It had been an unusually lively morning at Camp Campbell, mostly thanks to the new camper who’d arrived that week. They were loud, confident, and had immediately decided that Max was going to be their personal project.

Unfortunately for everyone, that meant nonstop flirting.

“Hey, Max~” the camper cooed as the group walked toward the mess hall. “You always look so serious. You should smile more! You’d be cuter if you smiled.”

Max’s face twitched like he was holding back the urge to commit arson. “Yeah, well, I’d be happier if people stopped talking to me.”

That didn’t stop them. If anything, it made them more persistent. Neil and Nikki exchanged looks behind them — one amused, the other terrified. You walked beside Max, watching his patience visibly erode with each word the new camper said.

“Come on, don’t be shy,” they teased again, brushing against his arm. “You’re just playing hard to get, right?”

Max stopped walking. The entire group froze with him.

He turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing in that deadpan, barely-suppressed fury he’d mastered over the summers. “Oh my god, are you seriously that delusional?”

The camper smirked. “Aww, don’t pretend. I can tell when someone likes me.”

And then, before anyone could blink, Max spun toward you — grabbed your face — and kissed you.

The world went dead silent.

Neil dropped his notebook. Nikki gasped so hard she almost inhaled a bug. Even the birds seemed to stop mid-chirp.

The new camper’s grin evaporated instantly, replaced with stunned disbelief. Max pulled away after a second, glaring right past them with that sharp, defiant look that could cut glass.

“There,” he said flatly, brushing his sleeve across his mouth. “See? I’m not into you.”

You stood frozen, every nerve in your body buzzing, while everyone else just stared — half in shock, half waiting to see what would happen next.

David’s voice faintly echoed from across camp, cheerful and oblivious as ever. “Campers! Breakfast time!”

But no one moved.

All eyes were still on Max… and you.