The following day on our hike with Maddie and Maya, I'm surprised by my newfound level of self-control. The entire morning I've fought getting a hard-on in front of everyone, and as we continue climbing up this hill, the harder it seems to get.

All day I've been shocked at how much the simplest things about Maya have turned me on. From watching that ass of hers as she climbed over rocks in those damn fucking short ass workout shorts, to the little beads of sweat that were traveling down between her breasts in her sports bra when she stopped to get a drink. She's kept up with me this entire hike like the bad ass she is, and it's a turn on. Everything is turning me the hell on.

How could it not though after last night? I'm no longer a virgin, and now that I know what sex feels like with her, I want it every damn second. I want to take her up against every surface I'm staring at, and even though my body is tired as hell from this hike, I know that if given the opportunity to take her again, my limbs would resurrect themselves.

We're almost to the top of the hill, which is going to lead us straight to the clearing. Maya, Cameron and I are insanely far ahead of Maddie, so I glance behind me and shout, "Keep up, Maddie. She's making you look bad." And then I selfishly let Maya go ahead of me to look at that sweet ass of hers again.

I know my sister is beyond tired because she can't even make a snide remark. Instead, she's panting and giving us all a dirty look.

"I've got her." Cameron chuckles and then slows up a bit to meet her. "Damn. It's getting to me now."

He's totally kidding, and that makes me laugh before Maya elbows me in the side. Maddie stops walking from being so tired, and since Cameron stayed back to help, Maya and I are alone now.

"I didn't know you were so fit." I tell her. "You seem to be keeping up with us just fine."

"I like to take care of myself." She shrugs. "I'm not into sports, but I do yoga, and I run a couple times a week every morning. You only have one body, you know?"

I nod and secretly reach out to give a quick pinch to her ass because I've been wanting to do it all day, and I'm somehow not surprised when she reaches behind her and grabs onto my semi-thick bulge over my shorts in response.

Good god.

"Already ready I see." She giggles softly, and I'm so grateful that I'm walking directly behind her, otherwise I'm positive Cameron and Maddie would have just seen that entire interaction.

To get to the clearing we have to climb over a few more rocks, and Maya goes first, purposefully sticking her ass out as she leans over.

"Keep it up." I joke. "You won't make it to the clearing if you keep doing that."

She glances behind her, that feisty, sexy girl that I love coming out almost instantly. "Maybe I don't want to." She smiles, and if it weren't for her jumping over the rock, I would have grabbed her by the waist to pull her into me.

"Oh my god, it's so pretty up here, Maddie! Come on, you have to see!" She shouts behind her, but Maddie is still stuck on the hill with Cameron. I narrow my eyes when his hand goes onto her back, passing her his water bottle to drink out of.

Maya calls me over to interrupt my thoughts though, so I finish climbing over the rock to stand beside her, appreciating the canyon all over again, but this time it's because I'm enjoying it with my dream girl. For whatever reason it makes it that much prettier.

The sky is such a piercing blue that I have to shade my eyes to take everything in. The golden brown of the rocks is dancing beneath us, and when I glance over at Maya, who is wide-eyed from being so in awe, I find myself falling in love with her all over again.

"This is my first time seeing this." She smiles softly. "I've lived in Arizona my entire life, but my family could never afford to come here. This is so much better than the pictures in textbooks, you know?"

I nod. "Makes you feel like a kid, doesn't it? Seeing something for the first time?"

"Yeah. My dad would love this place. He's really into nature and that kind of stuff."

"You should take a picture for him then, right? I'll take one for you."

Reaching into the waistband of her shorts, she withdraws her phone and sends me a grateful smile. I take a couple steps back so that I can get a good background for her, and I smile when she poses— her arms high up in the air with one leg crossed over the other. The canyon makes her short self seem even tinier.

"Ready?" I call out.

"Do I look okay?" She asks.

