As we set out on the trail, the crunch of leaves beneath our boots and the chirping of birds overhead created a serene soundtrack to our journey. The fresh, crisp air carried a faint sweetness from the forest, but even nature's beauty couldn't completely distract me from the tension simmering beneath the surface.

Kam led the way with the map, and we all followed behind her closely, the group dynamic comfortable yet filled with subtle undertones I couldn't ignore.

Shawn and Nate were deep in a discussion about their engineering coursework, due as soon as we got back to campus, while Jennie was happily snapping photos of the surrounding scenery, marveling at the sights.

Beside me, Finn walked in silence, our shoulders brushing every now and then as we moved along the narrow path. Every accidental touch sent little sparks skittering across my skin, and I found myself smiling, stealing glances at him when I thought he wasn't looking.

However, before I could get lost in the moment, Rachel swooped in, her presence as disruptive as ever.

"Finn, remember that hike we took in Brighton before high school?" she said, her tone a little too cheerful, laced with possessiveness as she hooked her arm through his.

"Yeah, I remember," Finn replied, his smile genuine but brief, his eyes flicking to mine for a heartbeat before he looked back at her. "The trail up to the peak was brutal, though."

Rachel giggled, tightening her grip on his arm. "Aw, it was so fun though. Just like old times, right? We should do this more often, just the two of us." Her gaze lingered on him, her smile almost predatory.

I forced a faint smile and pulled out my phone, snapping pictures of the trees around us to distract myself. Inside, a familiar gnawing feeling crept up my chest.

I wonder if I could ever match the connection Finn has with Rachel. They grew up together from what Shawn says and have been inseparable.

She even came to Harrington University because Finn got in and turned down Oxford University – some devotion. I wonder if he knows she's got a thing for him, surely, he's not that oblivious.

"Have you ever hiked before, Lily?" she asked, her tone dripping with false sweetness.

I glanced up, meeting her gaze, trying to keep my irritation from showing. "Not really," I replied, my voice clipped. I could see what she was doing, reminding me of her history with Finn, playing the role of the sweet friend while driving a wedge between us.

Finn glanced at me, sensing the shift in my tone, but remained silent, as if unsure of how to navigate the tension Rachel created.

As we continued along the trail, I couldn't help but steal glances at Finn, my mind swirling with questions. Did he see me as just a possession, some toy he couldn't part with or was there a possibility for something more between us?

I sighed inwardly. Until he figured it out, I'd have to start drawing a line. I couldn't be toyed with, not like this.

Lost in my thoughts, I almost missed Kam's enthusiastic description of the upcoming scenic spot we were about to reach.

Her excitement was contagious, and it momentarily distracted me from my thoughts.

When we finally reached the scenic overlook, the view took my breath away. The sky stretched endlessly before us, a masterpiece of pastel pinks, oranges, and purples, the horizon glowing with the last remnants of daylight.

"Wow," I breathed, gazing out at the expanse of colours.

"It really is," Finn replied softly, his gaze shifting from the horizon to meet mine.

That warmth spread through me, and just like that, all my resolutions about keeping my distance started to blur.

But then Rachel's voice, as if on cue, shattered the fragile peace between us.

"Hey, Finn, do you remember when we used to come up here during the summers?" She nudged him playfully, her voice loud and obnoxious. "We'd stay out until sunset, just talking about everything."

I turned away, focusing on the colours of the sky, determined not to let her ruin this moment. But she wasn't making it easy.

After the long hike, we trudged back to the cabin, everyone visibly tired from Kam's idea of "a quick stroll" that turned into a three-hour trek.

We make our way back to the cabin, exhausted from the three hour long hike, reminding us never to trust Kam in planning anything.

"Man, my legs are going to hate me tomorrow," Nate joked, stretching his limbs as we walked.

"Tell me about it. I think I've discovered muscles I didn't even know existed," Shawn chimed in, earning nods of agreement from the rest of us.

Kam added, "But wasn't it worth it for that incredible view?"

Jennie shot Kam a stern glare. "Do you have a death wish?"

"I'll get the shovel," I reply, glaring at Kam as well.

"Can we stop joking about murdering my girl, please?" Shawn pulled Kam close, faking a tear. "She's fragile, you guys."

Kam rolled her eyes but hugged him back. "You're all just weak."

We all laughed, and Shawn finally brought up the one thing that could get everyone's energy back up: pizza. "Who's up for ordering pizza?"

