Rebecca raises her eyebrows at me, her mouth going crooked. “I love you, but you are either way dumber than I thought, or you’re lying to me, which we don’t do.”
Her words cut me. I’ve always appreciated Rebecca’s brazen honesty. I suppose I do now too. I know she’s only bringing this up because she cares about me; however, I’m just not sure what she’s talking about. “You’ve lost me.”
“Come on, Emma!” She sounds frustrated. “I’ve watched this happen for years, and I thought maybe I was overanalyzing things, or it was just a little crush that would go away, but I can see now that I wasn’t wrong, and it’s more than a crush. Before Angelina got here, and got your panties all in a wad, you lit up every time you saw Andrew, and you may not have told me, but Andrew is still my brother, so I know you guys have been texting and Facetiming throughout the school year. It’s okay. You’re my best friend. There’s literally no one better to date my brother than you.”
I sit down on the rocky shore. I don’t even want to skip rocks anymore. “I guess I hadn’t thought about my feelings for him. I’ve always felt kind of giddy around Andrew, but I haven’t ever allowed myself to consider our relationship could go beyond a friendship.” I put my head in my hands as I think some more. After a pause, I continue, “I hate Angelina. She’s so wrong for Andrew. He could do better, and she’s just so… dull.”
Rebecca bursts into laughter. “At least you’re starting to be honest!” She sits down next to me and pats my thigh. “I don’t like her either. If it were up to me, we’d parenttrap her ass on this trip and float her out into the lake on her tiny air mattress, but we aren’t that lucky. She didn’t bring an air mattress.”
I snort. “Yeah,that’swhy we aren’t doing that!” It feels good to be so brutally honest with Rebecca. I guess I had been holding back. “I thought Andrew and I were getting somewherethis year. We’ve been talking about so much more than just books, and I swear we had a moment. No, we had moments. Then all of a sudden, he has Angelina, and she’s crashing our trip. It sucks.”
“Andrew’s smart. It may take him a little while, but he’s going to realize Angelina is not the one. Mark my words, it’s just a matter of time.”
I hug her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I know we can’t set her afloat on an air mattress, but is there some other way we can scare her off? She’s going to kill the vibe of this camping trip!”
I bury my head in my hands as I laugh. “Gosh, I love you!”
“You think I’m kidding?”
“I know you too well to think you’re kidding. That’s why I have to be the sensible one and say we aren’t going to do anything. You said it yourself; Andrew will figure out that she’s not the one.”
“I may have said that, but that doesn’t mean I have the patience to wait for him to figure it out. Emma, she’s going to drive us both mad. Please, we have to get rid of her.” She emphasizes, “Now.”
“How the hell are we supposed to do that?” I ask, sure that this question will stop her.
She stutters a little. I was right. “We will figure something out.”
“Wewill not do anything. I may like Andrew as more than a friend, but that doesn’tmean I want to get involved in his love life like that. I want what’s best for him, and meddling is not a good idea. That’s a sure-fire way to piss him off and hurt him, which I want no part in.”
“Ugh, Emma, you’re the wor—" she’s interrupted by the sound of crackling rocks and then Andrew sprinting down the beach toward us. He’s in his swim trunks, showingoff his lean muscles. His abs contract with each step down. He passes us by, runs off the dock, and dives right into the lake.
“What’re you guys doing on the beach? You should be in the lake,” he shouts as he treads water.
“Where’s Angelina?”
“She’s taking a nap. She said the sun was making her tired, so I thought I’d come and see what you guys are up to.” He adds, “I guess I wasn’t missing much.”
“I was about to take your truck to the store. I forgot something, but you two go ahead. I’ll be back in a jiff.” Rebecca winks at me as she turns and walks off the beach.
“Geez, everyone is bailing! Em, you better come swim with me right now, or I’m going to be disappointed. I was promised this would be a fun camping trip, and two-thirds of you are being lame.”
I roll my eyes with a grin on my face. “You’re so dramatic.”
“Em, get in the water now!” He draws out the ‘w’ sound. Even from here, I can see the smile that’s plastered on his face.
I stand up. “All right, I’m coming!” I pull my shirt over my head and unbutton my shorts, pulling those off too to reveal my royal blue swimsuit.
I run out on the dock and cannonball into the water right next to him.
“Oh, that’s how we are going to play it?” Andrew teases.
I smirk back. “I’m in the water. That’s what you asked for. Now you’re going to be picky about how I do it?”
He places his palms on the dock and lifts himself out of the water. I can’t help but let my gaze linger on the rippling muscles in his back and his toned triceps as he pushes himself up.
He takes several steps back and then launches himself forward, running straight at me. I scream and duck my head underwater right as he leaps over me and cannonballs into the water.
