Chapter one hundred and seventy one:

Jen was sitting quietly in the front of the bus. She was attempting to read through the newest book she had picked up at the bookstore. She was trying to stay quiet.
Christy had already heard about Jen’s concert outing with Taylor and informed Becky. Together they sent a barrage of questions her way. Jen fielded them, revealing as little as possible. She wasn’t yet sure if she would tell them about the kiss between her and Taylor. She wasn’t even sure what was going on between her and Luke yet. She had barely spoken to him in over a month.

She loved Luke, but at the same time, the kiss between her and Taylor felt different. And at the time it felt right.

She sighed in frustration and dropped her head into her hand. She had re-read the same sentence over about five or six times. She put the book down in her lap. She wasn’t very far in her book.

Becky came through the curtains between the bunk and the main lounge and walked over to the fridge. She removed a bottle of ice-tea and spotted Jen on the sofa.

“Hey, we’re all watching movies back there, why don’t you-“

“That’s alright. I’ve got a headache.” Jen replied. “I think I’ll just sit out here in the quiet.”

“Alright. Want anything?” She offered re-opening the fridge. “Ice tea? Red bull?”

“No thanks.” Jenna re-opened her book.

Becky sighed heavily and walked into the front lounge, dropping into the sofa opposite the one Jen was on.

“Alright, fine. Tell me what happened with Taylor last night.”

“Nothing!” Jen replied, a little too defensively.

Becky raised her eyebrows. “Now I know something happened. You can tell me. I swear I won’t say anything.”

Jenna swallowed hard. She put her book aside and leaned forward, lowering her voice significantly.

“He kissed me.”

Becky nearly choked on her ice tea. “You’re kidding me. But he knows things are still complicated with Luke? Did you stop him?”

Jen paused. “No…”

“So you kissed back?”

Jen fell back against the sofa. “Look, it was just a kiss… it doesn’t necessarily have to mean something, right? It could have just been an innocent little kiss.”

“It can’t be just an innocent kiss! You know he likes you, do you like him?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“Look, I don’t know what to do, okay? I just need some time to think, alright?”

“Okay.” Becky paused. “Do you want me to talk to Zac?”
”No!” Jenna jumped in.

“I mean and see if you and I can bunk together, and that way you can have a night or so to think about it?”

“Won’t he get suspicious then and know something is different if we suddenly change the rooming arrangement?”

Becky paused for a moment. “Jeeze, this is complicated.”

“No kidding” Jenna sighed.

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