17. Summer 17
Several minutes later, we enter our campsite, still dripping wet in our bathing suits and holding our clothes. The truck is gone, and there’s no sight of Angelina. She must be in the tent.
Andrew saunters over to the plastic table holding all of the food and rips open the bag of Oreos. He grabs two and then looks around at the table for something.
“The milk is in the cooler,” I offer, gesturing under the table.
“Thanks, but I’m looking for your cookies. Those things are the best I’ve ever had, and I think they’d complement the Oreos well.” He winks.
I return his cheeriness with a frown. “Don’t you think you should eat Angelina’s cookies instead? You’ll upset her if they go uneaten. Since I made my own cookies, and she’s your girlfriend, the job of eating them kind of falls on you.”
He frowns a little and lowers his voice. “Yours are so much better.” Then he grabs two of my cookies and one of Angelina’s.
I can’t help but laugh. Andrew has always had a big appetite, similar to me. We’ve bonded over that throughout the years, but his has grown to be three times what it used to be, and he is still this chiseled masterpiece of a human. It’s not fair.
He pours himself a small cup of milk, sits down in a chair, and dunks the Oreos in with patience as they soften. Then, in complete juxtaposition to his earlier patience, he shoves the whole Oreo into his mouth at once.
After he polishes off the last of his cookies, he gets up and moves toward the tent. “I’m going to check on her real quick,” he explains.
I nod and just stand there, unsure of what to do with myself. Why did Rebecca have to leave me alone at the camp with these two?Did she not realize I might end up murdering Angelina? Maybe she did realize and wanted to get out of the way so I could.
I snag one of my cookies from the Ziploc they’re sitting in and then head to the tent. I’ll put some dry clothes on and maybe read a few pages of my book while I wait.
Right as I find my book, I start to hear kissing sounds in the tent next door. Kill. Me. Now.This is not happening. No. No. No. This is not happening. I rush out of the tent, determined to get as far away from camp as possible when Rebecca pulls back into the campsite.
She hops out of the truck perkily, but her face falls when she sees me. “What happened now?” Glancing at her phone, she’s quick to defend herself. “I was only gone like half an hour.”
I nod my head in the direction of their tent. “Andrew went to check on Angelina, but that turned into a makeout session, and I refuse to sit here and listen.”
She immediately waltzes over to the tent and pokes it, then shakes it. She begins roaring, and I roll my eyes because she sounds more like a dying walrus than a bear.
Angelina starts screaming, and Andrew tries to console her as he yells at Rebecca, knowing it’s his twin without even having to see her.
I have to throw both of my hands over my mouth to hide the laughter that is pouring out of me right now.
Andrew and Angelina come rushing out of the tent, and Andrew charges at Rebecca. “What the hell was that for? You freaked Angie out!”
Rebecca looks calm and collected. “I was just having a little fun. You both need to lighten up, or this camping trip is going to be miserable. You used to do this to me all the time. Remember, Andrew?”
Andrew backs off a little and the tension in his shoulders visibly releases. He turns to wrap Angie up in a hug, and Rebecca walks away, heading back toward me near the truck.
Her perky smile is back on her face already. “Dani bought us a bottle of tequila. Let’s make some margaritas tonight.”
I look at her confused and then burst out laughing. “That was a good one. Now why’d you leave me?”
Her face goes serious. “Dani did buy us tequila.” She opens the truck and pulls out a bottle of Jose Cuervo, holding it up for me to see.
“Are you nuts?! Where did you get this from? I know Dani wouldn’t buy it for you!” I feel my chest constricting as panic rises. It’s not like I’ve never been around alcohol before. I have. I just haven’t consumed it before, and I certainly have never illegally acquired it. Then the thought of Dani being the one to get this for us? No way! This is the same girl who won’t even go on the tube with us because she’s too afraid. There’s no way she’d risk getting caught with a fake ID. Nope. Not her!
