Camp Wisahickon

Chapter Fifteen

Lots of drama in this chapter... Vote and comment! Xo
Anyone team Tedelia, or is it just me?
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I stumbled over my own feet but followed him through the darkness. My mind was drifting off about Teddy as I further pieced together evidence to support Carter's claim. I made a mental note to talk to Poppy alone immediately, and then felt a twinge of hurt when I realized she knew about Teddy but didn't tell me.

The only reason why I wasn't on the ground from tripping over tree roots and rocks was the grip Carter held on my hand. His fingers were intwined with mine, and I couldn't tell if the tingly feeling in my chest was because of him or the booze, but I ignored it and wrote it off to the alcohol.

Carter walked us to his cabin, and then held up a finger as if to tell me to wait outside. Hesitantly, I nodded, and wrapped my arms around myself when a breeze rolled by. After a few minutes of standing outside, Carter came back outside with a big case in his hand.

"Carter," I start with a smile when I realize what he's planning.

He tosses me a boyish smile and recaptures my hand with his free one, then drags me behind the cabins, toward the lake. The water glistened in the moonlight, small ripples lapping against each other from the wind. A clearing in the trees allowed the moon to illuminate the ground, so instead of pitch darkness, I could actually see.

Carter pulled a log over by the water and sat on one end. I sat on the other as he unstrapped his case, and couldn't contain my excited smile when I see him pull out a beautiful acoustic guitar with a leather strap. He ignores the strap and sets the guitar on his knee, his fingers tuning the strings momentarily.

"Mina, before I start," Carter says suddenly, changing his gaze from the strings to settle on me instead. "You can't tell anyone about this."

My brow pinches together when I see his serious expression. "Why?"

He hesitates before answering quietly, "I don't want anyone to know I play guitar. It's just for me, not for anyone else."

"Except me," I say with a cheeky grin.

Carter fights the smile on his lips as he excuses, "You're the exception."

"But what about the guitar being a chick magnet?" I question suddenly, and for some reason, the words taste bad in my mouth. "Don't you want all the camp girls to love you?"

I couldn't tell if Carter caught onto the hint of jealousy behind my words, but his lips finally curled up into a half smirk as he looked at me thoughtfully. Thankfully for me, he didn't comment on my tone, but instead brushed it off with his usual arrogant comment.

"Babe, do you really think I need my guitar to get girls when I look like this?" Carter wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

I can't help but laugh, throwing my head back in wild laughter. A few weeks ago, I would've fought the urge to slap him for being so arrogant. Now, it was almost endearing. Almost. When I looked back at him, my eyes were sparkling in laughter, there was a smile on my lips, and for some reason I felt happy.

"Good, I was worried you forgot how to inflate your own ego for a second," I joked, and then sobered up slightly to promise, "I won't tell anyone. Pinky promise."

I held out my pinky, and Carter just stared at it for a moment with a small smile on his lips before he lifted his pinky too. We swore over our sacred pinkies that I wouldn't tell anyone he played guitar, and then I sat back and watched him as he returned his attention to the guitar. He set his fingers over the strings carefully, took a deep breath, and started to play.