STATUS: With Benefits Only

Chapter VIII: Camping Trip

Celestine's POV

It's been a week, and Sasha and I are now preparing for our camping trip, which coincidentally falls on our semester break. We both brought big backpacks for hiking. Denver said they would take care of bringing some necessities, so we only packed spare clothes.

"Tine! What's taking you so long? Denver and the others are waiting already!" I heard Sasha shout outside my room. I quickly applied some lip balm and ran my fingers through my hair.

"I'm coming!" I shouted back. I choose to wear simple hiking shorts that are above the knee, while the top is a zippered leather jacket and a black sports bra underneath, and I put on a pair of rubber shoes. I pick up my big backpack before looking in the mirror. "You look beautiful," I proudly told myself.

"Celestine!"

"I said, I'm coming!" I hurriedly left my room and went to Sasha, who was already at the door. She grabbed my hand and walked out of the unit.

"You're such a sluggish person," she said, pinching my side. I winced in pain. As we entered the elevator, Sasha looked at her reflection and fixed her hair.

"Do I look presentable?" she asked without looking at me. I squirmed a bit before nodding at her.

When the elevator opened at the basement parking, a red pickup truck and a white roadster welcomed us, parking not far from us. Danny and Denver waved their hands when they saw us. I almost stopped in my tracks when I saw Dom in his white car with a woman in the passenger seat. Our eyes met briefly before I looked away.

"Tine! Sash!" Danny greeted us happily before giving us a warm smile and hug. Denver took my and Sasha's bags before putting them in the back of his pickup truck.

"Everything's set! Shall we go?" Denver asked cheerfully.

"Xyler isn't here yet." We all looked at Dom as he suddenly spoke on the side. I didn't notice that he had already gotten out of his car. The man he was referring to was not present when I cast my eyes around, and an approaching motorcycle caught our attention. It stopped in front of us before the rider took off his helmet. It was none other than Xyler. He was using a different motorcycle, so I didn't know that it was him at the beginning. He is driving a vintage motorcycle with a black and brown matte finish now.

"Xyler," Dom greeted, smiling. "I thought you couldn't make it," he added. The newcomer looked at him, but I couldn't help but notice his momentary glance in my direction.

"You know I always do as agreed," he said before looking at me. That jerk! I knew there was another meaning behind his reply!

"Isn't that right, Dom?" Xyler asked and looked at his cousin. Dominique immediately nodded.

"Okay, we're all here! Let's hurry before the sun shows up!" Danny said it happily, which we all agreed with. Denver assisted Sasha, Makie, and me in getting into his pickup truck.

The five of us were on the pickup. Because Dom brought his date, they were in his car, and Xyler was driving his motorcycle.

Sasha and I were both seated by the window, so Makie was in the middle. Danny is in the passenger seat, while Denver is the one who will drive. Denver honked once before finally driving out of the basement. I glanced out of the window and saw Xyler putting on his helmet again. Our eyes met before he closed the eyeshield of his helmet. He honked before he sped off on his motorcycle.

"You can lean on my shoulder if you want," Makie whispered. I looked at him and nodded with a smile. We already talked about the incident at Dominique's birthday party and agreed, so it's not as awkward as it was.

I looked at Sasha, who was already leaning on his shoulder. "Is it okay? You already had something heavy on your other side; it will be shameful if I add more weight." Makie grinned before shaking his head.

"It's fine." I nodded at him and leaned on his shoulder. Makie adjusted my head and gently tapped my cheek before resting his head on top of mine. "You can also sleep," I whispered. I felt a slight nod from him, so I closed my eyes completely.

"Wake up, we're here!" Denver's voice woke me up. He was getting out of the car when I opened my eyes, and Danny was smiling when I looked at her. I looked around, and all I could see were tall trees and mountains. We were indeed at a camping site. We all got off Denver's pickup truck and walked towards a hut that served as a reception desk, like in a hotel.

I saw Denver and Dom stretch out on the side, probably feeling sore from hours of driving. I glanced at the girl with Dom, who was busy taking pictures, which made me roll my eyes.

My eyes narrowed when it landed on Xyler, who was smirking at me. This guy enjoys teasing tremendously, and I have a feeling that his presence will significantly alter the course of this journey. Argh! Whatever! I just shouldn't let us be left alone together.

"I've already written our names and contact numbers in their logbook, in case of emergencies," said Denver. We nodded and started taking our belongings from his car. Makie handed our bags and some camping gear to us because we would be carrying them until we reached our camping area.

"Guys! Eyes here!" Danny caught our attention. We looked at her and at the different-colored bandanas she was holding. There were eight bandanas: two white, two yellow, two red, and two orange. What are those for?

"Since we're eight in total—four girls and four boys—I decided to divide our group into pairs to balance everything. I just followed Denver's list here," she said, raising a piece of paper.

"Now for the first pair, Dom and Trexy." Ate Danny handed them the two white bandanas. The girl happily took it from her and handed it to Dominique flirtatiously. Tsk.

