Scout had smiled awkwardly at Kaden's joke feeling a bit embarrassed for taking him seriously at first. The small sign of affection from Kaden patting him on the back made his face crack into a big toothy smile. "Nah your not predictable, your so very unique and wonderful and cool, and..." He noticed he had left to greet Krista. He coughed to try and cover up his mistake.

Rhea and Matt soon caught his eye. They must be friends with Riley, he thought. He definitely wouldn't mind talking to the girl later but as for Matt he thought it'd be best to just let him approach him on his own free will. When Ryan asked if anyone had brought marshmallows Scout thought he'd share all the different sweets he had brought. "I brought 3 bags of marshmallows! One bag is the generic kind, one is chocolate, and the other is strawberry. I also brought a bunch of chocolate bars for smores. If it rains and we can't roast stuff I brought cookies for us." Scout loved sweet things. He had a sweet tooth that could never be fully satisfied.

Scout was so very exited for this trip. Nature was just so fantastic and beautiful minus the bugs. With eagerness overwhelming the boy he said, "You know you guys, we can talk in the RV, we should go already!" Scout realized that what he had said was very rude. "Please."

Aaron had honestly forgotten just how many of them there seemed to be when they all got together. Not that he was complaining about being in a group of big people because he liked all of them to an extent and in some way, they were all friends or were capable of bonding. There was one male that he didn’t recognise but apart from that, he was pretty good with names and faces. He should have been after knowing them for so long…yet, he still found himself hauling a bike up off the floor and kicking down the stand to make sure it didn’t cause anymore unwanted accidents. He hadn’t been so aware that someone could cause such a scene so early in the morning. As he watched Ryan hauling David out of the foliage, he made his way over to where everyone else seemed to have congregated. In just a short scale of time more people were here and he tried to catch their eyes to just offer a sign of hello. He wanted to be as polite as possible after all. He rested a hand on Griffith’s shoulder momentarily as he was closest to him “Gotta say I agree with Scout and Kaden, the lake will probably shrivel up if we don’t get there soon. And now we know Socut has all this awesome food, isn’t that more temptation to get going?” He joked before grinning widely.

He watched the guys as they shifted their things up onto the RV. Aaron was glad to see that David didn’t think his bike had got too much damage and he doubted that the guy himself had taken much of a hit either but he probably wouldn’t admit it if he had. He’d just use the nicotine in his cigarette to dull it. Or the booze that was probably planned for later. Not that it was a bad thing. He hadn’t really had much of a chance to engage with the girls yet and he’d at least like to be polite and ask how they were but they’d have the journey to do that and if he didn’t fit it in then…well, it wasn’t like they were going on a little vacation or anything. After a few more moments he ducked down and picked up his bag, shouldering it easily before he looked around. “I guess if anyone needs a hand getting stuff up onto the vehicle…and that’s only if you need a hand. Not if you can’t be bothered,”

Riley smiled when Rhea finally arrived and went over to hug her friend tightly. "Great to have you finally join us." Riley said jokingly as she watched as the rest of the group started to come over to the RV. "Lets get going, I brought everything else some snacks as well as some canned food. As well as my hunting bow incase you guys want to go hunting as well. I also have the tents stowed away in the compartments or you can also sleep in the RV while we are up there." Krista went over and started to put the last of the bags into the RV as well Krista also went to put the bikes up onto the back bike rack and made sure that they were firmly secured, though they might not be used someone might end up stealing the bikes while they were all out.

"Alright lets get this part on the road everyone get into the RV!" Krista yelled as she opened up the door and went inside, Riley was the second one to get into the RV. She dug into her pockets as she took out the set of keys and then turned the ignition upon hearing the motor of the RV starting, she looked outside watching as one by one started to file into the RV. The moment everyone had gotten in Riley closed the door and started to drive out of the parking lot. Riley looked back for a moment and smiled seeing all of her friends there the drive up to the lake was about thirty minutes or so, taking a few back roads which eventually turned into dirt roads. And then Riley saw the lake in the clearing as she drove the RV to the shore of the lake, Riley could see the four small islands at the center of the lake she put the RV into park and turned to look at her friends. "Lets set up camp and have some fun!" Riley yelled happily.

Cassandra had loaded her back pack into the RV, but kept her Guitar close. She could lose everything in the world, except for the guitar. She smiled, leaned back where she sat, looking around at everyone. Eventually, she looked out a window, watching the land go by. When they arrived, Cassandra was out the RV quickly, looking around happily. She left the Guitar in the RV for now, as she began to search for good pieces of trees, sticks and twigs to get a fire going, knowing it would take hours to be fulling heated, and it would indeed be nice to have smores.

