Girl off the Grid

by Jillian Dodd

  It’s announced that her plane is boarding, but Camille doesn’t move. She brings her hand up to the side of my face, runs her delicate fingers over my cheek, and then pulls me to her lips.

  I didn’t expect her to kiss me. And I definitely didn’t expect such passion.

  When she pulls back, it takes me a minute to open my eyes. When I do, I see a blush forming across her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry. I hope it was okay I did that. I just felt, well, I’m not sure exactly. But I just wanted one last kiss before we said goodbye for a while,” she says shyly.

  I run the back of my hand across her jaw and look deep into her eyes, not wanting to let her go. “I’m glad you did.”

  She gives me a sad smile, pulls out her boarding pass, and gets into line.

  As she’s ready to scan it, she says, “Wait!” to the gate agent, then rushes back into my arms, giving me another tight hug.

  “Bye,” she says. Then she turns and walks away, not looking back.

  Camille

  I get on the plane in tears, take my seat—thankful that no one is sitting next to me—and turn on my camera so I can do one last video.

  “So, I’m on the plane.” I break down in tears, crying for the camera and not even caring. “I just left Adam. And it hurts. I know I’ve only known him for about a week, but . . . he’s . . . amazing. I should probably remind myself of what happened on our last day, especially after my last video. The next morning I got myself up and even though I was still upset about the kiss—wait, I wasn’t upset about the kiss. The kiss was still the best of my life. I was upset that he basically ran away and told me that he shouldn’t have done it. Now I understand what he meant at the time and why he did it. It wasn’t that he didn’t like me, it was because he did. And he knew that we were leaving. That we don’t live near each other. He had a million reasons in his head why we wouldn’t work.

  “I was really sad when I woke up. But it was my last day in Costa Rica, and I wasn’t going to let it get ruined by a boy. I told myself to put on a smile and enjoy it. Everyone on the trip with us seemed to know that we liked each other. We had agreed to have breakfast with the Johnsons, a family that we traveled with sometimes. They asked about our romantic dinner and dancing. I think they were all hoping something had happened between us. But when they asked about it, things got awkward. Later, on the bus, Adam tried to explain, but it didn’t seem to help. Nothing he said came out right. I finally just told him I wanted us both to enjoy our last day. I wanted to stay mad at him, but I couldn’t.

  “We went canoeing and that was awesome. We got to see, and hear, a howler monkey. Then we got to the turtle refuge and found out we had to share a room. Like not a bed, just a room. Anyway, we started talking more and things felt back to normal. We had fun. And then it was time to go to sleep. We had to go out on turtle patrol late at night, so it was early and I couldn’t sleep. I woke Adam up, wanting him to keep me company, but instead he pulled me on the bed and kissed me. It was not expected. All day I thought I’d never get to kiss him again, but I did. For a while. And he rubbed my hair and kissed my neck, then snuggled up with me and told me to sleep. It was probably the most romantic thing someone has ever done for me.”

  I shake my head and brush away my tears.

  “And then we went on turtle patrol and saw something very intimate—we watched a mama turtle dig a nest and lay her eggs. It was so natural and so awe-inspiring. Really, everything about my time in Costa Rica was inspiring. I’m going home a different person. I want to make a difference. I want to help teach people about the environment. I want them to care more about it. And it’s my hope that my article and Adam’s photos can achieve that. We joked that our work would be tied together forever because of this trip, but all I could think about is that I wish I could be tied to Adam forever, too. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s passionate, smart, sweet, and has a beautiful soul. Anyway, then something else amazing happened. We had babies!” I laugh at myself. “Not me and Adam, of course, I’m talking turtle babies. We got to see a nest of turtles hatch. And as we watched those little turtles struggle to make it out to the sea all by themselves, Adam took my hand and squeezed it tightly.

  “And it just made the moment that much more special.

  “Which brings us to our goodbye at the airport. We stood there staring at each other, both incredibly sad. And this time, I grabbed that boy’s face and kissed him. Right there in front of everyone. I didn’t care. I just had to kiss him. One last time.

  “Sometime during the day he told me about his parents, how they met in a jungle and fell in love. And I think in a roundabout way, he was talking about us. I read a lot of romance novels, and I love happy endings. I wish I could write myself one, but I can’t. Because I don’t have any idea how this is going to end. I just hope that I get to see him again. That the distance between us won’t matter. That we’ll figure things out. Because I think I fell in love in the jungle, too.”

  Adam

  I’m a bit of a mess when I get on my plane. Fortunately, I am exhausted and quickly fall asleep. When I land in Charlotte, I check out the departure board to determine which gate my connecting flight will be taking off from.

