With his mention of her staring, she sought out Riya’s dark head and found it, silhouetted against the rising flames. The jocks surrounded her, everyone beaming as she told a story with wild gestures. Trey stood on her left, close, and laughing hardest of all. Blood rushed to Courtney’s cheeks, heating her skin.
“Seriously, Court. You’re not being yourself. Figure it out.”
Courtney pulled her shoulders back and raised her head. “Nothing to figure out. Everything’s perfect.” She sashayed into the crowd, winking at the first boy who checked her out.
Chapter Four
Riya clenched and unclenched her jaw as she walked back to the cabins with everyone else. Six hours in this camp and Riya had pissed off her first crush and apparently signed up for her worst nightmare, but at least Colt was happy to see her. And that Trey kid seemed nice.
How had she let her parents talk her into this? She’d wanted to go to volleyball camp again, but they’d argued this was her last summer to have fun. They worried she was too serious and it was only going to get worse once she went to college, studying pre-med while—hopefully—playing college ball. There was no arguing with her parents, who were literally the experts on what students needed. Every year, they worked at a different school system, building or overhauling special needs programs.
At least she didn’t have to help them move everything to Charlotte. Again. No matter how many times she moved, the actual act of unpacking and setting up the house always seemed like an impossible task. So much tedious work only for it to be undone in a year or two.
The group diminished as they walked, first by half as the guys took off in the opposite direction, then again as a few girls from G7B veered toward their cabin. Finally, Dee, Riya, and Courtney walked together. The other girls from their cabin had already headed in.
The silence hung thick in the air, more palpable than the humidity. Dee glanced at Courtney like she was a vampire, ready to attack at any second.
Courtney opened her mouth to speak a couple of times before finally getting words out. “You shouldn’t lead him on.”
“What?” Riya and Dee chimed at the same time.
“Lead who on?” Riya asked, trying to think if Dee had been flirting with anyone.
“Trey,” Courtney said, meeting Riya’s gaze for a fraction of a second. “He’s a nice guy. Don’t lead him on.”
Riya tripped over an imaginary pebble. Her brow creased. “What makes you think I’m leading him on?”
Courtney rolled her eyes. “Come on, you two were flirting all night.”
“And?” Riya asked. “He’s cute and funny and I like talking to him.” While she spoke the truth, she also relished the opportunity to show Courtney how well she was moving on without her. See how much I don’t need you?
“He’s my friend. I don’t want him to get hurt. And, well.” Courtney cast a glance at Dee. “I don’t want to…”
“Whatever you’re thinking, just spit it out.”
“You like girls,” Courtney whispered.
Dee pressed her lips together so hard they turned white and threw her hands up in the air. “This chick!” was all she said.
A small, single laugh rumbled Riya’s lips. Dee sure had a way with words. Then another laugh escaped as she fully understood, the realization halting her steps. Poor Courtney. She really was so confused. About absolutely everything.
Courtney folded her arms across her chest, and her chin jutted out in annoyance. She spun, facing Riya. “Don’t laugh at me, I’m just trying to save my friend embarrassment. You shouldn’t be playing with his emotions like that.”
Riya’s cheeks warmed with a powerful flush. She wondered if Courtney could see it in the scattered light cast by the moon and building lights. But Riya was used to this. She’d faced assumptions like this a dozen times over the last couple of years. It, unfortunately, came with the territory.
“Courtney, I’m bi,” Riya explained.
But Courtney gave her a blank look, and her head twitched. “Bi?”
“Bisexual.”
Still, Courtney stared open-mouthed.
“She dates girls and boys,” Dee finally clarified for her. Riya felt a rush of gratitude for her new friend. She’d told her the same thing earlier in the afternoon, and Dee simply nodded like Riya had said she liked to eat pizza.
“That’s a thing?” Courtney’s perfectly smooth brow creased.
“Have you been living under a rock?” Dee asked, not unkindly.
