Chapter 4

Rainey's POV

The night at Olympic National Park was quiet and mysterious, tall fir trees casting huge shadows in the moonlight. The campfire blazed in our camp, orange flames dancing on everyone's faces.

I sat on the edge of the circle, trying to stay invisible. In the end, Leah had volunteered to be my partner, for which I was incredibly grateful.

"Alright, everyone quiet!" Jake, an upperclassman, stood up. "Now let's play truth or dare!"

Students cheered excitedly. My heart sank—this kind of game was my nightmare.

The bottle began spinning. The first person chosen was a girl named Emma.

"Truth or dare?" Jake asked.

"Truth!" Emma laughed.

"Okay, tell us who you think is the most attractive guy in class?"

"Logan, obviously!" Emma said without hesitation, drawing cheers and catcalls.

I secretly glanced at Logan. He sat across the fire, expression cold, seemingly unbothered by this kind of game. Leah sat next to him, very close—they looked intimate indeed.

The game continued. A guy named Ryan got chosen.

"Dare!" he shouted.

"Okay, go kiss the cheek of the girl to your left."

Ryan did as told, drawing even louder cheers.

I prayed the bottle would never point to me, but Murphy's Law always applied—the more you didn't want something, the more likely it was to happen.

The bottle stopped in front of me.

"Rainey!" Jake called excitedly. "Truth or dare?"

My heart raced, palms sweating. "Truth."

Jake grinned wickedly. "Okay, tell us—do you have a crush on anyone right now? If so, who?"

The campsite fell instantly silent, everyone looking at me curiously. I felt my face burning, not knowing how to answer.

Just then, someone started jeering: "It's definitely Mike! They almost partnered up!"

"No way, I think it's Ethan—I saw her checking him out!"

"Maybe it's Logan! They used to know each other!"

Hearing Logan's name made my heart race faster.

"I..." I stammered, "I don't have a crush on anyone."

Just as I said this, Logan happened to walk by and heard my answer.

He stopped outside the circle. The firelight danced on his face, making his expression unreadable. But I saw his fists slowly clench.

"Really?" Jake pressed on. "Not a single person?"

"No one." I repeated guiltily, trying not to look in Logan's direction.

Disappointed sighs rose from the campsite.

"Wow, how boring," someone said.

Logan silently walked back to his seat, but I noticed his expression had grown even colder.

The game continued, but the atmosphere felt awkward. When it was the next person's turn, a girl named Jessica suddenly spoke up:

"I want to ask a question." She looked toward Logan and Leah. "When are Logan and Leah going to make it official? Everyone's curious!"

This question made the campsite instantly quiet. Everyone looked curiously at these two most watched people in school.

Leah smiled. "We're just friends."

"Friends?" Jessica clearly didn't believe it. "Then why are you always together? And Logan's never this close with other girls."

"That's because—" Leah was about to explain when Logan suddenly stood up.

"I'll get more firewood," he said calmly, but I could sense the tension underneath.

He walked to the fire, grabbed some logs and threw them in. The flames instantly shot higher, illuminating his grim face.

"Logan's really cool," some girls whispered. "Just a bit cold."

"Yeah, except for Leah, he barely talks to anyone."

"Maybe because they've known each other since childhood."

Hearing these comments, I felt inexplicably irritated. Known each other since childhood? Then what did that make me?

Logan returned to his seat, but his expression was even colder than before. When his gaze swept over me, I felt obvious hostility.

The game continued, but I was no longer interested. I noticed Logan kept staring at me with a look that made me very uncomfortable.

Finally, Logan got chosen.

"Truth or dare?" Jake asked.

"Whatever," Logan's voice was cold.

"Then truth it is. Logan, who do you think is the most hypocritical person in our class?"

Logan didn't hesitate, looking directly at me. "There are too many hypocritical people. Like those who say one thing and do another—claiming they don't like anyone when their hearts are clearly occupied by someone else."

His words were obviously directed at me. I felt everyone's eyes focus on me, my face burning.

"And those who always play the victim," Logan continued, "clearly having problems themselves but always blaming others."

I finally couldn't take it anymore and stood up. "What do you mean? If you have something to say, just SAY IT! Stop being so passive-aggressive!"

The campsite fell instantly silent, everyone staring at us in shock.

Logan also stood up, looking down at me. "I thought you'd understand. Guess I overestimated you."

"Logan, that's ENOUGH!" My voice trembled. "What have I done to you? Since I came back, you've been targeting me constantly! What did I do wrong? TELL ME!"

"What did you do wrong?" Logan laughed coldly. "You really don't know?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" I was almost screaming. "If you have a problem with me, just say it! Stop acting like a child!"

Dangerous light flashed in Logan's eyes. "You're right—someone like you isn't suited for relationships. Because you don't know what loyalty means, what commitment means."

His words stabbed straight into my heart like a knife. Tears instantly welled up.

"You..." I choked, unable to speak.

Logan looked at my tears, complex emotions flashing in his eyes. "What are you crying for? It's just the truth."

With that, he turned and strode away from the campfire, disappearing into the darkness.

The campsite was dead silent. No one knew what to say.

Leah stood up. "I'll go check on him."

Then she left too.

I sat back down, trying to control my tears. But Logan's words kept echoing in my mind. Not suited for relationships? Didn't know loyalty and commitment? What right did he have to say that about me?

---

After about ten minutes, I realized my words had probably been too harsh. Even though Logan kept hurting me, I shouldn't have lashed out at him like that.

Maybe I should apologize?

I quietly left the campfire and headed in the direction Logan had gone. Moonlight filtered through leaves, casting dappled shadows. The forest was quiet except for distant insect sounds.

I walked through the woods for a while and finally heard voices. Following the sound, I stopped at the edge of a small clearing.

Through the bushes, I saw Logan and Leah.

Leah was gently patting Logan's shoulder, speaking in a very tender tone. And Logan—Logan, who was always cold to me—was leaning against a large tree, letting Leah comfort him.

In the moonlight, they looked so intimate, so harmonious.

Watching them, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.

I couldn't bear it anymore and turned to run, tears blurring my vision. Branches scratched my cheeks, but I didn't care about the pain.

So this was the answer. Logan had Leah. They loved each other, understood each other, comforted each other.

And I was just an unwanted presence.