"Me!" I shouted immediately.

Everyone perked up, especially Nate, whose stomach growled on cue. "Count me in! I'm starving."

A little while later, the pizza delivery arrived just as we reached the cabin. "Dinner is served!" Shawn announced dramatically, laying out the boxes on the table with a flourish.

Kam glanced at the bottles of alcohol Shawn brought in. "You ordered booze too?"

Shawn grinned. "Of course. Go big or go home, right?"

The rest of the evening passed in laughter and easy conversation, pizza and drinks making the atmosphere lighter. But, as always, Rachel couldn't resist stirring the pot.

"Why don't we play a game?" she suggested with a smirk.

"Sure," Nate smiled, and everyone nodded, moving into the living room.

"Have you ever played the Whisper Game?" She asked.

I really have a bad feeling about this; what could she possibly be up to?

Everyone looked rather confused and there were a few "no" said in response.

Rachel's grin widened as she explained, while sitting beside Finn. "One person whispers a statement about someone in the group to another person. If you want to know what was said, you have to take a shot."

Her eyes flicked toward me briefly, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. She had something planned, something specific.

"Sounds fun," Nate said, and soon enough, everyone agreed. The game began, with Jen whispering something to Nate, who turned to me with a mischievous grin.

"Lily," he called out, his tone playful.

"What did she ask you?" I asked curiously, already sensing Rachel's gaze on me.

Rachel poured a shot and set it in front of me. "If you want to know, you have to drink," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

I stared at the shot for a moment, then sighed and took it, the bitter burn of alcohol sliding down my throat as everyone laughed.

"So, what did she ask?" I finally asked, wiping my mouth.

"Who's your ideal type of girl?" Jen answered with a sly smile.

Nate looked at me, his smirk widening. My face warmed, and I bit back a grin.

"Hey, you asked," he teased, raising his hands in defense.

Everyone laughed—everyone except Finn, whose eyes stayed locked on Nate, his brows furrowing slightly. There was tension there, simmering just beneath the surface, though Nate didn't notice.

Finn's discomfort didn't go unnoticed by me. His usually calm demeanor shifted, a flicker of something darker passing over his face as his gaze locked onto Nate and me. What's going on in his head? I wondered, feeling the tension rolling off him in waves.

Shaking it off, I smiled as Nate leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear, his voice teasing.

"Who makes you laugh the most?" he whispered.

I laughed softly. "You."

The words had barely left my lips when I felt a shift in the air—sharp, like a gust of wind before a storm. Finn's head snapped in our direction, his eyes narrowing, the tension between him and Nate almost palpable.

Shawn, blissfully unaware, shook a cup filled with vodka, grinning. "Any takers?" he asked, the light heartedness in his voice a stark contrast to the growing unease around the table.

Kam laughed, nudging Jen playfully. "Nope, we're good. We can guess."

Before anyone else could react, Rachel sauntered over to Shawn with a smirk, picking up the cup of vodka and downing it without hesitation, her eyes gleaming as they lingered on me.

"So," she said, wiping her mouth, her tone dripping with fake curiosity, "what was the question?"

Nate leaned back, his grin wide and triumphant. "I asked who makes Lily laugh the most."

Rachel's eyes flicked from Nate to me, then back again, like she was calculating her next move. Her lips curled into a sly smile as she set the cup down, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the table. "Ooh, Lily, are you and Nate a thing now?" She pointed between us, her gaze gleaming with amusement, clearly relishing the tension she was stirring.

I froze, my stomach flipping at her words. I glanced at Nate, feeling awkward and exposed under the weight of everyone's stares. Sure, there was something between Nate and me, but it had always been light, playful. Exploring that? I wasn't sure if I wanted to dive into that mess—especially with Finn sitting right there.

"Uh, no. We're just friends," I blurted out quickly, my voice too high, too quick, like I was trying to convince myself as much as the others.

Rachel's eyebrows shot up, her smirk deepening. "Just friends? Really?" She practically purred, leaning forward, clearly sensing blood in the water. "Come on, Lily. You and Nate have been spending a lot of time together, haven't you? I mean," she glanced at Finn, "I've noticed." Her tone was so sweet it made my teeth ache.

I swallowed, trying to keep my composure, but the way Rachel kept prodding was making it hard. "Yeah, we've hung out. But it's not like that," I said, though the words felt flimsy as they left my mouth.