She set them up, and then frowned. She didn't have matches, and she had never been good at starting a fire without them. She looked about, hoping someone else would be able to start it. Or had thought of matches.

She rose, dirt, leaves and pieces of bark sticking to her pants. She didn't seemed to notice it, but instead, looked around at the others. "Anyone have anything to get this fire started?" She asked, running a hand through her hair, "Cause all I'll manage to do is break a few sticks" She said, with a grin and a small laugh

“About time,” Griffith chuckled, following Krista and Riley into the RV. He had always liked the lake. He wasn’t much of a fisher, but going out in a boat or taking a dip beneath the surface was always so relaxing. Even if he didn’t dare let the water pass his lips. That had been funny from the outside, but he had no intention of experiencing it.

---

Griffith stepped out into the fresh air of the Red Lake. It wasn’t that much different from the fresh air near the edge of town, if he was being honest with himself, but he enjoyed it all the same. He was quick to find a flat piece of land and swung his bag around on the ground. First pulling out a tarp and laying it flat, and soon his one-person tent followed. It took about fifteen minutes, and had the back of the tent facing the lake. That done, he unstrapped his sleeping bag from the rest of what he brought and unrolled in inside his dwelling. The rest of said luggage soon followed.

It was then he heard Cassandra ask for help with the fire. “Well,” he said “I should have a something stowed away in here. Give me a sec.” He rummaged around in his bag for a while, before finding an almost-empty box of long matches. “Found them!” He withdrew from the tent, and rolled to his side so that he was sitting, and tossed the matches to Cassandra.

Matt got off the RV and took a deep breath of fresh air. That was always something that surprised him about Pennsylvania. Maybe because he was out in the country, or maybe this state had much less pollution than San Diego in general, but the air always seemed so clean. Someone could make a killing if they bottled this stuff like in "Spaceballs. he thought to himself.

He saw the lake, with its four islets just begging to be explored. After debating the merits and consequences of taking his shirt off and jumping in, and decided to say "to hell with it!" and pulled his tee shirt over his head, leaving him in a pair of swim trunks. He ran to shore of the lake and turned to his friends. "Come on you apes! You want to live forever!?" With that, he jumped in the lake. He was expecting the water to be cooled, but it actually wasn't that bad as he dove in.

Scout had stepped outside the RV and took a big deep breath. He loved the smell of nature. Since he didn't have to pitch a ten when he decided to sleep in the RV, less chance of bugs getting him, he started to run around exploring the area. He picked some flowers for each of the girls which were not very hard to find in the lush forest. He had picked Roses, Iris's, and Daisies for each of them requesting that they put them in their hair.

When Cassandra requested matches he went and grabbed some even though Griffith had already gotten her some. You never know, he thought. When the new kid Matt had jumped into the lake shirtless he started to get unwanted feelings of lust and desire to see the rest of the boys shirtless. He turned his head away from the lake feeling too shy to swim, though swimming did sound very fun right now. "You go ahead Matt, I think I'll just help Cassandra with the fire or maybe even get lunch started."

Ruby had taken her camera bag into the RV with her, and was taking pictures the entire way to their destination. She also took a picture of Matt, just for... Memories. The RV stopped, and Ruby disembarked along with the others, taking her camera with her. She walked around, taking pictures of the area around the RV before he heard Matt say to hell with it. She snapped a picture of him shirtless, before debating the consequences of jumping in with him.

"Come on you apes! You want to live forever!?"
That settled it for Ruby. She ran into the RV, put her camera away, before running to the water, taking off her trousers and then throwing off her top before she dove into the water. Normally she would not do such actions, however she could not help it. For one, Matt was damn handsome, for two, it was her friends there, not some randomers at a public swimming pool.

Ryan smiled, raising his arms slightly and giving a bit of a victory pose for a moment. Having so many bags of marshmallows meant that they could probably indulge throughout the trip. "Sweet!" He nodded to Scout "Nice job planning ahead." Then, the two, more or less, hosts began calling everyone aboard the vehicle. He couldn't help but smile the entire way onto the RV, as well as a good chunk of the entire trip. Obviously, throughout the trip he wouldn't be dead silent, so he tried to talk to those he knew about different things that had happened at school or how beautiful the scenery looked as it went by. Of course, in a country area, beautiful vistas were commonplace compared to almost anywhere else, Ryan liked to remember that they weren't common in most places, so enjoyed them in case he ever moved away.

