First Kisses: Trust Me, charlieboo97 [ereader iphone txt] 📗

compass directions to help us locate our base camp where our own flag flew. Once we reached our flag, we would find a map hidden beneath a nearby rock that gave us directions to the location of the other team's flag. The object, of course, was to find their flag, take it, and return it to our base camp --- without being caught. Only Sean had somehow managed to replace our map with one that gave us a bogus location for his team's flag. Totally unfair!
"It makes a difference, Sean," I said, knowing it was pointless even to say it.
"Whatever."
His attitude angered me. His actions had put an end to my teams three-year winning streak. Maybe I could have accepted the defeat graciously if it had come about because the other team was better. Okay, probably not graciously. I had this thing about winning. I really, really liked to win. But I could have accepted the defeat grudgingly.
However, to lose because someone had cheated? How could he even think I would be okay with that? How could he not see that what he'd done had made him untrustworthy? I mean, who did he think he was?
And this first exercise was supposed to be about learning to get along? I don't think so!
To get along with a person you had to trust him or her. Trust and Sean were two words that did not go together --- at least not in my dictionary.
Maybe the PTB (Powers That Be) at Camp Lone Star had forgiven him. But I never would.
Another clanging of the iron triangle set my teeth further on edge.
"All right, everyone! Form your circle with partner one facing into the circle and partner two standing behind them," Edna said, sounding like a strange version of The Cat in the Hat with Thing One and Thing Two.
Put my back to Sean so he could stab me in it? Had she totally lost it?
"Come on!" Edna yelled.
Apparently, she had. What choice did I have? I didn't want to cause a scene and hadn't I answered yes to question eight? Do you respect authority?
Like everyone else, I shuffled around until I was standing in front of.....my arch-nemesis. The Joker to my Batman. No way would I refer to him as my partner. I looked around the circle. Every partner one was as girl. Every partner two was a guy. Had the camp gone sexist?
"This week is all about trust," Edna announced. "Learning to trust yourselves. Learning to trust each other. Girls, I want you to close your eyes and fall backwards. I want you to trust your partner to catch you."
Trust Sean? How?
"On the count of three," Edna said. "One, two, three!"
I spun around and stared at Sean. His blue eyes widened. His arms were actually outspread as though he'd planned to catch me. Yeah, right, Jess. And if you enter American Idol, you'll be the next national sensation.
"I'd rather fall facedown in mud than fall into your arms," I said.
"Fine," Sean ground out. "Play it that way."
Huh? Before I could react, Sean turned and fell backwards.
I shrieked and staggered as his body knocked against mine. Of their own volition, my arms wrapped around his chest, holding him tightly against me.
I stood there stunned, doing what I thought I'd never do: Clutching Sean Reed as though my life depended on holding him as closely as possible.


Chapter 4

Do you consider yourself mature?
Question fifteen on the counselor application. I had, of course, shaded in the yes oval with enthusiasm. My response was now questionable. A mature person didn't release her hold on a guy who had trusted her to catch him.
I'd let him go to prove a point. But when he'd landed on the ground with a hard thud, I wasn't exactly sure what my point had been, except to maybe demonstrate that I wasn't going to let him manipulate me this year. I wasn't going to fall for him, much less fall into his arms.
And Sean.....what had Sean done after my demonstration of independence?
He'd just laughed, gotten up, and made a big production of rubbing his backside, and announced, "Guess I was just too heavy for my partner."
Then he'd actually had the audacity to squeeze my upper arm. "We're going to have to work on building up your muscles. Miz Edna, is that part of the program this week? Getting stronger?"
He'd spoken loudly enough that everyone had heard. His comments had resulted in chuckles and snickers. I knew my face had turned red, because suddenly I was uncomfortably hot, embarrassed, and wondering when Sneaky Sean had become a Vince Vaughn wannabe.
Miz Edna seemed totally unconcerned that our little two-person team hadn't followed the exact directions regarding who was supposed to fall into whose arms. She simply said, "Everyone will definitely be stronger before the week is out."
Then she had tapped her clipboard. "Lunch is ready. We'll meet back out here in an hour to continue with leadership training."
So now I was sitting in the dining hall at a table with Liz, Caryn, and Torie. The partnering didn't extend to lunch, so girls were at one table, guys at another. For the moment, I could not have been happier with that arrangement. Having Sean at my table would have seriously ruined my appetite. As it was, I was struggling to eat anyway. My stomach was knotted tightly. I couldn't believe they'd hired him to be a counselor. What were they thinking? And how was I going to survive this?
"Falling into a guy's arms is so the way to start summer camp," Torie said. Last summer her hair had been blond. This summer it was black. Really black. Pulled back tightly into a ponytail. "You know what I'm saying?"
"Uh, actually, no, I don't," I said. I tried to sound like I was joking, but it came out sounding snippy.
"Yikes, girl," Caryn said. She was tall and slender with golden brown hair and eyes the same brown shade as her hair. "Be cool. Just because you couldn't trust your partner---"
"Would you have trusted Sean?" I interrupted.
She shrugged. "Maybe. He seems different this summer."
"In what way?"
"I don't know. We talked for a bit when we first got here. He seemed" ---she shrugged again--- "nicer than I remembered."

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Publication Date: 05-11-2012

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