Cherri fell in step beside me, slipped her arm through mine and I said, "Hang on, I forgot something," and slipped away. An excuse, nothing more, and on my return Cherri's accusing eyes fell on me as we started walking again. She stayed a foot away from me and I almost cried, but I had to be strong for both of us. This hurt so bad, but I had no choice. Strong for Cherri at least, if not myself.

We walked in silence until we reached the lakeshore, when Cherri said, "What did I do, Dan?"

I stopped. Cherri turned to me, her face crumpled, no sign of the Cherri I loved.

"What makes you think you did anything?"

She cocked her head to one side, no words necessary, waiting, not giving me an out, just waiting for my reasons.

Finally I said. "You haven't done anything, Cherri."

"Good. So we're best friends still?"

"Sure."

She stared at me, no softness returning to her eyes. "So why the fuck are you being so cold to me, Dani? D'you have any idea how I feel?"

"I'm not-"

Cherri punched me on the chest, knocking air out of me.

"Don't you dare fucking lie to me, Dani Walker. Tell me what's wrong, what I've done to upset you."

"Nothing." Tears stung the back of my eyes and I wanted to turn and run except Cherri's stare rooted me to the spot. "You've done nothing, Cherri."

"I must have. You've changed, Dan, and I want to know why."

I shook my head, tears flowing now. "You haven't done anything, Cherri. It's me."

"Oh baby." Cherri moved toward me and I stepped back, raising my hands.

"No."

"This is what I mean. What's wrong with me!"

"Nothing. But I'm scared."

"What's to be scared of?"

"I can't tell you." How could I?

Cherri's eyes softened, her body relaxing. "You don't have to tell me, babe, I can guess. You don't need to be scared."

I laughed, gulping tears. "Like hell I don't. I don't want to get sent home too."

Cherri laughed. "We won't get sent home."

"No?"

"'Course not. We're not so dumb as to get caught."

My heart thudded in my chest, my head trying to make sense of what she was saying. Did she mean what I thought she did? That wasn't possible. She must mean something else and I was having problems her.

"We can't take the risk. I think we should try and mix with the others some more."

"If that's what you want."

I shook my head, almost giving in, but said, "Might be for the best."

"Whatever, babe. But I'm not giving up on you. I'm not ever giv-ing up on you."

Oh God. My heart tore in two as I watched her walk away, shoulders back, a swing in her step as though she hadn't a care in the world. Watching the girl I loved leave me.

Fate. Sometimes it's a bitch.

I didn't have time to get seriously depressed over our break-up because after dinner Chrissy Simmons wanted us both in her office. I felt like crap standing with Cherri, guilt and misery filling me.

"Thanks for coming," Chrissy said. "Hopefully this won't take a minute."

"You're working late," I said.

"Nothing new. Dani, I'm aware you're on your own in Eagle, and as you two are already good friends I wondered if you'd like to help Cherri move her stuff in."

"Into Eagle?"

"Separate rooms though."

"What?"

Chrissy laughed. "Joking. Only joking. I trust you Dani, you're no... well, no trouble, are you. I need an extra body in Eagle, so unless you've any objections, Cheryl?"

Cherri shrugged. "I guess not. Does Dani snore, d'you know?"

"Snore?" Chrissy frowned, then got the joke. "Not as far as I'm aware. You can move in tonight if you want, or wait until tomorrow."

"Tonight's cool for me," Cherri said, and after making small talk about how our classes were going Chrissy obviously had more important things to do and we left.

We held ourselves in check until we turned the corner of the office block when Cherri yipped and jumped up and down and leapt on my back, her arms coming round to hug me, grabbing a handful of boob. A move I chose to interpret as a pure accident.

"Tonight," Cherri said. "I'm moving in tonight!"

I rolled my eyes. "If you want." Equal parts elated and exhausted. Elated because Chrissy Simmons had made the decision for me and Cherri was moving into my cabin, exhausted because I wasn't sure I could stand much more of the emotional roller-coaster.

"Help me, Dan, we can move all my stuff between us."

We went to her cabin and packed her things and between us carried them to Eagle. Cherri pushed open the door of Tonya and Holly's old room and dumped her stuff on Holly's bed.

"Is this the place, Dan, in here?"

I nodded.

"Cool." Cherri bounced on the other bed. "Did you hear the springs going?"

