Clearly, I have issues. Maybe I’m more like my brother than I ever realized.
By the time dinner rolls around, I’m doing my best to beg off having to go.
“I don’t feel good,” I tell Mom for the tenth time as I follow her around the kitchen. “Please. I just want to go to bed early.”
And forget this day—this entire trip—ever happened.
Mom whirls around to face me, concern written all over her face. “What’s wrong? Do you feel ill?” She rests her hand across my forehead, and I duck away from her touch. “Maybe you got too much sun.”
“That’s definitely it,” I tell her with a firm nod. “Plus, my head hurts. I don’t want to have to deal with those loud boys in the dining hall.”
One in particular who I’m trying to avoid.
“You should take some ibuprofen,” she suggests.
“Already done.” I popped three and chugged an entire bottle of water the moment we entered the cabin.
Mom watches me for a moment, her brows lowered, her green eyes seeing everything.
Well.
Not everything.
Thank God.
If she knew what Eli did to me, she’d be pissed. She’d tell Dad. And then Dad would go talk to Eli and his coach and get his ass in trouble. No thanks. I won’t be responsible for that.
I don’t want to cause any trouble between the two teams. The rivalry is bad enough as it is. If keeping my mouth shut protects Eli, then lucky him.
This is why I plan on keeping what happened between us last night to myself.
“Fine. You can stay here. But don’t go anywhere, okay?” She wags her finger at me, and I throw my arms up.
“Where am I going to go? I’m totally stuck here,” I say irritably.
Mom says nothing. She doesn’t have to. I think she can feel my frustration. She just doesn’t have any idea what—more like who—is the cause of it.
And I’m not going to tell her either.
I haven’t seen Eli at all today. Not even a glimpse. I’m so glad, I could practically scream with joy. I want to avoid him as much as possible. From what I can see, the teams are being kept extremely busy. Doing drills, exercises, special games—crap I don’t know. I don’t pay attention to football. That was more Autumn’s job. She and Dad bonded over the game, and I never showed much interest.
Now that I’m going to be on the cheer team, I guess I’ll need to start figuring it out.
Mom and Beck eventually take off to dinner, leaving me behind. I head upstairs to my room and collapse on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It’s warm. The cabins don’t have air conditioning and despite the window being open and a pleasant breeze wafting in, it’s still hot. The sun is blazing against the window. Heat rises, so the second floor is…bad.
Irritated, I sit up and pull off my T-shirt, then kick off my shorts. I lay there in my black bralette and undies on top of the comforter, but I’m still too hot.
Climbing off the bed, I pull off all the bedding. The comforter, the thin blanket, the top sheet—I let it all pile on the floor at the foot of the bed. I lay back down on the cool sheets and just lay there with my arms stretched out. I control my breathing. My eyes fall closed…
“Mom, let’s watch a movie!”
I startle awake at the sound of my brother’s voice, my gaze going to the ceiling. Sitting up quickly, I look around, pushing my hair out of my face. It’s dark now. The sun is long gone, though it’s still light outside. Grabbing my phone, I check the time. It’s past eight-thirty.
Thank God I was actually able to take a nap.
Bored, I decide to take another shower, grabbing some clothes to change into before I open the bedroom door. I find my mom in the hallway, stopping short when she sees me.
“I was just coming to check on you.”
“I feel better,” I tell her, which is the truth. “My headache is gone.”
“Good.” She smiles, looking relieved. “You missed a delicious dinner.”
“Really?” I doubt it.
She laughs. “It was just okay. But you must be hungry.”
“Not really,” I say with a shrug. “I got so hot, I think I’m going to take another shower. Maybe I’ll walk over to that little store I saw near the registration building. How late is it open?”
“I don’t know, but I remember seeing it open last night when your dad and I left the dining hall,” Mom says. She frowns. “I don’t know if you should walk there alone, though.”
“Why? I’m pretty sure I’m safe,” I reassure her as I exit the bedroom and head across the hall for the bathroom.
“A young girl alone at night? With all these boys around?”
“They know exactly who I am,” I tell her, as I set my clothes on the bathroom counter. “Drew Callahan’s daughter. Jake’s sister. None of them will dare touch me.”
Even though I speak with such confidence, there is one who dares to touch me.
I just hope he keeps his distance.
Thirty minutes later and I’m exiting the cabin, heading for the store. Dad reassured Mom I would be safe to walk alone, or else he’d be accompanying me right now. Besides, he’s distracted by the camp, the team, everything. As usual during this time of year. I could probably completely disappear and neither of my parents would notice I was gone until Beck asked them about me.
“They’re all occupied tonight, watching a movie together,” Dad explained to the both of us right before I left. “And there’s staff everywhere you look. You’ll be fine. Unless you want me to go with you.”
“I’ll be fine,” I reassure him with a faint smile, wishing he would offer to walk with me. “Really.”
But he doesn’t, and I don’t ask. Instead, he resumes his conversation with Mom, and I leave the cabin. I feel so much better and now I’m hungry. Walking alone to a store to grab a soda and some chips. Maybe some candy. If Beck’s lucky, I’ll pick him up a bag of Skittles. They’re his favorite.
Just me having fun on a Saturday night.
Dad wasn’t lying about the staff. They’re literally everywhere, which is reassuring. I’m not really seeing many teenaged boys either. They all must really be watching a movie together. But where? And for how long? Maybe I can get out of this midnight meeting with Eli.
Concern washes over me about this supposed meeting between us. Is he serious about his threat? Would he really tell everyone I’m going to his homecoming dance with him? Like we’d plan it this far in advance. Like I’d ever date him. Like dating me gives him some sort of clout. People who act like Eli are usually overcompensating. I bet he has a small penis. Most guys who act like him usually do.
At least, that’s what I hear.
I find the store and am grateful I wore a hoodie tonight. The air conditioning is blasting nonstop and it’s so cold inside, it’s like a freaking ice box. The store is tiny, and there’s an older woman sitting behind the counter, flipping through a magazine. She smiles at me when I enter, but otherwise, says nothing.
This place would bore the crap out of me if I had to work here too. It’s bad enough, having to stay here for the next three days.
Today stretched on for an eternity. I don’t know if I can take much more of this.