LIKEWOAH its karina's birthday [MEGAN/EVERYONE]

[SPOTLESS ™]

Karina followed him up to his truck, and grabbed a duffel bag. She swung it over her shoulder, the prospect of sleeping over exciting her greatly. She waited for him to get the rest of her stuff, then took the short walk back to the camp site silently, the only sound of the crickets and the occasional night animal, hidden in the woods nearby. Smiling at the serenity of the air, Karina halted and ducked under the tent flap holding open for Jake.

She put his stuff down in the middle of the room, and plopped down on her sleeping bag, watching him with a most peculiar look on her face. She was not completely blind to his feelings, no far from it. She had suspected it ever since the 'sweetheart' comment had surfaced. But how she felt, she was not sure. She always got a warm feeling from being near Jake, and her stomach seemed to swoop, tying itself in knots. What exactly this meant, again, she had only an inkling. She knew that she liked Jake, but how much? She wasn't sure. Maybe a little bit more than what she first thought.

[Jordan Anderson]

He was glad that he hadn't locked his truck and after she was finished grabbing something out of it he grabbed the rest. There really wasn't that much since he was never the type of person who would pack everything but the kitchen sink. Besides, that wouldn't work when you were camping with your dad and had to carry around everything that you brought since you were almost always moving. Of course, he didn't go out into the great outdoors as much as Brenden did anymore. That was another thing that was due to college and not going out running anymore. But, after being out here he really wanted to go back on the old trails that he used to run on. Of course, he wouldn't be able to go as far since he wasn't in the best running shape. He wondered what the chances were of convincing Karina to go out running on one of those trails with him. Why was he even thinking that now anyway?

It was then that he entered the tent and the dropped his stuff down before begging to set up his side of the area. After a few moments things were moved around and he sat down on his sleeping bag before digging his cell phone out and turning it off. Nobody would probably call him this late anyway, not to mention there wasn't the best reception out here anyway. Besides, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts and Karina for awhile. As he tried to think of the best way to approach revealing his feelings toward her. Wait, why was he doing that he usually was one just to say things like that straight out. So why change the tactic now? But he hoped that it worked if it didn't then things might be damaged permanently. There was no way he wanted to lose Karina due to the way he approached her about his feelings toward her.

"I'm afraid I have to tell you something rather important. I like you..as more than a friend. I didn't realize it until today and as you could probably tell things just slipped out. It's like you're the only girl that seems to have taken my sense of control from me. Honestly, I never would have let things slip out like that if I actually had control over words. God, I'm rambling." He said and then leaned back and stared at the ceiling as he waited for her response. His heart was going a million miles and hour as he prayed he'd hear the right words.

[SPOTLESS ™]

Karina said nothing for a moment, just staring at him with an unfathomable expression on her face. Then she did something so wild, so well, unexpected that later on she would hardly believe she did it. She swept forward and kissed him. This was no flimsy little kiss. This was a passionate, full kiss, and she leaned into it, grinning as she did. She hoped once she broke away he would stay with her, rather than running. Perhaps she would scare him into leaving, but right now things felt so, so right. She withdrew her lips, watching him to gauge his reaction.

Karina gulped, for a minute unsure of herself. Had she been overly forward? Would Jake back off? Really, right now she didn't care. She knew she was smiling, but again, she didn't mind the expression on her face. Karina still felt his lips on her own, even after they broke apart, and she sat watching him with a most curious expression on her face. Right now, all she could do was wait to see if she had been foolish in kissing him.

[[sorry for short posts, my next one will be longer ]]

[Jordan Anderson]

He was slightly startled that she kissed him, but it had been a very bold move and he liked it. Oh yes, he really liked it and it felt nice not to be the one to kiss somebody first. He sat there for a few moments before he made his over to where she was and then lightly kissed her. Before looking into her eyes as he tried to find the right words why was that so hard to do with her? "You know, I can't pretend that all of that just happened. We're going to have to do something about these feeling you know. And I propose that we, oh what's the word go out?" He asked and wondered if he should lay off the stupid wordings of things and just say things right away. He could remember telling Brenden not to procrastinate with asking a girl out and he had basically just did that. Oh great, now he was a hypocrite, well nobody would know that. He'd just go back to telling everybody the same things and never mention how long it had taken him to tell her that he liked her.

It was then that he noticed that she looked rather unsure. Was she nervous about his reaction or something? Since he thought that he had just proved to her that he wasn't mad for her suddenly kissing him. Well, he might as well tell her that through words now. "You know, you don't have to be nervous that I'm mad at you or anything. Since I'm actually glad that you did that. Since to be frank, I was rather nervous about how you would react to my little confession." He said and then smiled at her and realized that he'd just told her another thing that would probably have to stay between them too. Since if word got around that he'd been nervous about what somebody would say after he told them he liked them then it wouldn't be good. He hadn't been nervous about what a girl would say to him after telling them he liked them since he'd asked his first girl out years ago. Then those feelings had came up again when he'd asked his first girl to prom. Then they had simply vanished until a few moments ago.