  After getting to the correct area, I find a quiet restaurant, get a seat for one, and flip through the menu. After placing my order, I get out my computer, connect to Wi-Fi and start sorting through emails.

  I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out, seeing Janet’s name across the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “Darling, it’s Janet. How are you?” she purrs.

  “I’m good, thanks. Made it to Charlotte and am just getting something to eat while I wait for my flight to London. You’ve been getting all the photos I’ve sent, haven’t you? The Wi-Fi was a little iffy, but I thought everything went through.”

  “Oh, yes! We adore them. That’s the reason for my call, actually. We want you to come to New York. Like now. We’ve changed your flight from London to here. You’ll have to hurry and eat, dear. It starts boarding in fifteen minutes.”

  “Why did you switch my flight?”

  “Well, you see, Camille’s travel videos have brought a ton of traffic to our site, and the fans are crazy about you two. We’re going to reshoot our July cover that will release in just a few weeks, and we want both of you on it,” she says, excitedly. “And I should tell you in the thirty years I’ve been in the magazine business, I have never reshot a cover. It’s messy and expensive, but in this case it will be worth it. I literally got to yell, Stop the press when I saw the numbers.”

  “Videos? Wait. Are you talking about Camille’s YouTube videos? What does that have to do with me?” I ask, confused.

  “No,” she giggles. “We’ve been posting the video journals Camille did each day during the trip. And everyone is eating them up. So with all the attention, we are going to expand the piece to include a cover shoot and even include a separate feature page about you and your photography, if that would be agreeable to you.”

  “Wow. That would be amazing, but, wait, are you talking about Camille’s blog videos or the personal ones she made to remember her journey?”

  Janet lets out a nervous giggle. “It wasn’t actually part of the plan. She was instructed to upload raw footage of herself remembering each day along with a journal entry. I asked her to do so because you know how when you get through something trying, you only tend to remember the good parts? Well, I wanted her article to be authentic and full of emotion, so I told her to do this as a way to remember her true feelings. But when I shared the videos with my assistant, she was so enthralled, I decided they were just too good not to share. And I was right. Readers have been logging on by the millions to see what happens next.”

  “But I thought this was supposed to be a piece about the environment?” I say, feeling a little exploited.

  “Oh, it is. Can you imagine? All those people getting to experience what she went through as she went through it
? When I sent the two of you on this trip, my goal was to bring awareness to young women about the environment. To help them understand what a big world it is out there. And hopefully motivate them to be activists for the cause. All because everyone loves you two.”

  “Wait. Does she talk about me in her personal videos?”

  “Oh, doll, you’re in every one of them. The fans love the tension and are so excited to meet you. Well, at least learn more about you. A portion of your section is going to be an interview to give them some more insight.”

  “How did Camille react when you told her?”

  “Well, I haven’t actually told her yet, but I think she will be pleased with the amount of attention she’s gotten. Both of your social media followings have exploded. And based on her videos, I think she will be very pleasantly surprised to see you again. Anyhow, I sent you the link so you can watch them for yourself, but you better hurry, your flight should be boarding any minute now. Check your texts, we just sent you the attachment with your new boarding pass. Can’t wait to see you!”

  She abruptly hangs up.

  A million thoughts are running through my head, mostly about Camille and what she could have said about me. I think back to how we fought at the beginning and how much I already miss her. I don’t care about the magazine, or the cover, but I need to catch that plane so I can see her again.

  I throw some cash on the table, grab my backpack, and run to the gate.

  As soon as I’m in my seat, I take a moment to process everything Janet said—that Camille made video journals, uploaded them, and doesn’t yet know that they were posted online. I wonder how she’s going to react when she finds out. I would be pissed.

  I get out my laptop and open up the email Janet sent. It has just one link. I hover over it, hesitantly click, and am taken to a page on the Fashion Forward website. Featured at the top, in a neat row, are all of Camille’s videos. I quickly download each one, so I can watch them during my flight. While they are downloading, I notice the thousands of comments on each video and the number of views.

  A smile pulls at my mouth as I think about seeing her again.

  I’m told to put my computer away while we take off, but the second we reach cruising altitude, I pull it back out, put in my headphones, and watch.

  By the time I’ve reached LaGuardia and stepped off the plane, I’ve watched the videos over and over, sometimes not even paying attention to what she said, just watching her adorable facial expressions. But her last video—seeing her cry, killed me. Because now I know that she feels the same way I do.

