Daring the Bad Boy (Endless Summer)(37)

Finally unable to resist any longer, I started to read.

Annie,

I’m sorry for being such a jerk and ignoring you. I hope you’ll meet me tomorrow night at the pool at 8 so I can make up for lost time. Maybe we could even talk, and not about Kyle, either. I still owe you those last few lessons. I’m going to get you swimming by the end, I swear.

Yours,

Jake

It took everything within me not to clutch the note to my chest and sigh like a lovesick fool. I would definitely go meet him tomorrow night. What he didn’t know was that I would be at tonight’s hike, too, though I probably wouldn’t get a chance to talk to him.

What did he mean by “Yours, Jake,” anyway? It sounded very…intimate. Boyfriend-ish even, though I was totally jumping to conclusions with that. I had no idea how to deal with that sort of thing.

Though I wanted to.

Frowning, I skimmed my fingers over the words he wrote just for me, tracing each letter, memorizing every word…

“What’s it say?”

I jerked my head up to find Bobbee leaning over the back of the empty chair that sat across from me, a curious smile curling her lips. I immediately folded the note into a square and clutched it in my palm. “Um, nothing really.”

“Uh-huh.” She didn’t believe a word I said, but I didn’t need to share the note with her. It was private.

It belonged to me.

“Do you like him?” When I frowned at her, she continued, rolling her eyes. “Jake. Do you two have something going on or what?”

“No,” I said vehemently, squeezing the note in my hand so tightly I could feel the sharp corners pressing into my palm. “Of course not. We’re just…”

“Friends?” Bobbee supplied with raised brows. She let go of the chair and took a step back, her tone friendly but also carrying a warning. “You know Presley likes him. A lot.”

I said nothing. What did it matter? I couldn’t argue with her, because I knew she was right. Plus, I don’t think Jake even knew Presley existed. Did that give me the tiniest glimmer of satisfaction?

Yes, not that I’d ever admit it out loud.

“And doesn’t he like Lacey?” Bobbee asked.

“No,” I muttered, feeling stupid for sounding—for feeling—so defensive, especially when I saw the smirk on her face.

How did the old saying go? With friends like these, who needed enemies? I was starting to think those words applied to the girls in my cabin, minus Kelsey, as each day passed.

And it sucked.





Chapter Thirteen


ANNIE

We waited on the south end of the lake, all the camper kids aged twelve and up, ready to make the annual night hike. The air was buzzing with excitement, so many people talking and laughing at the same time I could hardly make out what they were saying.

The girls in my cabin were practically bouncing up and down like hyped-up rabbits, they were so ready to start this hike. I’d heard endless stories all through dinner and as we got ready, all about the past night hikes and what happened.

“Remember when that one counselor tripped over a rock and broke his leg?” Presley had said.

“What about the time they caught those counselors making out behind a tree? Fozzie yelled at them the entire hike back to camp,” Bobbee had said.

“‘What about the children? Why weren’t you watching the children?’” Kaycee had mimicked in her best Fozzie Bear impression before they all collapsed into fits of laughter.

Kelsey and I just looked at each other like they were crazy.

I stood with Kelsey now, trying my best to act casual but really, I was looking for Jake. Where was he? I knew he’d be here. No one could get out of the night hike, and besides, he’d told me he had to go. Fozzie Bear called out all the reinforcements to ensure he had enough staff on hand to keep the hikers in line. It was kind of insane, making the hike up the mountain with a bunch of overexcited kids in the dark.

“The best thing about the hike is jumping off the waterfall at the end,” Presley said, clapping her hands. “I hope you wore your swimsuits, girls.”

I did, even though there was no way I would jump off a cliff into unknown waters in the dark. I wasn’t that daring or crazy. I just wore the suit to act like I would. “I’m wearing mine,” I said with a faint smile.

“Me, too,” Kelsey added. The moment Presley turned away, Kelsey met my gaze. “No way am I jumping into that water.”

I giggled. “Me neither.”

“All right, all right,” Hannah yelled, waving her hands for us to gather closer to her. “We’re pairing up with Brian’s cabin tonight.” A bunch of “ooohs” sounded, and Hannah rolled her eyes. “Pipe down, ladies. It’s no big deal. As most of you know, we like to pair up a group of girls and guys, like we do every year during the night hike.”

Brian’s group included Kyle, and I watched nervously as they all approached, Brian sending Hannah such a scorching look it was any wonder he didn’t just grab her and kiss her senseless. “Ladies,” he said, his amused gaze scanning each one of us before it settled on Hannah. “Looking good this evening. Ready to conquer the mountain?”

We all let out a roar, accompanied by the much deeper roar of his cabin group. Kyle was raising his arms above his head and shouting like a gorilla along with the rest of them. He even curled his hands into fists and beat his chest.