Unconditionally

Chapter Twenty

"Welcome to our campsite. Where friends and marshmallows get toasted at the same time."

During the middle of the night, my phone blares and the screen lights up. I squint my eyes and reach for the phone while groaning at how late it is at night. Not checking to see who it is, I give them a snapped hello. The person chuckles before saying my name.

"Someone doesn't like being awakened from their beauty sleep." Comments Carter. I roll my eyes, adjusting my arm as it begins to ache from the awkward position. "Why are you calling," I pause and crane my neck to check the time on my digital clock that's on my nightstand. "After one in the morning?" I ask.

"So you know how Fourth of July is coming up?"

"Yeah." I mumble as my eyes begin to droop.

Carter sighs loudly in frustration. "Camping." I perk up in my bed. "What do you mean camping?" I ask him.

"Have you been camping before?" He asks me.

I shake my head as if Carter can see me shaking my head through my phone. "No." I say.

"Perfect," I can tell from Carter's voice that he's smiling wide. "I'll be picking you up on the second and we'll be back before the bonfire starts on Friday." He tells me. I begin to agree out loud until what he just said runs through my brain a second time. "Wait, Carter-" He hangs up.

I sneer my nose as I look at his number blinking repeatedly, saying call ended at the top. I lock my phone and set it on my night stand before snuggling into my comforter and going back to sleep. My mind begins to race at the thought camping.

Camping. I've never done that before. I don't even have a tent! Shaking my head, I wrap my arms around my green pillow and close my eyes. Ten minutes later when I am about to fall asleep, my phone beeps. Blindly, I grab it and check my message.

Haze: just got woken up by carter. guess we're going camping -_-

I smile and lock my phone. It can't be that bad.

~*~

I thought Haze before we went on our road trip was crazy. Not anymore. My best friend is internally panicking as she looks at the different mountain shoes.

"Water-proof and light weight?" She mumbles to herself as she looks at the black shoe as it sits in her hand. She lifts the brown one that's in her other hand to examine. "Or the cute boots?"

I groan loudly, standing beside her.

"Just pick one, Haze." I tell her.

Haze doesn't hear me since she's too absorbed in the different mountain shoes. I look around the store we're in. We don't have stores like this back home. The A/C is running so much that goose bumps cover my arms, customers (mostly men) walk around the store looking at the different camping items, the store has tents and hammocks set up and children try to climb the hammocks before their parents notice. I look at Haze as she sets down the light weight and grips the boot in her hand.

"Are you getting that one?" I ask her.

Haze nods her head and lifts up the box with the pair of boots in a size 7. "Ready to check-out?"

I roll my eyes. I'm not getting anything. Everything that I need is at home. A flashlight, blanket and pillow, a water container, and bug spray. I don't understand why Haze is buying all these things. It's not like we'll be out there for a whole week.

A worker helps Haze put her items in my car after she check-outs since she bought so many things. She even brought a portable fan to bring with her. Once all her crap is stuffed into my car, we drive for a good one-two hours until we get back home. I drop off Haze at her house and help get her stuff out. Her mom stands on the porch with a closed book in her hand, giving us a playful glare.