Unknown (The Secret Life of Cassie Martin #1)(15)
I make my way back to the table with the boys. The spot I was sitting in is still empty, but a girl stands behind it. Her hands grip the chair like she wants to pull it out and sit there, but Parker’s arm drapes across its back. As I edge closer, I overhear their conversation.
“This seat is taken, Jenny,” Parker tells her.
“You can’t seriously be keeping it for the white trash, can you? I know you would rather be sitting next to me.” That last part she nearly purrs at Lucca.
I go to move around to the other side of the table when Jay sees me. He glances at Lucca, and Lucca takes the hint. He stands up and greets me in Italian. “My beauty, your seat and my heart have grown cold while you were away. Come warm them up for me.”
I respond to him in Italian. “You are such a romantic, Lucca. I'm sure neither could have gotten that cold in the last three minutes.”
Jenny spins around to glare at me as we talk.
I remind myself I’m not alone as I tell her, “You’re blocking my seat. Do you mind?” I try to be as sweet as I can be.
“Whatever. I don’t need to sit with a bunch of losers,” she bellows as she storms away.
Everyone turns to stare at us. Lucca takes my tray and places it on the table. He then pulls my seat out for me. Before I can sit down though, he takes my hand and kisses it. “Ignore her and those like her. They’re not worth your time.”
“She wasn’t calling me a loser. She was calling you a loser. So if you can ignore her, I can ignore her.” For the first time, I really believe I’m not alone.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I wake up refreshed after going to bed early.
The boys walked me back to my cabin after dinner and left with short goodbyes and see you tomorrows. Mindy officially moved out, and since I was the only one in the cabin, I took time to unpack my stuff and make my bed. Once I finished, exhaustion overcame me. At first, I didn’t think my mind would cooperate with my body’s request for sleep, but it didn’t take long before sleep overtook me.
Since the others still sleep, I slink to the bathroom to prepare for my day. My legs shake lightly from excitement. Today, I learn more about the camp and the secrets Noah refused to share with me. As I slide the curtain to the shower changing area back, Lily enters the bathroom.
“O! M! G!” she yells at me before covering her mouth and glancing back into the sleeping area. “How did you manage to get four of the hottest guys at camp to hang out with you? I’ve been trying to get Noah to talk to me for the last two years.”
“I didn’t do anything. I think they just feel sorry for me because of how Mindy has been acting. I didn’t go out of my way to track them down. I’ll put in a good word for you if Noah talks to me today.” I make the offer to appease her, but I don’t know Noah well enough to engage in his love life.
“You’re the best.” She bounces and claps her hands. “Ask him if he’ll sit with me at the bonfire tonight. That would be perfect. Do you think he’ll do it?”
“Lily, I just met him yesterday. I make no promises, so please don’t get your hopes up. He also told me that most teams stay together. Don’t we find out what team we’re on today?”
Her bounce lessens as she contemplates my statement. “Yes. He’s always so devoted to his team. Maybe you can talk to Jay for me. He’s hot.”
I want to shake my head at her. Is she going to go through each guy?
As non-committal as possible, I answer with, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“You’re the best!” She grabs her stuff and hops into the stall next to mine.
I step into the changing area and pull the white, plastic curtain closed. I hang my toiletry bag on the back, shower wall and my clean clothes on a hook in the small changing area. After undressing, I hang my pajamas on the opposite wall and step into the shower area, closing the curtain shut between the shower and the changing compartment.
I finish my shower before Lily and dress quickly in case others are up and want to take a shower. Standing in front of the mirror, I’m pulling my hair up when Fallon joins me. “We aren’t allowed to wear shorts today. They like to keep things formal for our ceremonies. Did you bring something to wear? If not, I can probably find you something.”
“I’m good. I hate dresses, skirts…well, most clothes. But Jeannie, my foster mom, bought me a couple sundresses and skirts, which I brought. Will those be okay to wear?” I hope she tells me no, so I can skip the ceremony. I just want to find out my team.
“Either of those will work. There will be people from the group that owns the camp at the ceremony. They’re still old school where they think if you dress the part, you’ll act the part. As long as you don’t do anything stupid, everything will be fine.” She shrugs and heads into a shower stall.
I don’t care who attends or how nice we’re supposed to look. I plan to pull my hair into a sloppy bun because it’s too hot to leave it down.
Before long, everyone’s ready. We walk down to the Corral together to grab breakfast. Instinctively, I glance at my table, but no one sits there. My chest falls in disappointment. I’m not sure why I’m looking for the boys. They make me feel grounded, I guess.
Breakfast is quick as everyone is ready to get this over with. Fallon wants to find out her team to start strategizing immediately. Lily wants to be able to map out all the people. Lara wants to go back down to the lake. I want to finally find out what this place is about.