“But that’s just it Mark. I didn’t know then. I didn’t know until now,” Cassie hollers.
Cassie’s fighting with Mark?
“Very convenient Cassie, you had all the time in the world to say something and you wait until now. And I know you’re only saying it because I’m with someone now.”
“Oh, you’re with her now? I didn’t know you were together. What you’re in love with her now, what happened to me?”
“I never said I was in love with you.” Mark yells. “All I did was try and kiss you, once. That’s all.”
I gasp and cover my mouth, horrified. Do I go in there or do I get someone?
“Kiss me now Mark. Try and kiss me right now. I won’t say no.” Cassie’s anger turns to pleading.
“Cassie you’re drunk. Go to bed, get some sleep and in the morning we can talk.”
“No,” Cassie screams and I hear something smash against the floor. “I’m not drunk. I can’t believe you’re choosing Courtney over me. I would never do that to you.”
“You’ve been hooking up with my roommate since the night we got here. You made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me this summer. I’m your brother remember?”
Oh my God, I wish I had a cell phone that worked. I need to call the police.
“I’m sorry, Mark, what do you want me to say? I’m telling you I’m in love with you. Don’t go to her tonight, stay here with me.”
“No, Cassie. You had your chance, anything between us is over.”
“Fine, you want me to beg. I’m begging you, please, stay here, kiss me.” Her desperate voice cracks.
The room goes quiet. I hold my breath, don’t kiss her, please, don’t kiss her. It feels like forever before someone finally speaks.
“I’m sorry Cassie.” The door flies open. I’m perfectly still as Mark rushes past me, not even noticing I’m standing there, and overheard their entire argument.
I need a plan before going inside. How do I handle this? We’ll take my car and I’ll take Cassie somewhere safe tonight and we can go report this in the morning. We can call her parents and they can all get some much needed family counseling.
I don’t get a chance to help her. Cassie bursts through the door, flying down the stairs two at a time. Shoot. I shout for her to stop, and chase after her a few steps. It’s no use. She’s gone. My mouth hangs open in disbelief at what just occurred.
I walk into our cabin and step over the broken travel clock putting my bag down on the bed. Where could she have gone? After Mark? To get help? I bend down to clean up the broken pieces on the floor.
Worst night ever, worst weekend ever, and this is only the second weekend here.
CHAPTER NINE
Tessa
The sound of muffled crying wakes me up. All night I waited for her to come back, finally giving in to sleep in the early hours of the morning. I’m out of bed and over to Cassie instantly. She’s curled up in a ball weeping.
“Are you okay?” I put my hand on her shoulder.
“Tessa, I’ll tell you everything, just not right now, okay?” Cassie finishes sniffling. “Right now, I need to sleep. We can talk later.”
“It’s going to be okay.” I assure her stroking the hair away from her face. It’s light outside. No more clock, but it has to be around six or seven o’clock. “I’ll go out and get us breakfast. Then we can figure everything out.”
By the time I’m dressed Cassie has drifted off to sleep. I grab my purse, and keys, taking off down the steps. The damp ground softens under my sneakers. This place is a muggy hot mess. Through the trees I see someone else walking. A fishing pole slung over his left shoulder. That son of a bitch. I stomp over to confront him.
“I’m calling the cops and reporting you.” I step in front of him, blocking the way. I’m not sure if what they’re doing is actually illegal but it should be.
“Excuse me, you’re what?” Mark takes the pole from his shoulder and rests it in the dirt.
“I heard everything last night. Your sister,” I emphasize, pointing an accusing finger in his face, “is a mess. She came in this morning hysterical crying.”
Mark flexes his jaw. “My sister is not my sister. She made it up, made us pretend. She wanted to get rid of me and be free to have ‘fun’ this summer.” He’s enraged, hands shaking violently. “She was probably crying because she made a drunken fool of herself and then made things worse by going to the hut with Sawyer last night.”