"Oh and by the way, I promise that I'm not going to dump you just because I could. I'd never do that to a person, honestly you have my word." He said and then after he realized what he said he could have hit himself. Could he not say something that would really mean anything?

[SPOTLESS ™]

She nodded, unable to speak for a moment. "Yes, let's, and... just..." she trailed off, finding words to describe her thoughts, but in the end, all she was able to do was utter her thanks. She couldn't remember feeling this happy, and when Jan came in to extinguish the lantern, she was still grinning. "What're you smiling about?" Jan had asked, and Karina just shook her head, glancing gleefully over in Jake's direction.

But then she bit her lip. "Ah, Jake, look away for a sec." In that moment, she slipped out of her clothes in into pajamas. With a slight smile she slipped into her sleeping bag, thinking about the day as it had occurred so far. Really, it had been one of the best birthday parties ever. And Jake had assured that.

First, volleyball and regular crazy things that her family did. It was just how they worked. Actually, ADHD was a fine disorder to have in a family like Karina's, where everything was spontaneous, and many people changed moods at the flip of a switch. So perhaps that was why Karina enjoyed being with her family so much. They made her feel as though she wasn't any different, even if her disorder was minor.

Then after various activities, with her grandmother's holler, the family and Jake had gathered around the birthday cake, and sung a loud, rather drunken version of Happy Birthday. Then, of course presents. What had been inside the giant box? No decent human being would say, so Karina would keep it to herself for now. Then everybody dispersed again.

As the sun set on the horizon, it was story time, and then finally time to go to bed. This was the part of the day Karina relived the most. She relived the warm whooping feeling of which her entire body was succumbed to when kissing Jake. She relived his answer to her sudden kiss, and how happy it had made her. Most of all, she realized, she was no longer single. Somehow, this warmed her, made her feel less vulnerable. Although she was bold, and rarely confessed her fears to others, sometimes she was scared. Scared that something much bigger than herself would come and ruin her life, make her quake in fear. And somehow, having Jake relieved that fear, just a little bit.

Soon, Karina rolled in her sleeping bag, and opened her mouth to speak in to the complete darkness of the tent. "Jake... do you need me?" It was an odd question, but somehow it had been plaguing her. "Like I need you?" she added, a slightly weary tone to her voice.

[Jordan Anderson]

A smile came to his face when he watched her try and come up with words. So, he wasn't the only one who was having that problem right now. "It's alright, I get what you're trying to say..kind of." He said and then heard Karina's mother ask what she was smiling about and noticed how Karina looked over at him. He was glad that he made her happy, and that he hadn't scared her in any way, shape, or form. Then he looked away when she said to and he was then silent until he heard her question. "Yeah, I guess that I do. It just seems like I've known you forever and I know there's no way I could stand you just disappearing." He said quietly as he stared off into the darkness for a moment. He knew that once college started up again that she'd be leaving and he didn't know how he was going to handle that. He'd probably be really cranky for a few days and then depressed for a few more days after that.

He then pulled his sweatshirt and t shirt off and then tossed them toward where all of the rest of his things were But he knew that he overthrew them since he heard a soft thud as they hit the wall of the tent. Then he curled up in his sleeping bag and continued to stare off into the darkness as he tried to think of something to say. "You know, if you feel like it tomorrow you can come over. I'll probably be the only one home and most likely I'll just be laying on the couch all day. So you could just walk in, since I usually keep the front door unlocked when I'm the only one home." He said and then wondered if she knew where he lived, well if she didn't then he'd have to tell her where he did live. What he didn't tell her was that he would probably be watching old home videos or something. It was something that he usually did at least once a year for some reason. Sure he knew that he sometimes tended to get slightly emotional when watching them. But hopefully she wouldn't hold it against him.

Everything seemed so quiet now, like they were the only two up. Actually, he didn't even know if Karina was still up since it was completely dark in the tent. It felt rather odd to only hear the noises of crickets since he was so used to hearing a few cars going by on the road and things like that. "It's so quiet here." He said softly before waiting to see if he got an answer. If he didn't then he'd probably fall asleep.

[SPOTLESS ™]

The only sound, for a moment was Karina shifting in her sleeping bag. Then a soft, "yes," echoed through the tent. Karina turned over to her other side, and snuggled into her pillows, smiling to herself. She fell asleep thinking of the day to come, and how much she enjoyed having a two day birthday party. At least one and a half day anyway. Pretty soon her breathing turned slow and steady, and her eyes closed, long lashes casting shadows on her pale skin. Karina looked entirely peaceful, as she inhaled and exhaled, completely serene.
_______________________________________________________________________
[[THE NEXT MORNING]]

Karina woke up to her brother's ringing voice. She opened her eyes slowly, instinctualy drawing her covers up to her chin to check that she was still fully clothed. The Hay's were a practical joke family, and were able to laugh off quite a lot. She swallowed, and squinting at the bright light suddenly flooding the tent, she sat up. "What time is it Galen?" she asked, her voice weak and weary. "Were up bright and early at 6 o'clock sharp!" he said, throwing a pillow at her and exiting her room. "Aw, shit," she said, glancing over at her bag which was completely empty. She got up, wearily. "Come back here you little chickenshit Galen!" she called, at the most half-heartedly. She stretched, and yawned, calling to Jake. "Wake up, morning glory," she sung, her voice still slightly strained. "It's time to go swimming."

