by Amanda Ashby
“What does it look like?” She pressed her shoulder closer. She was shorter than him, and her hair tickled his jaw. Then her hand slid around his waist. “Even though technically this is more your fault than mine, I can’t exactly leave you here.”
“Correction. Yes, you can,” he said, trying not to think about her hand around his waist. Sure he’d kissed a few girls over the years, but it was only during stupid party games. And there had been no touching. Not that Via was in any danger of kissing him, but she was definitely touching. His skin burned from her fingers. “I told you, I’m fine.”
“You also told Mr. Mitchell you thought white holes existed. Clearly I can’t trust your opinion.”
“Hey, it’s a valid theory,” he retorted, but when she didn’t loosen her grip, he reluctantly put his arm around her shoulders.
“Sure it is,” she said in a patronizing voice as she took a small step forward. “Now, are you going to be stubborn or can we actually go?”
“Fine.”
He let out a sigh.
There was no point fighting it. Besides, what else could go wrong with his day? His dad was too besotted with his new wife to remember to collect him, his mom was on a cruise, destination unknown, and once again he’d made a fool of himself in front of Via Mackenzie.
He took a tentative step forward. The sooner this was over with, the better.
2
“Wait. Let me get this straight. You hid up a tree, and then when he came to talk, you fell on him and caused him to sprain his ankle. Have I missed anything?”
“Shut up, Zac.” Via threw the magazine she’d been reading at her brother’s head. He merely picked it up and began to fan himself.
“You know, Vee, if you want some dating tips you just have to ask,” he said as his phone beeped. He studied the screen and smirked. “One of my many admirers.”
“Poor girl. Tell her the doctor should be able to prescribe something for her to get over it.” She stood and retrieved her magazine. It was National Geographic and there was an article she wanted to finish reading.
Also, she most definitely did not want to be having this conversation with her brother. It was messing with her denial process. Especially the part where Hudson had sprained his ankle. Or that somehow he was now at least a foot taller than last time she’d been near him and smelled of cinnamon.
She frowned. Those last two facts were irrelevant. But the sprained ankle? That was a problem. She’d managed to get him back to his family cabin and immediately got the site nurse, who’d confirmed the sprain and praised Via for helping him.
Hudson hadn’t said a word about what had really happened. Merely that he’d tripped and Via had been nearby.
Her mood didn’t improve.
“Ouch. That’s harsh.” Zac dragged his gaze away from his phone and gave her a quizzing stare. “Though I never understood why you’re still mad at him. It happened years ago, and it was just a bra. Not the end of the world.”
No. It had only felt like it.
She sat back down and shut her eyes. She’d never told Zac about the panic attack that followed. Or Frankie.
She was already Zac’s boring sister who spent all her time studying. Knowing she was a freak would draw more attention. And so she’d let people think she was crying in the bathroom stall, instead of what she’d really been doing. Trying to calm her mind. Get her breathing under control. Stop from passing out.
It seemed the lesser of two evils.
When she opened her eyes, Zac was still waiting for an answer.
“I’m over what happened,” she lied with a casual shrug. “Which is why this sucks. I’d much rather my past stay exactly where it was. Damn you, quantum mechanics.”
“Seriously? You’re sciencing me now?”
“Quantum mechanics argues my past, present, and future can and do exist all at the same time. But that’s just a theory.”
He blinked and gave a dismissive shrug. As if what she’d said was mildly interesting, but it was time to consign it back to where it had come from. She sighed.
“Here’s a crazy idea. You could make peace with him. It could be the start of a beautiful friendship,” Zac said while simultaneously scrolling through his phone.
“Not going to happen.” She folded her arms.
It wasn’t even losing out on first prize at the science fair—though that had burned. It was the fact everyone had looked at her. Two years later she still got called Kitty because of the tiny cats on her bra.
And it had all been Hudson’s fault.
