Chapter 11
ELEVEN
WHATEVER. WE’RE CUTE.
SARAH
“Making friendship bracelets while hungover should be a crime,” I complained, tightening yet another knot.
Mona, being the superhuman she was, finished her fourth bracelet and handed it to me. “The trick is vitamin B and a gallon of water.” She gave me a sly look and added, “And not staying out until four AM with certain bartenders.”
I scratched my nose with my middle finger, and she cackled.
“Where’s Meg?” Carter asked, plopping down next to me.
“Um, she called in sick,” Mona said, picking up the unused thread.
Carter offered me a chip from his open bag, but I shook my head. There was no way I could eat with how messed up my stomach was.
“Hailey’s been bugging me about giving Meg a ride to the lake. I mean, I guess it makes sense. Meg is subletting a room in Hailey’s apartment this summer.” He huffed. “But Meg better keep her ass at home tomorrow if she’s still sick.”
I gave him a sly smile.
“Stop it.” He laughed, chucking a chip at me.
“I didn’t say anything.” I brushed the chip off my chest. “It’s just interesting how cool you are with Hailey signing you up for chauffeur duty. I didn’t realize you guys had gotten so close. That’s all.”
Hailey was an Epsilon Zeta and best friends with the girl Kat’s ex cheated with. She’d gone to the same Catholic all-girls high school as Olivia and me. To say we didn’t get along was an understatement.
“We’ve been hanging out a lot since the girl I liked rejected me on Valentine’s Day.” He threw his hand over his heart as if he’d been shot.
Shoving his shoulder, I got up to help Mona pass out snacks to the kids. “Shut up.”
His fake pout quickly gave way to the easy smile that came so naturally to him. “I’m just messing with you. I actually really like her.”
“That’s great!”
What a relief. Maybe now we can go back to being friends.
“Less chatting, more passing out Goldfish,” Mona barked, shoving a box of snacks in my hand.
Carter and I shared a smile and got to work feeding the preteens, and then took the kids down to the lake to go canoeing and kayaking.
I had the privilege of sharing a canoe with the camp’s resident goth girl, Nia Clarke. While her warm brown skin glowed in the sun, my pasty ass was turning pink despite the heaps of sunblock I’d put on.
So much for a base tan.
“Want to go over there in the shade?”
Please say yes. I can’t take this heat. It’s just a matter of time before I vomit over the side of this canoe.
She shrugged, her black-rimmed eyes staying locked on the canoe Carter was in with Joey Lawson. They were laughing and shouting at the other campers as they tried to organize a race.
“Let’s join in.” I started to paddle towards them, and Nia dropped her oar in the canoe.
My stomach mimicked the rocking motion, and bile rose in my throat.
“I’d rather not.” She tugged at the fringe on the bottom of her black denim shorts. Swatting a bug away from one of her curly dark brown hair puffs, she rolled her eyes. “I’m only here because it’ll look good on my college applications.”
“You’re in eighth grade.”
“Yeah, and I don’t want to be stuck in this small-ass town.” Her gaze flickered to Joey and back to me. “Guys like that will knock you up and leave you working at the Superstore for the rest of your life while they go to college and have a future.”
Shocked. I was shocked.
Why does this thirteen-year-old sound thirty-five?
Nia pinned me with her serious stare. “Listen, Ms. Sarah, you’re nice and all, but you’re not from here.”
“Hey, Nia! Come race with us!” Joey yelled from the middle of the lake. This wasn’t the first time he’d tried to rope her into the activities, and I had a sneaking suspicion the boy had a bit of a crush.
Nia ducked her head, covering her face. “Is everyone looking?”
I started to turn, and she waved her hands. “Don’t look!”
“Then how do I check to see if everyone is looking?”
She glared at me, then glanced out at the lake. Her dark brown eyes widened, and she whispered, “He’s still looking.”
“Then let’s go over there,” I suggested. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Letting out a long-suffering sigh, she picked up her oar, and we paddled to the middle of the lake.
Carter grinned at me, wiggling his eyebrows as he lifted his chin toward our star-crossed campers. Once all ten kayaks and canoes were lined up, he counted down from three, and we were off.
Despite looking bored by the whole thing, Nia was hyper-competitive, propelling us past the other campers while giving me flat-toned commands. We were neck and neck with Carter and Joey when we started taking on water.
“Oh no,” I muttered, tucking my oar under the seat and grabbing our bailer. No matter how fast I worked, we were sinking.
Nia’s eyes fell to where water gushed into the canoe. “Perfect,” she groused.
The other kids flew by, not bothering to check on us.
When it became apparent that I was fighting a losing battle, I gave her a rueful smile. “I guess we’re going for a swim.”
