“It was all because of me,” Jake’s dad had explained, his expression earnest, his brown eyes so like Jake’s it was uncanny. “I’m the one who didn’t want Jake to fail, and my brother took it to heart.” He smiled. “Us Fazios are a passionate bunch.”
I could only nod in agreement.
“Don’t give up on my son. Let him grovel a little bit, of course, but if you can find it in your heart to forgive him, I think he’ll do right by you,” his dad had said.
I didn’t want to give up on Jake, but I did think he needed to definitely grovel. And I needed some time alone. To think. That’s why I was hiking one of the trails around the lake. I had a water bottle and wore my thinnest tank top since it was so dang hot. I’d sneaked off, not telling anyone where I was going because I didn’t want Hannah to tell me no. I’d wanted to hike in peace.
That’s why it was so shocking when I plowed right into someone, nearly falling on my butt I hit them so hard. This was what happened when you walked with your head bent and your thoughts in the dark clouds.
“Annie! Are you all right?”
I glanced up at the familiar voice to find I’d run into two someones. Kelsey and one of the girls from cabin G7B. Sylvia, I think was her name.
And they were holding hands.
When they saw my gaze drop to their linked hands they let go of each other and took a few steps apart, putting distance between them.
“I-I’m fine.” I nodded and wiped at my cheeks, hoping I had no stray tears running down my face. I tried to smile and act like I was okay when I so wasn’t. “What are you two up to?”
“Oh, nothing.” Kelsey sent Sylvia a weird look, one I’m pretty sure I could decipher since I was proficient in sneaking around.
Busted.
“Look, I’m going to head back to the pool. Bye, Annie. Thanks for your help, Kelsey!” Sylvia said cheerfully, waving at us both before she ran down the trail back toward the camp.
Kelsey sighed as she turned to look at me. “You’re going to tell the girls, huh?”
“Tell them what?”
“That you caught Sylvia and me holding hands.” Kelsey’s shoulders sagged. She looked utterly defeated. “Go ahead, tell them all I’m a big scary lesbian and then they’ll freak out and never want me around again.”
I was sort of shocked that she just called herself a big scary lesbian, but really? That didn’t matter to me. I just liked her for her. “That’s your story to tell, Kels. Not mine. I can keep a secret. Trust me. Though I don’t know why you’re hiding it, considering Courtney and Riya were a thing during first session.”
Everyone knew about Courtney and Riya, and no one seemed to care. Why should we? They were two nice girls who happened to be in a relationship. I hated that Kelsey felt like she should sneak around.
Kelsey pressed her lips together, looking on the verge of crying. “My parents will freak.”
“They don’t know?” I asked softly.
She shook her head and sniffed. What was it with today and all the crying? “They sort of know. They think it’s a stage. It’s why they sent me back to camp. They figured I needed to get away from, and I quote, bad influences.”
Huh. Seemed like everyone treated camp as a place to get away from everything else.
“But now I’ve met Sylvia and…I really like her. She likes me, too. We just don’t feel comfortable being together in front of everyone. We don’t want them to make fun of us.”
“I get it. Well, not fully, but I understand how hard the sneaking around is. How it puts a toll on you and her and your entire relationship.” I told her a brief summary of what just went down with Jake and his family and how he nearly got kicked out because of me, and we both ended up in tears. Sitting on a hill, passing my water bottle back and forth and wiping our eyes with the hems of our tank tops, we were a sniveling mess.
“I wish you wouldn’t have excluded yourself so much,” I told her once we got ourselves together. “The girls really are nice. They’re just kinda hard to get to know at first because they’re such a tight unit.”
“I figured they’d hate me if they knew the truth,” she admitted.
“Well, I can’t guarantee every single one of them will be comfortable with it right away, but they all say nothing but nice things about you, Kelsey. They like you.” I reached out and touched her arm. “I like you, too.”
Kelsey stared at the lake. “I’m sorry if I cut you off. I didn’t mean to. I just, I didn’t know how else to react. I’ve always had a hard time making friends.”
“You didn’t act that way on the first day at camp,” I reminded her. “I thought you were kind of crazy.”
Kelsey grinned. “I pretty much dared myself to approach you. You looked so lost and nervous, exactly how I felt. So I thought we could unite together.”
“Well, let’s try to stay united for the last week while we’re here, okay? I know you want to spend time with Sylvia, but spend time with us at the cabin, too. It’ll be fun.” I smiled. “I promise.”
“What about you and Jake?” she asked.
I glanced down, staring at the ground. “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “He’s probably still mad at me.”
“I bet he wants to talk to you. He’s not leaving, thanks to his dad. I bet he’s looking everywhere for you,” Kelsey said.
“You think so?”
“Definitely.” Kelsey smiled.
I lifted my head, trying to return the smile, but I couldn’t. I should go look for Jake. Tell him I was sorry. Wait for him to tell me he was sorry. Then we could kiss and make up and have the best last week ever.
Could that really happen, though? Or was I being too idealistic?
“I hate that it’s the last week.” Kelsey’s smile faltered. “It went by so fast.”
“Too fast. But we need to make the most of it, right?”
That was my plan, at least.