"Cherri!" My cheeks warmed and I hoped Cherri couldn't read the lie in my face.

"It's a bummer we're not in together, but this is good too. Do you snore?"

"How would I know? I'd be asleep."

"I guess."

Despite my promise to myself one o'clock came and went before we stopped talking and I dragged myself across the corridor to my own bed.

By Friday I had decided to forget about Jack in any way other than as a friend. I couldn't spend my summer pining over someone unattainable; conveniently forgetting that was exactly what I was doing with Cherri, but dealing with Cherri my own way. The decision made, I discovered getting on with Jack much easier without the constant thought of him as a romantic interest. Until what happened late in the day didn't disturb me quite so much. I may never have discovered what Jack had been up to if he'd not made such a song and dance about wanting to do more work after class. I'd checked all the trays and tools were cleaned and laid out to dry, turning the screwtops on all the bottles of developer, when Jack said he wanted to stay on for a while.

"Overtime?" I asked.

"I've got something I need to finish up." His gaze skittered away from mine so guiltily I almost called him out.

"You meeting Sara again tonight?" I shouldn't have asked, couldn't help myself. What Jack did with his time was his own business. I didn't like the edge I heard in my voice.

"I guess. Though I think things are cooling a little."

My head buzzed from all the things that had gone on that day, gone on over my first two weeks of teaching. Tomorrow would be Saturday and I had a free day, wondering what I might doasleep all day, probablyaand I wasn't listening too well to Jack or taking much notice so I just waved a hand and said, "Make sure you lock up when you're done," as I left.

I walked across to the refectory and grabbed a plate of chicken, this time in some kind of tomato sauce, and sat at our table, staring into the space Tonya and Holly had occupied only the week before. The refectory was full, but no one came and joined me even though five spare seats lay to either side, and I guessed Cherri and I might be tainted by what happened. Perhaps they thought we were the same. I smiled over my food. Some chance.

God, I must be more tired than I thought. What was I thinking? Where did that idea come from?

I expected Cherri to come bouncing across to join me but she must have had something else on because I finished eating all I wanted and I was still alone. Beyond the window the evening grew shadowed, the breeze that had been blowing all day dying away together with the light so the lake surface stilled and turned into a dark mirror.

I tidied my plate away and returned to Eagle to grab a quick shower, praying none of the kids disturbed me. One of the major downsides of the washing arrangements, for me, was the lack of even a door on the washroom so I always showered fast before anyone wandered in. Everyone else seemed completely unfazed at showering in front of an audience, but I'd always been shy of my body.

Afterward I went and checked on the brats. Just over half lay on their bunks reading or talking and I spent twenty minutes catching up with their day. None of them had seen Cherri and I wondered if she was with Brian. I tried hard to suppress any jealousy concerning Cherri and Brian, tried real hard, but only kidding myself I didn't care. My emotions plunged and rose on a wild roller-coaster ride; I not only harbored inappropriate thoughts for Cherri, I even fantasized over Brian. His rough nature and tight body had an effect on me, conjuring thoughts I would never have imagined a few weeks before.

I should have done something to take my mind off these irrational notions, but instead I decided a walk along the lakeshore might clear my head. Not looking for Cherri.

I didn't find her, but movement on the edge of the trees caught my eye and without thinkingaor thinking it was Cherri and BrianaI strolled that way. The sun had set, the air grown thick with dusk, color leaching from grass and sky. The figures were shades, someone tall leaning against a tree, another figure kneeling and as I approached I realized with a start what was happening and stopped, heart beating fast, hoping they hadn't seen me.

Could Cherri be blowing Brian? I didn't want to see, but had to find out. I moved sideways, walking softly, the dampening grass aiding silence. As I moved what light remained in the sky fell around the figures and I recognized them with a rush of relief. Not Cherri.

Greg stood with his hands behind his head, leaning back casually, pants and shorts around his ankles, cock jutting pale from a dark splash of hair.

Sara was on her knees, small mouth stretched around the thick-ness of Greg's cock. I remembered how thick he was, still remembered the pain of what I now acknowledged as rape. Sara show-ed no appearance of reluctance, taking as much of his length into her mouth as she could. Her hands gripped his butt, her top loosened to free her breasts which swung and trembled with her movements. All of this for Greg. Whatever pleasure Sara took would come later, or not at all.