I absorb this new information. There’s no way to process all of this at once. “She’s not your sister?”
“Nope,” he puffs angrily. “We’re not related at all.”
I arch my eyebrows. “And you guys are …?”
“She’s my… We are…” Mark’s eyelid begins twitching. “We’re nothing.” He swings the pole back in place on his shoulder, taking off in a different direction.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t feel like fishing anymore.”
“Don’t you think you should go talk to her?”
“No. She didn’t mean anything that was said. She proved that with Sawyer last night,” Mark exclaims violently, pebbles flying up under his feet as he goes storming away.
I exhale, it wasn’t good, but at least they aren’t related. It sure does explain a lot about the way they were acting. If Cassie really is in love with Mark, then what happened? Why is she with Sawyer?
Cassie
The first thing I see when I open my eyes is the Pez dispenser. The thing I used to lure Mark up to my room. “I have something for you,” I’d said to him after I had few beers prying him away from Courtney and dragging him back to the cabin. Once we got back to the cabin Pez was the last thing on my mind.
Every confusing emotion I felt over the past year surfaced all at once. Suddenly it wasn’t confusing anymore. I’m in love with him. I don’t know what I expected when I told him, but I didn’t expect the reaction he gave me. I thought he loved me too, but some of the things he said were cruel. I smack my face back down into my pillow.
I guess I showed him. He wasn’t the only one to go to the hut anymore. Now I had too. Right in front of him I approached Sawyer who eagerly accepted my offer. I stared back at Mark as Sawyer and I walked away. I knew Mark wouldn’t let me go. He would stop me and tell me he was sorry. Mark always watched out for me. This time he didn’t. He let me go.
The hut was worse than I imagined it would be. Filthy. Nasty. Dark. Disgusting. An old mattress sat on the floor in the corner of the foul smelling room. To do something as major as this with someone who means so little to me. It was all wrong. There was no way I’d be able to go through with it. “I can’t do this,” I told him after we kissed. Sawyer let out an angry grunt. “Then why did you say it? What’s everyone going to think if we walk right back out?”
I led him on and understood his reaction. That’s why I wound up agreeing to stay in the hut with him for an appropriate amount of time. I refused to do anything, but allowed for it to look like I did.
We both agreed to keep what didn’t happen in the hut to ourselves, giving no details to anyone who asked. Sawyer was furious or maybe he was just really disappointed, but needless to say, it’s safe to assume our fling is over.
I saw Tessa standing there last night when I left and am pretty sure she heard everything. What she must be thinking. It’s time to tell her the truth about Mark.
Tessa returns to our cabin with fresh bagels for the two of us. I haven’t even left my bed. As we chew away I come clean and tell her the whole sordid story, including the secret details of nothing happening in the hut with Sawyer.
“Are you sure you really like Mark in that way?” Tessa asks when I finish the long story.
“Yeah, why?” Isn’t she listening?
“He kind of has a point. You didn’t have any interest in him until you saw him with someone else. The whole brother thing, asking him to pretend to be your brother right after he tries to kiss you, it sounds kind of crue
l.”
I snort out a puff of air. “Tessa, he was the one who was cruel. You said you heard him yelling at me last night.”
“Some of the things you said, I don’t know, seem mean. You forgot his birthday, you told him you didn’t want to go fishing, introduced him as your brother. The first night I met you guys, you forced him to kiss me. What was he supposed to do? He tried, you turned him down.”
I cringe at the truth. When nothing happened between us in the beginning it stung. When I found out he was going away to school, it hurt a little more, because I knew that meant we couldn’t be together. We couldn’t have a romantic relationship if he was gonna be leaving. Maybe I had been masking all these feelings by being mean. Basically, hurting him to avoid being hurt by him.