He’d dragged her out of the background where she was comfortable and made her a laughing stock. It was hard to explain to her brother just how overwhelming she found it. Especially since he lit up when he was the center of attention. The more the merrier. But Via wasn’t like that.
There was silence between them, but finally he gave her a smile.
“Fine, little sis. I’ll leave it alone. But, for the record, I always liked Hudson.”
“You also liked putting marshmallows up your nose. Your judgment is flawed,” she retorted but gave him a grateful smile. Most of the time her brother was exasperating, but she knew he had her back. “Thank you for trying to make me feel better.”
“Always.” He held up his fist for a bump, and she rolled her eyes but returned the gesture.
“Ah, there you both are.” Their mom appeared in the cabin doorway holding a couple of folding chairs, while their dad followed armed with a large plate of hamburger patties and a bowl of salad. “It’s time for the camp BBQ. And—” She leveled a stern glare at Via “—no getting out of it.”
“Don’t be too hard on her, Jen,” her dad chimed in. “If she hadn’t been around, poor Hudson would have been stuck where he was. Though I’m still not clear on how you hurt your hands.”
“I stumbled when I was helping him,” Via quickly said. Logically it didn’t make sense, but it seemed to satisfy her parents. Good. No way did she want to go into the whole tree incident. She gave Zac a warning glance and he shrugged, letting her know it was her business.
She let out a sigh and followed the rest of her family to the outdoor seating area of Camp Doom. Most of the families were already gathered there, and a couple of the men were laying claim to the BBQ, as a thick cloud of black smoke rose up.
Part of her wanted to tell them they needed more oxygen in the wood for it to burn properly, but she resisted the urge. Over to the left was Hudson. His bandaged foot was propped on a chair, and he’d changed into a blue T-shirt that brought out the tan on his face.
She didn’t bother to hide. After all, she’d managed to out herself in the most embarrassing way possible. And thanks to his ankle, it wasn’t like he was going anywhere. Zac gravitated over to where Diana and a couple of her friends were sitting, while their dad went to join the men with the meat, and their mom made a beeline to a group of women.
The other reason why she’d spent so much time hiding. At least that way she could be alone on purpose. Unlike her brother, she’d didn’t have a lot of friends, just Frankie. But Frankie was in Cricket Bay and Via was stuck at Camp Doom, so she’d pretty much spent all her time on her own.
It was kind of lonely.
She sat down at an empty table and glanced over to Hudson as Zac’s words pushed into her mind.
It could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
She slammed it down. She hadn’t been that lonely. She’d learned the hard way what happened from being friends with Hudson Trent.
xxxx
“Another burger?” Hudson’s aunt, Ruth, appeared at the table holding a plate of over-cooked patties that probably tasted like ash. He could have told the guys in charge not to starve the fire of oxygen but figured they probably didn’t care.
“Nah. I’m good,” he said. The sun had set, and the night sky was turning from violet to black, broken only by the lights strung up in the overhead tree branches.
“Really?” Ruth raised an eyebrow and s
at down on the wooden bench across from him. “Your dad had to cancel and then you randomly fall over and bust your ankle. Seems to me they might be related. Were you too upset to look where you were going?”
He ran a hand through his hair, forgetting he’d had it cut. The short ends prickled his fingers. They were related, but not in the way she thought.
“The ankle was an accident. And as for my dad, it’s no big deal. He’s probably got newlywed brain. I get it.”
“At least one of us does,” Ruth said, her voice turning into a soft growl. “Hudson, I love my brother, but it’s not okay he forgot. You know it has nothing to do with you, right?”
Sure.
Complete coincidence. Just like it was a coincidence his mom had decided to go on a month-long cruise that didn’t include her only son. The only one who lucked out was his aunt, who was now stuck with him for another two weeks. Annoyance flared in him. He’d started going to the gym, just to avoid thinking about the mess his life was, but thanks to his ankle, working out wasn’t much of an option.
He balled his fists instead.
