From Such Great Heights [Ryan/Olivia]

[Ryan Katz-Mason]

For something called the "scenic route," the trail was certainly hard work. It wasn't anything even close to comparable to the mountain trail, which was a serious workout, but this route wasn't to be taken lightly either. It was a relaxing walk, but if one was looking for no strain at all, they should walk on the beach. A hike was still a hike, and although Ryan was enjoying the gorgeous setting sun on the horizon from the scenic hike route, he felt his adrenaline pumping slowly, a feeling he enjoyed thoroughly. Hiking was one of Ryan's favorite activities at camp, and he fit it into his schedule at least a couple of times every week.

The rest of the group was far, far behind them, so far back that Ryan and Olivia couldn't even see them. Of course, this was because they'd sprinted the first bit to get away from the other campers, most of whom they didn't even know. They'd laughed and shoved each other playfully the entire race up the trail, and Ryan had doubled over in laughter with Olivia once they were far enough from the others. He hugged her tightly until they finished laughing, then helped her up off the dirt trail with him. The two were walking side by side along the breathtaking road and weren't really saying anything at the moment.

Awkward silences rarely happened between Ryan and Olivia. They were close friends since preschool and they knew everything about each other. Their friendship had reached new heights in freshman year when Olivia lost her virginity to Ryan at his house on a random Saturday. They'd been hanging out and watching the original version of The Omen, and cuddling because Olivia was scared. When the movie was over, she was freaked out and Ryan took her upstairs to his room because the basement was too creepy. He was equally freaked out, but wouldn't admit it of course. They resumed their cuddling on his bed, and it soon got out of hand. Almost three years later, Ryan and Olivia were still friends with benefits, and maintained their good friendship.

Olivia's dad Trent and Ryan's mom Dreena had been best friends in high school and were still pretty close, along with the twins' dad Tanner. The twins' other dad Ty was best friends with Serafina's mom Aria, so their circle of friends was a little twisted to say the least. Trent and Dreena were none the wiser to what had developed between Ryan and Olivia and made them closer, but it was much better that way. Trent scared Ryan a little bit, and Ryan would be killed if Trent found out that Ryan was sleeping with his baby girl. Going to camp together allowed Ryan and Olivia to spend even more time together, and they could share their mutual dislike for Serafina. It was hard for them to get moments alone like this, which was the very reason they'd run so far ahead - to get a few moments of quiet bonding.

With a sideways glance over to Olivia, Ryan squinted in the setting sunlight at her long blonde hair and her gorgeous face. She was almost perfect-looking, much more conventionally beautiful than most of the "hot" chicks he slept with. Speaking of which, Ryan felt the need to tell someone about his recent encounter with Noelle. He'd heard through the grapevine that Jadon had dumped Noelle, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Ryan had been the cause of it. "Hey O," he started slowly as they walked side by side. "I've gotta tell you something. I don't think it'd be good to let other people know about it though, alright?" Ryan didn't really wait for an answer, it was understood.

Continuing, Ryan took a breath. "Well you know Noelle Taylors right? And her boyf - ex boyfriend," Ryan corrected himself, "Jadon Calloway? You probably know they just broke up. But do you know why?" Ryan wasn't the type of guy to wait for any answers while he talked. It was just how he was. He asked a lot of questions, but never let anyone get a word in edgewise to answer them, he just kept going. "Noelle cheated on him." There was a heavy pause. "With me." Ryan glanced over directly at Olivia to watch her reaction. Part of him was expecting a lecture about how wrong it was, but Olivia knew that it was far from the first time Ryan had assisted a girl in cheating on their boyfriend.

[Olivia Peters]

Olivia was enjoying herself at long last, the tension of earlier that day forgotten. Even the prospect of the three parents possibly coming together didn't seem so bad at the moment. She always enjoyed her alone time with Ryan, even if it was becoming fewer and farther between lately. Sometimes she didn't even care if all he wanted was sex, since it was guarenteed that they would lay around and talk for a little while afterwards.

And she loved that. Though she was sometimes confused as to how he thought of her, he was by far her closest friend, the only one who even came close to knowing her backwards and forwards. There was also the fact that her pulse felt a little bit faster when he was around, her cheeks a little bit warmer- but she couldn't help that. He was drop dead gorgeous, and unlike all the people who only knew Ryan the player, she had known him forever. She got to experience Ryan the awkward pre-pubescent, Ryan the fifth grade dodge ball champ, even Ryan the crying pre-school kid.

