“Weston.”
“No.” She grabbed the rest of the extra candy to put away and went to the storage closet. “We’re not friends. We haven’t been for a long time.”
“Whose fault is that?”
She didn’t respond. Behind her, she heard him throw the bowl in the trash. He stomped over, and she pulled away.
“Give me that,” he said, grabbing a container.
He put it on one of the tall shelves in the closet. They put up the rest, but he didn’t move when she turned around. The storage room was tight with both of them in there, and she became overly aware of just how close he stood. “Move.”
He didn’t budge. He looked down at her, a strange emotion at war with the anger in his eyes. Once upon a time, she would have known exactly what he thought.
“Please, Lila.” The desperation in his voice with the use of her first name pulled at her heart. “We’re going to be working together for a couple weeks at least. Can we put a pause on the feud—call a truce?”
The front door opened, a bell ringing to alert them.
“There’s a customer,” she said.
He put a hand on her arm as she tried to step around him. “You used to be my best friend. I don’t know what happened, but do you think we can manage being friends for a few days?”
She didn’t understand his words. It had been years since their falling out, but surely, he remembered. “You want to be my friend?”
“Yes.”
Someone called out from the front of the shop, and she glanced toward the short hall. She heard the tell-tale signs of impatient children. Looking back up to Gavin, she saw the sincerity in his eyes. Reluctantly, she whispered, “Maybe.”
He smiled, making her stomach twist. Before she could get away, he ruffled her hair like a child. She groaned and shoved his hand away. Walking to the front, she swept her hair back from her face, washed her hands, and started the shift that never seemed to end.
Gavin hated to admit it, but he was beyond relieved when his mom showed up. He wiped his forehead with the end of his apron. It said something that he was hot in an ice cream shop. The Scoop’s door opened and closed so many times the air conditioner couldn’t keep up with the unusually warm spring day. There were almost three weeks until summer officially began; that kind of heat didn’t normally hit them until mid-July.
The crowd had finally simmered around dinner time, but he knew it would soon return. The well-loved Scoop had stayed busy throughout the years. He had just never had to work it before. The deep exhaustion in his core was new to him.
Lila chuckled beside him as she counted out the tips for the day and handed over his half. “Too much for you, old man?”
“I am three days older than you.” He elbowed her in the side.
His mom approached, and he didn’t miss the smile as she watched the two of them teasing each other. Lila hadn’t agreed completely with the truce, but he already felt a difference. The teasing was lighter—more playful than actual fighting. The entire atmosphere around them had changed, and he knew his mother could tell.
“Gavin, Lila, this is Kaley,” his mom said as she approached.
Gavin hadn’t even seen their classmate enter, but she appeared and stood beside his mom with a smile.
His mom continued, “She’s going to be training for the next week or so.”
Gavin laughed but noticed Lila fidget beside him. She looked uncomfortable, and he stepped closer to put a hand on her back. As her breath caught, he realized what he’d done. He dropped his hand.
“Yeah,” he said, turning his attention back to the women in front of them. “We went to school together, Mom.”
Kaley nodded. “I’m so excited to work here this summer before I head off to school.”
“Great, maybe I won’t have to stick around as long as we thought then.” Guilt flooded him as soon as the words left his mouth. First at his mom’s frown, then at the thought of not spending time with Lila. He wanted to amend their friendship, not just have a temporary truce. Doing the bucket list was supposed to help with that, but he might not have the chance unless he convinced her to let him stick around. “Well, I mean, I will still be here as much as you need me. I can’t imagine just you three doing this every day.”
“Good, I was hoping we’d get to work together.” Kaley put a hand on his arm. “I can’t believe this is our last summer.”
Gavin agreed, telling himself Lila didn’t flinch beside him at the familiar touch. Surely, he just imagined it. “Where are you going to school again?”
“Bennu,” Kaley said.
“Oh, yeah.” Gavin bumped Lila with an elbow. “Maybe you two will see each other around.”
Kaley’s grin widened. “You’re going there too, Lila?”
All of the color left Lila’s face. She mumbled something, excusing herself. Gavin took a step to follow but stopped. It wasn’t his place to make sure she was okay anymore. No matter how much he wanted it to be.
His mom said something to Kaley, who then walked to one of the tables, pulling out her phone as she sat down. Gavin fidgeted with his apron.
“Go,” his mom said.
Gavin met her gaze. “She doesn’t need me.”
“Sweetheart.” His mom moved around him to untie the fabric and took it from him. As she faced him once more, she said, “Kaley and I got the shop tonight. Go talk to Lila.”
“She hates me, Mom.” He’d said the quiet words so many times over the years, but he no longer hid the emotions that went with the statement.
His mom pulled him into a hug. Sometime in the last few years, he’d outgrown her. Yet, her embrace made him feel like a child again. “It really hurts, huh?”
He nodded against her shoulder. “I don’t know what I did.”
She leaned away to look at him. “Then, go find out. You have a couple weeks together. Use the time to work it out.”
Gavin didn’t tell her he’d already planned on trying to do just that. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, agreeing, and headed to the back of the Scoop.
Lila had already left. But that didn’t matter. Despite her argument otherwise, he knew her. He knew exactly where to find her.
5
Tuesday
Fireflies lit the barely visible path as Gavin walked into the woods. The path was once completely flat and clear from constant use. Weeds, leaves from past falls, and sticks now littered the ground. He found his way to the treehouse mostly by memory. It sat directly on the property line of their yards, ensuring it always belonged to both him and Lila.
A faint light above proved his theory right. He climbed the rickety ladder and pushed open the door in the floor of the small space where they’d spent most of their childhood. And man was it small. It had been years since he had gone inside.
“What are you doing here?” Lila asked.
She sat in the corner with her knees drawn up, right where Gavin knew she’d go. He might not have used their hideout in years, but he’d seen her from his window walking into the trees with a lantern more than a few times.
He pulled himself up and closed the door. They used to have enough room to leave it open, but he needed the leg room now. Her soft chuckle while he got as comfortable as possible told him she thought the same thing.