As the window's countryside vista transformed into a lake radiating the beauty that nature often entails, Ryan's grin became impossible to hold back. All those days in school, having to do the same thing day in, day out, and now this. This trip was almost a line that he was now able to cross, between school and freedom, and he felt that as soon as he stepped off that RV, it would officially be summer. When the RV came to a halt, Ryan followed some of the others off, stepping into the open freedoms outside. He saw Cassandra begin foraging for the materials for a fire. As she did that, others began setting up their tents, which he figured was probably the best idea, and thus, he began with that as well.

As he was starting to set up his tent, Ryan heard someone shouting about living forever and looked up to see Matt diving into the lake. He laughed to himself and waited for him to surface before calling over "If it were out here, I don't think I'd mind, actually." He was, of course, joking, as living forever would become very boring very quickly, as well as a sad experience, but Ryan didn't want to think about all that right now. He was just about finished with his tent when Cassandra finished up the preparations for the fire, but began lamenting about the lack of anything to light it with. I'm sure one of us has a lighter, it's something a lot of people would bring along on a camping trip if they thought something might happen... He was about to look around for anyone that he figured would have a lighter, but someone in their tent seemed to be prepared.

Ryan cracked his neck, breathing out a long breath as he glanced about at the scenery surrounding them, before looking specifically at his other friends. He spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, but mostly intended for it to be directed at those he had actually considered friends, "Remember guys, whatever happens up here, we tell our parents that we each stayed in our own tents all night." He chuckled, then looked out to the water that Matt had jumped into. It did look fairly inviting, and so, he followed Matt's footsteps, knowing he had plenty enough clothing to wear after this. He pulled his shirt over his head, and ran at the water, jumping in feet first.

Aaron was honestly glad to get going. It wasn’t that he got stir crazy in the small town but he explored the same scenery daily and after a while he could begin to acknowledge that he needed a few new paths to tread and a few new places to see. It was why he was always so ready for this trip because for a few days he could look into different forests and gaze out over the beautiful lake. They got to be in the nature and sure, it wasn’t for everyone but ever since he was young, his father had coaxed them to give the outdoor world a chance and he’d never looked back. As they moved along the road, he took in the beautiful views around them. That was kind of his thing and sure, it was probably boring to a lot of people but it just made him feel positive about everything. Well, most of the time. When they were finally at the lake, he laughed at the various levels of excitement and waited for several people to rush off the bus before he grasped his bag and headed off too, ready to set up his home for the next few days. He actually had a new tent this year and he’d broken it in the weekend before last. It really was awesome of Riley to bring them here.

He chose the area close to the others and began to assemble his tent, knowing he wanted it done know before the light began to dip which obviously wouldn’t be for ages but he knew people could get carried away, especially since Matt, that was his name….was throwing himself into the water and Aaron found himself laughing. They all worked pretty well together, especially as someone always had something that someone else didn’t. It didn’t take Ruby long to join him either which was ace because people should just let loose when they went away. He supported it. “I think the phrase is….’What happens on the camping trip, stays on the camping trip’,” He joked in response to Ryan before he was dashing away too and launching into the water.

Aaron merely turned back to his tent, knowing people were doing their own thing and this was his for now. It didn’t take him long, being that he’d practiced setting it up and down but once his bag was tucked neatly inside and his sleeping bag was unrolled, he was content. From there, he just stepped back to admire his handiwork before unzipping his jeans and pushing them down to reveal red board shorts. He wasn't going to swim just yet but it wouldn't kill to at least be prepared. And besides, he didn't mind being shirtless and he may as well make the most of having his skin out before the bugs came in force. He tossed the articles of clothing into the door of his tent before heading over to the fire and crouching down. "Okay, now this trip feels authentic,"

His friends swimming really made Scout want to swim. He was getting anxious to play with Ruby, maybe splash her sneak up on her from underwater but he'd probably just stutter and blush around Matt and any others who would decide to start swimming. To get his mind off of it he went into the woods to pick up some sticks for the fire.

When he came back to the fire pit he spotted a shirtless Aaron sitting on the ground. I need to stop fearing my friends and man up! he thought to himself. This was the perfect opportunity to get over his fear of talking to sexy guys. He sat next to Aaron and smiled at him. "Hey there Aaron, how's things?" Was all he could think to say. Scout kept a small distance between the two to prevent getting flustered.

As Griffith retrieved some matches Cassandra smiled, accepting them, she lit one of the long matches, lighting the fire, she tended it, until the flames took, engulfing the wood. She leaned back and smiled, satisfied. Knowing she should set up her tent first, she went to do that, and moved her things in there.