“I’m sure I really like him,” I say confidently and feel the need to elaborate. “He’s so different from other guys. He’s the kind of guy who’s not threatened because I like to do un-girly things. He’s the guy you can spend all day with fishing, hiking, whatever. He’s always up for everything. And then he can go home, take a shower and come right back and hang out watching silly movies with me all night. Or day. Sometimes when I have to work early at the bakery, he’ll come over and pretend it’s night and watch a movie with me in the afternoon so I can go to bed early. When we’re together we have so much fun.” I laugh as a few of the crazy things we’ve done float around in my head. “Do you know that the donut shops by us offer a free donut day? Well, on free donut day last year we cut school and drove around that day getting free donuts from all the different shops. We went to like at least ten different ones. We literally drove around all day and ate a butt load of free donuts. It was so ridiculous. I mean my dad owns a bakery.” I’m laughing so hard telling the story I have to pause for a second to wipe a tear away. “And before we went home we went to a dollar store and bought fake moustaches. Then we went back into the first place and asked for more free donuts.”
“Did the people behind the counter catch on?” Tessa asks judging me like I’m a hard core criminal.
“Tessa, are you for real sometimes? We were wearing moustaches made out of cheap fur and laughing our asses off. Of course they knew we were joking.”
“Oh, so they didn’t give you the donuts?”
“No, they did. They didn’t give a shit, we’re talking about two donuts,” I laugh. “See, this is why I love Mark because he gets it. He knows how to have fun and be silly. No one else would probably think that’s funny, but to us it was.” My laughter dwindles. “I should have realized all this before we came here and made a mess out of everything. Now I went and made everything so much worse last night. I’m so embarrassed.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Tessa lies back on the bed with her knees up.
“No freaking clue. Any suggestions?” I finish up the last of my bagel.
“I passed a tan and laundry on my way to get the bagels, we can go do your laundry and get a tan.”
I laugh with a mouthful of bagel. “How are you even my friend right now and being this nice to me? I’m a horrible person.”
“No, you’re not horrible, just all screwed up like everyone else is. You need to do your laundry and I need a tan, so let’s go.”
Tessa helps me pack up my laundry. We sneak out unseen and escape in Tessa’s car from camp. I’m a mixture of sad and depressed and in desperate need of a donut since telling Tessa that story.
Speeding along the winding road a noise sounds through Tessa’s car speakers and with a push of a button the music turns off and a man’s voice fills the car.
“Hey, Princess.”
“Hey, Daddy.”
“How’s camp? You ready to come home yet? Swallow any more bugs?” her dad teases.
“I’m good. The bugs are getting better.” Tessa rolls her eyes.
“What about your roommate? Is she being nice? Any more fights between you two?”
“No Daddy, we’re good. She’s in the car with me right now and can hear you,” Tessa says through clenched teeth and a smile.
“Hello.” I feel compelled to say and give a little wave even though he can’t see me.
“Hello,” her father greets me back. So awkward.
“Alright Dad, we’re out right now and we’re almost at the place, I gotta go, tell Mom I said Hi. I’ll call her later.”
“Wait,” her dad stops her. “Your sister wants to tell you something.”
“Hey, Tess, guess who I ran into?” a girl’s voice fills the car. “Josh. He asked about you. Told me to tell you he said hello.”
I watch Tessa process this for a few seconds. I’m not sure how it’s even possible but her foot hits the gas a little harder.
“Yeah, well if you see him again, don’t tell him I said anything. In fact if you see him again, just walk in the opposite direction.”
“He seemed nice, Tessa.”
“Yeah, that’s his game. He always seems nice. Don’t be fooled by it, Quinn.”
“I’m just passing along what he said. Should I tell him you have a hot new boyfriend up at camp?” Her sister giggles. I think Tessa mentioned she’s sixteen.
“I gotta go. Bye.” Tessa disconnects the call and the music plays again. She glances over at me apologetically. “I shouldn’t have answered that call.”
Hot new boyfriend at camp? I don’t know anything about this. Is it Tucker? I know she’s interested in him and he is turning down invites to the hut. But I didn’t think anything had actually happened between them. Maybe there’s more to them than I know about.
