How to Steal Mason's Heart

TWENTY – FOUR

A few banters and setting up tents later, Mason and Courtney arrived with a pile of logs, smooth stones, rough rocks and dried leaves gathered on the ground. Since Jason forgot to bring a matchstick in which Mr. Ward had always reminded him last night, I was the one rubbing the stones against each other, my arms limping.

“Need any help?” Mason asked, almost grabbing the rocks I had been holding but I did not let them reach his grasp.

“I’m fine,” I told him even though my arms were starting to get sore.

“Mason, don’t go near there,” Jason reminded too hastily, his eyes clawing in fear as if Mason could set the whole world on fire. Mason let out a low growl on his throat, sending a murderous glare at Jason. I gasped, frightened with the way he was looking at his younger brother. If looks could kill, Jason would be dead in an instant.

Even though he was mad, he stood up and left me, while I struggled in lighting up even a flicker.

“Alexa,” Courtney said worriedly over me, her forehead creased because of her skin folding. She leaned a little too close while I was rubbing the stones, until a large burst of flames flew to her hair.

We both screamed. Her hair was literally on fire, my eyes widening. Oh my god, what am I going to do?

Courtney ran hysterically, the fire in her hair spreading faster than the speed of sound, flailing her arms manically in the air like a madwoman. Her high-pitched screams echoed in the woods.

I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry or be worried. Greyson, though, was cackling on his spot while Tom clapped his hands enthusiastically as if he was watching a circus trick.

“Jason!” she yelled loudly while Jason scrambled on his feet, his eyes grew in panic while his hands were searching for any trace of water that could kill the fire.

“Stop running, Court!” I chastised, my voice sounded more tired than reprimanding.

“How could I stop running?! I think I’m going bald at such a young age!” she cried, still running in circles. She didn’t run out of breath, maybe it was due to the fact that she was a very fit person, still panicking as if the World War III had ensued.

“Got it!” Jason screamed in happiness, grabbing not just any water bottle, but my water bottle, pouring all of the contents on Courtney’s hair, before I could even stop him. I wasn’t sure if I should be glad or annoyed, because there was medicine mixed inside it.

“Jason!” I yelled angrily, stalking my way towards him, slapping his cheek playfully. “There’s medicine in my water!”

“I was panicking!” he replied franticly while Courtney was in hysterics. He handed me my water bottle with a rueful look on his face and walked towards her, whose long black hair was now uneven. The left side, I guess for I couldn’t distinguish which side was burnt properly, of her hair was chopped off while the other side was long.

She looked like a punk rock who wasn’t emo.

“My glorious hair,” she moaned while Jason patted her back, reassuring her that she still looked gorgeous.

“We can chop your hair off, Courtney,” I said, walking towards her, patting her head softly like a child. “Let’s just tell your mom that a wild bear was on the loose and has an extreme fetish for hairs.”

“My mom would be more freaked out if I tell that!” she exclaimed in between sobs.

“Since when did you start caring about your hair?” I asked.

“Since the day and the moment my hair was on fire,” she cried, hugging me tightly instead of Jason who was standing right beside her. He had a dumbfounded look on his face but I gave him a shrug.

“What happened here?” Mr. Ward asked, placing the logs on the ground.

It was growing dark, the air getting colder and colder. Greyson grabbed two jackets for him and Tom while Courtney was already wrapped in her own pink fluffy jacket. Jason was the only one who didn’t have any clothing to shield him from the cold, except his jacket was worn by me.

“Courtney’s hair was on fire!” Tom with his cute perky voice exclaimed enthusiastically, clapping his hands in the air. His bright brown eyes shone in the young evening like the stars draped on the sky.

Mr. Ward had a shocked look on his face then it suddenly morphed into worry.

“Are you alright, deary?” he asked, his hands grazing towards Courtney’s hair. She nodded nervously until he grabbed a matchbox from his pockets, setting up the rocks and in a circular manner and placed the logs of wood in cylindrical triangle.

I heaved a sigh. After all this time, Mr. Ward had a bunch of matchsticks? My arms were wearing out of my body, limping my way as Mason placed a large and heavy log for us to sit. Jason was slightly shivering as he sat down beside Courtney. The bonfire was at the centre of the mini-camp we created while three large logs surrounded it.

Mr. Ward, Greyson and Tom sat on another log that while Jason and Courtney opposite to where Mason and I sat.

The crackling of fire was the only sound produced while I silently hummed on my seat, removing Jason’s jacket from me and handed it towards him, even though his eyes were protesting not to.

The wind blew past me and I shook terribly.

