“You okay? Looked like you hit your head on the way down.”
I nod and regret it. “Was it at least badass-looking?”
“Not really.” Her fingers prod my skull, forcing a hiss out of me. “That’s a gnarly bump you got there. Is there a first aid kit with one of those ice pack things in here?”
“Bathroom.” I drop onto my bed and let my head fall forward, trying to find a position where it doesn’t hurt as much.
“Here, this should help.” Lyla crawls onto the bed with me and presses the cold pack to the lump.
It feels like heaven.
“Remember that one time you and Jay got all into WWE and thought you could replicate some of the moves with zero training?”
A strangled laugh leaves me as the image of us dressed up in horrible handmade costumes forms in my head. We couldn’t have been more than thirteen and little eleven-year-old Lyla was telling us what idiots we were.
“I still don’t remember much after the concussion.”
“Oh, I do. Jay ran into the house and tried to call 911, thinking he killed you. Our mom had to stop him and then take you to the hospital because your parents were out of town.”
Out of town. That I do remember. They said it was for their anniversary, but that was the last time I saw my dad. He left my mom at some hotel and ran off God knows where.
“Hey, some good came out of it. I got to miss three days of school.”
Lyla tucks her feet under her butt and leans closer, inspecting my bump. “So did Jay because, if I recall correctly, he was traumatized.” She tilts my chin and shines her phone’s flashlight into my eyes, making me squint.
“We watched a lot of cartoons that week.”
“Yeah. I remember.” A smile lights her eyes as she pats me on the leg. “Think you can handle it from here?”
I nod and place my hand over the ice pack, brushing hers as she pulls away. A spark of lightning hits me square in the chest and if I’m not mistaken, she feels it too. Her eyes widen and she hops off the bed, making sure not to touch me again.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Lyla.”
She switches off the light, drowning us in darkness, but I hear her feet slap against the hardwood as she races back to the bed. She always was scared of the dark.
With a smile on my face and a less intense pounding in my head, I drift off to sleep and the last thing I see before I switch off is Lyla’s face.
I stomp the ground and clap as a camper spikes the ball in a way that tells me she’s done this a few times. A friendly volleyball match started during lunch and spilled over into afternoon activities. Mr. River didn’t seem to mind much, so the counselors all banded together to cheer on the group and monitor the few who had no interest in smacking a ball around.
Shane waves at me from the sidelines where he’s standing in as ref. When his face lights with a smile, butterflies erupt in my stomach forcing me to turn away so he can’t read what I’m thinking. Because what I’m thinking is bad. Very bad.
Somehow over the course of a few days, I developed a crush on my brother’s ex-best friend. Yeah. Not the best idea. Even if Jay wasn’t on the outs with him, he’s always been super protective. Protective as in threatening the guy who planned on asking me to junior prom. Oh, he’s under the impression I don’t know about that, but word got around rather quickly.
This is why my hormones need to get a grip. Besides, as I keep trying to remind myself, Shane heads to Texas for college in the fall. I’ll be here for one more year. In high school. If by some miracle something developed between us, it would be nothing more than a summer fling.
I dust the sand off my knees and try to focus on the game. It doesn’t help much because no matter where I look there’s Shane in my periphery looking all amazing in a tight gray T-shirt and board shorts.
Scarlett appears out of nowhere and plops down next to me. She’s been MIA most of the afternoon and I assume she and that guy Dax are getting into some frisky business. She thinks she’s being sly because she doesn’t want to be lectured, but I’ve seen the googly eyes. I also saw her sneaking out of her cabin last night when I got back from making sure all the kids were tucked away.
Guess she couldn’t keep her promise of being good for too long.
“The sun feels amazing.” She leans backward, tilting her face up toward the sunlight.
“Where were you hiding?”
“Oh, uh, just did a sweep of the grounds to pick up the garbage and whatnot. Captain Buzzkill made it his goal to have Dax and Jason be the janitors, so I figured I could help.”
I study her face, but I can’t tell if she’s lying or not. Come to think of it, I can’t remember if I’ve seen Jason and Dax all afternoon. I guess if they want to be sent packing that’s their problem.
Someone scores and the sidelines erupt into loud cheers. I turn my attention to the game where the boys’ team finally scored against the girls. Yup, we went there. What started out as a mixed team devolved into trash-talking until the girls agreed to take on the boys. So far, they’ve been whooping their grumbly butts.
“This is how summer should be. Lakeside. Sunshine. I didn’t realize how much work goes into babysitting kids.”
I snort and prop myself up with an elbow. “They can be a handful. Then again, I know a certain someone who is just as much of a handful, and she’s a couple of months away from being an adult.”
Scarlett feigns outrage, her face twisting in over-the-top horror. “Are you talking about me?”
“Who else would I be talking about?”
“If my parents weren’t such controlling freaks, I wouldn’t need to rebel.”
Tell me about it. Scarlett is preaching to the choir and she knows it. My mom no doubt mapped out my entire life down to the day I’ll have children. Jay, the lucky douche, escaped her maniacal planning somehow and stiffed me with someone hell-bent on making sure I conquer the world.
The only difference is, I accepted my fate. Scar’s made it her mission to hate anything and everything that comes out of her parent’s mouths.
“Speaking of parents.” Scarlett lifts her sunglasses so she can scrutinize my face. “Still radio silence?”
“Yup,” I pop the P and close my eyes, savoring the warm afternoon sun. “It might be because Jay is home, but she’s also pissed that I dipped out on summer pick a future. Even though she agreed this would look good on applications.”
“So, Jason has been asking about you,” Scar says, doing a one-eighty on the conversation and making my head spin. “Totally talked you up.”
My gaze finds Shane, ten feet from me, invested in the game. Something in my gut twists and I turn away from her. “Why would he be asking about me?”
“Duh, ‘cause you’re smoking hot.”
“I’m not here to date, Scar.” Again, my stupid traitorous eyes find Shane and I know right away that I’m lying to myself. If Shane wanted to pursue whatever it is going on between us, I would jump at the opportunity.
“Pretty sure I never said date. What’s wrong with a hot summer fling?”
I level her with a glare. “For you, nothing. Toot your own horn. But it’s not for me. I’m like a penguin—always looking for that one person.”