Karina tracked down her bathing suit, which was hung, like a flag from one of the citronella candles that had been long since extinquished. She pulled on the striped bikini with limited enthusiasm, and went to see if Jake was ready yet. Already, much of her family had left for the nearby lake, and only a few, the "late" risers, (although it was only 6:00am) had been left behind. Karina waited patiently for Galen to be ready.

[Jordan Anderson]

He then felt his eyes slowly close and then he was fast asleep. He was so tired that he didn't even dream which probably was a good thing since he probably would have had a really weird dream anyway.

---

Where was Karina's voice coming from? He then opened his eyes to find out, how early was it? He had gotten into the habit of not waking up until nine or ten in the morning and it certainly wasn't that time it was earlier then that. He then checked his watch and it confirmed that it was much earlier since it was only six in the morning. Then he heard her say something about going swimming. He hadn't went swimming in about three weeks. Even then it was because it had been really hot outside and he couldn't stand laying on the beach any longer. It was then that he had a major memory lapse. "Five more minutes mom, the bus doesn't come until seven thirty." He mumbled before closing his eyes again. But a few moments later he was up again, where was he? Then he remembered all of the events that had led up to this. And now he was off to go swimming if he remembered right.

He then slowly got up and got dressed was just about ready to go outside before Karina entered. "I hope you know, I haven't been up this early in awhile." He said and then stretched and then heard his back crack rather loudly. That usually never happened, and not to mention it was rather odd. "By the way, I wasn't talking in my sleep or anything right? That usually never happens but I was so tired last night I could have been singing in my sleep for all I know." He said before smiling at her, that would be just his luck. If he sang in his sleep then he probably would have woken everybody up.

[SPOTLESS ™]

"Yes, you sang quite loudly actually," she said, perfectly seriously. "But don't worry, it was one of my favorite songs- no of course, you didn't sing." She laughed, rubbing sunscreen on her skin. "As for the time, you'll get used to it when you sleepover. Besides, at this time, the water is so cold it wakes you up, and turns you rather numb in no time!" And with that cheery thought, she departed the tent, bikini ties flapping slightly. She ducked her head in for a moment, adding one more thing to her last thought. "Oh, and by the way, better hurry, everyone's leaving."

Karina would have sat down and waited for Jake, but she was eager to get back to the lake and caught up with the small group of bare-footed-bathing suit clad people. Behind her back, she could hear two of her cousins muttering about her. "You do it, no YOU do it, nooo, she'll get mad at me!" Karina pretended not to notice, and to be completely oblivious to the boy sneaking up behind her. Just as he reached out to snap her bikini strap, she swung back and grabbed him by the ear, which immediately reputed the reaction of, "ow ow ow ow OW! LET GO OF ME YOU FREAKING MORON!" Karina obliged, smirking slightly.

Soon, barely visible through the trees, a lake materialised before them. Karina raced to get in, hoping Jake had atleast caught up by now. For some odd reason, she looked forward to the idea of swimming with him. Karina swung off the rope swing, feeling her breath come in short gasps as her head submerged beneath the freezing water. "HOLY SHIT!" she yelled, and whooped happily.

[Jordan Anderson]

He looked startled when she told him that he'd been singing in his sleep but when she had said that he hadn't been a look of relief flashed across his face. "Don't scare me like that honestly, I hate singing and doing it against my will wouldn't be a good thing at all." He said before smiling at her as he listened to what she said about the water and time. He wasn't used to spending the night at somebody's home and waking up at six in the morning. Since usually when he stayed the night at somebody's home they'd end up staying up until midnight or later and then they'd usually sleep in. Unless of course, he had to get up and go to work and that wasn't fun either. Since for the rest of the day he was moving around like some zombie. He watched as she left and realized that he'd better get going before he was the only one around. Not to mention, he didn't want to be considered a slowpoke or anything like that.

A few moments later he was at the lake and had gotten there just in time to witness Karina launch herself off of the swing and into the water, which did look really cold. Of course he knew that the cold water would probably not even hold a candle to being in a lake in January. Now had he meant to end up in the water? No, he'd simply broken through the ice and the water had been freezing. Of course, it would be if there had been ice formed on it. He then cautiously entered the water and instantly felt a shock to his system. It made him gasp but he knew that he'd better go under the water since standing in it up to his neck wasn't doing anything. Although, he now was wide awake if that counted for anything. He then swam underneath the water for a few moments before his body demanded oxygen. It was then that he surfaced and then shivered for a moment before he began to get used to the water slightly.

((ack, that post is really bad))