For a moment they just stood outside the cabin.
The night air was cool now, and the sounds of the camp had settled into a quieter rhythm. The fire pit was still alive somewhere in the clearing, the faint glow flickering between the trees along with the low murmur of voices.
Ray finished his cigarette and flicked the butt into the dirt, crushing it under his shoe.
Kate glanced toward the direction of the fire.
"Wanna see if the others are still alive?" she asked.
Ray shrugged lightly.
"Sure."
So the two of them started walking toward the campfire.
The dirt path between the cabins was dimly lit by the moon and the occasional porch light, and the sounds of the fire grew clearer as they got closer.
By the time they reached the clearing, the party from earlier had mostly died down.
Most of the campers had already wandered back to their cabins, leaving only a small group sitting around the fire.
The flames crackled softly, lighting the clearing with warm orange light that flickered across the surrounding trees.
Jake was still there, of course.
He sat on a log with a beer in one hand and the other arm hanging loosely over Liam's shoulders like the two of them had been sitting that way for hours.
Marco sat a little farther back, quietly staring into the fire like he was deep in thought.
Emma leaned against one of the logs with her legs stretched out, lazily spinning an empty bottle between her fingers.
Dylan was sitting on the ground near the fire, poking the burning wood with a long stick like he was personally responsible for maintaining it.
Jake looked up first when he heard footsteps.
His eyes squinted toward them through the firelight.
"Well look who finally decided to join society!" he shouted.
Liam turned his head slowly, clearly a little drunk, trying to focus on the two figures walking toward them.
"Ray… and the red menace," he said lazily.
Emma lifted an eyebrow.
"You two disappeared for like three hours," she said.
Dylan glanced up from the fire with a smirk.
"Yeah," he added. "Suspicious."
Jake's eyes suddenly widened with drunken excitement.
"OH SHIT!"
He pointed dramatically at them.
"They definitely fucked."
Marco slowly lifted his head.
Jake nodded like a detective who had just solved a murder.
"Called it."
The fire crackled loudly in the sudden silence while everyone looked between Ray and Kate, waiting for a reaction.
Kate didn't even hesitate.
She looked straight at Jake, completely unfazed by the teasing.
"Yes, we fucked—"
For a split second the group froze.
Then she turned her head toward Ray.
Ray was already smiling.
"—your mother, Jake," he finished.
For a moment there was complete silence around the fire.
Then Liam burst out laughing.
Emma nearly dropped the bottle she was holding.
Marco covered his face with one hand, shaking his head while trying not to laugh.
Even Dylan snorted quietly from where he sat by the fire.
Jake stared at them both like his brain had just short-circuited.
"Wow," Emma said between laughs.
"Jake, you walked right into that."
Jake waved a dismissive hand like their answer hadn't mattered at all.
"Yeah, yeah, very funny," he said, pointing at them again.
But instead of backing down, he leaned forward like he was about to explain a very serious scientific discovery.
"No, listen," Jake continued, clearly determined. "You two definitely fucked."
Ray and Kate walked over and sat down on one of the logs near the fire, close enough that the warmth of the flames brushed against their legs.
Neither of them looked particularly bothered.
If anything, they looked amused.
Jake, however, was just getting started.
"I mean think about it," he said, gesturing wildly with his beer. "You disappear for three hours, come back looking all calm and mysterious—"
Liam groaned.
"Oh my god, Jake."
But Jake ignored him completely.
"And now you're sitting next to each other like that!"
Ray leaned back slightly, resting his elbows on his knees while listening to the drunk detective work.
Kate sat beside him, equally relaxed.
Neither of them interrupted.
They just let Jake continue explaining his theory while the rest of the group listened with various levels of amusement.
Jake was still mid-speech when Ray spoke.
"I guess you could say she fucked… my brain up."
For a moment the fire cracked softly while everyone processed what he had said.
Ray glanced sideways at Kate for a second.
Kate stared back at him, clearly not expecting that comment.
Then Emma laughed.
"Oh my god," she said, shaking her head.
Liam pointed a finger at Ray like he had just delivered a brilliant punchline.
"Now that was smooth."
Marco chuckled quietly, leaning back against his log.
Jake squinted suspiciously at the two of them again.
"That's exactly what someone who fucked would say," he muttered, refusing to abandon his theory while the rest of the group continued laughing around the fire.
Kate blinked at him.
For a second she looked completely confused, like her brain was trying to catch up with what he had just said.
Then the realization hit her.
"Oh—Star Wars, you mean!"
She looked back at him, her expression suddenly brightening as the pieces connected in her head.
Ray nodded slowly, trying to keep a straight face.
Emma laughed again.
"Wait," she said, looking between them. "You two spent three hours watching Star Wars?"
Jake leaned back dramatically, throwing his hands in the air.
"THIS is worse!" he shouted.
Liam groaned loudly.
"Oh my god, Jake, relax."
