“Whatcha got?” Beck appears out of nowhere, his blue eyes wide as he stares at the bag. “Candy?”
Caleb muffles his laughter with his hand as Jake snatches the bag from my fingers. “Nope. But I’ve got five bucks for you if you go back to the cabin and wait for Ava,” Jake says, a five-dollar bill somehow magically appearing in his hand.
Beck takes it eagerly, stuffing it into the front pocket of his jeans. “I’ll see ya at the cabin, Ava!” he calls as he takes off.
Jake smirks at me the moment our little brother disappears. “Stash this in your room. I’ll come by later tonight. Wait outside behind the cabin. I’ll be there by eleven.”
He dangles the bag in my direction, but I don’t want to touch it. I don’t want to take part in this.
“This is a terrible idea,” I remind him.
“Yeah well, we’re doing it anyway.” He slaps the bag against my chest, and I have no choice but to take it from him or else it would drop to the ground. “Thanks for helping us out, Ava.”
He and Caleb stalk off, then burst into a full-blown run. I can hear them laughing, and for the slightest moment, I’m jealous. At least he has someone to hang out with for the next four days. A bunch of someones. Jake is always surrounded by people, no matter where we are. They’re just drawn to him. Same with Autumn. Same with Beck.
Not really with me. I’m more outspoken—and not always in a good way. At least, not to the people I offend. I have friends, particularly my best friend, Ellie. I still can’t believe I’m actually doing cheer. I made fun of Autumn when she did it and now look at me.
I must be bored if I want to actually do this.
But anyway. Yes, I have friends. I also have a few enemies who don’t like my big mouth. Most of them boys. Oh and Cami Wakefield, Jake’s ex-girlfriend, who also happens to be the captain of the cheer team.
That ought to be fun.
A loud sigh escapes me as I turn and head for the cabin. Maybe Beck and I could watch something on TV together. A movie. Yeah, that won’t be so bad.
A way to pass the time at least.
Turns out, there is no way to watch TV here unless you pop a DVD into the ancient DVD player. Beck had no idea what that even was. I only remember because we had players in the back of Mom’s SUV when we were little. To keep us entertained whenever we were in the car and she wanted some peace and quiet.
We went through the pitiful library that was on a bookshelf and found a movie we could both agree on.
The Incredibles.
This is what my life has been reduced to. It’s a Friday night, and I’m spending it in a cabin by a huge, beautiful lake, with hundreds of teenage boys on the premises. Yet I’m hanging out with my little brother, watching a kids movie. Pitiful. My parents aren’t even back from the dining hall yet. They’re probably having more fun than I am.
Oh, who am I kidding. They’re definitely having more fun than I am.
By the time the movie is almost over, Mom and Dad finally show back up at the cabin. The moment they walk through the front door, looking at each other as they laugh with their hands linked, I feel a twinge of envy that I immediately banish.
At least my parents are still in love. At least they treat each other with respect and stare at each other with lust in their eyes. Sometimes, it makes me a little uncomfortable, but for the most part, I’m glad they’re in a loving relationship. I can only hope I’ll have the same thing when I’m their age.
Is that possible though? My parents got together when they were pretty young. Dad was in college. Mom was nineteen and working, taking care of her brother. They came from different worlds. Mom has told me that more than once. Despite that, they still found each other. Together, they found love.
That’s so romantic.
“Sorry we took so long,” Dad says as he shuts and locks the front door. Mom makes her way to the couch so she can grab Beck and wrap him up in her arms. He lets her cuddle him for about ten seconds before he’s worming his way out of her hold.
“We were talking with the other coaches and their wives,” Mom says, smiling over at me. “What have you guys been doing?”
“Watching The Incredibles,” Beck says. “I’ve seen it a lot, but there was nothing else good on the DVC player.”
Dad laughs. “You mean DVD?”
“Whatever,” Beck says with a little shrug.
Mom’s gaze locks with mine. “Have you seen Jake?”
I slowly shake my head, sending Beck a meaningful look when his big-eyed gaze meets mine. I am not going to rat my brother out. He would do the same for me. And I’m not going to let Beck open his mouth either.
“He’s staying the night in one of the team cabins, remember?” Dad says to Mom.
“Right.” She nods, appearing sad for a brief moment, before she rises to her feet. We all know she’s sad that we’re growing up. But we kind of can’t help it. “I’m going to take a shower. Beck, you should take one after me.”
“I’ll swim in the lake tomorrow,” he says. “That’s like a bath.”
I make a face, and Mom laughs. Boys can be really gross sometimes. Worse? He’s completely sincere. Jake used to do this sort of thing too.
“I’ll probably take a shower after you do, Mom. I’m going to my room,” I tell my parents as I stand. I stretch my arms above my head and yawn loudly, putting on a proper show. “Good night guys.”
Dad pulls me into a quick hug, kissing the top of my head. “Night, sweetie. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I follow Mom up the stairs, and we hug before she goes into their bedroom. “See you in the morning,” she tells me before she closes the door.
I keep my bedroom door partially open as I unpack my suitcase, all the while listening for the rest of my family to come to bed. Within a few minutes, Dad and Beck are running up the stairs, making enough racket to sound like they’re a herd of elephants stampeding. Doors are opened and closed. Water runs, then shuts off. I hear the click of a lamp, Dad telling Beck goodnight. Feet walking down the hall, a door opening and closing. And then silence. I wait another five minutes. Then…
That’s my cue to head outside.
Grabbing the bag of firecrackers Jake left with me from the side pocket of my suitcase—where I hid it when I first came back to the cabin—I grab a hoodie and exit my room. Quietly sneaking down the stairs, and when one of them squeaks, I pause, waiting for Mom or Dad to poke their head out the door.
That doesn’t happen, so I keep going.
Within minutes I’m outside, and even wearing the hoodie, I shiver when that breeze hits me now. Though I’m still wearing the denim shorts I wore when we arrived, so my legs are exposed, and it’s freaking cold.
I wait out behind the cabin, closer to the lakeside, where Jake told me to meet him. It’s even colder back here, and I wrap my arms around my middle, clutching myself as I hop from one foot to the other. The bag of firecrackers is safely tucked away in the front pocket of my hoodie, and as I continue staring out at the lake, I’m tempted to toss that bag into the water.
But that would be like littering and no way can I do that.
Five minutes pass. Then ten. I try to send Jake a text, but it keeps coming back as undeliverable. Frustrated, I’m about to return to the cabin when I hear noise. People walking. Talking. Boys? Of course, boys. It’s got to be Jake.