Chapter 62 – Day of Rest 7 (Part 3)
The sun was already high when Cody and Gwen came down from the treehouse, but they didn't descend with the elegance of two people who had simply hung out. No. They came down as if the tree had tossed them around, shaken them, and then dropped them gently with affection.
Cody's shirt was half tucked into his pants and half hanging loose, like he'd lost a battle against gravity. His hair was messy, with a leaf stuck just behind his ear. But the most striking detail was his neck: two blue lipstick marks, perfectly visible, as if Gwen had signed her territory in alternative style.
Gwen, for her part, looked emotionally run over. Her blouse was wrinkled, her eyeliner slightly smudged, and she walked with a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction that only appears in someone who's left everything on the battlefield… emotional battlefield.
They walked in silence, with knowing smiles and slow steps. No rush. No shame. Just that energy that lingers when two people have said a lot without saying everything.
Near the cabins, Gwen stopped.
"I think I need to sleep for three days straight," she said softly, eyes half closed.
"And I need a new shirt. This one already has history," Cody said, glancing at his neck as if just noticing the marks.
Gwen stepped closer, grabbed him by the collar, and kissed him again. Not long. Not exaggerated. Just precise. As if to say: "Yes, this happened. And yes, I want it to keep happening."
Cody answered with a smile. "Nothing better to close the morning."
Gwen turned and entered her cabin without looking back, walking like someone who had survived an emotional storm and now needed an urgent nap.
Cody stood for a second, watching the door close. Then he turned toward the path leading to the guys. Noah, Owen, and DJ were sitting on an improvised bench, talking about something involving food and explosions.
But Cody didn't get there.
Because three figures blocked his way.
Heather.
Beth.
Lindsay.
The three looked at him with different expressions, but with unsettling synchronicity. Heather had her arms crossed, Beth held a notebook like it was a case file, and Lindsay… simply stared with wide eyes, as if waiting for an explanation she didn't know how to ask for.
Cody stopped dead.
His shirt was crooked, his neck marked, and his smile still fresh.
"Uh… hi?" he said, with the tone of someone who knows something's coming.
The three didn't answer.
They just stared.
And the scene cut there.
As if the forest itself held its breath.
Cody had barely taken three steps toward the boys when Heather blocked his path like a shadow with an agenda.
"We need to talk," she said, no greeting, no smile.
Beth and Lindsay lined up behind her like part of a tactical formation. Cody stopped, shirt still crooked, neck marked with blue lipstick, carrying the energy of someone fresh from a scene you can't say out loud.
"About what? My tree-descending style?" Cody said lightly, though his eyes were already reading the terrain.
Heather didn't move. "About the alliance. And about Katie."
Cody's smile faded a little. Not from fear. From respect.
"Okay. Shoot."
Heather crossed her arms. "When you brought Katie into the team, you didn't consult us. You didn't talk about it. You just did it. And that, Cody, breaks the basic rules of an alliance."
Beth pressed her lips together, as if wanting to speak but not finding the tone. Lindsay looked at Cody with a mix of curiosity and worry.
Cody nodded, keeping his rhythm. "I know. But I also know it worked. Katie joined, contributed, and left. The team won. We made good decisions. Not perfect, but effective."
Heather didn't yield. "It's not just that. It's not just that you didn't consult. It's that you mixed the teams. And that changes everything."
Cody frowned. "Changes what?"
Beth stepped forward. "The dynamic. The loyalty. If we can move people from one team to another… what does it mean to be in one?"
Cody took a deep breath. "I get the concern. But it wasn't a strategy to break anything. It was a one-time move. An opportunity. And yes, I took it without consulting. But not because I don't trust you. Because there wasn't time."
Heather's jaw was tight. "And if Katie had sabotaged everything?"
"Then it would've been my mistake. But she didn't. And you know she didn't," Cody said firmly.
Beth lowered her gaze. "I… it hurt not knowing. I felt left out. Like I didn't count."
Cody stepped closer to her. "You count. Always. But sometimes, in this game, you have to act fast. And that doesn't mean the alliance is broken. Just that there are moments when you can't vote."
Lindsay raised her hands. "Enough! Don't fight. We're a team! Or at least… we were. Right?"
Cody turned to her. Then looked at Beth, still holding her notebook like a shield.
"What do you think, Beth? Honestly."
Beth hesitated. Lowered the notebook. "I think… it hurt not knowing. But I also saw it worked. And I trust you. Just… don't leave us out again."
Cody stepped closer to both of them. And then, without warning, hugged them.
Lindsay let out an "eh!" between surprise and laughter. Beth froze for a second, then lowered the notebook and let herself be hugged.
"It's fine. You're perfect. The alliance stands. It was just a move. Not a betrayal," Cody said warmly.
Heather watched. Said nothing. But her eyes didn't soften.
Cody pulled back from the hug, took a step toward the path, finally intending to join the guys.
But just as he was about to leave…
Heather stopped him.
She grabbed his arm.
Firm.
Silent.