Dropping the camera for a second, I let my eyes linger on hers, taking in all of her beauty. It feels like I'm in a dream that I'm here with her and that she might actually be mine. I know we have her parents to worry about, and Maddie when she finds out, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes in order to never lose her. I'm marrying this girl. I know it.

Realizing I still haven't said anything, I clear my throat and say, "you're perfect." And readjust the camera to take a couple snapshots of her. She's still smiling when I walk over to give her the phone back. "What?"

"I just love the way you look at me." She gushes and takes the phone back, spinning the camera around to face us. "Come here. Take a picture with me."

I glance hesitantly over at Maddie, but she rolls her eyes and pulls me towards her. "She's talking to Cameron, and even if she does see, I don't care anymore."

Any chance to be close to Maya again I'm taking, and it feels good to know that she doesn't care anymore if Maddie knows. It makes me think that this thing between us that was supposed to be just fun for right now is becoming more serious, and I'm thankful it's not just me that's feeling it.

I wrap my arms around her waist, and I'm bold when I press my lips to her cheek. I don't care if Maddie sees anymore either, and I smile into her cheek when I hear that tiny giggle of Maya's come out, placing a streamline of butterfly kisses down her neck after she's done taking the photos.

"Ethan!" She laughs and tries to wriggle out of my grasp. "Stop. I'm sweaty!"

"You act like that would ever stop me." I chuckle, but I reluctantly let her go and watch as she runs over to Maddie, who thankfully had her back facing towards us this entire time. They take a selfie together, and then she takes a picture of Cameron and I before she spots a rock a few yards away, tugging Maddie along with her to get more photos.

I hang back with Cameron, rolling my eyes when he sends me a smug grin. "I saw all of that, by the way."

"Good," I laugh. "Because I don't care anymore. I'm whipped as hell for her, Cameron. I'm marrying that girl. Mark my words."

He watches my face as I stare across the clearing at her, and instead of saying something Cameron-like he says, "something tells me that you're right about that, and I'm happy for you, man. I know I haven't always been the type of guy to support being whipped, but since I met this girl, you know, mystery girl, I've started to think a lot differently, and I-"

"Ethan!" I hear Maddie's voice echo towards me, and when I turn my head she has a huge smile on her face. "It's about damn time!"

Wait what?

Maya nods her head to verify my thoughts just as Cameron adds, "Maddie told me she knew the night at dinner about you two. She was just waiting for you guys to tell her."

She's not pissed?

"You're cool with it?" I call out, and she shrugs her shoulders, making the huge secret that was sitting on my chest seem so small. I thought she would pitch a fit, but instead she's... happy for us, which doesn't seem right. I know my sister, and normally, she would be livid.

Regardless of that though, she's happy, and I'm not going to question it. Now that she's out of the way, all I have to worry about is Maya's parents, which will be the biggest feat.

I'm about to reply to Cameron, but just as I'm about to say something, I see Maddie stumble backwards on the rocks. She falls down hard, her foot going directly between two of them. She throws her head back in agony, and the bone-chilling cry that escapes her mouth makes all of the hairs on my body stand on end.

"Maddie, hold on!" Cameron sprints immediately towards the other side of the clearing, and it takes my body a few seconds to catch up to my brain, but eventually my legs are able to run over with him.

Maddie is clutching onto her ankle, the tears pouring endlessly down her cheeks. She's crying so hard that she's hyperventilating, and my anxiety has already spiked so high that I can't even think straight. 

"Fuck, I can't look at it." She sobs. "I just want it out!"

Tugging at her ankle again, it doesn't budge. I can already see how swollen her leg is getting, and as the seconds tick by, I know we need to act fast, but my body is unable to move. My anxiety isn't allowing me to do anything.

"Should I call 911?" Maya asks, and just at the sound of her voice, I'm able to think clearly just for a second.

"Yeah." I nod. "Let them know the trail we're on. Tell them we're at the clearing."

Not wanting her to hurt herself too, I grip her by the waist and make sure that both of her feet are firmly on the ground before I focus back in on Maddie again.

