for a while it was heavenly. you and piper and all the feelings, all the shared moments. sitting among strawberry fields, plucking ripe berries fresh and exchanging juice-sweetened kisses. holding hands as the fireworks lit the sky, exchanging gazes. laughing in cabin 10, eyes sparkling. it was perfect. you were perfect together.

and then it ended, with no warning, with no reason. you went home, as the summer came to its end. you said goodbye, like every other year. and then your messages to piper were just never read, calls were never answered. you tried to contact her in every way you could think of and none worked. you wondered if anything happened. you wondered if piper found someone else. you wondered about tons of different things and couldn't find any answers.

and then the summer approached again. and then here piper was again in the camp. she went past you without a word, and you couldn't find any either. it hurt, it stung. and for a few days, it went like this, not a breath exchanged between the two of you. until your friends suggested an idea, something to make piper jealous.

it was childish maybe. but at least you would know if piper even cared. so there were you at the campfire, flirting with someone for the whole camp to see, for piper to see. somehow, despite all the hurt you nursed for piper's silence, doing this still felt like a betrayal.

but it worked, you could tell even before piper showed up at your cabin's doorstep. you felt her eyes on you for the rest of the evening. standing in front of her now, you just got the confirmation. "what was that?" piper's tone and expression were hard to read, but you could hear jealousy laced thickly in her voice. as if she weren't the one who's been ignoring you all this time.