Xander cocked a brow at me as I approached him, and he asked what was wrong.
“Tell you later,” I said in a low voice. “I might need your advice about this one.”
Once we arrived at Gin Lake, the boys set up camp like pros. It was satisfying to see each boy falling into his role within the smaller tent groups. Some snapped together poles, others shook out the nylon tent shells over ground cover tarps, and they all seemed to be joking around while doing it. It was a striking contrast to only a few days before when Xander had demonstrated those skills over and over to the group of city kids who’d never seen even a tarp in their lives, much less a small gas-powered camp stove.
I saw Frankie following Calvin around like a puppy while shooting hard looks at Lucky, and wondered if I needed to say something to Calvin about how his behavior toward Lucky was rubbing off on his sidekick. I decided to wait for a less-conspicuous opportunity and turned to head to the water’s edge to rinse off my hands.
Aiden approached and crouched down next to me to fill a collapsible water jug we used for cooking. He hadn’t said much since blowing up at Xander and me the night before.
“Hey,” I said tentatively. “I had a talk with Calvin earlier, and I think there’s more to his story than just being a regular bully.”
Aiden turned his head toward me and smiled. “There usually is, Bennett. You should know that by now.”
Heat filled my face as I realized he was right and I was an idiot. I hadn’t even thought to examine Calvin’s point of view and what might be causing him to target Lucky. Not that there was any excuse for his behavior, but often kids who abused others lashed out because they were victims of their own abuse.
“Yeah, well. I see that now. Forgive me if I’ve been a bit preoccupied.” My words came out sharper than I’d intended, but I clamped my jaw together to keep from apologizing. I was still annoyed at Aiden for being such an ass to Xander.
“And how is your… ah, preoccupation going?” Aiden’s smile turned into a smirk as he stood, preparing to close the now full jug.
“Fine.”
He barked out a laugh, drawing the attention of a few kids nearby.
“No, sir. I’m going to need more details than that. Go ahead and tell me. You know you will eventually, anyway.”
I sighed, knowing he was right. After looking around to make sure none of the kids were close enough to hear, I started talking.
“He fucked me,” I said as quietly as humanly possible.
The jug hit the ground and water came spouting out of the narrow opening in the top.
“Shit,” he said, scrambling to upright the jug and close it. He wound up drenched in water, and when he looked up at me, he looked like he’d been sprayed with a hose. “Say that again?”
I rolled my eyes at him. “You heard me. Plus, I thought you knew. You implied it when you chewed us out last night.”
“Yeah, I thought you were making out. I didn’t think you were fucking in the goddamned woods!”
My face flooded with more heat and I couldn’t help but look around again, this time trying to make sure Xander was well out of hearing range. I couldn’t spot him through the clusters of trees surrounding the campsite, so I could only hope he wasn’t nearby.
“And?” Aiden asked so loudly and enthusiastically, I jumped in surprise.
“And, what?”
“Jesusfuckingchrist, out with it. How was it?”
“I… ah… well… it was…” How did you describe something that was so quick and dirty it belonged in a porn scene, but at the same time so perfect and meaningful, it was too sweet to put into words?
“Good.”
“Good?” Aiden’s eyebrows were in his hairline. “That’s it? Good? After all that? Christ, do you need me to take you into the woods and teach you a few things?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I believe I’ve learned everything you have to teach already.”
“Oh, you’re cute, Bennett Crawford, if you think you’ve seen all my tricks. You haven’t even scratched the surface of what I have to teach. Get naked, let’s go,” he said with a grin as he stood. “I’ve always fantasized about fucking you in the forest,” he added cheekily as his eyes drifted past my shoulder.
He knew I wasn’t about to follow him into the woods for sex, but I turned around anyway to walk back to my tent and ran straight into a solid mass. Xander’s chest.
His arms came out to steady me so I didn’t stumble back into the lake, and I gasped in surprise.
“Don’t let me stop you.” Xander’s voice was cold enough to send shivers down my spine, and my stomach clenched at the look on his face. He’d obviously heard at least part of the conversation.