I don't know what to do. How are we supposed to get her foot out? Will the ambulance be able to find us? How are they supposed to hike all the way up here? Oh god, she's going to have to be mercy flighted, isn't she?

My parents are going to blame me forever. It'll somehow end up being my fault — it always is. I'll be forever remembered as the son who was irresponsible to suggest such a dangerous hike in the first place.

"Hey," Cameron seems to do what I can't, dropping down onto both knees to become eye level with her. "You're going to be okay, alright? I'll make sure of it."

"W-what if they can't get it out?" She splutters, and then Cameron... grabs onto her chin?

"They're going to get it out." He says in such a calm voice that even I'm starting to relax. "Baby, breathe."

The nickname sends me spiraling. For a second I don't think I heard him right, but from the instant panic that rises into Maddie's eyes, suddenly everything falls into place.

"What the hell did you just call her?" I look at Cameron, and the guilt in his expression is all I need to see.

It's true.

The reason he's been so secretive, the reason he hasn't been able to hang out, the reason he's pushed me away for the past two months almost. It's because he's been screwing my sister.

Has everyone in my life been lying to me? This entire time I've been so naive not to catch on. How didn't I see this coming? And Maya! She knew! Didn't she? I've been lied to by literally everyone around me. My parents, my dream girl, my sister, my best friend. At this point, I don't even know what's true anymore.

My hands are shaking, but this time it's not from anxiety, it's from anger.

"Ethan...." Cameron tries to explain himself, but before he even gets another word out, I shove him back with my hands.

"Mystery girl is fucking Maddie?" I seethe. "My little sister?"

I thought we were closer than this. I thought he would have the decency to tell me who it was that he's been fucking, and almost as if he knows he fucked up, he allows me to shove him again, not putting up a fight at all. That only makes me angrier.

"You fucking lied to me! To my face! For months!" I scream, but my anger isn't just directed towards him. It's towards Maddie, my parents, Maya... it's towards everyone who keeps putting on a fucking act.

I shove him again, but this time Cameron reaches his arms out to stop me. "I didn't know how to tell you. It just happened... and I-"

Before I even realize what I'm doing, I punch him square in the face, sending him directly to the ground. It just happened? How the fuck does it just happen? Fucking random girls is one thing, but bringing my sister into the mix is where I draw the line. Cameron isn't made for monogamy. It's not in his vocabulary.

"There's no service!" Maya shouts as Maddie continues to sob, and in seconds I feel Maya's presence beside me. I can't even look at her though from how pissed off I am. "What the fuck is going on?"

I'm panting heavily as I continue to stare down at Cameron, who isn't moving an inch. I'm assuming it's because he doesn't know if I'll punch the shit out of him again.

"Okay," Maya sighs and runs her fingers through her hair out of frustration. "Whatever the hell you need to figure out needs to be done later. We need to help Maddie. You guys need to try and move the boulder."

"Move the boulder?" I hiss, and I can't help the animosity I'm spewing towards her. She lied to me too though, and I hate that it hurts more than Cameron lying to me. "How the fuck are we supposed to do that?"

"Fucking try!" She snaps. "She's your fucking sister, Ethan."

I know my priorities aren't where they're supposed to be right now, but what else am I supposed to do? The biggest player of all time is screwing my sister. Oh my god! The fucking thong was hers? I touched my sister's thong?

I'm going to be sick.

"Just... wait." Cameron spits blood onto the sand and shakily stands to his feet, walking over to a random piece of wood on the ground He grips it firmly and walks back over. "Okay, I'm going to try and..." he pushes it underneath the boulder, and Maddie seems to sigh in relief.

"I can feel a difference." She sniffles.

"Okay, Ethan just help me push it." He says.

I have to do this because it's my sister that's in trouble, but I swear to god, if this were any other reason, I would have left him high and dry. I want nothing to fucking do with him anymore.