Courtney shook her head and twisted her lips. “Kinda. I guess I thought there were lesbians and straight girls and then there were girls who made out with other girls at parties to get guys’ attention.”
Riya bit her lip to keep from laughing again. “That’s a totally different thing.”
Courtney placed a hand over half her face, shaking her head. “I’m not an idiot, okay. It’s just… We—I don’t know anyone who is…” She waved her hand, and Dee supplied the words.
“LGB or T?”
Courtney shrugged. “Sure. None of that.”
“It’s fine,” Riya said, really wishing the conversation could be over. Very much out of the closet, she usually didn’t mind talking about her sexuality. But Courtney’s full attention made her squirm. She didn’t even mention that, statistically speaking, Courtney probably knew several people who weren’t het. “Now you know.”
Riya resumed their walk back to the cabin and the other two joined her.
Courtney still looked confused. “Do you date them at the same time? Like can you date a girl and a guy?”
Riya shook her head as she took the first step up to their cabin. “If I’m with someone, I’m with only that person. If I’m dating a guy, kissing someone else is still cheating, no matter their gender.”
“Straight people don’t have a monopoly on monogamy,” Dee said, then shrugged. “Or playing the game, either.” She swung open the door to their cabin and burst out laughing. “Looks like revenge came swift for you, newbie.”
Riya pushed past her into their cabin and followed Dee’s gaze to discover her duffel bag strung to the ten-foot-high wooden rafters with the same twine they’d used to tie her bunkmate’s bed.
“How am I supposed to get that down?” Riya gaped at the scene. There were no bunks underneath her bag, not even close. No chairs or tables she could pull over and climb up. The other girls in the cabin prepared for bed but paused to glance at the bag and giggle or shake their heads.
“Who the hell did this?” Riya demanded.
Courtney had gone still and silent behind her. Riya turned to find those blue eyes staring straight at her.
“You’re number four?” Courtney’s voice was incredulous, accusatory, and fearful.
In an instant, all the clues clicked into place. The expensive luggage. Courtney’s group of friends who were so obviously the popular and rich kids. Discovering they had been assigned the same cabin. Dethrone our queen, Trey had said.
“And you’re the queen bee,” Riya said.
Courtney scoffed, and Riya could practically hear the unspoken duh.
Her heart thudded in her chest. She’d pranked Courtney without even knowing it. And Courtney had pranked back without knowing the identity of her victim.
Shots had been fired. What had Riya started? She felt dozens of eyes on her back as all their cabin mates realized what was going on. The skin on her neck itched.
“How did you even get that up there?” Riya asked, scanning the room again in case she’d missed something.
“I have my ways. Who did you think you were pranking?”
Riya swallowed, looking to Dee for help, but not finding it. “A, um, rich bitch?”
A slow, sly smile inched across Courtney’s bubble-gum-pink lips. “Well, you got that right.” Her left hand went to her hip, and she clicked her tongue once. Then she declared, “Oh, this war is so on.”
But then Riya realized something far more unsettling. For the next four weeks, Courtney
Chastain, the girl Riya couldn’t glance at without drooling, the first person to have ever broken Riya’s heart, would be sleeping inches underneath her. There’d be no avoiding her, no matter how hard she tried. Riya swallowed and pressed her shaking hands tightly to her thighs.
“You look scared, number four,” Courtney taunted. “Worried you can’t take the heat?”
Riya’s mouth went dry. The prank war, she reminded herself. Courtney was talking about the prank war. No other kind of heat.
Her mind kept flashing to the image of Courtney curled up beneath her bunk. She wondered if Courtney still slept on her left side, waist bent, left arm tucked under her head and right arm curled against her chest. Her golden hair would fan out over the pillow, and her face would relax until she resembled an artist’s rendering of a sleeping angel. Then and now, Courtney was always the most beautiful when she wasn’t trying to be, when she thought no one was watching.
Courtney stared at her, waiting for a reply, but Riya’s mind had lost all capability for human speech. Her former best friend and first crush had mutated into a super-hot mean girl, and they had to spend the next four weeks practically sharing a bed.
