Daring the Bad Boy (Endless Summer)(49)

“Are you serious? I didn’t know you went to camp.”

“I went to the very camp you’re at,” he admitted. “So did your uncle. Seems like he loved it way more than I ever did. That’s why he’s still there.”

We never talked about the past, Dad and I. He didn’t like to focus on it, or so I thought. “What sort of girls did you meet at camp?”

“Well, I ended up a junior counselor there one summer and…I met your mother.”

“Seriously?” My voice cracked. Again. I had no idea they met here.

“Seriously. She was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. I knew the moment I laid eyes on her that I needed to spend the entire summer with her. So I did. Once we got to know each other, we found out we lived in the same town and that was that. We were together.” He laughed, sounding…happy? I couldn’t remember the last time he sounded like this. “It was like we were meant to be.”

It hurt, to hear him talk about her. To hear that wistful tone in his voice, the love that he felt for her. A lump formed in my throat, and I tried to swallow past it. I needed to change the subject.

“There’s this girl,” I said. “This is her first year here, and she’s just so…” What? I couldn’t describe Annie with just a few simple words. There were so many things I could say about her. That she was scared yet strong. That she was determined and smart and had no fear of telling me how she really felt. It was like she understood me, that I understood her, and I’d never been so comfortable with a girl before. Not like how I felt when I was with Annie.

But I didn’t want to look like a sap, not even in front of my father. “I like her,” I said instead.

“If she’s a camper, then you’re not supposed to get involved with her, right? Since you’re a counselor.” He sounded worried. He sounded more like my dad.

Just great. I should’ve never brought her up.

“Right. I haven’t done anything, I promise.” I didn’t want him mad. And I definitely didn’t want him telling Uncle Bob that I had feelings for a camper. Next thing I knew, I’d be in trouble.

Though I was surprised my dad wasn’t as mad as I figured he’d be.

“Good. Keep on the straight and narrow.” I rolled my eyes at his words. “Do the right thing, son. I trust that you’re able to figure out what that is.”

We ended the call, and I remained in Uncle Bob’s chair for a few quiet minutes, going over everything my dad said.

Yeah. I wanted to do the right thing. But I also wanted Annie. When did I ever really follow the rules?

Though this time, I should. I didn’t want to get fired. Kicked out of camp, sent back home. Everything would be over for me. I’d be in juvie; I might even get kicked out of school.

Doing the right thing was boring. I went after what I wanted, rules be damned. As long as I was careful, we wouldn’t get caught.

And I was always careful.

…

ANNIE

My group arrived at the bonfire site a few minutes before the ghost stories were scheduled to start. The place was already packed, so many people paired off into couples, and I glanced around, looking for Jake.

Instead, I spotted Kyle first, who approached me with a big smile on his handsome face. I could admit he looked really good tonight, wearing a blue button-up shirt and black shorts, his hair actually combed back. “Hey, you made it,” he said in greeting.

“Yeah. I did.” Of course I did. I told him I’d be here. Though I guess something could’ve happened to me in between dinner and now. Or I could’ve decided to ditch tonight. Kelsey had. I didn’t know where she ran off to, but she’d asked me to cover for her after dinner and I’d automatically said yes.

She’d become more and more mysterious lately, and I had no idea what she was up to.

“Dope.” He nodded, glanced around, seeming uncomfortable. It felt like a lot of people were watching us, which was weird. “So, uh. You wanna sit together?”

Two weeks ago I would’ve died for this opportunity. I wouldn’t have even hesitated a second to say yes. I should probably say yes, because this was, after all, Kyle. The boy I crushed on. The boy I was learning to swim for. The boy I declared to my heart that I wanted. These were my summer dreams coming to fruition, and we were more than halfway through the session. We had ten days left, and finally everything was falling into place.

Yet here I stood full of doubt, my gaze darting everywhere, searching the crowd and looking for the boy who meant so much to me. More than this boy standing in front of me ever would.

But Jake was nowhere to be found. And the disappointment crashing through me at his not being here was a truth I needed to face.

I wasn’t interested in Kyle. Not anymore. I wanted Jake.

“I appreciate the offer but…I sort of want to sit with someone else,” I said gently, feeling like a jerk. But it was better to be honest with him, right?

“Really? Um, all right.” He glanced down, shoving his hands into his pockets, clearly uncomfortable. “I get it.”

“You do?”

“Well, yeah.” He looked up, his gaze meeting mine. “You’re the pretty new girl. You have your choice of any guy here.”

His words left me stunned. He thought I was the pretty new girl and had my choice of any guy at camp? He had to be kidding.