Nia checked her vest, stood, and jumped into the lake, which caused the canoe to tilt, and I went face-first into the water.
I surfaced, coughing and spitting. “Thanks,” I yelled to her back as she swam away. The canoe bobbed on the water next to my head, giving me a perfect view of the gash in the bottom. Duct tape hung loosely off the jagged edges, and I cursed under my breath.
Someone half-assed patching this hole.
“You okay?” Carter yelled from the dock.
“Yeah,” I shouted back, waving an arm.
The perfect ending to a long ass day.
“Perfect,” I grumbled, kicking the flat tire. Connor was working out at the Thousand Hills construction site, so he was meeting me at the lake.
Mona had a Panhellenic meeting for all new sorority presidents, so she was riding with those girls.
Kat had a lunch shift at Lotus, and Jamie wasn’t answering his phone.
I was dialing Emily when a voice from behind me said, “Need a ride?”
I turned and smiled at Carter hanging out the driver’s side window. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Hop in!” He slid back into the car, and I caught sight of Hailey politely smiling from the passenger seat. Getting in the back seat, I said, “Thanks for giving me a lift. No one was answering their phone.”
“No worries.”
The drive to Thousand Hills was short and silent. The tension between Carter and Hailey made me regret accepting a ride.
I should’ve called Emily.
Carter parked next to a long line of vehicles on the edge of the forest because the lot was still taped off and full of construction equipment.
“Thanks again,” I said, waving as I juggled my cooler and bag.
“Let me help you.”
Carter reached for the cooler, but I pulled back.
“No, that’s okay!” I turned and made a beeline for the shore. The cooler slipped from my hand, and I stumbled trying to catch it. Unfortunately, I ran right into a person. “Oh! Sorry.”
Connor steadied me, gracefully catching the handle of the cooler and saving the food I’d brought for us. “Careful there.”
“Thanks. I tripped on—” I glanced at the smooth path. “Nothing.”
Connor chuckled. “So, what’s the plan for today?”
“Sun, fun, food, and booze. You ready?” I looked up into his clear blue eyes, the skin around them wrinkled from squinting against the sun.
“I guess so.” The corners of his lips turned up. “You promise not to throw me to the wolves?”
Wrapping my arm around his, I squeezed. “I like the swim trunks.” I eyed the hot pink material next to his tan skin.
He glanced down, running a hand down his tight-fitting white t-shirt. “Thanks. They’re my favorite color.”
“Mine too,” I said, gesturing down to my gauzy, pastel pink cover-up. “It’s kind of my color.”
His eyes slowly trailed down my body.
“I don’t think there’s a color that would look bad on you.” The naked appreciation in his voice was the ego boost I needed to make it through this kind of, sort of, not really, date.
“Orange. And some shades of yellow.”
“No one looks good in orange or highlighter yellow.”
I checked out the bronze god next to me. “You make neons work.”
Connor’s cheeks crimsoned, and he laughed. “You’re a sweet talker, Sarah Tilney.”
“I only speak the truth.”
He slid his hand down my arm, lacing our fingers together in a decidedly more than friends hold. Swinging our hands between us, I floated down to the picnic tables. Everything with Connor was organic, easy, and I hated that we couldn’t stay in this bubble of just the two of us.
Why did I want to come to the lake?
Loud music bumped out of speakers Brian, a Tau Kappa, had set up in the bed of his truck. A few people played beer pong on customized folding tables, while others lay out on blankets, soaking up the sun. Before I was ready, my friends were yelling at us from the dock.
Connor let out a low whistle.
Grinning, I bumped his shoulder. “You ready for this?”
“Nope.” He smiled down at me. “But let’s do it anyway.”
I grabbed the hem of my cover-up and pulled it over my head, leaving me in a pink pinup-style two-piece.
When I glanced at Connor, all his attention was on the sliver of pale skin between the top of my high-waisted bottoms and bikini top. I popped my hip, and he startled, his cheeks darkening.
Scratching the back of his neck, he gave me a sheepish smile, his dimples only flashing, not deepening to the swoony level that scrambled my brain. “You have a tattoo.”
“Oh, yeah.” I eased the side of my bottoms down to uncover the whole thing. “Olivia and I got them last spring break.” I traced over the little heart. “It’s not original, but we like it.”
Connor reached out, laying a hand on my hip, his thumb stroking the pink ink. “I like it.” His blue eyes pierced mine. “I’m starting to think you don’t know how adventurous you really are.”
I set my hand on top of his, keeping his touch on my skin. “Or maybe you’re just as boring as I am.”
Boom.
Full smile.
Deep dimples.
Weak knees.
“Maybe. Or maybe I can appreciate your brand of fun.” He squeezed my hip, and I squeaked, dropping his hand.