Heather's grip wasn't violent, but it was firm. Cody turned, surprised by the gesture, and found her closer than expected. There was no fire in her eyes. No coldness either. Just a mix of discomfort and something pushing from within.
Heather lowered her gaze for a second, as if negotiating with herself.
"I just wanted to say… thank you," she murmured.
Cody tilted his head. "Why the funeral tone?"
Heather frowned, but didn't let go. "For the bear. For saving us. For saving me. Even though… you probably did it for Gwen."
Cody smiled. Not mocking. Tender.
"If it had just been you, I'd have saved you too. Though you probably would've yelled at me while I did it."
Heather looked at him with a mix of disbelief and something that wanted to smile but didn't dare.
"Idiot," she said, weakly.
Cody raised his hand and, without asking, ruffled her hair gently, messing it up a little.
"And you, official camp tsundere," he said teasingly.
Heather pulled back, fixing her hair with fake dignity. "Don't do that again."
"I'll do it every time you get emotional. It's my new ritual," Cody said.
But before he could say anything else, he felt an impact on his back.
A hug.
Strong.
Desperate.
And wet.
Cody barely turned, and there was Lindsay. Hugging him tightly, her face buried in his back, tears soaking his shirt.
"Lindsay… are you okay?" Cody asked, turning to see her.
She lifted her gaze, eyes red, voice breaking.
"I thought the bear was going to kill you! It was huge! It had claws like knives and eyes like fire! And you were there, alone, and I… I thought I'd never see you again!"
Cody stayed still. Then lowered his arms and hugged her gently, as if afraid to break her.
"I'm here, Lindsay. I'm fine. Nothing happened."
"Everything happened! It was horrible! And I didn't know what to do! And then you disappeared! And then you came back like nothing! And you were bleeding!"
Heather stepped back, uncomfortable. Beth moved closer, but didn't interrupt.
Lindsay kept crying. Not elegantly. Not contained. With everything.
Cody held her, stroking her back calmly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't think it was that serious."
"It was very serious!" Lindsay sobbed.
Heather watched with arms crossed, but without hardness. Just silence.
Beth murmured: "I've never seen her cry like this."
Cody crouched slightly, searching Lindsay's eyes.
"I'm here. I didn't leave. I'm not leaving. And if another bear shows up, I'll scare it off with your screams. Deal?"
Lindsay laughed through tears. "My screams don't scare anyone!"
"They scare me when I use the wrong shampoo," Cody said.
Lindsay hugged him again, softer this time.
And the group stayed there.
Not as competitors.
Not as strategists.
As people who had felt fear.
And who now, finally, could say it.
Cody still held Lindsay in his arms, stroking her back calmly while she cried hard, as if the fear of the bear had finally found release. His shirt was soaked, but he didn't move. He just let her cry.
"I'm here, Lindsay. I didn't leave. I'm not leaving," he murmured.
"I thought I'd never see you again! That the bear would tear you apart!" she sobbed, voice breaking.
Heather observed from a step back, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the ground. Beth stayed close, not intervening, as if she knew something else was about to happen.
And it did.
Cody felt something soft and fleeting on his cheek.
Lips.
He turned, surprised, just in time to see Heather turning her back quickly, as if she'd just committed an emotional crime.
"It was part of the thank you," she said, without looking back.
But her neck was slightly red.
Blushing?
Heather?
Cody blinked, processing the gesture.
"Was that… a kiss?" he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
Before he could say more, he felt a pinch on his side.
"Ow!" he said, turning.
Lindsay looked at him, eyes still wet, but now with an expression both annoyed and tender.
"That was mine!" she said, and before Cody could react, she stretched up and kissed him on the lips.
Quick.
Precise.
Like someone who knows if they don't do it by surprise, they won't manage it.
Cody froze for a second, eyes wide, body tense.
"Lindsay…?"
"I was scared! And you were with Gwen! And then Heather! And I… I love you too!" she said, voice trembling.
Cody didn't answer right away. He just looked at her, still processing the emotional whirlwind that had just exploded.
Heather turned slightly, not looking directly, but with one eyebrow raised.
Beth sighed. "This is turning into a soap opera."
Lindsay pulled back, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "I'm fine now. I just… needed that."
The three began to walk away, leaving Cody standing there, lips marked by at least two different shades of affection.
Before leaving, Heather tossed one last line over her shoulder:
"And wipe your lips. Dark blue isn't your color."
Beth added: "Nor pink. Nor coral. Nor… is that glitter?"
Lindsay giggled softly. "Things happen when you worry too much."
The three walked off, each at her own pace, leaving Cody alone in the middle of the path.
He stayed still.
Looked at the sky.
And sighed.
"I don't know if this is good luck… or a lipstick curse."
The wind moved the leaves.
And the forest, as always, didn't answer.
The cabin door opened with a soft creak, and the girls entered one by one, carrying backpacks, water bottles, and the emotional weight of a day that felt like a week.
Gwen lay on her bunk, face up, with an expression not seen every day. A huge, calm smile, as if she were dreaming of something she didn't need to hide. Her hair fell messy across the pillow, and her arms were crossed over her chest, as if hugging a memory.