“Seriously, I’m fine.”
“Okay, then. By the way, I’ve arranged for you to go into town on Wednesday to get your ankle X-rayed. The nurse wants to double check nothing was damaged.”
“Not a problem.” He shrugged. Right now the only thing on his schedule was a never-ending cycle of icepacks to bring down the swelling.
“It’ll get better, I promise.” She stood up and patted his shoulder. “You could always spend more time with Via. I forgot you go to school together.”
“We hang out in different groups,” he said quickly, not bothering to elaborate that it meant they split the library. She tended to sit near the 400s, and he stayed at the other end by the reference books, on account of him being her least favorite person in the world.
“This could be a chance to know her better.” Ruth picked up the platter and gave him another smile before walking away.
Yeah, that wouldn’t be happening.
Via was sitting alone at a picnic table. Her gaze was firmly fixed in the other direction, and her back was stiff, no doubt pretending he wasn’t there.
He could go over and tell her not to worry. That he’d stay out of her way. After all, there were only so many venomous looks a guy could handle in one day.
But to do that he’d have to use the crutches. It was a lot of effort just to get abused. Besides, whenever he tried to fix things, he made them worse.
“Hudson,” a lispy voice cried out as his six-year-old cousin, Lulu, came running over, closely followed by Theo, her younger brother. She pointed up at the sky. “Tell us what that star is.”
“It’s Nelly Knobby Knees,” he immediately replied as Lulu leaned against his arm and Theo flanked him on the other side. The pair of them immediately burst out laughing.
“What’s that one?” Theo shrieked, and Hudson racked his brain for another silly name. It was a game they’d always played.
“Pickle Head,” he said. It earned him another round of laughter as his phone beeped. It was a text from his mom.
You ok? Heard about the ankle and your father. He will be the death of me. Sorry you’re stuck there for two weeks. Alaska is gorgeous. Luv Mom.
He didn’t bother to reply, and a second later another text came through, this time from his father.
Hope ankle is ok. Tell your mother I don’t appreciate smart-ass texts. I will make it up when I get back.
Hudson deleted both messages. He’d given up playing the middle guy last year, but it didn’t make a difference. He looked up as Via glared at him then stood up and walked in the other direction. He gritted his teeth.
Fourteen days and it would be over, and he could go back to his regular screwed-up life.
3
So, this was going to be fun. And by fun she meant torturous hell.
Via sighed as the morning sun pounded down on her arms. No water sports today. Her parents had dragged them over to the parking lot for an orienteering scavenger hunt Ruth organized every year. The only bearable part was reading the compass. However, after her great escape yesterday, her parents weren’t taking no for an answer.
Zac was flirting with Diana while they waited for the other families to arrive.
Libby got there first, herding her loud kids and even louder husband over. She was soon followed by Ruth, whose face was pale and filled with worry lines.
“Sorry, guys,” she said, puffing to a halt. “Good news is the course is all set up. Ethan and I think it’s our best one yet. Bad news is Lulu and Theo both managed to fall in poison ivy, and Ethan’s on a work call all morning. That means I’m not going to be able to man the halfway checkpoint to hand out drinks and the next lot of clues.”
“Poor Lulu and Theo. I’m sure we can find someone else.” Via’s mom, who’d been jogging on the spot in preparation for the upcoming adventure, stopped. Then she rubbed her brow and turned to Via. “What do you say, honey? I know you weren’t really excited to be doing the challenge.”
Was this a trick question?
To participate, or sit at a table and hand out water bottles and pieces of paper? Tough one.
“Sure.” She nodded her head.
“Oh, that’s great. And Hudson can keep you company,” Ruth said, relief flooding her face.
Wait. What?
“Um—” she started to say but was cut off by her mom, who had once again started jogging on the spot.
“Perfect. Via, you can drive the car to Ruth’s cabin to collect everything. It will save Hudson from having to walk too far on his crutches.”
