Chapter 18 What Happens at Camp Stays at Camp
A week passes, and I barely hear from Sierra.
It’s not like I reached out to her specifically or anything, but we’ve both been active in the camp group chat.
Everyone’s been talking nonstop in there, whether that means we’ve been sending each other memes or complaining about being bored or just sharing a random story of something that happened to us that day.
The point is: It’d be so easy for her to just slide into my private messages.
But she hasn’t.
Why hasn’t she? Is this what she meant when she told me what happens at camp stays at camp?
“You could start a conversation with her yourself, you know,” Noah tells me for the billionth time, knowing exactly what I’m so lost in thoughts about at the moment.
I’ve told him everything, of course, and he thinks I should just shoot her a message instead of endlessly overthink it… but I can’t. Right?
Yes, we were friends, and yes, that friendship ended with us kissing. But that doesn’t immediately mean she likes me. Maybe I was just a girl she wanted to kiss at summer camp, and now that chapter is behind us.
I should just forget about it before I make things awkward for the whole group.
I pick up my phone and go to Sierra’s profile.
A green dot lets me know she’s online right now, but when I open our empty chat and wait for the typing symbol to pop up, it never does.
No hi, no it’s almost your birthday, no anything.
She’s probably just going to send a message to the group chat like the others.
But I don’t want her to be like the others. I want her to be more than that.
Before I find the guts to type something myself, my screen goes dark again.
“Sorry,” I tell my brother, leaning my head on his shoulder and watching as our two birthday candles dance in front of our eyes. Somehow, even that’s a reminder of Sierra and me. “Less than a minute until our seventeenth birthday and I’m still killing the vibe.” I sigh.
Noah chuckles, putting his arm around me. “Believe it or not, this is the best birthday countdown I’ve had in years. Now,” he adds, “thirty seconds left! Are you ready to make a wish?”
Despite the way I’m feeling, I nod, giving him a genuine smile. “Yes.”
The two of us start counting down the seconds until midnight hits, sitting shoulder to shoulder when we blow out the candles. And as I watch the two lights go out, taking both of our wishes with them, I can’t help but believe that everything will eventually feel okay again.
Because no matter what happens next, I’ve got my brother by my side.