Mason’s arm draped around my shoulder, encasing me into his body, his warmth transferring to mine. My pale cheeks suddenly coloured to embarrassment, my eyes bulging out in surprise. Courtney winked at me.

My heart palpitated loudly against my chest and I forgot how to breathe.

My stomach then growled loudly, which caught Mr. Ward’s attention. He chuckled and went to the Coleman beside the tent, grabbing two frozen chickens, inserting them with a thin stick and put it above the fire.

He threw me a bag of chips and I caught it perfectly, which was a surprise for I wasn’t good in hand-and-eye coordination.

“Can you tell us stories Uncle Hans?” Tom’s voice was directed towards Mr. Ward, which I knew now was named Hans, who was just starting to settle himself on the log. Greyson pocketed his phone away, directing his attention to his father as well as everyone else.

“Can you rotate the chicken Jason?” Hans commanded and cleared his throat as if he was narrating some sort of tale.

Jason dropped a medium-sized log and sat on it. The formation was now into a square. Greyson stood up and shooed him, which made Jason go back to his original seat. He wasn’t complaining though.

“When I was sixteen,” he started with his deep enticing voice, “my father and I went on a camping trip. My sister Rose was still stressed over an event she’s hosting. Most of the time she joins us but this year, she didn’t join. So we did the protocol thing. We set the tent up, gather some logs before sundown and build a fire, with the help of a matchstick of course.”

“While we were sitting down, talking about random stuff. I loved my father a lot, because he took me to places that I hadn’t been. Then there was a roaring sound. It interrupted our deepening conversation.”

He was narrating the story animatedly, his hands floating in the air.

“A bear ransacked our small camp. He took all of our food, eyeing the green Pringles that was on my grasp. I threw it towards him and he ran with it, leaving us with only rocks to eat.” He smiled. “Of course, my father was born a survivor. We hunted down birds and cooked them for the three meals. It was summer, we spent in this very forest for one week.”

“That’s cool!” I exclaimed.

“She’s a Girl Scout which explains it,” Courtney supplied, when Mr. Ward raised his brows at me.

“That’s good. You already know the basics. You’re going to survive. Anyways,” he said, standing up to remove the chicken. It was golden brown. “One night, the bear came back, demanding for more Pringles. We didn’t have any food left so he had gone batshit crazy. But I tamed him by tickling his enormous stomach.”

We all laughed.

“He was roaring into laughter. Like wow, I never knew the bear’s weak spot was the stomach.”

“Is it still alive?” Courtney asked, slightly looking terrified.

“No, unfortunately, the hunters took him down for clothing,” he answered sadly. “Every year my father and I would go here, and we had some sort of unspoken friendship with the bear. He would sometimes go along with my father’s singing. I always brought him Pringles, like ten every summer.”

“That’s cool!” Tom said in awe, his brown eyes twinkling in delight.

“So, basically, every year, my sons and I, including Tom, would go on a camping trip. Last summer we weren’t able to do it,” there was a slight sadness on his voice, “so this wintry season was the only time we could be able to hold this. I’m so glad you and Courtney are able to join. You brought out some fun tonight.”

“What can I say,” I replied, “we’re natural comedians.”

“Since the chicken is cooked, how about you go grab a piece of it. It doesn’t matter if we have utensils or not. Let’s live like no civilization has taught us proper etiquette!”

“Your dad’s cool,” I whispered to Mason, whose arm was still around me. I couldn’t complain, because he was the only source of warmth from this shivery weather.

Mr. Ward passed the chicken and I grabbed a leg. Mason got the breast (I had no idea he was able to tear it apart) and passed it to Greyson.

“Mmm,” I moaned, “This is delicious.”

“My dad’s a great cook. Unfortunately Jason got that gene from him.”

“Hey, it’s alright to not know how to cook,” I comforted. “I don’t even know how to cook a proper dish.”

“But you know how to cook one dish,” he complained. I chuckled. “Jason told me that you were the one who cooked that weird-looking dish. It was delicious.”

“How about we go play hide-and-seek?” Jason suggested evilly while groans surrounded us.

“Come on! This is going to be fun!” he exclaimed, gesturing a convincing one.

“Since you’re the one who suggested it, you’re going to be It!” Mr. Ward replied. Jason did not insist instead he closed his eyes and counted from one to thirty.

“Quick, let’s go hide,” I whispered to all of them who still did not move on their feet. I grabbed Tom’s hand and hid just near the campsite, since I might get lost, behind the bushes. It was dark so Jason was going to have a hard time finding us.

Until we heard Courtney scream.