She could tell something was off, despite not conversing and hanging out with him for a while, she could easily read him. The way he shrunk on himself after she spoke made her feel bad, and she internally cursed at herself. I knew that wasn't the smartest idea. Damnnit why did I even speak? Her own voice berating herself in her head. She knew Jackson wasn't well off, besides how evident it was just looking at him. She remembered what he told her, not much, as it was a sensitive topic, but she knew he hadn't been doing well. She felt the pit in her stomach deepen, everything flooding at her, thinking about the whole scenario, how he was struggling, and he trusted her, and then she sided with her family, despite him being literally, her only and best friend. She decided to say one more thing, before giving him more space,

"One more thing- I know- I'm sorry- it probably seems stupid as shit apologizing about it, so late. But- I'm genuinely sorry.. about, well..everything. I was a foolish kid when I said that, and made those decisions. I'm- I'm truly sorry Jackson." she spoke, "I'll let you be now."

She was unsure if he had heard her since he had music on and was staring out the window. To distract herself from all the stress her parents and this situation were putting on herself, she took a small sketchpad out, putting her headphones on, lowering the volume in case someone were to speak to her, the song Shotgun Betty by the Technicolors being the first song to play. She pulled out a worn mechanical pencil, and started to draw things in her head, characters, and worlds she made up. Occasionally, she would accidentally get hit by the boy across the aisle who was play fighting with his friend, but otherwise, the two sat in the seat in awkward silence.

Not long after she'd begun to sketch, there was a commotion in the middle of the bus, when suddenly a loose shoe flew and hit her in the face. Yes, a loose shoe. And it was thrown really hard. These college boys were about as bad as middle school children. She muttered under her breath, as the boys apologized to her, before continuing their game. Her hand went to her face, lightly touching the spot she was hit on. Ouch. It felt like it was bruising already. She curled up as much as she could in the seat, resting her head onto her knees, and trying to deal with the now throbbing bruise on her face.

Jackson Alex-Ren

"Thats understandable...sometime soon, maybe when we get there?" She spoke softly, setting the extra bag to her side, "I'll save this for you, I promise, you don't need to pay me back or anything, just let me know." she spoke, almost practically reading his mind.

She reached a hand up to her face, right under her left eye, grimacing at the faintest touch. She thought of the idiot football kids who were throwing a shoe. They played the most stupidest games.

"I think so. It hurts like hell. Those guys are idiots." She murmured under her breath, looking out the window at the football boys chasing each other outside the bus. "I used my last automatic ice pack thing the other day after practice.. but honestly anything to help would be nice.."

Sitting up straight, she leaned back slightly, propping her head up. She was still really short compared to Jackson, even sitting down. Her eyes slightly trailed down his face, taking in his appearance, the familiarity yet unfamiliarity at the same time.

(It'll pick up soon xD )

She thanked him quietly, taking the ice pack and holding to her face. The sensation hurt a little at first, but then started to soothe the bruise,

"Thank you, " she said before resting her eyes for a while and looking at the window on the other side of the bus. Colors and blurs flashed out the window, and luckily the commotion was taken to a low.

--

The bus came to a stop at the grounds. Outside the window, there were faint mountains in the distance, the tree's vibrant colors, and just pure nature. Pretty.. Catherine thought to herself. As everyone started getting off, she grabbed her backpack, slinging it carefully over her shoulder, and waiting to get off. She felt Jacksons' presence behind her, as she scoots out of the seat, and off of the bus. Finally. My leg wouldn't stop cramping. she thought, shaking her body out, relaxing her muscles a bit. For a second, she took in the scenery. It was a nice break from their usually campus and urban city life back at the college. And she loved nature, a lot. It reminded her of when she and Jackson were little, they'd always escape for hours in the large backyard of Catherine's home, that stretched on into unowned land. They would always play games and just play pretend out there, look at the animals, and just relax.

Life was easier and less stressful as a kid. Her internal voice rang, softly reminiscing on the memories. She was shaken out of her thoughts as she was called over along with Jackson and one other pair.

"Moon group! Jackson, Catherine, Andy, and Ray!" She followed the other two, and Jackson over to the lady who had spoken.

"You and your partner will be in cabin 1 and 2. Have fun! We're just gonna go to sleep tonight so please stay in your cabins. We'll go out tomorrow." With a nod, she walked towards the Cabins. Ray and Andy already claiming the first one as their own, so she followed Jackson to Cabin 2. He had opened the door, and let her in first,

"Thank you," she said, as she scoot into the cabin. It wasn't anything super huge, obviously, with it being at a camp ground, but it was nice and cozy. It felt homey. She carefully set her backpack down on one of the chairs, wanting to take a look around the cabin.

"I wonder what the bed situation is.." She said, looking at the small kitchenette in the corner, and the small living space with a couch, old TV, and a bunch of board games.

(what do we want room/bed situation to be?)

She walked into the other room, right across from Jackson's. It was getting kind of dark outside, and she wanted to catch the sunset before it was too late and then stars. She had carried her things over, setting it at the small little desk in the corner, and then shuffled through her belongings.

"Where is it..where- there it is!" She spoke to herself quietly, looking for the small Canon camera in it's case that was buried in the bottom of the small zipper of her backpack. She took it out carefully, keeping the lense cover on but throwing the strap around her neck. She grabbed her phone and headphones, hanging the set around her neck and her phone in her front pocket before leaving the room, closing the door almost fully, but leaving a little space.

She saw Jackson curled up on the couch as she approached the door,
"Hey, I'm going to go take some pictures and watch the sunset and stars for a bit.. if you want to join me or need me.. i'll be out there." She spoke in a gentle tone, waiting a few seconds before leaving, closing the door softly with a click.

The air was brisk, she was in baggy jeans, and a baggy soccer jersey. Ugh..i should've gotten a long sleeve.. she thought to herself, as she walked down one of the paths, to an open field of grass on a hill. It was really pretty, the sun just starting to set perfectly as soon as she got there. She snapped a few photos, but then sat down, taking in the scenery. A herd of deer set off in the distance, a golden glow making their coats gleam and shine warmly. There was all sorts of wildlife, and she really enjoyed watching them. She took a deep breath, looking at the sky. The sun slowly dipped beneath the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow across the horizon. In a blaze of color, orange and pink hues paint the wispy clouds, almost imitating a soft brushstroke against the backdrop of a darkening sky. The air began to turn cool, the moon rising, and the stars begun to appear, dotting the sky. The sky turned into a giant, looming and stretching dark canvas with stars almost as if someone had threw a handful of glitter. Again, she took a few photos, capturing the beauty of the sky, and enjoying the wonderus nature.

She shivered slightly, but didn't want to go just yet. She wanted to give Jackson space. But she also wanted to talk to him, about their fall out, it was crushing her from the inside out, needing how she truly felt to spill out, but it was late, and she wasn't sure if he wanted to talk. It would be nice..to sit and talk out here, but she didn't think he would come out and join her.