If there was anything worse than being dragged out of the Outer Banks for the summer, it was being dragged to camp. A real, sweaty, mosquito-infested, team-building, kumbaya-singing camp in the middle of nowhere.

I had no choice, my dad said, “It’ll build character, Alison.” Right. As if I needed character. I had enough personality to fill an entire yacht. Still, here I was, stepping off the camp bus in low rise denime shorts with a red and white halter top,sunglasses perched on my nose, already plotting how I could fake a twisted ankle and get sent home early.

That’s when I saw him.

He looked like trouble from a mile away. Blonde hair messy, a cocky smirk tugging at his lips, and an oversized duffel slung over one shoulder. He didn’t even glance at the welcome banner or the overenthusiastic counselors waving at us. No, he was too busy lighting a cigarette right there by the bus, until one of the counselors sprinted over and yelled at him.

I rolled my eyes and kept walking.

Turns out, trouble had a name: Rafe Cameron.

I barely survived the cheesy welcome speech before they started shoving paper maps into our hands and announcing the first “team-building activity.”

Great.

“We’re starting with a little adventure!” the camp director beamed. “Each group must navigate to a specific landmark in the woods using only your map. First team back wins free time for the rest of the afternoon!”

I already knew my luck was trash, but it officially bottomed out when they called out my team:

“Group Four: Alison Montgomery, Rafe Cameron, Sarah Matthews, Topper Thornton, and Kelce Radcliffe!”

My stomach sank. Seriously? I glanced sideways and locked eyes with him — the same cocky, reckless-looking guy from the bus — Rafe Cameron. He was lazily twirling his map in his hand like he couldn’t care less. Sarah, blonde with a tight ponytail, Topper, and Kelce — both looking like they thought this was some frat party challenge — completed the nightmare.

“Perfect,” I muttered under my breath.

Rafe smirked. “Don’t worry, princess. I’ll make sure you don’t get eaten by a bear.”

“Trust me,” I snapped, adjusting my sunglasses, “if a bear shows up, I’m pushing you toward it first.”

Topper snorted. “Damn, feisty much?”

Kelce just laughed and slapped Rafe on the back like this was all some big joke.

Without another word, we set off into the woods, clutching our pathetic little paper map and trying not to trip over roots or step in mud puddles. Sarah tried to take the lead at first, marching forward with false confidence, but it became obvious pretty quickly she couldn’t read a map to save her life.

“I think we’re supposed to turn left here?” she said uncertainly, pointing toward a thick patch of trees.

I grabbed the map from her hand. “You’re gonna get us all killed. Give me that.”

Rafe crossed his arms. “Oh, so now you’re suddenly an expert?”

I glared at him “Better than you.”

He snatched the map from my hand but i then snatched it back “I’m not spending the next five hours getting eaten alive by mosquitoes because you think north is wherever your ego points.”