Marco shook his head with a quiet smile while Dylan poked the fire again with his stick.
Jake, however, looked personally offended.
"You're telling me you disappeared for three hours to watch movies?" he said.
Ray shrugged calmly.
"Life-changing movies," he replied.
Ray leaned back slightly on the log, still watching the fire.
"And I'm telling you," he said dramatically, "I'd choose Anakin becoming a war criminal over you guys any day."
For a moment there was silence.
Then Emma burst out laughing.
Liam nearly choked on his drink.
Marco shook his head again, clearly entertained.
Even Dylan let out a quiet snort while poking the fire.
Jake looked genuinely offended.
"WOW," he said loudly.
"Wow."
He pointed at Ray like this was a personal betrayal.
"You watch three movies and suddenly you're siding with the war criminal?"
Ray shrugged casually.
"Only Sith deal in absolutes, Jake."
Liam leaned forward.
"Oh no," he said.
"He's gone."
Emma wiped a tear from laughing.
"Kate," she said, pointing at Ray. "You broke him."
Jake looked between them again, still refusing to give up his original theory.
"Still fucked though," he muttered stubbornly.
Kate didn't even hesitate.
"Yes, Jake," she said calmly, leaning back slightly on the log. "Your mom was very happy to lend us a hand."
Jake stared at her.
For a moment his face was completely blank, like his brain had simply stopped processing information.
Then he pointed at her in disbelief.
"Are you—are we still doing this?" he asked. "Still about my mom?!"
Emma was already laughing again, leaning forward with her hands on her knees.
Liam slapped Jake on the shoulder.
"Man, you walked into that one twice."
Marco shook his head slowly, clearly amused while watching the whole exchange unfold in the firelight.
Even Dylan cracked a small smile as he poked the fire again with his stick.
Jake looked around the group like he had been personally betrayed by everyone present.
"You're all enjoying this way too much," he muttered.
Ray sat beside Kate, a beer still in his hand… trying not to laugh while the fire cracked softly in front of them.
A few calmer moments passed around the fire.
The group had settled again, the earlier laughter fading into quiet chatter while the flames cracked softly in the center of the circle.
Then Jake suddenly straightened up.
"We should play bottle!" he announced.
Everyone looked at him.
Ray stared at him for a second.
Then, without saying a word, he grabbed a beer from the cooler beside the log.
He popped it open and downed a long drink.
"Definitely not playing that sober," he muttered.
The group chuckled.
Ray reached down again, grabbed another bottle, and handed it to Kate.
She took it without hesitation.
Kate twisted the cap off and took a drink as well, clearly deciding that if this game was happening, she wasn't going into it unprepared.
Jake grinned widely.
"Oh this is gonna be good."
A bottle of vodka was placed in the middle of the circle as everyone moved off the logs and sat down on the ground around the fire.
The flames flickered between them, casting dancing shadows across their faces while the night air cooled the clearing.
For a moment everyone just looked at the bottle.
Then Kate leaned forward and grabbed it.
"Alright," she said.
She spun the bottle.
It rolled across the dirt between them, wobbling slightly before slowly coming to a stop.
The neck pointed straight at Jake.
A grin immediately spread across Kate's face.
"Well well," she said.
"So, truth or dare?"
Jake didn't even think about it.
"Dare," he said proudly, throwing his arms out slightly.
"Of course I'm not a pussy!" he shouted.
Kate tilted her head slightly, pretending to think for a moment.
"Alright," she said.
"You need to kiss Emma on the left cheek five times…"
Emma raised an eyebrow immediately.
"…and at the end say, 'Thank you, my princess.'"
For a moment the group stared at Jake.
Then Liam burst out laughing.
Marco covered his mouth, already trying to contain it.
Emma leaned back slightly, looking between Kate and Jake with an amused expression.
Jake blinked.
"That's it?" he said confidently.
He scooted a little closer to Emma.
Emma crossed her arms, already smiling like she was enjoying the situation.
Jake leaned in and quickly kissed her cheek.
"One."
Another kiss.
"Two."
The group was already snickering.
"Three."
Emma was trying not to laugh now.
"Four."
Jake paused for dramatic effect before the last one.
"Five."
He leaned back slightly and lifted his hand like he had just completed a heroic task.
"Thank you, my princess."
The fire erupted in laughter around them.
Emma brushed her cheek lightly with the back of her hand, still smiling.
"Camp Willow Creek's White Knight," she said with mock admiration. "How charming."
Jake gave her a small bow from where he sat before scooting back to his spot in the circle.
"Thank you, thank you," he said proudly.
Liam clapped slowly, clearly enjoying the performance.
Marco leaned back slightly while Dylan nudged the bottle back toward the center of the circle with his foot.
The fire crackled softly between them as the warm light flickered across their faces.
Ray sat beside Kate, watching the group while the game continued.
And judging by the looks everyone was giving each other now.
The next round was only going to get worse.