WebNovels

Chapter 5 - Chapter 5 - Part 1: A School Camp Event

When the school announced their annual Forest Exploration & Team Bonding Camp, three students simultaneously had spiritual, emotional, and possibly physical breakdowns:

Ami. Wei. Vyacheslav.

Three introverts. Three certified lovers of air conditioning, privacy, and absolutely NOT mosquitoes.

They stared blankly at the announcement board like it had personally insulted them.

Wei mumbled under his breath, tugging at his hoodie string, "Does the forest have… like, outlets? Or a router? Or basic human rights?"

Ami adjusted her hoodie, eyes narrowing behind her phone screen.

"If I get sunburnt or bit by a mosquito, someone's getting buried."

Vyacheslav just grunted, arms crossed.

"I hate nature."

But then—like a ray of overly enthusiastic sunshine—Vladislav burst into the hallway with a gym bag and dangerous optimism.

He threw an arm over Vyacheslav's shoulder with a grin so bright it could blind moths.

"You think I'm leaving my emo squad to rot while I vibe with birds and trees? No way. Pack your bags, Dracula. We're going outside."

Vyacheslav stared into the void.

"I'm going to set something on fire."

Meanwhile, Sofia and Selene were already comparing hiking boots and mosquito repellents like they were prepping for Vogue's "campcore" issue.

Sofia beamed as she clutched her duffel bag.

"I'm gonna take so many tree selfies. I might even name one."

Selene tightened the strap on her backpack, voice calm.

"As long as no one dies, I'm fine."

And then there was Akio—Ami's older brother, chaos demon, and proud member of the extrovert menace club. The moment he heard about the trip, he was in.

He nudged Ami with a wicked grin.

"Come on, sis. You need vitamin D… and a personality."

Ami looked up slowly.

"I hope a bear mistakes you for a granola bar."

The squad hit the trail like a squad of toddlers on leashes.

Ami walked at the front with Selene and Sofia, camera in hand like a shield against social interaction. She stuck to the shadows like a goth vampire on her lunch break. Every now and then, she snapped a photo—mushrooms, weird moss, even an accidental picture of Vyacheslav's back.

Behind her, the chaos crew assembled:

Vladislav led with a Bluetooth speaker blasting 2000s throwback bangers, dancing like no one (and unfortunately everyone) was watching.

Leo stumbled every few feet, kicking rocks and tripping on roots.

"Why does the earth hate me? I swear this root moved."

Asher laughed, phone raised high.

"Day one of the forest diary: Leo is being hunted by trees."

Akio walked between them, switching between cracking jokes and sending death glares at any guy who even looked Ami's way.

"If one more guy breathes in her direction, I'm throwing hands."

Vyacheslav trailed in the back like a brooding gargoyle, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

Wei huffed beside him, sipping water like it was holy.

"I'm not built for this. I'm an indoor plant. This is not my biome."

After hours of tortured hiking (and probably a few breakdowns), they reached a forest clearing.

Tents went up.

Shoes came off.

Hair? Sweaty and wild.

Vladislav clapped his hands and grinned.

"Alright, tent duty! Girls chill. Boys, welcome to suffering."

Selene sat with Sofia and Ami on a log like peaceful woodland princesses.

Sofia giggled, pulling out marshmallows.

"They really think we're helping. That's adorable."

Vyacheslav handles the stakes in brooding silence.

Wei is half-alive.

Akio ties knots like he's building a fortress around Ami's tent.

Leo and Asher? Fighting with sleeping bags like they're swords.

Meanwhile…Ami is snapping aesthetic pics of trees, mushrooms, and her friends (mostly of the back of Vyacheslav's head without realizing).

Vyacheslav keeps glancing at her while pretending not to.

At evening. Dinner's chaotic, but cozy. They sit around a fire.

Sofia tells ghost stories.

Leo adds scary sound effects.

Selene makes sure no one burns themselves.

Asher screams when a moth lands on his head.

Akio throws popcorn into Ami's mouth like a challenge.

Vyacheslav and Wei are still brooding, now sharing one camping chair like tired cats.