I wanted to turn away, wanted to not witness this act of betrayalaJack believed he and Sara were still an itemabut something kept me rooted to the spot as Greg's coarse breathing came across the still evening to me. He lowered his eyes, watching Sara work. His hips pumped, pressing his stiff length deep into her mouth, making her gag but she made no move to pull back, encouraging him on. I'd never witnessed anything so raw, so animalistic, so pornographic, no love or tenderness in the act, only animal need.

Greg lifted his head, bared belly starting to twitch.

Sara offered a muffled groan and tried to swallow him deeper still.

Greg raised his eyes, stared directly at me and grinned, witness to my witnessing, seeing directly into my head, reading the illicit excitement lying within. Then his face grimaced as his climax arrived. He bent over, gripping Sara's hair in his hand, jerking and grunting as he ejaculated into her mouth.

I stepped back once, then again, seeking shelter or shade, seeking redemption of some kind. Greg lifted his head again, grinning even more, knowing I'd seen everything and he didn't care. I turned away, my voyeurism discovered, and ran.

I stopped at the refectory, dark now, catching my breath, afraid Greg might follow, but the night cloaked me, dark and still. As I waited for my trembling to ease I noticed the warning light outside the darkroom glowing, the red lamp above the door to prevent someone inadvertently entering. Perhaps Jack left the light on when he finished. I'd give him hell in the morning. I changed direction to check and make sure he hadn't left anything else out, tried the door and found it unlocked. Jack sat at the same bench I'd left him at, hunched over a tray. He didn't hear me enter, too wrapped up in his work, and I crept behind him and said, "Boo!"

The way he jumped I thought I'd really scared him and I laughed.

"God, Dani, what d'you do that for?" Jack jerked the tray he was leaning over and liquid splashed his tee and jeans.

"Guilty conscience, Jack? What are you developing anyway?" No way I could tell him anything about Sara's infidelity. Maybe they were over anyway, romance flourishing and dying at camp as fast as the life of mayflies.

"Nothing." He turned his back, lifted a print and placed it face down in the water tray, but not before I glimpsed the image. A chill trickled along my spine. "I'll just tidy up and then I'd better split. I didn't realize that was the time."

Jack tried bundling another pile of half a dozen prints into a folder without me seeing and as he moved to slip them under the bench I stepped past him and turned the print back over. I'd been right. The eight by ten black and white showed Sara, though it was hard to concentrate on her face when so much else showed.

"What's this, Jack?"

I held the dripping print up, shocked, but another emotion bubbling up from deep down in the mix too. I couldn't stop staring at the photograph. Sara appeared slimmer than when dressedaand in the photograph she was very undressed indeed. Her waist was nipped, belly flat, small breasts uptilted as she leaned against a moss-coated rock, erect nipples forming peaks rising from soft mounded aureolae. Her deep red hair appeared dark in the print, the neat patch between her legs dark as well.

Jack stared at the print, stared at me, mouth open, the other prints half-displayed where the folder in his hand lay open. More of the same.

"So this is why you wanted to stay behind. To develop... this?" I tried to put outrage in my voice, but I sounded weak even in my own ears.

Jack closed his mouth. Opened it to speak. Closed it again.

"What are you doing, Jack? Do you have any idea what'll happen if the Simmons's discover this? For god's sake, Jack, what are you thinking?"

"It's not so bad, Dani." Jack finally found his voice.

"She's naked, Jack. Bare ass naked!"

"So? Plenty of people take pictures of nudes. Some even consider it art."

I laughed through my nose. "Art? Sweet Jesus, Jack, whatever this is it's not art. How did you get Sara to agree to this?"

Jack seemed embarrassed. "I didn't need to. This was all Sara's idea."

My mouth hung open. I was shocked, but also attempting to pretend to myself I wasn't jealous. I'd accepted I wasn't going to go out with Jack, but I liked him well enough, and even if I didn't want him it was still wrong for him to be taking nude shots of Sara. Shit, my head spun, my stomach too, and I couldn't decide whether to sit down or throw up. In the end I perched on a stool and leaned against the bench. I turned the photograph over to study more closely, instinctively examining the lighting and composition; Sara's long legs too, at their junction her bush hiding the secret of her sex.

I must have stared a long time because Jack said, "What d'you think, Dani? Any good?"