Chapter Twenty-One
ANNIE
“You have to take this new class with Nancy,” Bobbee practically gushed as she guided me into the bathroom. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
She made me sit on a chair that was brought in from the front porch and I did, glancing around. “Why do I need to take this class? And why did you bring me into the bathroom?”
“Because you love arts and crafts, silly!” Bobbee gave me this face like I was being a total dork. “And I’m going to do your hair.” She wrapped her fingers around the band that was holding my floppy topknot in and tugged it right out, taking a few hairs along with it.
“Ouch!” I batted her hand away. “Why are you bothering doing my hair?”
“Have you looked in a mirror lately? Just because you’re on the outs with your man doesn’t mean you can’t clean yourself up a little bit and look decent,” Bobbee said.
It was only the next day after the big fallout, and I’d been giving Jake some space, secretly hoping he would come and see me first, but he didn’t. I didn’t see him in the dining hall this morning during breakfast when I usually did. I hadn’t seen him all day, period, and it was already after lunch.
“I don’t know if I want to go to the new arts and crafts class,” I mumbled, wincing when Bobbee started brushing my hair. The girl showed no mercy.
“You should. Kelsey told me about it. She’ll be there.”
I liked how Kelsey just inserted herself back into the group. She was making an effort, and I was glad. All of the girls were happy to have her back around.
“If this is Jake’s airplane-making class, I’m not going.”
“It’s not! I swear. It’s similar, though. Some sort of origami class.”
“Is he teaching it?” Did he have other hidden talents I wasn’t aware of?
“No. He hates arts and crafts. He’s out at the lake, like usual. Maybe you want to go swimming?” Bobbee’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
I’d come clean last night about the swimming lessons, about my fears, though I didn’t tell them exactly w
hy I was scared or about my little brother. I wasn’t ready to share all of that yet, but they totally understood. Plus, they thought it was hot, how I’d dared Jake to give me swimming lessons. All the touching and naked skin! they’d all pretty much chorused.
That they could give me grief over the fact that I couldn’t swim said a lot about my confidence level. I was over worrying if they thought I was a loser because I didn’t like the water that much. I’d gotten better, but I still had a long way to go. “You know I hate the lake.” I shivered just thinking of all the critters that lurked in the water.
“I know, I was kidding. But seriously, take this class. I’m doing it, too. It’ll be fun.”
“Fine,” I said with a sigh, feeling melancholy but trying to push past it. This was my last week at camp, after all. I needed to make the most of it.
I let Bobbee do my hair, not wanting anything too over the top, so she just straightened it with her flat iron. Then Gwen came in, a big, fluffy brush in her hand, meaning she wanted to do my makeup. I let her do that, too, thinking they all just wanted to cheer me up.
Once we finally left the cabin, I realized they were acting sort of weird. Like, giving each other goofy looks and giggling for no reason weird.
“What’s going on?” I asked them.
They all went silent. “Nothing,” they chorused.
Uh-huh.
By the time we walked into the arts and crafts building, I saw that the tables were filled with girls. Like, every spot was taken with the exception of a table that sat in the front. There was a tented piece of paper sitting in the middle of the empty table with the word RESERVED written on it in bold black.
“Kaycee made sure that we’d have a table,” Hailey reassured me as we went to sit.
Nancy appeared before us a few minutes later, looking frazzled as usual, her hair everywhere and her skirt flowing about her legs as she paced back and forth. “So excited to show you guys how to make these. When I was a kid we called them fortune tellers, though I remember other kids calling them cootie catchers.”
We all laughed, as did she. She started passing out sheets of paper to each table and we took a piece, waiting for her to give us instructions.
“Now, when I was in hmm, the sixth grade? My friends and I would make these all the time. And usually we just used lined paper out of our notebooks. The key is that once you get the folds just right, you need to make sure the right things are written inside, you know?”
We nodded, but I could tell most of us didn’t know. I had no idea what she was even talking about.
“Here’s an example.” Once she returned to the front of the room, she held up the oddly folded piece of paper, then slipped her fingers into the bottom, splaying the paper wide one way, then another. “The numbers are chosen at random. So you open it up and choose, let’s say, five.” She moved the fortune teller with her fingers, counting off four beats. “Then you choose another number, say two.” She moved it twice. “Then you lift up the triangle-shaped paper to read your fortune.” She did just that and started to laugh. “‘You will marry Fozzie Bear.’ Heaven forbid.”
We all laughed. Then we started folding our pieces of paper as she walked between the tables, giving her usual gentle encouragement like she was so good at doing. She even dropped off example fortune tellers at every table and I picked ours up, examining it.
“You should play with it, Annie,” Bobbee encouraged.
“If anyone needs to hear their fortune, it’s you,” Kaycee said.
Shrugging, I slipped my fingers into it and opened it wide. “I’ll choose number four.” It was my favorite number. When I opened and closed it four times, I then chose the number five. “This is dumb,” I said as my fingers moved the paper back and forth.
“This is all they had to do back in the 80s,” Presley said solemnly. “They must’ve been so incredibly bored.”
Kelsey started to laugh, and I smiled, peeling back the fortune behind the number five. My breath lodged in my throat when I saw the words written inside.
