shoulders dejectedly. He had been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. Seeing that there was no place to put up their tents, it was almost as good as a heartbreak.

"Let's circle the edges. Maybe we'll find a little area by the fence," Ross suggested. He was as cool as a cucumber even in times of crisis. He was the brains of the group from their college days.

When everyone was panicking over unfinished preparation for tests, he'd come up with a study plan which would help them score. Ever since then, Gia, Leo and Elinor have trusted his judgement with closed eyes.

The small group of five circled the area around the fence. Elinor held Ginny's hand all this time, fearing that she'd get lost. They circled the fence but not a single spot was left! It was quite a shock because it wasn't the ideal season for camping. So many people coming out for camping at this time just did not make sense!

"Should we go somewhere else?" Leo asked hesitantly. His energetic mood was extinguished by this unexpected hurdle in their fun.

"This is the only camping site in the city. We have to drive another two hours to the other camping site," Ross told them after searching for it on his phone map.

"I think we should go back," Elinor said in a small voice.

"No!" Gia said stubbornly,"We don't get to have weekends like these together. Who knows when we will get to meet up again?"

"Then what do you suggest?" Ross asked back.

Gia pointed at the dirty fence and said, "L-Lets cross the fence and camp outside!"

"Are you kidding?" Leo said incredulously, "It's not allowed! And it could be dangerous to go out."

Gia's face was flushed with frustration. She planned the entire trip at her own expense because she wanted to have a good time with friends.

She was very disturbed by the fact that a crowd ruined her plans. She wanted to stay the weekend camping no matter what, so she came up with some justifications.

"It is fine to camp out there. We will stay right on the other side of the fence so we can come back anytime. We won't go further inside, okay? Please guys!" Gia made puppy dog eyes and pouted sadly.

Elinor was the first one to melt under her gaze. As the only one deprived of holidays, Elinor was craving a good weekend the most. She hesitantly looked at Ross and Leo for their opinions. Leo bit his lip nervously, "I think it could work ....?"

A statement turned into a question when Ross eyed him. Leo looked away after saying that.

"Let's vote then!" Ginny suggested, "Those who agree to camp on the other side, raise their hands up!"

Immediately, Gia and Ginny raised their hands. Elinor did the same and Leo followed. Seeing that everyone was in favour, Ross also gave in.

"Okay fine. But not far. And we barbeque right next to the fence. We don't know what kind of animals live in the forest. We are in charge of our own safety."

Gia cheered and threw herself on Ross for agreeing. Elinor and Leo shared a look of mutual understanding and pretended not to see it.

The fence was built very high to keep dangerous animals outside. They found a small corner open in the fence and threw their bags through the opening. Once the bags were on the other side, they slid in one by one.

"See, people must have snuck out here before," Gia said after they crossed to the other side. The hole in the fence was solid evidence that people often came here.

"Yeah you are right," Elinor chuckled, "Now let's set up the camp. It's so dark already!"

It was past eight pm. The camping site provided lamps for the groups to hang outside the tent. Since Elinor and her group were outside the fence, they couldn't get any. And they had to choose a spot which was as close as possible without being seen. If they were seen by anyone, they would be forced to leave.

They settled in a small clearing between tall trees. They were well hidden behind the trees but the fence could be seen at a little distance.

"This spot is absolutely perfect!" Leo excitedly said and started putting up his tent, "The real essence of camping! Away from the crowd, surrounded by nature!"

They had four small tents in total, one for each of them. Since Elinor brought Ginny along, she had to share with Ginny. After the tents were put up, they collected branches and started a fire. It was the easiest part so far because they were equipped with a lighter.

A few large rocks were arranged around the fire for everyone to sit. Everyone settled down on the rocks and warmed their hands. It wasn't winter yet, but the forest was cold enough to send a chill down the spine.

Elinor was especially cold today. She sat closer to the fire and held her palms over the fire. Just far enough to keep it from burning.

"Is anyone hungry? I have marshmallows and cookies!"

Elinor was definitely hungry after walking with her bags and setting up the tent. She asked for some and so did Ross, Leo and Ginny.

Gia distributed them to everyone along with skewer sticks to roast them. They roasted the marshmallows and talked about their college days and laughed.

