Daring the Bad Boy (Endless Summer)(59)

“Yeah, well, thanks for convincing him to kick me out of here.” My words made her flinch. “Is this what you really wanted? Are you getting back at me because I made you sneak around, so you decided to make me disappear instead? Well, congratulations, it worked.”

“Annie, it’s probably best if you left now,” Uncle Bob said, his voice soft. “Grab some tissues on the way out, okay, honey? You have snot running down your face.”

She leaped to her feet, let out a frustrated little growl, and walked out of the room.

Effectively walking right out of my life.

I almost shouted “don’t go,” but what was done was done. She probably didn’t mean for me to get kicked out of camp, but she should’ve come to me first. This was my life she was f*cking with.

She did a damn good job of it, too.

“Is my father really on his way here?” I asked, my voice raspy. I felt like I was going to cry now. And I hadn’t done that since Mom died.

Uncle Bob nodded. “I didn’t tell him what you did wrong. I thought I’d leave that explanation up to you.”

Great. My dad wouldn’t listen to me. I knew he wouldn’t. He’d think I screwed up, and he’d want to get me out of here as soon as possible. He’d probably hardly give me a chance to pack up my stuff. Now I’d miss out on the last week of camp, miss out on saying good-bye to my friends, to Annie.

Though she’d given me the worst kind of good-bye that any girl ever could.

“Go pack your things. ” And with that, I was dismissed. Not allowed to plead my case. Not permitted to even beg for my job back.

I would’ve, too. These last couple of weeks, I’d grown closer to people. I had friends. I taught the little kids how to swim. I led my first paper-airplane craft class and had half the seats filled. I’d made an ass of myself in a skit with Dane a few nights ago, and everyone had laughed. I’d dressed up as a mummy during a ghost-telling round and scared the hell out of the little kids.

I also had a girlfriend. A girl who understood me, who held me close, whose smile lit me up inside and whose laughter made me feel whole. When she kissed me, touched me, looked at me, I felt like I could do no wrong.

But I could. I was fallible. I was weak. Annie was my one true weakness.

Somehow, she’d used it against me.





Chapter Twenty


JAKE

A knock sounded on my cabin door before it creaked open and I heard footsteps. I kept my back to the open door, my duffel sitting on my bed as I continued to stuff my clothes inside. I didn’t even bother folding stuff. I didn’t care. I just wanted out of here before everyone saw me being escorted out by my father and uncle like I was some sort of criminal.

I almost wanted to laugh. Technically I was a criminal. I wouldn’t be surprised if my dad brought handcuffs and put them on me before shoving me in the backseat of his car. He’d drive me straight to the courthouse, where that judge would pound her gavel and send me to juvenile hall. Or worse—jail. I was seventeen, after all. Pretty damn close to being a legal adult.

“Jake.” Dad’s familiar voice said my name. “Son, turn around and look at me.”

I stopped what I was doing and tilted my head back, staring up at the wooden slats of the ceiling. I didn’t want to turn around. I didn’t want to face his wrath. Bad enough how angry my uncle got at me in his office and in front of Annie. Talk about humiliating.

“Jake. Come on.”

I frowned. He didn’t sound mad. But he was real good at masking his feelings.

Slowly, before he started yelling, I turned around.

My dad stood in the open doorway, wearing a T-shirt and black cargo shorts, his sunglasses were on his head much like mine are most of the time. He looked tan, fit. More than that, he looked…happy?

My frown grew in intensity. Was he happy that I’d failed yet again? No freaking way.

“Your uncle is being ridiculous.” Dad entered the room and sat on the edge of my bed. “You should unpack your stuff. You’re not going anywhere.”

“What?” I asked incredulously. I felt like I was being jerked around. Leave! Stay! Pack! Unpack!

“You’re not leaving. I convinced your uncle that you didn’t break some cardinal sin.” I gaped at him and he shrugged. “So you have a girlfriend who’s a camper. So what? I did the same thing with your mother, and look at how good we turned out.”

I snapped my mouth shut. “Wait a minute. You told me you and mom met here at camp.”

Dad nodded. “We did. When I was a junior counselor and she was a camper, much like you and your girl now. I know I said you should do the right thing the last time we talked, but after our phone conversation, I thought about my time here. When I met your mom and we fell in love.”

I remained quiet, watching the many emotions pass over my dad’s face, my heart aching thinking of my mom. Of losing her. My heart ached even more at the thought of losing Annie, too.

“I told Bob he was making too big a deal out of it. Teenagers fall for each other here every summer. You can’t fight love.” Dad’s smile was nostalgic. “I met the love of my life here. Being at camp is bringing back lots of memories. Good ones.”

I missed her, too. Life was good when she was alive. My parents rarely fought. They were a solid unit and grossly in love. I only say “grossly” because when I was younger, I couldn’t handle seeing them kiss each other all the time, considering I was a typical punk-ass kid. They were so incredibly close, I think that was why my dad was so devastated when she died. He didn’t have his partner anymore. He relied on her a lot. And so did I.