Sunkissed, Kasie West [best authors to read TXT] 📗

He raised his eyebrows.

I smacked his arm lightly. “I mean, anger is better if nonexistent, but it’s not about that. She’s my best friend.”

“So then she should be the one to fix this.”

“There’s only so much we can do five hours away from each other without—”

“Internet,” he finished for me.

“Exactly. And now you officially know more about my summer drama than anyone.”

“More than your sister?”

“Yes.”

“I feel so special.”

“You are.” That was supposed to come out like a joke, to match his tone. It didn’t. It came out like a lovesick sigh. I cleared my throat. “Anyway.” My eyes went back to the chandelier. “Make me feel better about spilling my guts. What scares you, Brooks Marshall?”

He lay back, too, and stared up at the chandelier. Then he said, in barely above a whisper, “Hope.”

“Hope? Isn’t hope supposed to bring peace?”

“It was a joke.”

I turned to look at him. “No, it wasn’t.”

“I guess I don’t like to be disappointed, and it feels like the more I hope for something, the greater the disappointment will be when it doesn’t happen.”

“So you just, what, stop hoping?”

“I don’t know, I guess I sort of have, yeah.” His shoulder brushed mine lightly and he didn’t pull away.

“Hope doesn’t exist in your perfect world? That sounds exhausting.”

“It really is.”

I smiled over at him. “We’re super depressing.”

He chuckled. “Did you know there was a chandelier in here?”

“Saw it for the first time tonight. They probably just installed it yesterday,” I deadpanned.

“Yes, that’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“I should sing now while staring into your eyes.”

This time he laughed outright. “Please do.”

Maricela and I walked toward the lodge to pick up her paycheck, holding Popsicles we’d just purchased at the snack hut. It was such a hot day that mine was already dripping down the stick and onto my hand. I tried to keep on top of it, my head sideways, but was failing.

“I’ve been thinking about your parent problem,” Maricela said. She was the only one I’d told I was auditioning and she’d seemed genuinely excited about it.

“Oh yeah, did you miraculously solve it for me? Can you kidnap them for the day? Hold them in camp jail?” The audition was happening the next day regardless of the fact that I still hadn’t thought of how to pull it off. My plan at the moment was to sneak away and make an excuse once I got home—I was in a kayak all day or at the pool or on some obscure excursion.

“No, I liked your spa idea.”

I slurped at the bottom of my Popsicle. “I told you that’s impossible.”

“My child, nothing is impossible,” Maricela said, and pulled an envelope out of her back pocket.

“What is it?” I asked, not wanting to grab it with sticky hands. But written on the outside, in scrolling letters, were the words Bear Meadow Spa.

“I got you two day passes.”

“How…You didn’t pay for them, did you?”

“I didn’t pay for them. We have employee reward points we can spend on ourselves or gifts and stuff for family. A couple of us pooled ours together.”

“A couple of you? Who?”

“Tia. Clay. Don’t worry, they won’t tattle.”

“Maricela, you guys didn’t have to do that. Save your points. I should just tell my parents.”

“Really? You’re just going to march in there and tell them the day before the audition? Risk them saying no? Risk them being mad you’ve been hanging out with a strange guy alone?”

“No. You’re right. I’m not.”

“What does your sister say about all this?”

I became preoccupied with a group of kids walking ahead of us yelling out different words: “Bird!” “Cloud!” “Dirt!”

“Eyelash,” I said.

“What?” Maricela asked.

“They’re playing the alphabet game. E is a hard one.”

“Are you avoiding my question?”

“Yes.” I smiled over at her. “Lauren doesn’t know.”

That news shocked her. “She doesn’t?”

“I know. I’m a horrible person. She made a couple new friends and for once she hasn’t been preoccupied with her phone. I’ll tell her if we get into the festival. That will make for a better documentary anyway.”

She nodded slowly.

“You don’t think that’s a good idea?”

“No, it was probably important for you to have zero distractions the last two weeks.”

“It was.”

“And it will be even more important for you not to be distracted on Saturday.” She tucked the envelope into my back pocket. “Give this to your parents. I already booked them from noon to eight. You can make up some excuse for the morning and then they’ll be busy all afternoon and evening.”

“Thank you so much. This…” I patted my pocket. “This means a lot.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t get all sappy on me. It was free.”

“I know it wasn’t.” She could’ve used those points for herself or for her own family. “So just say You’re welcome, I’m the best.”

“You’re welcome. I am the best.”

As we neared the lodge, the half of my Popsicle that was left clinging to the side of the stick fell onto the dirt at my feet. “Frick,” I said.

“Have you ever eaten a Popsicle before?” she asked.

I laughed. “Shut up.”

“It’s just you’re really struggling.”

I kicked some dirt over the remains and looked around for a garbage can for the stick. Clay was leaving the lodge, envelope in hand, obviously having just picked up his paycheck. “Thanks, Clay!” I called out.

He changed direction and joined us. “For what?”

“For the spa thing. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. Kill it at the audition, okay?”

Mari squeezed my arm. “Do you know this girl heading our way with a very serious look on her face?”

“What?” I first looked at Maricela and then followed her gaze to the lodge parking lot where someone was very obviously walking straight at us. “I don’t think so…,” I started to say, and then my cheeks went numb. “Shay.”

“Who?” Mari asked.

My initial instinct was to turn and run, but wasn’t that what I’d been doing all summer? So I stood my ground.

“Avery!” Shay said. Her serious expression turned into a smile when she saw