Rachel tilted her head, eyes gleaming with mock innocence. "Really? Because it kind of looks like you two have some chemistry." She cast a knowing look at Nate, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "I've seen it before, you know."

Nate chuckled softly, clearly enjoying Rachel's game, but I could feel the tension growing in the room. And then, without warning, Rachel turned her attention to Finn, her smile widening like she was about to drop a bomb.

"And Finn, you don't care, right?" Rachel asked, her tone saccharine but with a dangerous edge. "You're not worried about Lily and Nate, are you? I mean, they're just friends, after all." She emphasized the last two words, her eyes dancing with mischief as she watched Finn's reaction closely.

Finn's jaw clenched for a brief second, his knuckles whitening where they gripped his glass. His eyes flicked toward Nate, then to me, and I could see the storm brewing beneath the surface. He doesn't like this, I realized, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if it was about Nate or about Rachel's blatant provocation.

But Rachel wasn't done. She leaned back, crossing her arms with a smug look. "I mean, it's not like Lily would ever choose Nate over you, right?" she teased, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "After all, you two have something... special." The way she said it, dripping with sarcasm, made my stomach twist.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Finn beat me to it. His voice, when he spoke, was calm and steady, like he was trying to defuse a bomb before it went off.

"Rachel," he said, his tone gentle but firm, "let's just leave it, okay?"

Rachel blinked, caught off guard by how soft his voice was, as though she was expecting something harsher. She recovered quickly, though, her smirk still in place.

"What? I'm just making conversation," she said, her voice laced with innocence that no one was buying.

Finn smiled faintly, shaking his head. "I know you are, but this isn't a competition. Lily and Nate are friends. You don't have to make a big deal out of it." His eyes softened as he looked at her, trying to disarm the situation without escalating it. "Let's just drop it, yeah?"

Rachel hesitated, her eyes narrowing slightly as she glanced between me and Finn. She was clearly deciding whether to push further, but after a few tense seconds, she sighed dramatically and threw up her hands. "Fine, fine. I'll behave," she said, her smile playful, though I could see the irritation lingering behind her eyes. "Didn't realize we were all so sensitive tonight."

The atmosphere remained heavy, even after Rachel backed down. I could feel Finn's gaze on me for a second longer before he looked away, as if he wasn't sure whether he'd handled that right. And maybe he hadn't. But at least the moment passed without further escalation.

I exchanged a glance with Nate, who simply shrugged, still unfazed, but the tension in the room lingered, thick and uncomfortable. What the hell was Rachel trying to do?

The game had shifted from playful to something else entirely. And in the midst of it all, I wasn't sure where I stood—with Nate, with Finn, or even with myself.

"Alright, let's keep the game moving," Kam interjects, sensing the shift in dynamics. "Who's next?"

Rachel leans into Jen's ear and whispers something, and she starts counting her hands, sending the group into mutual confusion.

"35," she says triumphantly.

Kam pours a shot, her eyebrows furrowed and looks at Jen, "question?"

"What's your body count?" Jen laughs.

I almost choke on air, "35? As in 3 and 5?" I ask.

"Yup," she laughs, "I'm a free spirit, what can I say," she shrugs.

Rachel looks unamused, almost like she's waiting for carnage, and we haven't given it to her yet.

She leans in, a playful grin on her face. "How about we mix things up a bit? This is getting a bit boring," she suggests, her eyes darting around the circle.

"Instead of just whispering, why don't we make it a bit more interesting? We could write truths on slips of paper and draw them randomly, trying to guess who they belong to." She says while scrabbling through the drawers for a notepad.

She finds one and rips out pages and hands slips to everyone along with a pen. After a couple of minutes, everyone seems to have their slips with their truths on them, and she places them into a plastic cup.

"Alright," she starts picking a random paper up, "I'll confess," she reads.

"Hm, seems rather cryptic, confess to what, a crime?" she tilts her head in confusion.

"Well, it can't be Shawn cause Kam will kill him if it's anything serious," I laugh, my eyes glancing at Shawn who throws his hands up, surrendering.

"Oh, that's a given, Rachel maybe," Jen replies looking at her, "Could it be your feelings for someone?" she continues so coolly.

"Darling, if I had feelings for anyone, trust me they will know," Rachel laughs, but you could tell Jen struck a chord with her.

"Ok, who's the perpetrator," Nate says standing up and staring at the group.

"It's me," Kam fesses up, and Shawn's eyes look concerned for a split second "nothing serious, babe," she plants a kiss on his cheek.