Luckily, Dee jumped in. “Prepare yourself, princess.” She rested her elbow on Riya’s shoulder, leaning in to her. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”
When Courtney had been staring at her for a solid five seconds, Riya stretched a smile across her face through sheer force of will. Words remained elusive, so she nodded.
Courtney smirked.
Dee dropped her elbow and used it to nudge Riya’s ribs. “I know where we can borrow a ladder to get your bag down.”
“Sounds great.” Riya’s voice cracked over the words. With considerable effort, she turned away from Courtney and gave Dee her full attention. “I’ll follow you.”
…
Courtney woke up to her pillow vibrating. It took a few seconds of sleepy confusion to remember she’d placed her cell phone under her pillow with the alarm set. She slipped a hand underneath and turned it off, then extended her arms above her head in a luxurious stretch. The wire mesh above her bent ever so slightly, and yesterday’s events came rushing back.
Riya Johnson.
Of all the bunks in all the summer camps in all the world, why did she end up in this one?
So much for the prank war being a distraction. Now Riya would occupy even more of her head space. She didn’t need another reason to think about Riya all the time, but she couldn’t back down from the challenge. What would people think? Courtney Chastain never backed down from anything.
As quietly as possible, Courtney grabbed her brush, some clothes, and her toiletry kit before slipping into the silent bathroom. The peace of the mountain morning before anyone else stirred calmed her. She shimmied into green tights, removed her pajama top, and slipped into a heather gray sports bra. As soon as she snapped every elastic seam into place, a soft sound behind her made her spin in place.
Rubbing her eyes and carrying a jumble of clothes and shoes, Riya stumbled into the bathroom wearing a loose tank and elastic shorts that barely covered the important parts. Her thick black hair stuck up at all angles with the left side flattened against her head. Her eyes drooped almost completely closed.
She was halfway to a stall before she noticed Courtney. Riya jumped back half a step. “Uh,” she said, glancing sideways at the bathroom exit, looking like she wanted to make a run for it.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Courtney asked. She wasn’t waking up early to dance specifically so she could avoid Riya, but she’d considered it an unintended perk.
Riya swallowed and stared at a bathroom stall door. “I was going to go practice my serves?” It sounded like a question.
“Serves,” Courtney echoed, trying to make sense of it. She took Riya in with a lingering once-over. Normally, Riya wore slightly baggy clothes, so Courtney hadn’t noticed how powerful her body had become. Her skinny childhood legs had filled out with a considerable amount of muscle, her smooth, brown skin stretching over formidable thighs and shapely calves. Courtney became hyper aware of her shirtless state and snatched her dance tank, slipping it over her head.
“Like, volleyball?” She remembered Riya coming home from school late every autumn because of volleyball practice. She also remembered keeping the phone in the basement with her while she danced on those days, impatient for her call to come over.
Riya nodded. “Volleyball.”
A couple seconds of silence was more than either of them could stand.
“Well, I’m done here, so it’s all yours,” Courtney said.
At the exact same time, Riya said, “I got a scholarship.”
Courtney had started to move toward the door, but curiosity stopped her. “A scholarship?”
Riya nodded and met Courtney’s gaze for a second before becoming super interested in the bathroom sink. “A fancy private school. We can’t afford tuition without it, so I have to make sure my game doesn’t slip. Four weeks without practice could mean the difference between my also getting a college scholarship and…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. You don’t care.”
Courtney was surprised to realize that she did care. Or she was curious. It was hard to tell sometimes. “What happens if you don’t get a college scholarship?”
Riya shrugged. A thick lock of hair tumbled down to shield the left side of her face. “I guess I’ll have to take out student loans. I want to do sports medicine, so it’s going to take a while. You know my parents will help where they can, but…” She trailed off.