"Don't fucking talk to me." I warn, but go to push the boulder while Cameron uses the piece of wood for leverage. After a couple attempts Maddie's ankle is finally freed, but just the sight of it makes me nauseous. It's black and blue already — so swollen that it looks like a fucking golf ball.

"Holy fuck." I say.

"What?" She asks and gasps when she inspects it, the tears falling immediately onto her cheeks again from the pain.

"We've gotta get you to a hospital." Cameron says, and then he had the audacity to pick her up into his arms.

"Absolutely fucking not." I jump towards him and go to tug her out of his grasp, but the movement causes Maddie to shriek out in pain. At the sound, Cameron's eyes grow darker than I've ever seen them, and I get even more pissed from how protective he is over her. How far has this fucking gone between them?

"Fuck off!" Cameron tightens his grip on her, spitting each and every word of his tongue with pure venom. "She needs to go to the fucking emergency room and you're that worried about the fact that we're together? That is what is bothering you right now? Fuck out of here."

He leaves me alone as he walks briskly back to the start of the trail with Maddie still in his arms, and I'm so fucking mad that I'm fuming. I'm mad because I'm not being the brother she needs me to be right now. I'm mad because I can't think about anything else but her getting her heart broken by him — which will happen.

Even if Cameron is truly into her, he can't just change overnight. He's still going to have playboy tendencies, and it won't be long before he gives into his familiar urges and hurts her. Then what? Then I lose my best friend? Then I have to stop having him around because Maddie will be home? I'll have to avoid having them in the same room for life?

Cameron is my brother. Maybe not by blood, but that's how I've always viewed him. Despite that though, I'll have to choose Maddie over him if something were to happen, and the thought terrifies me. I can't choose between the two. They both mean the entire world to me.

Let's just choose between everything now in my life, right? Do I want to live with my mom or dad when they divorce? Do I want to pick Maddie or Cameron when they break-up?

Life is fucking shit right now.

"Ethan." Maya whispers hesitantly, but when my eyes meet hers, she takes a cautious step back. Does she think I'm going to hurt her? "I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but Maddie is my best friend, and-"

"You lied to me." I tell her, blinking quickly to try and keep my tears at bay, but I'm so hurt, and my anxiety is so fucking bad, I can't stop them. "I would have expected it from anyone else, but I thought you were always honest. That's the one thing I knew to be true. Everyone else around me has been so fucking flaky lately, but I thought that I could count on you, and maybe that was my fault, but I-"

"You can." She blinks away tears of her own and reaches for my arm, but I tug it away.

"You have no idea what I've been going through. Cameron dropped me since he started fucking my sister, and my parents-" I heave out a sigh and close my eyes. "It doesn't matter. I just thought that what we had between us was the only real thing going for me, but even you lied to me, Maya, and I don't think you realize just how upsetting that is."

"Ethan, please." She begs, but I shake my head and go to head back towards the trail. I can't be around anyone right now.

Maya has no choice but to follow behind me, and I may be pissed off to no extent, but that doesn't stop the love I have for her. I still want her to be safe, so I tentatively wrap my arms around her waist to help her over the rocks. She gives me an odd look but accepts the help anyways, and as soon as she leans into my grasp, just her scent makes me breathe a sigh of relief, my stress dissipating ever so slightly.

"Just give me some time to retain all of this, alright? Just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean I've changed my mind."

She nods and leans up to run her thumb across my bottom lip, but I remove it to press my lips gently against hers. As mad as I may be, I can't stay mad at her. I don't think I ever could.

"I'm sorry." She whispers, and even though everyone in my life has lied to me, even her, I somehow think that right now, she's the only one telling me the truth.

A/N:

Ahhhhh ok what did you think?!

Do you understand a little bit more about why he was so angry?

The rest of the story will be going behind the scenes a little bit into what happened during Maddie and Cam's split, etc. kind of like bonus chapters :) I'm excited to release the rest!!

As always, please comment and vote!!

See you Thursday :)