"The first week of school, during the party at Bridges," she continued, everyone's eyes glued to her, particularly Shawn.

"I sent Lily a picture, saying I was home but actually, ten minutes or so later, I went to Shawn's," she laughed.

I remember that picture she sent, to let me know she was home safe and then the message Finn received that night from Shawn – who at the time I didn't know – to bunk elsewhere. That was also the first time Finn and I had sex.

"Kamilah Carter," I gasp.

She smiles and blows a kiss, "So when Shawn said for Finn to bunk elsewhere, you were the reason," I laugh.

Rachel chimed in with a smirk twisting her lips into a sneer. "Oh, was that the night you and Finn slept together?" Her eyes landing on me and her finger darting between Finn and me.

Her words cut through the air like a knife, accompanied by a smirk that held a hint of malice. Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she watched my discomfort, relishing in the opportunity to stir up trouble.

My eyes dart briefly to Finn, as Rachel's words sliced through the air, his face betrayed a mask of confidence tinged with a hint of discomfort. But suddenly, a subtle smile played at the corners of his lips, as though he wanted Nate to hear.

Nate takes the cup with the slips from the table, "Moving on," he says, his eyebrows furrowed with irritation, but it looks like he's also hurt.

"I..." he begins hesitantly, his discomfort evident as he reads the note, "...slept with someone in this room," he finally manages to finish, his voice trailing off as he glances around the room.

Everyone didn't bother trying to guess, but I'm hoping my gut feeling is not right.

"It's me," Rachel sing-songs as she walks over to Finn and sits on the arm of the chair beside him, smirking at me.

My eyes widen, and I look at Finn, who is taken aback by her confession, his reaction solidifying my suspicions.

"It was a long time ago anyway, maybe like our first year," she laughs, reminiscing.

Could this be the secret she was referring to earlier? I think I've had enough of these "games." Were they just a way to get at me and show her connection with Finn? Frankly, I don't want to play her game anymore.

"Rachel, what exactly is your problem?" I ask, losing my cool but remaining calm.

Silence falls around the room, and Rachel's smirk faltered for a moment, surprised by my directness. It was clear she hadn't expected me to challenge her so boldly.

"My problem?" She replied, a hint of defensiveness creeping into her tone. "It's just a game, why are you taking things so seriously?"

Finn's discomfort is quite evident, as though he's torn between his past with Rachel and the present tension in the room. But I wasn't about to let Rachel off the hook.

"Game? You know what you're doing," I countered, my calm demeanour contrasting with the intensity of the situation. "If you have something to say, say it plainly instead of playing games."

Rachel's façade of confidence wavered further, her eyes flickering between me and turning to Finn seated beside her. It was a standoff, and I wasn't going to back down.

Before Rachel could respond, Finn interjected, his voice carrying a note of frustration. "Rachel, enough."

His comments shattered something, and her eyes begin to water, and now I'm getting uncomfortable – this bitch is insane.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble," she started, "I just... I wanted to feel included."

Her shoulders slumped, and she wiped at her eyes, trying to compose herself. "I'm sorry, Lily. I shouldn't have made you feel so uncomfortable. It was wrong of me."

Jen and Kam both look confused and disgusted at the situation that has unfolded, briefly looking at me. Kam silently pleads for me to tag her in, so she can give Rachel a verbal lashing.

But Finn's expression softened as he looked at Rachel. Despite the tension, he reached out to comfort her, and she smiles at him, wiping her tears.

"You've got to be kidding me –" I start before I'm interrupted by Finn.

"Lily, come on, she said she's sorry let's just leave it as is," he says, his voice stern and his hand soothing Rachel's shoulder.

I'm left speechless, my disbelief evident as my mouth hung open briefly before I closed it with a sigh. This can't be happening, are we in a Telenovela?

Kam seized the opportunity. "Wow, I'm beat. All this drama is exhausting," she remarked, faking a stretch to lighten the mood. Her gaze briefly flickered towards Rachel, a subtle but pointed reminder of the turmoil she caused.

Jen caught onto Kam's subtle dig and stifled a small chuckle, adding, "Yeah, who needs reality TV when we have our own little show right here?"

With a small smile, I excused myself, "I think I'm going to call it a night."

Making my way upstairs, I glanced back at Finn, my expression a mix of disappointment and understanding.

It was clear that we were on different pages about Rachel's behaviour, and I don't think I'm quite qualified to deal with her if I want to explore my feelings with Finn.