Church Camp PT. 3

***** 

Everyone gathered around the camp fire to celebrate the end of an enjoyable weekend. They ate, played games, told scary stories, and sang their hearts out. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives, but Jesse was immune to the jubilant mood. Normally, he would be in the thick of things, but he hadn’t been able to shrug off his bad mood, even though Malcolm had taken his warning to heart and steered clear of Violet.

He sat on the fringes, observing, rather than engaging. His aggravation steadily increased as he watched his peers approach her throughout the night. He had never noticed how many male gazes followed her. Josiah tried to teach her how to play the guitar and spent a ridiculous amount of time positioning her fingers to play a range of chords. He could tell after ten minutes, Violet was over it, though she let Josiah talk to her for another ten minutes before she excused herself.

When she made her way to the fire where they were making s’mores, Rhett offered her one of the toasted marshmallows on his stick. Violet reached for it eagerly, eyes widening when he pulled it back. Jesse eased to the edge of his seat as he waited to see what Rhett was up to. He half rose as Violet yanked the marshmallow off the stick with her mouth, which was obviously the condition Rhett had issued for her to have it. He took a step forward, ready to push Rhett into the fire, when Violet threw her head back and laughed as she tried to eat the marshmallow. He stopped and glanced around to see if Isaac or any other male thought what was happening was inappropriate, but everyone else was having a great time.

He ran his hand through his hair before he retook his seat. What the hell was wrong with him? His friends weren’t trying to lure her out into the woods to have their wicked way with her. They were being overly attentive and toeing the line, but not anything that warranted getting their noses broken. That didn’t mean he had to like it. He watched the guys attempt to lure her into a game and have her on their team. Violet declined and didn’t seem to notice their poorly concealed disappointment. She was too naive to read anything into their offers than friendliness, but he knew better.

He was glad when she walked over to the women. Violet chatted with the girls, but it didn’t take long for some of the guys to make their way over. Miles offered his hoodie when she rubbed her arms. Jesse shot to his feet, blood rushing in his ears. There was no way in hell, Violet was going to wear some other guy’s hoodie, but Violet took the matter out of his hands when she said she was tired and decided to go to bed.

It took a few minutes for reason to cut through the red haze. He was angrier than he had ever been in his life. He was so pissed, if any of his friends came over to him, he wouldn’t hesitate to put them in a chokehold. What the hell was happening to him? He closed his eyes and tipped his head back as he tried to calm himself. He’d always prided himself on being pragmatic and mature. He was neither of those things right now. He was livid and wanted to ram his fists into something to take away the fire in his blood. He wanted violence. Why? Because Violet almost put on another guy’s hoodie.

He opened his eyes and stared through the maze of branches to the twinkling stars, and tried to think past his rioting emotions. He had always been protective of Violet, but this was something else. Something dangerous. Why did the sight of another guy touching her drive him into a rage?

He heard the chair beside him creak as someone dropped onto it before he heard, “You’ve been in a foul mood.”

“So you should leave me to it,” he growled.

“Want to talk about it?” Logan asked cheerfully.

He clenched his jaw against the compulsion to fling his friend into the trees. “No.”

“Do you want me to pray for you?”

He raised his head and glared at him. “No.”

Logan drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair as he said, “Malcolm told me you threatened him.”

He tensed. “It was a warning.”

“You really think he was out of line with Violet?” Logan asked with a frown. “He’s a good guy. It may have looked bad, but—”

“Don’t, Logan. I saw him.”

“He did it with others around. No one else thought what he did was inappropriate.”

“No one was paying attention. I was.”

“Is Violet upset?”

“She has no idea what he was doing. I do. I’m a guy.”

Logan sighed and stretched his legs out. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, but Violet’s more than capable of standing up for herself if she was uncomfortable.” He eyed Jesse’s dark expression and sighed. “You have your work cut out for you if you want to ensure no guy oversteps himself. What are you going to do, hide in the bushes when she goes on dates?”

“Who said she’s going to date?”

Logan stared at him. “Are you hearing yourself?”

“She’s fifteen!”

“Sixteen next month.” He held up his hands when Jesse tensed. “Don’t kill me. I’ve known you two for years. Why wouldn’t I know her birthday? We’re just one year difference, and you’ve been dating for years.”

“She’s a girl. It’s not the same,” he muttered.

“How old does she have to be before you let her date, dad?” Logan dodged the soda can he hurled at him. “Now, now. No littering or we’ll get fined.”

He surged to his feet. “I’m going to bed.”

“You do that. I’ll sit here and pray for you.”

Jesse muttered under his breath and blinked rapidly so his eyes would adjust to the darkness as he made his way through the maze of tents. He unzipped his and fumbled with his phone for light before he flopped on his back, hands folded behind his head as he lay on his sleeping bag.

Logan’s words knocked around in his head. The thought of Violet going on a date made his insides go into mad revolt. Violet had never shown interest in his friends or talked about any boy in school that she had a crush on. She wasn’t like other girls who wanted boyfriends to hold their hand during recess or make out behind the gym after school. Just the thought of it made him break out in a sweat. He groaned and ran his hands down his face. What was happening to him? Why did the thought of anyone asking her out make him feel like a demon was trying to erupt from his chest?

He clocked his racing heart and the fact that every muscle in his body was locked down. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want other guys touching her. He didn’t want her wearing their hoodies or having another guy feed her when she…

**This is a raw draft of the prequel for Corrupt Idol. Please do not share or distribute.

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