She chuckled at her friends antics, changing into clothes more suited for swimming-Cassandda wasn't about to strip and dive into the water, just a tad shy at that-, she returned to the fire first, smiling st Scout and Aaron. She made sure the fire was okay, and smiled as she said "I don't think it matters what you do on a camping trip, so long as you have fun" she tied her hair back, to keep it out of her face as she swam. Normally, she kept her hair down, over her left eye, because of the scsr-the only reminder of the crash that killed her parents-but it wasn't fun to have her hair plastered to her face when swimming.

She laughed at the comments about what happens stays here. "My Aunt is pretty open about things. I don't think I have to worry about hiding anything from her. She'd probably find out anyway. Very intuitive, she is" that said, Cassandra ran to the water in her swimming suit, and dove in, the coolness of The water an initial shock to her system, but the whole atmosphere here was one of freshness. And that was the feel of the water, freshness. She came up, and floated on her back

Krista quickly got out of the RV, she looked over towards Riley for a moment and then watched as Matt started to strip down to his bathing suit already. "Hey wait for me!" Krista yelled as she quickly sprinted down the dirt shore taking off her shirt and jeans as well as her shoes and socks, wearing nothing more then her underwear she ran over the manmade dock and dove head first into the water. Krista quickly resurfaced feeling the cold shock of the water going through her body and stared to swim.

Riley giggled as she watched her closest friend diving right into the lake and shook her head, she was always the one to get the last of the things set up. Riley opened up one of the outer compartments and pulled out her supplies, it took her about fifteen minutes or so for her to get her tent all set up Riley dug into her pocket and pulled out a lighter and set it down with the matches. Riley then went into her tent to strip out of her clothes and pulled on her bikini to join Cassandra and Krista in the water.

Getting everyone into the RV turned out to be a whole lot easier than expected. Everyone seemed to be as excited as he was to get out of the town and to the lake. Just get out into the wilderness where a lot of fun and exploring was to be done. Kaden spotted David pointing out the new kid. If he weren't so tired he'd get a good laugh out of the drinking motions he made. He grinned devilishly wide anyway. Nodding his head. Funny how two similar people never quite became friends, and then in one moment it could happen quick and make a long-time friendship. Not that this was the case now, but it might be. Kaden nodded his head and started stumbling around on purpose, looking like Jack Sparrow.

On the ride to the lake, Kaden didn't say much. He never snored unless he was extremely exhausted. That was the case on the RV. Snoring the entire way with his eyes slammed shut. It would take a boulder to the face to wake him up. He woke up a few minutes after everyone had left the RV. Opening up his eyes to see the fire being set up. A tent already made. Matt in the water. Ruby, Krista, Riley, and Cassandra. Well, if the girls were looking so damned fine and already in the water; to hell with sleeping. Kaden could set up things later. He walked out of the RV, chugging the rest of that energy drink down.

He walked near Scout and Aaron. "I don't know about you two, but there are a bunch of women out there looking good in that water." Kaden pulled off his jeans, a pair of swim trunks were underneath. Then he lifted his shirt over his head. A few scars on his back. One recent bruise on his shoulder. But he stood strong and tall. "It's time to have some fun!" Kaden sprinted through the water and then dove right in with a big splash. Immediately joining Krista, Riley, and Cassandra.

"Woo!" Kaden surfaced up by them, his voice traveling across the forest and water.

Ryan surfaced from underneath the water, blowing air out of his mouth in a quick puff to ensure he didn't get water in it whenever he proceeded to speak. "A bit cold, but really nice." He began to do a slight doggy-paddle. He had never really learned any better swimming methods, as he only ever came out here with this group of friends. He didn't usually get the chance to swim, so the best he could do was a doggy-paddle that, while somewhat effective, wasn't very elegant or energy efficient.

Ryan watched as other began getting into the lake, nodding and smiling to any he considered friends, which was more or less everyone on the trip, save those he hadn't met before. When Riley stepped out from her tent, he dipped partially below the water, almost breathing it in for a moment, but caught himself before he got any into his nose. To make up for his mistake, as well as begin relaxing more, he closed his eyes and ducked under the water, letting himself float under water for a moment before paddling back up. He exhaled, before taking a full breath and looked towards the others in the water, "Anyone bring any music to listen to while we're out here?" He then looked towards the people that seemed to be avoiding the water, "Any music to play up there?"

Aaron gave Scout a genuine smile when he settled down next to him but his eyes soon slipped back to the fire as he listened to the sounds of water and everyone joining in. He’d head over in a moment of course but he really was content for now with just watching the flickering of the flames. It’d look so much cooler when the night settled in and the tiny sparks would become visible as they jumped and flickered up into the night sky but yet again, these thoughts would mean he was getting ahead of himself and he certainly didn’t want to do that when he knew he wanted to make his time here last for as long as possible. “Oh you know, normal. You?” He responded with a broad grin before he rubbed his bare chest and glanced across toward the lake. Someone was making a demand for music and he recognised the voice as Ryan’s. Of course they’d want to really pump up the jams to get the vibe settling in. 



“Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna go haul some speakers out because I saw some on the RV and then I’m gonna come back and we’re gonna go jump in the water because we’re totally looking left out right now,” He joked before giving Scout a pat on the back and rising to his feet. He did as he’d said and made quick work of moving the speakers and plugging his music into it. He had so many playlists but he opted for one that held plenty of recent songs that just probably had that ‘vibe’ about them for a situation like this. It was what Spotify was for after all, setting that mood. He glanced toward the water as he pumped the volume up before giving them the thumbs up as a sign before he headed back to Scout. “Now, c’mon…it’s safer for the swimming to commence before the drinking does. I don’t feel like playing Lifeguard all the time and hey, there’s a whole lotta skin down there,” He added as a well mannered joke.

Griffith could only smile at the antics of his friends. He had crawled back inside his tent after giving Cassandra the matches as, unlike some others, he did not come wearing his swim trunks. That situation, however, was easily remedied, and he was soon once more in the open air, this time more than suitable for the lake. After dragging all the water he brought out of his tent—he needed all of the space he could get—he turned and ran for the lake. He could see all everyone in there already and smiled. By the time he reached the water’s edge that smile had spread into roaring laughter. And then he leapt.

He wasn’t going to win any diving competitions any time soon, but Griffith managed it without hurting himself. The water was cold, and it muffled light and sound. He could see where others were by feet dangling below the surface and, in one case, a person’s entire back—Cassandra, if he recognized the swimsuit from his run out to the water. And what a fine sight it is. It would, however, be rude to stare. That and he had not taken a very large breath before plunging down into the water. While he would be loath to leave the buoyant wonderland he found himself in, Griffith really did need to breath.

He wasn’t that far out, so the journey to the surface was short. He took a deep breath, and dragged his hair away from where it stuck to his face. The lake was as good as ever it was.

Scout snickered at the joke and then got on his feet. "No way am I being left out!" He pronounced. He took off his shirt and trousers ready to jump in the water. He looked at Aaron's body and then his own feeling a bit shameful on how his was so small in comparison. It was this way with all the boys. He shook his head to get the sad feelings out and put on a great big smile before running towards the lake. He swam to Ruby first and did a surprise attack splash on the back of her head. When she turned around he had pointed at Kaden. Being as innocent as he was he was and as bad as Kaden was he was sure he'd get away with it.

he was a pretty good swimming he just lacked a lot of stamina and needed to rest a lot. He was also pretty fast but if he were to try to swim out into the lake he'd sink from exhaustion and be sleeping with the fishes. Speaking of fish he was really craving some right now. Hopefully the boys would start fishing after they were done swimming.

Rhea smiled at her crazy friends. She started to take out her bags, but she felt like she was going to miss out on the fun, so in a brief moment she stripped down to her underwear, and started running towards the lake.

The water was crystal clear, and Rhea was glad she was going to swim. She didn't feel modest in her underwear, because the way she saw it, all people were supposed to feel good in their skin. She swam over to the others and smiled. She liked to be around them, whether they liked her or not. "The water is so nice! I love this. This us gonna be an amazing trip."

She started to float on the water, staring up at the sky with a look of consideration. "When should we start setting up, and are we going into the tents in pairs or in groups?"

As more of the others came into the water, Cassandra moved to a treading water position, smiling at Riley and Krista when they joined her. She laughed at Kaden's antics, as he joined them. "its a wonder they don't hear you shouting back home" She said with amusement, diving under the water, she swam powerfully, and popped up not too far away. Brushing back a stray lock of hair, she swam back, enjoying the....freedom of it all.

She watched as Scout virtually pounced on Riley, before looking to do the same with Kaden. She smiled, and looked about as Griffth joined them as well. Griffth was like a big friendly teddy bear, always with a smile, and Cassandra didn't think she had ever seen him angry.

At the edge of the group, she looked around at them all and smiled. An overwhelming sense of belonging washed over her, and she just smiled. It was nice, to feel like you belonged. She knew her friends were all different, and that only made it better. The different personalities, the different outlooks, it just made things interesting.

As the music traveled over the water, the fire flickering in the camp, it all just seemed perfect. She smiled once more, "This is....just amazing" At rhea's question, Cassandra said "Some of us have started to set up tents. As for sleeping arrangements....maybe it will be a nice night to sleep in the open" It would be nice, to look at the stars