No. Via wildly peered around for Zac, willing him to volunteer to take her place, but he’d managed to slink behind a car, making himself small. No doubt he wanted to spend the day flirting with Diana rather than being stuck with Hudson Trent.
And who could blame him?
“Thank you. It’s so much fun getting to cheer them all on. I know you’re going to love it.” Ruth let out a grateful sigh, oblivious to Via’s internal battle.
Doubtful.
She plastered on a smile. “Sure. It’s my pleasure.”
xxxx
“Did I mention I’m sorry?” Hudson said an hour later as she carted another box of water bottles over to the tent. Ruth’s husband had already set it up, along with the table and two folding chairs, where Hudson was currently sitting.
“Only about a hundred times.” She dumped the box next to the cut fruit, bags of trail mix, and energy bars. There was a folder with the answers for the first part of the scavenger hunt and the clues for the second part.
To his credit, Hudson did sound genuine.
She glanced at her phone. It would be at least an hour before anyone reached them, and they had to stay there until all eight teams had checked in. In other words, far too long.
“I swear I had no idea you’d be roped into it. I offered to babysit the kids, but Ruth was worried they’d outrun me. If it would make you feel better, I could sit in the car.”
It absolutely would.
Except it was eighty degrees.
She’d already sprained his ankle. Probably shouldn’t give him heat stroke too.
“It’s fine.” She busied herself setting everything out. Hudson didn’t speak, but his eyes were boring into her. “What?”
“Just remembering when we had to wait in Mr. Gardener’s office to talk about a holiday program, and you ended up tidying his entire desk.”
“Oh.” She blinked. She wasn’t sure what he’d been going to say, but it wasn’t that. In her defense, the desk was a crime scene. She’d been doing him a favor. Then she quirked an eyebrow. “I remember when Mrs. Splinter spent the entire lesson saying cytoplasm instead of cytoskeleton. Then when she asked you a question, you didn’t want to embarrass her so you said it too, even though it must’ve been killing you on the inside.”
“Guilty.” He laughed and held up his hands. Her skin prickled. It was a long time sin
ce she’d heard him laugh. It was deeper than she remembered, and warmer. Like syrup. “So, you doing pre-calculus this year?”
“Yeah. My mom wasn’t sure if I should fast track, but I convinced her.” She nodded and finished putting out the maps, using a rock to stop them blowing away in the faint breeze. “You?”
“Same,” he said, and cautiously looked at her. “Via. I really didn’t mean to upset you at the fair.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her mouth tightened, and the warmth of the day left her skin.
“I know,” he agreed in a low voice, and anger flared through her. Was he trying to make her feel guilty? Totally unfair. And unreasonable. If anyone was guilty, it was him. Zac’s words floated in her mind. Here’s a crazy idea. Just make your peace with him. Her brother could be so irritating sometimes. But what if he was right?
She sighed and swiveled around to face Hudson. His injured ankle was stretched out in front of him, and he was tapping his leg as if he was nervous.
He should be.
She arched a brow. “You want to talk? Great. So tell me Hudson, why did you sabotage my science fair project and then pour water over me, allowing the entire school to see my bra?”
He flinched like she’d hit him, then pressed his lips together.
“I wasn’t sabotaging it. I was looking at it and noticed your capacitor was bent. Believe it or not, I was trying to fix it, but my hand was shaking and when I pressed it down, it snapped. That’s what caused the short circuit.”
She stiffened. Impossible.
No way would she have done that. It was a rookie mistake, and she’d checked it three times. Hadn’t she? Her mind tried to rewind, but it was so long ago and all tangled up in what had happened.
And it was beside the point. She’d been his lab partner enough times to know his hands were always steady and his actions were measured. He did it once and he did it right. He often helped Mr. Gardener set up the experiments because Hudson never messed up.
“I’m not buying it.” She shook her head. “You could dismantle a bomb without a drop of sweat falling.”