Beth was the first to notice. "Wow… is she smiling in her sleep?"
Lindsay tiptoed closer, watching curiously. "Yes! And it's not a normal smile! It's like… like she won the jackpot."
Heather stayed at the entrance, arms crossed, watching Gwen with a mix of analysis and something harder to define.
"She's dreaming of Cody," Beth said bluntly.
Lindsay giggled. "Obviously! Did you see how they came down from the tree? They looked straight out of a novel."
Heather said nothing. She just walked to her bed and set her backpack down carefully. But as she sat, her eyes met Lindsay's. And there it was: that spark. That shared look that needed no words.
They looked at each other for a second longer than usual.
And then, as if they had signed a silent pact, they turned to their things and began to organize.
Beth didn't notice. Gwen kept sleeping, unaware of it all.
But something was brewing.
Something that wasn't just jealousy.
It was decision.
The sun was beginning to descend when Cody arrived at the clearing behind the cabins, where Owen, DJ, and Noah had improvised a competition that had no clear rules but plenty of laughter: rock throwing.
Owen was crouched, examining a stone that looked like a small watermelon. He had named it "The Destroyer" and treated it like part of his lineage.
DJ measured distances with a branch, while Noah recorded results on a sheet he had probably stolen from his history notebook.
When Cody appeared, still with his shirt wrinkled, hair messy, and lips marked by at least two shades of lipstick, the three greeted him as if he were a living legend.
"The bear slayer has arrived!" Owen shouted, raising his arms like he was presenting a gladiator.
"Cody the Unstoppable! Cody the Invincible! Cody the one who kisses and survives!" Noah added theatrically.
DJ laughed. "Did you bring your magic axe or just your charm?"
Cody raised his hands. "I only bring my arms, my traumas, and… apparently, my face as an emotional canvas."
Owen stepped closer, amused and curious. "Bro… what happened to your lips? You look like a makeup palette."
Noah leaned in, inspecting like an archaeologist. "We've got light pink, dark blue… is that glitter?"
DJ crossed his arms. "Were you kissed or attacked with a brush?"
Cody laughed, unbothered. "Let's just say it was an emotional ambush. And I didn't have time to dodge."
Owen burst out laughing. "Emotional ambush! I'm keeping that!"
Noah pretended to take notes. "Diagnosis: Cody suffers from excess female affection. Symptoms: marked lips, distant gaze, and tendency to sigh at the sky."
DJ added: "Treatment: voluntary isolation or direct confrontation with the bear. Your choice."
Cody collapsed onto a flat rock, feigning exhaustion. "Honestly… I'd rather fight the bear. At least he doesn't kiss me by surprise."
The boys exploded in laughter.
"Imagine the bear with lipstick!" Owen shouted.
"And saying 'I missed you, Cody'!" Noah added.
"And then Heather shows up with a spear and gets jealous!" DJ finished.
Cody covered his face. "This is getting out of control."
"Like your love life!" the three said in unison.
The rock competition continued.
One by one, they threw stones at a fallen log that served as the target. Owen had strength but little aim. DJ was precise but couldn't throw far. Noah threw with style, but his stones seemed to have a will of their own.
Cody took his turn.
He breathed deeply.
And threw.
The stone flew elegantly, spinning in the air as if it knew it was in an important scene.
It struck the log.
Bounced.
And landed right in the center of a mark Owen had made with mud.
Silence.
Then shouts.
"PERFECT POINT!" Owen yelled, jumping.
"That was beautiful!" DJ said.
"That was cinematic!" Noah added.
Cody stood, giving an exaggerated bow. "Thank you, thank you. I dedicate this throw to all the girls who confused me today."
Owen pretended to cry. "So young and so marked!"
DJ tossed him a small stone. "That's what happens when you're the protagonist!"
Noah stepped closer with a branch as a microphone. "Cody, how do you handle the pressure of being the most kissed guy of the day?"
Cody took the "microphone" and answered seriously. "With dignity, with humor… and with a wet wipe I still haven't found."
The afternoon turned into play.
They threw stones, cracked jokes, imitated Chris like he was a cartoon villain. Owen pretended to be the bear, chasing Cody with a branch. DJ did dramatic voices. Noah narrated everything like a survival documentary.
"And here we see young Cody, trying to escape his emotions… and Owen disguised as a bear."
"Roar, Cody! Roar with your feelings!" Owen shouted.
Cody collapsed to the ground, feigning defeat. "I can't take it anymore! Too much lipstick! Too many emotions!"
DJ approached with a heart-shaped stone. "Want us to throw it for you? As a symbol of your soul?"
"Only if it lands far from all the girls," Cody said.
When the sun began to set, they sat in a circle, eating cookies Owen had hidden in his backpack.
"Think this will calm down tomorrow?" DJ asked.
Cody looked at the sky, where the first stars were beginning to appear.
"I don't know. But if another bear shows up, I know what to do. If more kisses show up… then I'm lost."
The boys laughed.
And night fell over them.
With stones, jokes, and a calm that, for now, seemed enough.