Once we arrive and Tessa has been sprayed with a fake glow she plops down in the seat next to me. The washing machine acts like a television, both of us sit staring at the clothes swish back and forth through the suds.
My chin rests propped up on my hand. “Now that I told you everything, can I ask you something? Are you the girl Tucker is interested in?”
Tessa sighs, her own face resting on both of her hands. “No, he made it all up. There’s no girl he’s interested in.”
“He came looking for you last night. Asked me where you were, where he could find you. Did he find you?”
“Yeah, he found me, but it wasn’t for anything good.”
“You know, the word is he still hasn’t hooked up with anyone this summer. I didn’t see him come back after he went looking for you. Maybe he didn’t make it up.”
“Trust me, I know his type. A guy like that is interested in one thing.”
“People change.”
Tessa rolls her eyes. “No, they don’t.”
I hope that’s not true. In order to fix things with Mark, I need to change.
Tessa
The next group we’re assigned is more exhausting than the first. They’re up late every night, over-tired the next day, dragging through the daily activities. The girls are spoiled, cranky and think it’s cool to end every sentence with a hash tag. I don’t want to go for a hike, hash tag – so lame. Thursday night after I break up a heated argument between the girls over some tween nonsense, I flop on the bed. “We’re going away this weekend,” I announce. “Hash tag - My treat.”
“Where?” Cassie asks in a daze.
“Anywhere, as long as it is far away from here.” Between Cassie dreading awkward run-ins with Sawyer and Mark, and me painfully avoiding Tucker since the night of our one-sided amazing kiss, we need to get the hell away from this place. I still can’t stop thinking about Tucker and know seeing him this weekend is only going to make it worse.
“Sounds good to me. Hash tag – Peace out camp,” Cassie says and we both laugh.
Friday night after all the campers are gone we go into town and make plans for our overnight escape away from camp. I search hotels while we snarf on a huge plate of Disco fries.
“Thank God for all the walking we do around here or I would be like a thousand pounds right now.” I toss down the fry I was just about to chow down on and opt for a small sip of my unsweetened tea instead.
Cassie shrugs it off and shoves the cheesiest fry on the plate into her mouth. “Mark never came the next day to talk with me like he said he would,” she says through chews then licks her fingers. “Not surprising, what did I expect after the way I acted? Ending the night running off with Sawyer, making sure he saw.”
I stay quiet and sip my tea slowly. Every time she brings the subject of “Mark” up I try my best to not say anything. What am I supposed to say? Her going to the hut with Sawyer, even though nothing happened, was a ridiculous move. You don’t tell someone you love them and then run off with another guy.
“This weekend is gonna be all about making a plan. I told Mark I loved him and he doesn’t love me back. Either, I have to accept it and hopefully we can go back to being friends. Or I have to let him go.” Cassie looks to me for approval.
“I think I found a place. It looks clean and has a pool. I’m booking it,” I say ignoring her. I’m the last person who someone should be discussing love with.
CHAPTER TEN
Tessa
It feels like we’re running away. We giggle excitedly carrying our overnight bags over our shoulders. The morning dew on the grounds causes our flip flops to flop loudly as we walk. It’s later than I wanted to leave, but Cassie had a tough time getting up early. Eight thirty isn’t too bad.
A few people are already up and about. We pass Courtney who’s obviously coming from an overnight visit. She smiles, says hello to us and Cassie returns the friendly greeting. The greeting is fake as hell and I try not to laugh. I really miss Ashley.
Right before we reach the parking lot I see him. Grr, so close. We haven’t seen each other the whole week, not since he kissed me and left the laundry room. Now, a mere ten steps away from my car; here he is in all his handsome glory.
“Good morning,” he tips his chin up. “You guys going somewhere?”
“What gave it away? The duffle bag I’m carrying or the fact that we’re walking to my car?” My inner bitch surfaces, protecting me. Bitchiness has always been my best form of protection.
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