“I know you think Dani is some goody two shoes, but she’s a college woman now, and she can get a little rowdy.” She turns toward the truck again and grabs the bottle of margarita mix, setting it on the table.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Becs, we’re only seventeen. We are a long way away from the legal drinking age. I haven’t even had a sip of my parents’ drinks at home. I’m not sure what you are thinking here, but it’s a bad idea. You’ve got to take it back.” I grab the two bottles and go to put them back in the truck.
She thrusts her arms out to stop me. “Emma, I just want to have a little fun. With Angie here and all this tension, this camping trip is a recipe for disaster. I want to make some good memories while we are out here.”
“I just don’t think alcohol is a good idea. I’ve heard it can make you more emotional. I’m already a bit insecure with her around.”
She takes a deep breath. “Don’t take it personally. Please. Andrew is super smart when it comes to school, but when it comes to life, he can be so stupid. I think what happened is he started to catch feelings for you and then went back to school and realized how inconvenient it is to not see you all school year. Then he found this little fox, and he felt somewhat happy. But Andrew’s happiness with Angelina is nothing compared to his happiness when he’s with you.”
I blush a little at her conclusion, but then I brush myself off and get back to reality. Narrowing my eyes, I grumble, “Don’t go around saying these things and getting my hopes up. I’m a big girl. I can accept the fact that Andrew isn’t interested.”
She gives me a sympathetic look. “I’m your best friend. Do you think I’d lie to your face like that just to spare your feelings? We are way past that in our friendship.”
She walks over to the fire pit where Andrew is starting a fire for us and Angelina is sitting in a chair, scrolling on her phone.
Seriously, what does Andrew see in her? She can’t even get off her phone for a camping trip? Her incredible boyfriend is right there surrounded by the best nature has to offer, and she doesn’t even have the decency to enjoy it?
I shake my head, realizing that I am now staring at her boyfriend as he starts the fire. Get it together.
“Hey, you two!” Rebecca gathers their attention. Holding up the bottle of tequila, she explains, “I was thinking we could make this trip a little more interesting and have some margaritas with dinner tonight. What do you think?”
Angelina peers up from her phone and squeals in glee. “I love margaritas!”
Of course she does.
Andrew stops building the fire for a moment. I watch him look from Rebecca’s hand holding the bottle, over to me, and then back to Rebecca. “I don’t think margaritas fit the vibe of our camping trip.”
Angelina groans a little and leans in toward Andrew. “Come on, Andy! Lighten up a bit. Margaritas are so good they’ll go with anything.” She takes a look at the bottle Rebecca is holding. “It looks like Rebecca even got us some good tequila.”
Andrew’s facial features sag a little. “Alright, I’m in. We don’t need to go crazy though.”
Rebecca nods. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’ll be responsible.” She moves back toward the table where the cups are and shouts over her shoulder. “You just worry about getting the fire started, and I’ll make us some drinks to sip on while we wait.”
I know better than to leave Rebecca alone with our drinks, so I follow her over.
She is already pouring some of the margarita mix into the first cup. Handing it to me, she says, “Here, this will be Andrew’s.”
I eyeball it. “How much alcohol did you put in here?”
“I only put about a shot in it. He’s a big guy and this isn’t his first drink ever, so he can handle a measly shot. Trust me.” She waves her hand nonchalantly.
I watch her pour the other three cups. They seem heavy-handed to me, but I wouldn’t know what a shot of alcohol looks like unless it’s in a shot glass. She passes me another cup and then walks to give one to Angelina.
Before I bring Andrew his cup, Rebecca turns back to me. “Oh, while I’m thinking about it, let’s put the food back in the truck, so the raccoons don’t ransack our camp tonight.”
I bob my head and set the cups on the table for a moment as I fill my hands with the three different kinds of cookies out on the table. Rebecca joins me, opening the truck door for me before filling her arms with tomorrow’s breakfast items.
I return to the table and inspect the cups. I don’t remember which was which. The one on the left looks to be more full, so that’s probably Andrew’s.
