“We are so not even. Not yet.” He slowly shakes his head, a devilish glint in his eyes.
A sigh escapes me. I don’t understand what we’re talking about. What does he want from me? “Will meeting you tonight end this?”
“Yes,” he says quickly. Almost too quickly.
Hmmm.
“At the same spot you found me last night?”
“Yeah.” Reaching out, he tugs on the string of my hoodie, his fingers coming awfully close to my face. “Bring this for me.”
“What do you mean?” This is my favorite hoodie. It’s huge. It used to belong to Jake, but he shrunk it in the wash and reluctantly gave it to me. It hangs on me like a sack, but I love it.
“I want to wear it. It’ll be real cold by midnight,” he says.
I brought another hoodie with me on this trip, of course. I overpacked as usual. Mom says it’s my worst travel trait but hey, I’m always prepared. “It won’t fit you.”
“It’ll fit me. And it’ll smell like you. Bring it.” He leans in, his face right next to mine, and inhales deeply. My heart is racing, he’s standing so close. “Please?”
I back away from him, my entire body trembling from his nearness. “No promises.”
“Come on, Ava.” He holds his arms out, like he’s king of the world. “Help a guy out.”
Without a word, I turn tail and run. Yet again.
His laughter chases after me.
Seven
Ava
My parents stay up later than usual tonight. Figures. It’s a little after eleven, and everyone is still up.
Even Beck. At one point Jake was here too, along with a few of his friends. They came over after a team bonding campfire to strategize some new game plays with Dad, though they had to be back in their cabins with lights out by eleven.
Thank God.
Mom is demanding Beck go to bed now, and he’s arguing with her, as usual. He never wants to miss out on the action, even though pretty much every time they let him stay up late, he ends up crashing on the couch or whatever.
With the exception of tonight, of course.
“You should go to bed soon too,” Mom says to me as she starts up the stairs. Beck already ran up there, and I can hear him causing a racket in the bathroom.
I’m sitting on the loveseat closest to the window, where I can keep an eye on the very spot where I’m supposed to meet Eli in less than—I check my phone—fifty minutes.
My stomach flutters with excitement at the thought. Excitement I shouldn’t be experiencing because He. Is. Awful.
Terrible.
Terribly hot.
“I’m not tired,” I tell Mom, and she blows out an exasperated breath.
“We’re going on another hike in the morning, and this one is a little more strenuous. They’re taking us to a waterfall,” Mom says. “We’re meeting them at eight.”
I make a face. “I took that nap. That’s why I can’t sleep.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t nap anymore while we’re here. You’d probably do better if you just pushed through your day,” she suggests.
“I’ll be fine,” I reassure her.
She sighs again. “I’m sure you will. It must be nice to be sixteen and full of endless energy.”
I don’t know about that. Tomorrow’s hike will probably kick my ass. Today’s was pretty tough. But at least I’m keeping up my stamina here. I know when we start with cheer camp and practice next month, it’s going to be rough going at first.
“I’ll go to bed soon,” I reassure her.
“Please do. See you in the morning. Good night.” She starts up the stairs once more. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” I say.
Dad’s already up there. He said he was taking a shower after Jake and his friends left, and never came back downstairs. I can hear Mom talking to Beck. Probably telling him to brush his teeth, which he never wants to do. Grabbing a pillow from the couch, I clutch it to my chest and wait for my family to go to bed.
It feels like forever, but the house finally quiets. I check my phone.
11:52 p.m.
Carefully, I make my way upstairs, trying my best not to make too much noise. I take the hoodie I’ve been wearing all evening off, then grab another hoodie—one of Autumn’s old cheer team sweatshirts—and slip it on. Then I go into the bathroom, examining my face in the mirror. I’m not wearing makeup, and I’m not about to get glammed up for this stupid meeting with Eli. Annoyed with my hair earlier, I pulled it into a high pony. I brush my teeth—why I don’t know, but it’s better to have fresh breath, especially because he’s always getting up in my business.
Why are you doing this? Why are you meeting with him?
These two questions are on constant repeat in my brain. I don’t know why. He claims he’ll spread a nasty rumor about me, but would he be that brave to say something like that now? With my parents here?
If my father heard the way Eli speaks to me, he’d kick his ass.
By the time I’m finished getting ready, it’s midnight. But I don’t go outside. Nope, I lock myself away in my room and sit on the bench seat at the window, watching and waiting for him to make an appearance. From where I’m sitting, I have the perfect vantage point. I’ll see him approach, and then I can run down the stairs, sneak out of the house, and find out what he wants from me.
The longer I wait though, the more restless I feel. Sitting and pressing my head against the window is futile so I start pacing the room, checking the window every other minute to see if he’s shown up.
So far, nothing.
Irritation fills me, and I will it to stop. I should be relieved he’s not here. But I’m pissed. He’s wasting my time. I’m also pissed he’d say all that stuff to me, and then not bother showing up tonight. He’s a jerk. Worse than that.
He’s an asshole.
Once it’s twelve-fifteen, I give up and move away from the window, yanking the curtains shut. I grab my favorite hoodie from where I left it on the foot of the bed. I switch out sweatshirts and crawl beneath the covers, flicking off the light on my bedside table and tugging the comforter over me. It’s cold. The sheets are like ice. Thank God I’m wearing clothes that mostly cover me up.
I try to stay awake, but it’s a struggle to keep my eyes open and eventually, I give up. Give in. I don’t even remember falling asleep, but the next thing I know, I’m dreaming.
Of swimming in a lake. It’s deep. Dark and murky, and I can’t see the bottom, which fills me with fear. Fear of the unknown. I’m all alone, there’s no one else around, and I’m treading water, my legs growing tired. The water becomes weirdly heavy. Heavier. Until I’m sinking under the surface and I’m struggling to get to the top. To break my head through the water, so I can catch my breath.
But I can’t breathe.
Someone’s hands are on me. Fingers in my hair. Lips against my temple, whispering my name, the gentle voice trying to calm my fears. But the calm only lasts for a moment. Because then I’m sinking, falling beneath the water, as if someone is holding me down. I struggle and fight, flailing my arms as a whimper escapes me. My hand makes a connection with something, and I hear someone grunt. A male someone.