“Yeah.” Courtney understood. Even as a kid, she’d been aware of the financial differences in their families. Riya’s parents were educational consultants. They’d followed their passion. Courtney’s parents, on the other hand, had followed the money. And the power.
Courtney thought of her own situation and the impossible prospect of Juilliard. Her parents could definitely afford the tuition, twenty times over, but they wouldn’t support anything besides their pre-arranged life plan for her. If only there were scholarships for rich girls to study dance. Yeah, right.
Riya’s rich brown eyes flashed to Courtney’s, and she bit her lip. “Are you going to dance?”
Courtney’s eyes widened. “Hm?”
“Is that why you’re up so early?”
“Oh. Yeah.” Courtney’d almost forgotten.
“You’re an incredible dancer, Courtney.” The way Riya said it, with so much raw honesty and not a trace of self-interest, made Courtney’s heart squeeze tight inside her chest. Riya gave compliments in their purest form, with no ulterior motive or envy. Courtney couldn’t do that. It wasn’t in her.
The genuineness of her own smile surprised her. “Thank you.”
Riya nodded and turned toward the bathroom stall.
“If you can change quickly, I’ll walk over with you.” She didn’t know what made her say it. She’d wasted enough dance time talking already.
But the way Riya’s smiled blazed over her shoulder at Courtney incinerated her second thoughts.
“Just a sec.” Riya scurried into the stall.
Courtney turned to check her reflection in the mirror while she waited. The rustle of clothing and whisper of cloth against skin filled the small space. Courtney fidgeted with her tank, smoothing her hands over nonexistent wrinkles. The sound of an elbow smacking the stall wall exploded like a gunshot in the silence. Riya hissed, and Courtney swallowed a chuckle. The girl was certainly no ballerina. How she played competitive volleyball with such high levels of documented clumsiness, Courtney had no idea.
A few seconds later, she staggered out of the stall, sliding her feet into tennis shoes and looking sheepish. “Sorry. Ready.”
They both dropped their sleeping clothes on their bunk and tiptoed out of the cabin, attempting to mitigate the creaking door as much as possible. As they walked in silence, Riya combed her abundant black hair with her fin
gers, then slipped an elastic from her wrist and pulled her mane into a high, tight ponytail.
Courtney snuck sideways glances at Riya. She’d told her she didn’t want to be friends. She’d told herself to stay away from her, to continue on with camp business as usual. She’d literally declared war on the girl in front of their entire cabin. And, somehow, here she was, taking a morning stroll with her. The harder Courtney pushed her away, the more the universe seemed intent on shoving them together.
“See you at breakfast?” Riya asked.
Courtney looked up to discover they’d reached the tennis and volleyball courts. The arts and crafts hut, a.k.a. her makeshift dance studio, waited on the other side of the pool.
The hopefulness imbued on Riya’s features twisted something in Courtney’s stomach. She’d told Riya not to lead Trey on. She should follow her own advice.
“Well, we’re kinda required to sit with our cabin, so I basically have to.” Courtney tried to make her tone as dismissive as possible.
When Riya’s smile fell, she knew it had worked. And wished it hadn’t.
“All right.” Riya half turned toward the volleyball court, but she kept her gaze on Courtney as if she’d say something else. “Have a good practice.”
You, too, she thought. But she didn’t say anything aloud. Without a word, she turned and jogged to the arts hut to warm up her muscles.
New rule. She would not be nice to Riya Johnson. She couldn’t take the way those big brown eyes looked at her afterward. Courtney’d never had a problem not being nice to someone before. Riya was no different, she told herself.
Chapter Five
Riya concentrated on keeping the heaping pile of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast steady on the oversize tray in her hands. Every meal, one person from each cabin was responsible for carrying the food back to their table, and Riya had been assigned the first breakfast. Lucky her. At least she wouldn’t have to do it again for a while. But with her complete lack of grace, she should’ve been exempt.
“Excuse me.” She leaned in between two chatting girls and lowered the tray to the table. Once it sat securely on the surface, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Keeping Her Secret Page 4
