Scars and Secrets

Chapter 4: Journey to Green Valley

The day we left for camp arrived far too quickly, and from the moment I woke up, I was in a foul mood. I dragged my heavy bags out to the parking lot where the buses were waiting, the sun already beating down hot and heavy, and the noise of everyone shouting and laughing was giving me a headache before the trip even started.

I scanned the crowd automatically, and of course, my eyes landed on him. Jaxon was standing near the first bus, surrounded by his usual group of sycophants, looking completely unbothered, cool, and relaxed like he was just going on a weekend vacation instead of a month of hard labor with his worst enemy. He was wearing expensive sunglasses and casual clothes that probably cost more than I made in three months, laughing at something someone said, looking like he owned the entire world.

It made me want to throw my bag at his head.

“Alright everyone! Load up!” Coach Hale shouted, clapping his hands. “Find a seat, keep the aisle clear, and let’s get moving!”

I headed toward the back of the bus, intending to find a seat as far away from everyone as possible, preferably alone. But just as I was about to slide into an empty two-seater, a foot kicked out and blocked the way.

I looked up, and there was Jaxon, leaning against the seat opposite, grinning at me from behind those stupid sunglasses.

“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’ sound. “You and I are sitting together. Partners, remember? Coach’s rules. We do everything together.”

I glared at his foot, then at his face, feeling the anger spike instantly. “Coach said work together, Jaxon. He didn’t say I have to sit next to you for four hours. Move your foot before I break it.”

“Ooh, scary,” Jaxon mocked, not moving an inch. “But rules are rules, Kairos. And I don’t make the rules. Besides, where else are you going to sit? Everywhere else is filling up. Unless you want to sit on the floor like a dog? That actually suits you, come to think of it.”

I gritted my teeth so hard I thought my jaw might crack. I looked around, he was right, the bus was filling up fast, and I didn’t want to make a scene by fighting over a seat, even though every fiber of my being wanted to shove him out of the way and take it. But I also knew that if I argued, he would just use it as another chance to humiliate me.

With a growl of frustration, I threw my bag onto the overhead rack and practically fell into the seat next to him, pressing myself against the window as far as I possibly could, putting as much distance between us as the narrow seat would allow.

“Happy?” I snapped, crossing my arms and staring straight ahead, refusing to look at him.

“I’m so thrilled,” Jaxon replied smoothly, leaning back and stretching his legs out so his knee was pressing right against mine, invading my space on purpose. “This is going to be the best part of the trip. I get to annoy you for hours without you being able to escape. It’s a dream come true.”

“Touch me again and I’ll break your leg,” I muttered, shoving his knee away roughly.

“So aggressive,” he sighed, sounding fake and disappointed. “You really need to learn to relax, Kairos. You’re so tense all the time. It’s not healthy. Or maybe you’re just nervous being this close to me? I know I’m incredibly handsome, but try to control yourself. I’m not interested.”

I turned my head and gave him the dirtiest look I could muster. “Believe me, Jaxon, the only thing I’m interested in is getting as far away from you as possible. If I could teleport, I would be at the farm already, miles away from you. Don’t flatter yourself, being near you makes me want to vomit, not swoon.”

Jaxon laughed, taking off his sunglasses and putting them on top of his head, turning to face me fully, like he had nothing better to do than torment me. “Keep telling yourself that. I know you love my attention. You’ve been obsessed with me since day one. You follow me around, you watch everything I do, you get mad when I talk to other people. It’s cute, really. Like a little puppy barking at a big dog. You think you’re tough, but you just want my attention.”

“Obsessed?” I repeated, my voice rising in disbelief. “I hate you! I hate your face, I hate your voice, I hate the way you walk, I hate the way you talk, I hate every single thing about you! If I never saw you again, it would be the best day of my life! How delusional are you to think I want anything to do with you?”

“Denial, denial, denial,” Jaxon tutted, shaking his head. “It’s okay, you don’t have to admit it. I know the truth. Everyone knows the truth. You’re just jealous because you’re not me. You wish you were popular, rich, talented, and perfect like me. But you’re not. You’re just… you. And it must suck to be you.”

I felt my face heat up, not with embarrassment, but with pure rage. “I would rather be me than be you. I’d rather be poor and honest than rich and fake. You have no soul, Vance. You’re empty inside. You have no idea what it’s like to be a real person, to feel real things, to earn anything. You’re just a pretty shell with nothing inside. And one day, everyone is going to see it. They’re going to see that you’re nothing special. And then where will you be?”

Jaxon’s smile faltered for half a second, just a flicker of irritation in his eyes, before he covered it up with an even bigger, meaner smirk. “That’s a lot of words for someone who is going to be taking orders from me for a whole month. You can call me empty all you want, but at the end of the day, I’m the captain. I’m the leader. And you’re just the angry little soldier who follows behind. That’s the reality, Kairos. You can hate it, but you can’t change it.”

“We’ll see who follows who when we’re working,” I shot back. “You’ll be the one crying for help when you don’t know how to do anything. You’ll be the one slowing us down. And I’m going to tell everyone exactly how useless you are when you’re not wearing your uniform or flashing your daddy’s money.”

“Keep talking,” Jaxon said, leaning closer, his voice dropping to that low, challenging tone that always made my blood boil. “I’ll be waiting. And every time you mess up, every time you struggle, every time you look stupid — I’m going to be right there to point it out. I’m going to make sure you never forget it. You think you’re tough? You think you can handle me? You have no idea what I’m capable of when I really want to make someone miserable.”

“Is that a threat?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“It’s a promise,” he replied, staring right back at me, his eyes hard and cold. “And I always keep my promises. Especially the bad ones.”

For the next four hours, it was exactly like that. He didn’t let up for a single second. He poked me, he teased me, he made snide comments about my clothes, my backpack, the way I sat, the way I looked out the window. He made jokes about my about my grades, about how I probably didn’t know how to use a fork properly because I was so poor. And every time I snapped back, he just laughed and did it more.

I spent the entire trip staring out the window, clenching and unclenching my fists, counting the minutes until we arrived, hating him more with every passing second. I hated that he was right there, too close. I hated that he smelled good. I hated that he was so annoying and so good at getting under my skin.

When the bus finally pulled into the camp grounds and stopped, I practically threw myself out of my seat, desperate to get away from him, grabbing my bag and storming off the bus before he could say another word.

“Wait up, partner!” I heard him call out behind me, loud and mocking. “We’re in this together! You can’t get rid of me that easily!”

I didn’t turn around. I just walked faster, gritting my teeth.

This was going to be the longest month of my life. And I was going to make sure he suffered just as much as I was going to.