Lovely scent of roasted marshmallows and cheerful laughter created the perfect atmosphere. It was exactly what Elinor came here for! She roasted a marshmallow and spread it over the cookie and ate it with relish. It was the perfect snack during a camp night!

"Let's play truth or dare!" Leo said suddenly. He also pulled out a couple of beers from his backpack and distributed them. Ginny got a small juice box.

"We don't have punishments here, so you have to answer the question in truth and do the dare!" Leo stated the rules one by one and randomly selected his target, "Ross! Truth or dare?"

Ross answered almost immediately, "Truth."

"Bummer. Why not dare?"

"Is that your question?"

"No!" Leo panicked at his little mistake and asked his question, "Do you like anyone?"

"The classic," Ginny laughed, "Even kids don't ask that!"

"You are a kid," Leo reasoned.

Ross took a sip of his beer and nodded, "I do."

"Who?!" Leo jumped in excitement.

"Next," Ross ignored Leo's excited eyes and asked Elinor, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Elinor chose the safe option. Dare wasn't safe in the woods.

"What was the deal with Pete in college?" Ross asked after some thinking. Elinor's smile dropped after the question was asked. Leo and Gia leaned forward with interest. They wanted to know!

In college, Elinor liked Pete. Pete was their senior and about to graduate in a few months, so Elinor gathered all her courage to ask him out before he graduated. Pete agreed and they even went on a couple of dates. For a few months, Pete was all she talked about. But suddenly one day she stopped talking about him. She deleted their pictures and his number from her phone.

Elinor would become uncomfortable at the mention of his name and refuse to talk about what happened. Pete had already graduated and moved to college in another state, so it was impossible to get hold of him. It was an unsolved mystery for years.

Many years passed after that and today his name was brought up again. Ross, Leo and Gia stared intently at Elinor, probing her with their eyes to answer. Ginny also held some interest. She could read between the lines perfectly and as soon as a boy's name appeared, she knew it was something scandalous.

"It's been so long. Why do you still remember him? Haha," Elinor tried to laugh it off. But none of them followed the hint.

Elinor sighed in resignation, "I stopped thinking about it a long time ago. If you hadn't brought it up, I would have kept it that way for the rest of my life."

"Don't stall," Gia said.

"Pete wanted to sleep with me," Elinor said with an eye roll, "We went on a couple of dates, nothing too much. Then he invited me to a party where he started to get all handsy. I went to the bathroom to calm down and think of an excuse to leave. I overhead someone saying that Pete was going to win a bet today and I panicked. I confronted in front of his friends and he confessed that it was a bet and he would win if I slept with him."

"What an a-hole!" Gia exclaimed angrily.

"That bastard! How dare he play with your feelings!" Leo added.

Ginny was angry and sad too, but she refrained herself from butting into their cursing. She comforted Elinor by patting her on the back.

"It's fine. He lost the best, right?" Ginny asked.

"Obviously. He even had the audacity to ask me to sleep with him anyway, because he wanted to win the bet. I slapped him and left!" Elinor flung her arm in the air to show them how she did it.

"No wonder he fled after graduation. He lost the best and his dignity at the same time, " Ross commented, "But why didn't you tell us back then?"

Elinor cleared her throat, "You asked your question. No, it's my turn. Gia! Truth or dare!"

"Dare!" Gia said bravely.

"I dare you to eat three burnt marshmallows!" Elinor gave the easiest dare. Gia made a funny face but completed the dare.

"Ginny, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Ginny was as confident as Gia. Probably because Elinor did not give a dangerous dare, so she thought Gia would give her something easy too.

"Then, walk all the way to the fence and get a twig from there!"

Ginny's face fell immediately.

"Alone?" Elinor asked, "Um, I don't think it's safe to go alone. I will go with her."

Elinor had brought Ginny along, so the responsibility fell on her.

"Okay, go with her. It's not that far. We will be watching from here, so no cheating!" Gia said.

Elinor placed the beer aside and held Ginny's hand, "Let's go."

Ginny was relieved, knowing that she wouldn't be alone. She took Elinor's hand and stood up. Hand in hand, they left the circle of trees and walked towards the fence in the dark.