I shuffle over to the fire and hand Andrew his cup and lean in to whisper in his ear, “I’d drink slowly. I don’t know how much alcohol Rebecca put into this.”
He nods. “I’ll be fine. My parents make us margaritas at home sometimes.”
I wince as he takes his first sip, which is more like a gulp.
Rebecca sips her cup and watches me as I just hold mine. “Come on, Emma! At least try it. I poured you a lighter one, and I had Dani specifically look for this mix, so it won’t be too sweet.”
I sip off my drink and am surprised to find Rebecca was right. I take another gulp and feel my insides warm. “It’s pretty good.” I hold my cup up in the air with a smile.
Rebecca gives me a pleased look, and I think worry crosses Andrew’s face for a moment. I brush it off as I continue to sip on my drink.
A while later, I have no clue how much later, we finally clean up the last of our dinner as we each finish our third margarita. These things are so good! I don’t know what I was afraid of earlier. I giggle to myself at the thought of earlier me being so opposed to this idea. The giggle quickly turns into full-blown laughter as I sit in the chair around the fire with the other three.
Rebecca looks at me inquisitively before her face splits into a huge grin. Her eyes are glossy, and her cheeks are a little pink. Angelina has the same look to her.
“Guys, I want to do something fun! What can we do besides play cards?” Rebecca asks.
“It’s pretty dark to go do anything, and quiet hours start soon,” Andrew replies rationally.
Rebecca gives him a pouty look, and I join in. Angelina speaks up. “I’m pretty tired, so I might go get ready for bed. Sorry guys.”
“Buzzkill,” I hear Rebecca mutter under her breath in her seat next to me.
I laugh, and it once again turns into uncontrollable laughter.
Angelina retreats into the tent, and I exchange a look with Rebecca. She shoots up from her seat and goes over to the table where the tequila and mix sit. She pours tequila into her cup and holds it up, squinting at it to see how much she poured. She shrugs and turns to me. “Give me your cup! Let’s take a shot together.” She wiggles her eyebrows in excitement.
I can’t resist the eagerness in her eyes, so I stand up from my chair and feel the world tilt for a moment. Andrew grabs my elbow as I steady myself. I waltz over to the table and begin to set my cup down, but I feel an arm wrap around my waist. I’m lifted in the air, spun around, and set back down away from Rebecca and the table.
“No more tequila for her,” Andrew growls.
Rebecca rolls her eyes. “You’re not in charge of her. Why don’t you go check on your girlfriend,” she challenges as she reaches out for my cup and pours me a shot.
“Angie’s fine.” He looks me up and down, and I’m certain my cheeks heat. “She isn’t. She hasn’t drunk before, and three drinks is probably already overdoing it for her first time.”
I ignore Andrew and grab my cup off the table while he’s giving Rebecca a lecture. I tilt it back and slam it.
I place the cup back down on the table with a sour expression on my face. Oh my God! No one told me tequila was this gross. It burns like hell, and the taste… bleh!
Rebecca begins cheering. “Atta girl! You didn’t even use a chaser! I’m so proud!”
Andrew whips around to find me holding my empty cup. “No, Em!” He turns back to Rebecca. “Are you trying to make her sick?”
I smile wide, despite the still disgusting taste lingering in my mouth and Andrew’s scorn. Screw him! All that sinks in is Rebecca’s praise. “What’s a chaser?”
“It’s something to make the shot burn less. Usually, you use salt and lime with tequila shots. We don’t have that, so I was going to at least get you some lemonade.”
I hang my tongue out of my mouth. “It’s so nasty. Do you think the lemonade will still help, or will my mouth taste like this forever?”
Rebecca giggles as she goes into the cooler in the truck and digs out a can of lemonade. She cracks it open and hands it to me. “This will help. I promise.”
I gulp it down and immediately feel better. After a few more sips, Rebecca swivels to Andrew, shoving his shoulder. “Why are you trying to kill the fun?”