You will kiss Jake Fazio by the end of the day.
“Okay, whose idea of a joke is this?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Gwen frowned. “What’s it say?”
I showed it to her, and her eyebrows shot up. “Do it again.”
I did it again, choosing different numbers this time. When I peeled back the paper and read the fortune, I gasped out loud.
You will fall madly in love with Jake Fazio…or maybe you’re already in love with him.
“Oh God,” I whispered, not knowing if I should laugh or cry. I stared at my friends’ faces, but none of them looked guilty. They didn’t even look too innocent, either, if you know what I mean. “Did one of you make this?”
They all shook their heads.
Blowing out an exasperated breath, I did it yet again and this time my fortune said:
You will collect your final swimming lesson tonight at eight o’clock.
“Says who?” I asked aloud, though no one answered me.
“Are you okay?” Gwen asked, nudging me with her elbow.
“I guess.” Shrugging, I tore open the last fortune that I hadn’t read, not bothering going through the pretense of choosing numbers.
You will be Jake’s date at the talent show on Friday.
I will, huh? “I just wish I knew who made this,” I said, my gaze roaming over my friends’ faces yet again. But they all ducked their heads, trying to hide their smiles.
An intricately folded paper airplane landed directly in front of me. Written across one wing were the words “I did.”
And on the other wing it said, “I’m sorry.”
Turning in my seat, I found Jake standing there as if he were waiting for me, a hopeful expression on his face.
I stood and went to him, the fortune teller still in my hand, my legs shaking as I approached. My heart ached at seeing his gorgeous face, how his gaze warmed as he watched me come closer. I stopped just before him and held the paper fortune teller toward him. “You made this?”
He nodded. “Nancy taught me how this morning.”
My heart melted. So did the bones that were in my legs. “Why?”
“It’s my way of saying I’m sorry. And I messed up. That I hope you can forgive me and we can make the most of this last week we have with each other.”
I threw myself at him, not caring if the entire room was watching. I just needed to touch him, to feel his arms come around me. And when they did, when they held me close and squeezed, his mouth at my temple in the softest kiss, I had to close my eyes against the new tidal wave of tears that threatened to fall. “I’m sorry, too,” I said as I pulled away so I could look up at him. “I shouldn’t have told your uncle—”
“I’m glad you did,” he said, cutting me off. “You telling Uncle Bob brought my dad here, and we had a good talk.”
I smiled, blinking away the tears. “So did we.”
He chuckled. “I know.” Reaching out, he wiped away the one tear that streaked down my cheek with his thumb. “Let’s spend the rest of the week together, okay? And make the most of it?”
I nodded, and he kissed away another stray tear, his lips lingering on my skin.
The entire room burst into applause and happy laughter, and I tried to untangle myself from his arms but he wouldn’t let me. He just held on tighter and bent his head, his mouth at my ear. “Let them look. Let them think they had a hand in pushing us back together, but we know the truth.”
I lifted my head, my gaze landing on his lips. “What’s the truth?”
“You can’t fight fate. We were meant to be, Annie.” His head descended, his lips brushing mine as he spoke. “We belong together.”
And then he kissed me.
Epilogue
ANNIE
My phone rang, and I frowned when I saw Jake’s name flash across the screen. “Why are you calling me?” I said in answer.
He chuckled, the sound rich and warm and making me
wish we were in the same room together instead of hundreds of miles apart. “Nice to hear your voice, too,” he said teasingly.
“I thought we were going to FaceTime each other.” I sounded sort of bratty, but I really liked seeing his face every day, and I was missing him extra hard. This long-distance relationship thing was difficult, yet we somehow made it work. But it was Thanksgiving break and without school filling my days, I was missing Jake even more than usual.
“I’d rather call you.” Something rustled, and I heard the faint tick of a turn signal in the background. “What are you up to?”
“I was watching a movie.” I shut my laptop and set it aside on my bed. I’d stayed locked up in my room mostly for the last three days, and I was already bored out of my mind. I’d never wanted a school break to go by fast as much as this one.
“Anything good?”
“Not really.” I could tell he was in his car by all the background noise I could hear. “Are you driving?”
“Maybe.”
“You shouldn’t be talking on the phone while driving,” I reprimanded him. “It’s against the law.”
Jake laughed. “Thanks for the reminder, good girl.” His voice softened. “And don’t worry about me. I’m almost where I need to be.”
“Where are you going?”
“Hold on.” He must’ve put his hand over the phone because everything became muffled. I waited patiently, wondering what he was doing, why he wouldn’t tell me what he was up to. Maybe he had family to visit for the holiday. We were planning to see each other during winter break, and that couldn’t come fast enough. “Okay, sorry about that.”
“You’re being very mysterious.” I leaned back against my pillows and stared up at the ceiling. It was cold out, and rainy, the weather fitting my mood. I thought back to warm summer days and spending them with Jake. We hadn’t been in each other’s presence since the last day of camp, and that had been such a bittersweet moment. One I relived over and over. I remembered the way he held me, the words he’d whispered in my ear, how he kissed me like he never wanted to stop.