  I make my way down to baggage claim thinking about how excited I am to see her. I can’t wait to see the surprised look on her face when I show up at the magazine tomorrow. Hell, maybe I’ll have to switch medias and videotape her reaction.

  But it turns out I’m the one who is surprised.

  The second I step through the secure area and into the baggage claim, I see her.

  “Adam!” she yells and rushes into my arms.

  “I saw your videos.” She blushes slightly, her cheeks turning pink, so I pull her close and whisper, “And I think I fell in love in the jungle, too.”

  FROM KENZIE

  I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for picking up this book. Publishing Girl Off The Grid has been a dream come true for me. Traveling has always been a huge part of my life, and I’m so pleased that I got to share this story with you. My sophomore year of high school, I went on a trip almost exactly like this—without the fashion magazine or the romance. I completely fell in love with eco-tourism, and the trip changed me. It showed me why traveling is so important. I found out that you can learn a lot about yourself when you’re pushed out of your comfort zone. And that there are ways to travel that are environmentally conscious. It was a life-changing experience, and this book allowed me to share my personal experiences with you in a fun way. I thought a lot about where this book would fall in categories—would it be strictly a travel memoir or would it be a romance book with a side of travel? My mom and I decided on young adult for quite a few reasons. I think the most important one is that young adults see the world in such a unique way. When I looked back at my journal entries, I couldn’t help but laugh at what I wrote. While a little juvenile, everything I experienced led me to question things. All of my questions and feelings were true and raw, and I didn’t hold back.

  I hope this book leads you to do the same. Always question things. Learn about the planet. Get out and travel. Go on crazy adventures. Don’t be afraid to fall in love. Never hold back. Make your dreams come true.

  —Kenzie

  If you’re interested in learning more about me, staying up-to-date on news, or if you want to find out more about my trip or similar trips, click here to visit my website and be sure to follow me on social media.

  FROM JILLIAN

  Sometimes it’s the little moments in your life that can have a profound effect. For my daughter, it happened during an eco-trip to Costa Rica, where she was going to help “save the turtles.” I assumed it would be a fun little trip. She’d always loved animals, her best friend was going, and she’d even earn science credits. I sent my little girl into the jungle and got back a mature young woman with a much bigger picture of the world, how people live, and our impact on the environment.

  As we were writing this book together six years later, I realized more fully what an impact this trip had on her. She’s now fully vegan because of the negative environmental impact the meat industry has. She’s traveled to different parts of the world every summer since to learn more about the way people live. She’s concerned about our environment and obsessed with history. She’d give every dime she earns to help animal and environmental causes if she could, just graduated college with honors in International Studies, and has written this book in hopes that she can raise awareness with those who don’t have the opportunity to travel the way she has.

  It was so much fun teaming up with Kenzie to make this book a reality. I hope that as you followed Camille’s journey you came to understand how the economy of a country can have a detrimental impact on both the environment and its wildlife and learned how small changes in your daily life can have a positive impact on our world.

  —Jillian

  If you are interested in learning more about me, my trips, or my books, click here to visit my website and be sure to follow me on social media.

  MAKING A DIFFERENCE

  Part of our goal in writing this book is to make a difference. 10% of our profits from this book will be donated to the Sea Turtle Conservatory. It is the oldest sea turtle research and conservation group. It was founded in 1959 by Dr. Archie Carr. Their headquarters are in Florida, but they have programs worldwide that work to conserve sea turtle populations through education, research, advocacy, and protection of natural habitats. They also have a research station in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, which was one of the places visited in the book. For more information on the Sea Turtle Conservatory, click here.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Kenzie Harp recently graduated from the University of South Florida—St. Petersburg with a degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: History and International Studies. She loves to travel and read, lives in Florida with her husband and adorable Maltese puppy, and is currently planning her next travel adventure.

  Jillian Dodd is a USA TODAY bestselling author who lives in a small Florida beach town, is married to her college sweetheart, has two grown children and two Labrador Retrievers. She is not quite as adventurous as her daughter, but loves to travel, shop, and paint.

  Books by Jillian Dodd

  The USA TODAY bestselling series,

  The Keatyn Chronicles®

  Stalk Me

  Kiss Me

  Date Me

  Love Me

  Adore Me

  Hate Me

  Get Me

  Keatyn Unscripted

  Aiden

  Hollywood Love Series

  (
A Keatyn Chronicles Spin off)

  Fame

  Power

  Money

  Sex

  Love

  That Boy Series

  That Boy

  That Wedding

  That Baby

  The Love Series

  Vegas Love

  Broken Love

  Spy Girl Series

  The Prince

  The Eagle

  The Society