After a long day of hiking, screaming, and making memories, it was finally time to sleep.

The students settle down after a long day of running around the forest, telling ghost stories, roasting marshmallows, and dodging Vladislav's terrible jokes.

Inside Tent 1, it's dim, lit only by the glow of Ami's phone screen.

Ami sat cross-legged in her sleeping bag, mindlessly scrolling through her feed with one hand, the other holding a half-eaten granola bar. Her hair was in a messy braid, and the light flickered across her face like she was decoding CIA secrets.

From the other side of the tent, a thunderous snore ripped through the silence.

Akio was flat on his back, mouth open, limbs spread like he'd lost a fight with a bear.

Ami blinked slowly, side-eyeing him.

"If he snores one more time, I'm putting a frog in his mouth."

Akio twitched in his sleep, then turned over—snoring louder.

Ami sighed, pulled out her earbuds, and shoved one in each ear with a deadpan mutter:

"This is my villain origin story."

Tent 2 was an absolute disaster zone.

Selene lay on her side, half-asleep, mumbling random dreams.

"No... don't give the dragon a sweater... it's allergic to wool..."

In the corner, Vladislav was dead to the world—sprawled diagonally, blanket kicked off, one sock hanging on for dear life. He twitched every few minutes like he was fighting demons in his sleep.

Vyacheslav lay on his back, wide awake, eyes blank as he stared at the top of the tent.

"I'm in hell," he muttered. "Actual hell."

Selene let out another dramatic sigh, still dreaming.

"The potatoes... they've betrayed us..."

Vyacheslav sat up, his voice flat.

"I swear, if one of you talks about vegetables again, I'm sleeping in a tree."

In Tent 3, peace was a foreign concept.

Leo and Asher were arguing. Again.

Asher sat up, arms crossed and fuming.

"I'm just saying! There's space in Sofia's tent. She might be lonely!"

Leo practically launched his pillow at him.

"She's my cousin, bro. You're not sleeping next to her while you drool in your sleep."

Asher rolled his eyes.

"That was ONE time."

Wei groaned from the corner, pillow over his face.

"If you two don't shut up in the next five seconds, I'm kicking you both into a ravine."

They paused.

Three seconds later, Leo whispered:

"Still not letting him in."

Asher snapped.

"You know what—FINE."

Outside the tent flap, a thud. Then silence.

Wei sat up, rubbing his face.

"I can finally sleep."

Sofia lay curled up in her sleeping bag like a burrito of sadness.

She stared at the top of the tent, hugging a stuffed rabbit she "didn't bring on purpose."

Her voice came out as a whisper, like she didn't want the trees to hear her:

"What if there's a monster?"

A sudden rustle outside.

Sofia yanked her blanket up to her chin.

"...Nope. I didn't say that. I didn't summon anything. I am NOT dying like this."

Leo stomped over to Sofia's tent, dragging Asher behind him by the hood like a feral cat.

"You know what? Fine. I'm watching you, but you can sleep near her. No touching."

Asher held up his hands.

"I just want to live, man. These bugs are built different."

They both slipped inside Tent 4.

Sofia blinked, surprised.

"Wait—what are you two doing?"

Leo plopped down between them with the flattest tone ever:

"Third wheel duty. Bodyguard mode. Human wall. Whatever you wanna call it."

Asher snuggled into his sleeping bag, already grinning.

"I feel safe now."

Leo sighed.

"If you even breathe weird, I'm drop-kicking you in your dreams."

Sofia giggled softly, finally relaxing a bit.

"This is so dumb… but I'm glad you guys came."

Asher mumbled through his blanket.

"Best camp ever."

Leo blinked at the roof of the tent.

"God help me."

Tent 1: Ami finally fell asleep… until Akio farted in his sleep and she woke up swearing vengeance.

Tent 2: Vyacheslav climbed into a tree like a forest cryptid.

Tent 3: Wei finally slept. Alone. Peacefully. Like a king.

Tent 4: The love triangle of chaos slept under one tent… until morning, when the snoring war began.

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