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~Alex~

We drove for hours until we got to a place called Faming Gorge. When we first got there it looked like nothing special, but I was wrong. As Landon and Lexie got the boat off the trailer, Asher, Zander and I were setting up a tent. More like Zander and Asher set up the tent as I tried to figure out how to build a tent.

"I'm sorry I'm not helping." I told them as they were finishing up.

"It's okay, you've never done this before." Said Zander smiling at me. "Can I see your phone?" He asked me.

"Sure." I said handing him my phone. He smiled at the phone and then handed it to Landon and ran at me picking me up.

"I hope you like swimming." He said as he ran towards the lake.

"Zander put me down!" I said, but it was to late. He ran down to the end of the dock and dropped me into the chilly lake.

It wasn't a cold day by any means, it was about ninety degrees, but the lake was still cold. I laughed and floated up to the surface of the water on my back. "I'm glad you took my phone first." I said smiling as I pulled myself up out of the lake.

"You're welcome." He laughed sitting down next to me on the dock. We looked out over the water. "It's pretty up here." He said.

I nodded. "Yeah." I looked over at him, when he wasn't paying attention I pushed him off the edge of the dock into the water.

"I thought it would be warmer." He said floating up to the top of the water. He laughed and swam around.

"Come on guys! Let's go boating!" Called Landon, we had been so busy swimming we hadn't noticed they had got the boat in the water.

Zander climbed out of the water and dried off the best he could. We walked over to the boat getting in with everyone else. Landon started the boat and for awhile we just boated around. The feeling of boating was different, it felt free.

Besides feeling free Flaming Gorge was beautiful. It had red rock surrounding the lake and it all just felt calming. Landon slowed down the boat. "I'm going fishing." He said as he stood up and looked around. "This looks like a good spot."

Lexie stood up and looked over the side of the boat. "How did you two like your swim?" She asked me and Zander.

I shrugged. "A little chilly."

"You should do it anyways." Said Zander smiling as he leaned over and dragged his hand through the water.

"What do you say Asher? Want to take a swim with me?" Lexie asked as she turned to face Asher, who promptly shook his head.

"I'm going swimming." Said Zander taking off his shirt and then jumping over the edge of the boat into the cool water below. Lexie nodded and got in as well.

"Are you not a fan of the water?" I asked Asher turning towards him. Landon was fishing off the side of the boat now.

Asher sighed and walked over to me looking down. "I guess you could say that." He said running his hand through his purple and blur hair. I always wondered why he dyed his hair such outrageous colors, it was worse that Lexie's.

"I almost forgot." Said Zander swimming over to the side of the boat. "Here, put these on the boat." He said handing me his earrings, gauges and snakebites. "I don't want them to rust." He said floating back out by Lexie.

I carefully placed them all inside a compartment where the water couldn't reach them. I then turned back to Asher. "You seem down today."

"Nah, I'm just not a fan of the water." He said. Landon laughed and turned to look at us, Asher glared at him.

"You should go for a swim, it's really nice." I said looking at Lexie and Zander floating out on the water.

"No thanks, but don't let me keep you from going." He said smiling.

"Okay, whatever." I shrugged and got in the lake to join my friends. I watched Asher sit down next to Landon and rest his head on his shoulder. Landon turned and kissed his head. Asher and Landon had never officially announced that they were dating, Asher never officially came out either. As I watched them sit next to each other though, I could tell that they were in love.

＊＊＊

That night we sat gathered around the campfire cooking Landon's fish that he caught. Zander had his guitar out and was softly playing a tune. Asher was staring into the fire thinking about something. Lexie was gone gutting a fish, after I begged her to go away to do it, and Landon was cooking another one.

"Okay I got this on gutted too." Said Lexie walking back over and handing the fish to Landon.

"Thank you very much." Said Landon smiling as always as he started cooking the other fish.

"You never put back on your piecings." I said to Zander observing his face in the flickering fire light. It was dark, we had waited until sunset to start the fire.

He nodded and strummed another not on his guitar. "Yeah... I thought I'd leave them off for awhile." He said turing and smiling at me.

"It's a good look for you." I said smiling. A few minutes later Landon handed us all a piece of fish. The fish was very good, it probably helped that Landon was an expert in everything outdoorsy.

"You know what we should do you guys?" Asked Lexie smiling. "All tell one of our darkest secrets, we could all be closer that way." We all agreed to this even after a minute or two.

"I'll go first." Said Asher sighing softly. "Landon already knows this but, I can't swim and have a terrible fear of water. I've never told anyone before now." He shrugged. "I had such a bad fear of water that when I was younger I couldn't even walk by a pond without crying."

"that explains today on the boat, I'm sorry." I said glancing at him.

"It's fine." He said shrugging. "I've gotten better, well I went out on a boat so." He laughed.

"I'll go next!" Said Lexie, she smiled softly as all out eyes turned on her. "I'm afraid to go to Russia. What if Filipp isn't all that I expected him to be too? I mean I'm engaged but I've never formally met him." She said twirling the ring on her finger.

"I'm sure you'll do fine in Russia, you always seem to fit in where ever you go." Said Zander reassuringly.

"Thanks, that means a lot." Said Lexie softly.

"I'll go next." I said. "Everyday I'm terrified you guys will forget about me. You see, my parents had no time for me and I never really had true friends, and I love you guys all so much." I said looking down.

"How could we ever forget about you?" Asked Landon laughing and smiling. "We all love you."

I smiled and laughed. "Thanks."

"I'll go next, when I was growing up I got bullied by a lot of people because of my sexuality." Said Landon looking around at us. "I used to be suicidal and depressed, I have self inflicted scars on my legs." His smile faded, it was odd to see him being so serious. "I tried to kill myself, but my mom caught me and I never really felt secure with myself until I met Zander and Lexie."

Lexie looked at Landon. "I couldn't even imagine you like that Landon." She said. "You're always so happy."

"I know." Landon's smile returned, "And it's because of you guys."

"I'll go, but then we should go to bed it's getting late." Said Zander smiling. "When I was younger my older cousin... well she um... did some things to me. It really messed me up for a long time, and I'm pretty sure that's why I'm gay because when I was younger I didn't trust women." He shifted, uncomfortable under out gazes. "Guys, will you stop looking at me like that? I don't really want to talk about it." He said standing up and walking back over to our tents.

"To think, I've been his best friend since we were little and I never knew about this. I would never have guessed." Said Lexie softly.

Landon stood up. "I'm going to bed." He said smiling, acting as if what he just heard wasn't weird or anything. He pulled Asher to his feet and walked with him back to their tent.

"I should go to bed too." Said Lexie grabbing a bucket. She filled it with water from the lake and then came back and dumped it on the fire putting it our. I walked back with her. Lexie got in her tent and I want to the one I was sharing with Zander.

"Zander?" I said softly crawling in the tent with him. He looked at me as I laid down beside him. "I know you said you didn't want to talk about it, but I really am sorry." I said kissing his cheek.

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault." He said pulling me close. "Also, it was a long time ago and I barely remember and, a lot worse things have happened to other people." He said.

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Your voice is just one of many in the void." I said and we slowly drifted into sleep.

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