"Yeah, I heard about it," Olivia said, casually sipping water, not prepared for the next part. She had to exercise all of her will power not to spit her water out in slight shock.

"Oh," Olivia said, attempting to regain her composure. She let out a shaky laugh. "How could I not have guessed Ryan? I think you've beaten your previous record- we've been here two days?" She laughed again, fighting back the feelings of disappointment she felt every time Ryan told her about a new conquest, which she was sure would show on her face. She knew she should probably tell him how wrong it was, how he should think about it from the other guy's perspective, but she had given him that talk before. Plus, at the moment, she really didn't care about the other guy, she cared about herself and the fact that this was another girl she would have to fight for an ounce of Ryan's time. "But seriously, congrats," she said, pushing her hair off of her face. "Let's keep going, shall we."

[Ryan Katz-Mason]

A cool gust of wind came rushing towards Ryan and Olivia and it felt amazing. It was a particularly warm day and the cool breeze was welcomed gladly by the two of them. Ryan closed his eyes for a moment and pretended that the wind was carrying away every tangled mess he'd been getting himself into over these last few days of camp. It was really getting a little ridiculous already - he'd only been at camp for three or four days and he'd gotten himself into loads of trouble and sticky situations. He was still chasing Morgan, who he'd been chasing for years to no avail, and he'd managed to break up Noelle and Jadon, the perfect couple.

There was no telling what else the rest of the week held for Ryan, but at this rate it wasn't going to be pretty. That was mainly why Ryan was so happy to have Olivia. No matter what sticky situation he got himself into, she was always there to listen. And no matter how many other girls he messed around with, Olivia would never complain about it because she understood what they were. Ryan was so happy that at least one girl wasn't expecting anything more from him. He just wasn't that kind of guy, and it was frustrating when girls tried to change him for their own selfish reasons.

It really came as no surprise to Ryan when Olivia said she'd already heard about the breakup. How could he expect anything else? News and gossip spread around this camp faster than a wildfire. It seemed like it traveled even faster than it did back at school, if that was possible. Maybe it was the lack of technology that forced people to have personal conversations in large groups, or just the fact that there were less people around, but either way it seemed like every move Ryan made was public knowledge within ten minutes of occurance.

What Ryan wasn't expecting however, was the tone in Olivia's voice when she answered him. She almost seemed judgmental or annoyed, something Ryan was really not used to hearing from her of all people. It wasn't so much what she was saying, that wasn't the problem because the two joked around all the time. No, it was definitely the way she was saying it. "What's the matter, O?" Ryan asked seriously. "I mean, what's that supposed to mean? It's not like I was trying to break them up or anything." Ryan was trying to look at Olivia but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

One thing about Ryan that wasn't so lovable, along with his womanizing ways, was the fact that he wasn't always completely honest. But that came along with the territory if you think about it. "She was all over me." Ryan tried to defend himself. "I mean, I didn't exactly push her away, but she wanted me and that was a conscious decision. I - I mean, the way you're saying that it's like I forced her to cheat on him or something." Ryan tried to stop himself, he knew he was acting very defensive, but he couldn't really help it. Why was Olivia acting so strangely?

[Olivia Peters]

Olivia resisted the impulse to sigh. She was used to this reaction.

"It wasn't supposed to mean anything," Olivia said, pulling her hair up, off of her face. "It's just-" she trailed off. There were a million ways she could end this sentence. 'It's just that I hate having to constantly fight new girls for a second of your attention.' 'It's just that I hate you come to me only when you're bored of whatever new girl you've gotten this time.' 'It's just that I wish it was just you and me.'

"It's just that this place is a lot smaller than Marrimont. There were so many other girls at Marrimont, that none of the guys cared if their girlfriends cheated- two thirds of the time, the guys were cheating too. It's different here. They seemed to be together for a while, and he seemed pissed. I just don't want you getting in over your head," Olivia said, avoiding Ryan's gaze.

"You're my best friend, I worry about you," Olivia said, giving him a small smile. "I just want what's best for you."