Chapter 10:A Night to Remember

The second day of the field trip started early.

Too early, in Caesar's opinion.

He groggily rubbed his eyes as he stepped out of the cabin, blinking at the morning sun. The crisp forest air was refreshing, but the lingering soreness from yesterday's activities made him want to crawl back into bed.

A familiar voice greeted him.

"Morning, nerd."

Blythe stood a few feet away, stretching her arms over her head, looking far too energetic for someone who had also spent half of yesterday running, climbing, and falling into rivers.

Caesar yawned. "Morning."

A loud groan came from behind them as Zach stumbled out of the cabin, his hair messier than usual. He squinted at the sunlight like it had personally offended him.

"Ugh. Why do we have to wake up so early?"

"Because today's our last day here," Blythe said, her hands on her hips. "Let's make it count."

Caesar wasn't sure what she meant by that.

But by the end of the day, he would.

---

By late morning, the students gathered at an open clearing where their instructor stood, arms crossed.

"Alright, listen up!" he called. "For your final activity, you'll be competing in an obstacle course through the forest. You'll work in teams of three, and the first team to reach the final checkpoint wins."

Excited chatter spread through the students.

Blythe turned to Caesar and Zach with a determined glint in her eyes. "Alright, boys, let's win this."

Zach smirked. "I like your confidence."

Caesar sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

---

The course was brutal.

The first section required them to crawl under ropes through thick mud.

Blythe dove in without hesitation, maneuvering through the mess like a soldier in training. Zach followed next, groaning the entire time.

Caesar, reluctantly dropping onto his knees, grimaced as the mud soaked through his clothes.

"This is disgusting," he muttered.

"Think of it as a free spa treatment," Zach joked, wiping mud from his face.

Caesar shot him a glare. "Do you ever stop talking?"

"Nope."

The next section involved balancing on logs to cross a small stream.

Blythe went first, walking across with ease.

Zach followed, arms outstretched dramatically. "Look at me. A perfect example of grace."

Halfway across, he wobbled violently.

Blythe called out, "Don't fall, genius!"

Zach grinned. "Please, I—"

His foot slipped.

With a loud splash, he fell straight into the water.

Blythe doubled over laughing. Caesar sighed.

"You deserved that."

Zach resurfaced, shaking water from his hair. "I regret nothing."

When it was Caesar's turn, he hesitated. The log was narrow, and after watching Zach fall, he wasn't eager to repeat the mistake.

"Come on, Caesar, you got this!" Zach called from the water, still grinning.

"If I fall, I'm dragging you with me," Caesar muttered under his breath.

Zach smirked. "Fair."

Taking a deep breath, Caesar stepped forward, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. His heart pounded as the log wobbled beneath him, but with slow, precise movements, he made it across.

Blythe cheered. "See? Teamwork!"

Zach, still climbing out of the water, rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, real inspiring."

The final challenge was the hardest—a steep, rocky hill leading to the finish line.

Caesar's legs burned as he climbed, gripping onto tree roots for support. Blythe was already ahead, making it look effortless.

Zach, surprisingly, wasn't cracking jokes. Instead, he helped Caesar up when he struggled, offering a hand when the ground became too unstable.

By the time they reached the top, breathless and covered in dirt, Blythe grinned at them.

"We made it."

Caesar, exhausted, muttered, "Never again."

Zach chuckled. "Admit it, you had some fun."

Caesar refused to answer.

---

That evening, after dinner, most of the students returned to their cabins, exhausted from the day's events.

But Caesar, Blythe, and Zach lingered by the lake.

The water reflected the night sky, the surface shimmering under the moonlight. Crickets chirped softly in the distance, and for once, everything felt still.

Zach let out a satisfied sigh, stretching his arms. "I have to admit, this trip wasn't as bad as I thought."

Blythe smirked. "Aw, are you saying you enjoyed hanging out with us?"

Zach scoffed. "Don't push it."

Blythe nudged Caesar. "What about you? Still think this was a waste of time?"

Caesar stared at the lake, watching as the gentle ripples distorted the stars' reflections.

"...It wasn't terrible," he admitted.

Blythe gasped dramatically. "Did Caesar actually enjoy something? Someone write this down."

Caesar rolled his eyes. "Don't make me regret it."

Zach chuckled. "You're different from what I expected, Caesar."

Caesar glanced at him. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing about you."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I thought you were just arrogant," Caesar said honestly. "But you're… more than that."

Zach was quiet for a moment, staring at the water.

Then he smirked. "Careful, Caesar. That almost sounded like a compliment."

Caesar sighed. "Forget it."

Blythe laughed.

For once, there was no teasing, no competition. Just the three of them, enjoying the quiet.

Maybe, Caesar thought, this trip wasn't so bad after all.

---

To Be Continued…