Makie and Danny were the next pair; their bandanas were orange, while Sasha and Denver got red ones. I couldn't help but smile seeing Sasha fidgeting in her place.

"Here you go, Sash," I overheard Denver say to my friend as he handed her the bandana. She's blushing from that.

"Lastly, it's Xyler and Celestine." I was suddenly shocked when I heard the last pair. What the hell, is this for real?! I kept looking back and forth between Danny and the guy she paired me with for this entire camping trip.

I hesitated to take the bandana, and I felt like I wanted to go home. I saw Dominique furrow his eyebrows when he heard what his sister said, while McKenzie's face showed obvious disapproval.

"Can we exchange partners?" Makie asked, but Danica frowned and asked,

"Why, Makie? Don't you want to be my partner?"

"N-No, it's not like that. Let's just forget it," my friend replied, scratching his nape. I swallowed hard and finally took the bandana from Danny and handed the other one to Xyler.

"It looks like fate brought us together, hmm?" I heard him whisper as I approached him, glaring and warning him. Damn it! He's teasing again!

"Alright, let's go!" Denver shouted happily as he played with the compass in his hand. Each of the guys had a compass, while we had a map. Good thing they gave us these.

We started walking in the forest. You really can't feel the heat of the sun here. We've been walking for a few minutes, but I still haven't perspired compared to when I'm in the city. I don't know how many kilometers we've walked, but, in fairness, I'm enjoying nature.

"Baby, my legs are tired," I heard the girl with Dom complaining. I rolled my eyes immediately. That's what happens when you invite others who are not into something like this; it becomes burdensome.

I heard Dom sigh, so I looked over my shoulder. They were lagging because of Trexy. I saw Dominique take off his backpack and place it in front of him.

Jealousy started to well up in me as he carried the girl behind him. She smiled and hugged him from behind, then kissed his cheek.

"I'll carry some of your things, Dom," Danny said, extending her hand to her youngest brother.

"No, it's fine," Dominique replied without complaining.

"We're near the river; that's our first stop, so let's hurry," said Denver in front. Sasha and I exchanged glances, and I could see the concern in her eyes, so I just gave her a small smile before we continued walking. We're indeed near the river because I can hear the rushing water.

"It's beautiful!" Danny exclaimed happily. We quickly went to the side and eagerly tried to get a closer look at the clean and beautiful river.

"Sash!" I turned around when Denver shouted her name.

"I-I'm okay," she said when I asked. She tripped and almost stumbled down. Sasha stood up quickly with Denver's help.

"Is she alright?" I looked at Xyler when he spoke from behind me. I just nodded before the four of us continued walking towards the river.

As I turned around, I met Dominique's gaze, who was no longer carrying Trexy. I quickly averted my eyes from her and paid more attention to nature. "Let's swim!" Makie suggested, and we all agreed. I looked at my waterproof watch, and I thought we still had time. We quickly took off some of our clothes. I'm only wearing a sports bra and black underwear now; luckily, they're matching colors, so it looks like a bikini. I let my hair down from its usual tie and let it fall on my back.

"You're sexy." I felt a shiver down my spine when Xyler whispered from behind me before walking past me. I glared at him as he stepped into the water, looking back at me.

He looked serious, his bright eyes fixed on me, but I couldn't help but notice a slight upturn at the corner of his lips. His eyes roamed all over my body. As in, from head to toe with desire in his eyes. Pervert! He's too obvious!

It didn't take long before all of us were splashing in the water. Danny stayed by the riverside, taking our pictures. "All girls!" She shouted, and we looked at her and smiled. I'm glad my smile doesn't look too fake because Trexy clung to me. Wow, feeling close, huh?

"Danica! You should be in the picture with us! Babe, can you take a picture of us? Please?" Trexy said, which made me roll my eyes internally.

"Sure," I heard Dominique say as he took the camera from his sister. Danny walked toward us, smiling. She stood between Trexy and me, but she leaned closer to me. "Smile, ladies!" Danica said as she pressed our cheeks together. I also grabbed Sasha's waist to make us look closer. I don't care about that, Trexy. I'll just crop her out of the photo.

We heard a click before we separated from each other. When Dominique lowered her camera, she looked at the photo and smiled. I felt something when I saw him smiling. "Let me see," Danny said as she approached him and took the camera from Dom. She also looked at the photos taken earlier, and just like her youngest brother, she smiled.

Dom looked up, and our eyes met. We stayed that way for a few seconds before I looked away. We've been avoiding each other's gaze since this morning. I really like Dom. I like him a lot. But I don't know where to start to win him over. I want to have Dominique for myself alone. But if it's like now, when he's always with someone else, my chances of getting closer to him diminish even more.

As I turned around, I happened to look in Xyler's direction. I raised an eyebrow when I saw Trexy trying to talk to Xyler, who clearly didn't want to talk to her. His face became more serious, and his eyebrows were almost furrowed. "B*tch," I whispered as I watched her blatantly flirt with Xyler.