The students sat around the remains of the campfire after the teacher with the guitar finished playing, a weary silence falling over the clearing as Kofi held a half-eaten, charred marshmallow on a stick. Thea sat beside him, her gaze fixed on the dying embers with her own marshmallow completely forgotten, and across from them, Nina and Ruby were in a low, intense discussion about the structural integrity of their s'mores while Jake listened intently, nodding as if they were discussing important state matters.
'Well, this wasn't a complete disaster,' Kofi thought, looking around at his small group of friends. 'No one cried, except maybe Thea in the woods, and Jake hasn't mentioned bread in at least six hours, so I'd call that a win.'
He remembered Thea walking back into the firelight earlier, her face pale but her eyes clear, and he recalled wanting to ask if she was okay before Nina gave a subtle, sharp shake of her head.