“I’m not. I’m just being the responsible one, as always!”
Rebecca frowns and then struts off to the tent. I’m left standing there, unsure of what just happened. I look to Andrew for guidance. Andrew will help me. He knows what to do.
“Come on, Em, let’s get you ready for bed.” He tries to lead me to the tent too.
“I’m not tired though! I want to stay up and hang out with you. Please!” I beg.
I hear him blow a puff of air out of his nose. “I think we should just go to bed. It’s getting late.”
“We won’t get into any trouble. I’ve been good all night.”
He laughs a little at this. “I’ll tell you what, we can go sit by the fire for a little while it finishes burning out.”
I smile and begin to scramble over to the chairs, but the whole world flips over this time. I feel myself swaying. If I can just get to the chairs, I know it will stop, and it’ll all be worth it because I can spend a little more time with Andrew. Andrew who I love so much but can’t have. I let out a groan and take a staggering step forward, followed by another step.
I’m almost there! Then I stumble over one of the chair legs and fall forward. I throw my hands out, trying to grab anything that will help break my fall.
My hand makes contact with something warm. I hold it tight for a lingering moment before I hear Andrew yelling at me for the second time tonight. “Em, no!”
He yanks my hand off the warm metal grate surrounding the fire, and it’s only then that I process the searing pain in my hand. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Andrew, help! It hurts so bad!”
He plops me down in a chair and grabs another cold can of lemonade from the cooler. “I don’t want lemonade. My hand hurts too bad,” I explain to him, a very logical answer.
He shoves the can into my hand. “How about you just hold this for me for a while?”
I slump into the seat a little bit. “Okay, for you.”
He nods with encouragement. “Does that help?”
“A little bit,” I admit.
“We can bandage your hand up with some ointment in a little bit.”
I just shake my head silently. “I’m sorry, Andrew.”
“It’s okay! What are you apologizing for?”
My eyes get watery. “For everything. For not being better about telling Rebecca no when she got out the alcohol, for making you mad at Rebecca and me, and for hurting myself and making you have to take care of me now.”
“You don’t need to apologize!” He reaches out and rubs my shoulder, comforting me.
“Yes, I do. I feel so bad that I’m making myself sick,” I tell him as my stomach turns.
I feel so nauseous. I need him to forgive me, and I’ll feel better.
“Hey—” My sour stomach flops completely.
I leap up, dropping the lemonade can on the ground as I run to the edge of our campsite and crouch down to release the demons battling inside of me.
I hear footsteps and Andrew comes closer. I’m shaking and my brain is foggy, but I still know I don’t want Andrew to see me like this. “No! Please don’t look at me.”
I feel his warm palm rub my back as I hurl again. Drinking was such a bad idea.
When I’m done, I step back and then sit in the dirt, tears streaming down my cheeks. I feel sweaty and weak, but at least my stomach is starting to ease.
Andrew scoops me up with one arm supporting my lower back, the other behind my knees. “I think it’s time for bed. What do you think?”
I nuzzle my head into his solid chest in affirmation. He carries me to my tent and sets me down on top of my sleeping bag but pulls a blanket over me.
To my left, Rebecca is already passed out. Andrew begins to retreat from the tent. “Andrew, are you going to leave me here alone?” I look up at him with wide and scared eyes.
“I’m not leaving you alone. Rebecca is right there,” he says lightly.
“She’s sleeping deeper than the dead,” I retort, giving her a poke to show him she isn’t even stirring.
He deflates as he holds my gaze. “I can’t just leave Angie alone in our tent.”
I pout a little. “It’s okay. I get it.”
He peers out of the tent and then back at me with a conflicted look on his face. “How about I lay with you until you fall asleep?”
I nod with a sleepy smile, satisfied with that solution.
I curl up under the blanket, warm and content knowing Andrew is right there to ensure nothing bad will happen to me. Sleep finds me quickly.