Free Vulnerable by Elise Pehrson

Almost bipolar/split personalities, cries her eyes out every night, pretends like nothing happened, disappears, seems to tremble at the thought of intimacy and almost afraid of physical contact… but she just initiated physical contact… she can fake it? The thoughts drifted him off to another unpleasant sleep, but this time on a rocky lump of Earth. What’s Millie hiding?
                The next morning came far too abruptly. Michael felt like he was getting woken up for a military camp from the sound of the trumpet blaring seemingly right next to his tent. His eyes peeled open and he stared at the sun shining through the red tent rooftop. “TIME TO GET UP!” came a voice from a megaphone. Really? Michael thought.
                He got out and joined the kids and Millie and Brother Raymond. He saw Brother Raymond’s excited face as he found Michael’s presence. He looked away in a self-conscious twist of emotion. Millie looked pale but, other than completely fine, her hair was knotted into a twisted bun at the top of her head and her face glowed with sunlight. Her eyes met the gaze he’d inflicted upon her. Her smile widened and he swore he saw her wink at him, but it might have just been the fact that he’d just woken up.
                He was too groggy to realize what anyone was saying, but he did catch that they were all to go on a hike because by the time he was awake enough to really listen to what people were saying, he was already walking on a jagged path of stone and dirt inclined up a rather steep mountain side.
                “How are you?” Millie came up next to him, her knotted hair bouncing up and down with her stride.
                “I should be asking you that,” he replied. She looked away, but she was still smiling. “You look so great,” he added without realizing it. He felt himself sweat harder and he knew it wasn’t from the exercise.
                She giggled and bit her lip, “Um… thanks… haha.”
                “I mean, haha, you look great and we’re hiking, but you still look great…” I sound like an idiot. She laughed anyway, though.
                “Well… thank you,” she watched the ground and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The rest of the hike was less than ideal—through the rattlesnakes that somehow wriggled their way out of the southern border, the poison ivy incident with the twins ( they’re apparently as identically stupid as well , Michael thought when they decided to take a short cut through the “KEEP OUT” sign), and the poisonous berries incident, which made all of them but two kids, Millie and Michael actually stayed on the hike—but because of all the incidents that occurred, it lasted a lot longer than intended and Michael was able to have one-on-one time with Millie.
                It was lunchtime when they finally made it to the top of the mountain. They all reached into their backpacks to get out the sack lunches Millie had surprised them with apparently that morning. Michael and Millie sat next to two large, oddly shaped rocks a few meters away from the kids.
                “Thanks for the lunch,” Michael said, studying the sack lunch that consisted of a perfectly sliced ham and cheese sandwich on white bread, a plastic bag full of carrot sticks, a small packet of ranch dressing, and a single green and red swirled apple. “It looks delicious.” He gave her an appreciative glance, which she plainly received.
                “I’ve never been so appreciated before.” Her voice was filled with gratitude but had a hint of sadness lining it. She rubbed her forehead swiftly and looked back at him, “You’re kind,” she said, surprised.
                “Um, thanks?”
                “I’m just saying that… I haven’t met many people like you before.” She watched a fluttering Blue Jay passing