3: The Boy in his Den

Jordan's figure enters the corner of my eyes. 

Oh, hello again, my sweet and dear butterflies...

I try to hide my face beneath my blanket, praying to God he wouldn't notice me. 

"Well, you look snug" He smirks, pulling his camping chair near mine. 

"Yep, comfy as ever." I say awkwardly, shifting my gaze to the fire again.

"I can't believe you still carry that blanket around with you", he remarks. 

I stare down at the thick blanket I've had with me since I was a kid. It was covered with butterflies and flowers, and smelled like home. 

"It's my favourite... ", I feel my cheeks flush in embarrassment. 

"Let me buy it off you", he says with a smirk.

"Wha- why?" My expression is riddled with shock. 

"It's cold out", he shrugs and sips his beer. 

"Just get one from your room or something!" I retort

"But I have cash on hand and your blanket's so warm", he mocks a pout. 

"You're never having this blanket. My- my dad bought this for me!" I feel offended, because he already knows this! And he knows how much my father meant to me before he passed away. 

"I'm gonna get that blanket", he smirks. I clutch my blanket close to my chest and glare at the fire to calm myself down.

He slouches in his chair and follows my gaze to the firepit. I couldn't control myself from watching him as he stared apathetically at the fire. His skin glowed against the light and shadows defined his deep jawline and cheekbones. I couldn't see much beneath his large hoodie except for the broadness of his chest and his athletic build. With pink lips that remained pouty and full, a small frown lived in his expression now. The fatigue in his eyes were made apparent by his eye bags and the slouch in his shoulders made him appear hollow and weak. It was a great contrast to the lively and loving boy I knew years ago. We used to be tied at the hip, friends until the end. Alas, here I am, thinking of all the glorious ways I could murder this boy before he gets the chance to steal my favourite blanket!

Suddenly, Luca comes over with the two beers. He hands me one before noticing Jaden's presence. 

"Jaden! Finally came out from under the den!" Luca laughs. 

Jaden smirks sarcastically before grabbing the second beer from him. 

"That's for calling my room a den." he says monotonously before taking a large gulp from the bottle. 

"Dear brother, sweet as ever", he rolls his eyes and walks to get himself another beer. 

Luca and Jaden were polar opposites: while Luca surrounded himself with sports and an optimistic mindset, Jaden was always more reserved and light. At least, that's who he used to be.

"You know, you're still as short as I remember", I hear Jaden chuckle and smirk at me. 

"Hey! I grew..." I trail off, realising I actually haven't grown much taller. 

"Still a five-foot loser", he chuckles and starts to chug his beer. 

"Slow down, you're gonna choke!", I say.

With a deep gulp, he apathetically responds, "It's not my first beer, Sabina".

Something about his smug attitude made my blood boil.

"Oh, and how many beers does it take for you to be less of a b***h?" I mutter tactlessly.

His eyes peer into mine and a devious grin grows on his face. 

"Far more than you could ever handle, kid" he smirks and takes the final sip of his beer. 

"Who're you calling kid? I'm only two years younger than you!" I retort, offended.

"Prove it", he challenges. 

"I don't have to prove anything," I huff in annoyance. I get what Luca was going on about now. He just forgot to mention that his little brother turned into a massive prick!

"See? After all these years, still a kid. More drinks for the grown-ups, I guess" he shrugs. 

My heart races as flashbacks replay in my head. Back then, everyone saw me as a child because I was the youngest. Part of me thought that was the reason why he didn't feel the same way about me. 

"Yea, well you're not the ray of sunshine I remember you to be", I roll my eyes and cross my arms across my chest. 

"Who says I'm not a ray of sunshine? Could just depend on who I'm around", he amuses. 

"More like if you're around anyone. I give you an hour before you're back in your room", I sneer. 

"Wanna bet on it?" his devious grin widens. 

Confusion crosses my expression, "Bet on what?"

"If you manage to drink more than me tonight, I'll never call you a kid again. And if I stay out for longer than an hour, you give me your father's precious blanket "

My heart crushed at the mention of my father. Seriously, he knows how much it means to me and he'd just take it so easily?

But I wasn't a kid anymore, and those annoying butterflies desperately wanted him to see that. I wish I could kill every last one right now, but instead... 

"You gotta be the last one to be in your room tonight" I say, trying to maintain my composure.

"Fine. Deal?"

My eyes mingle with fear and anxiety. Was I really about to give up my most valuable possession? I'm not a kid anymore.

"Fine", I huff and slouch into my chair.

His devilish grin widens and he grabs the empty beer bottle out of my hand. I see him slowly get up.

"Where are you going?" I ask nervously chewing my lip. 

"To get more beer, kid. What? Already backing out?", he smirks before walking to the coolers. 

As he walked away, I started to realise that it was going to be a long night filled with regrets.