“When was the last time you wrote?”
He purses his lips and looks up as he tries to recall. “I think I started a story when I first got to school, but I didn’t have any inspiration, so I gave up on it.”
I reach across the table to squeeze his hand. “Maybe all the excitement from this summer will give you some inspiration.”
A smile crosses his face. “Oh absolutely. I think the course of the stories will have to drastically change though. What do youthink, should I have the princess call off the wedding, or should I kill off her husband-to-be?”
I laugh. “As great as it would be to read about his death, I think it will be much more meaningful if she realizes her feelings on her own, rather than it looking like she settled for the knight.” I watch as he starts to sit straighter and exude both joy and confidence. “I like writer Andrew. If this makes you as happy as you look right now, I hope you’ll consider pursuing it. Life is too short to not do the things you love to do.”
I can see my words strike him because he immediately bites his lip and nods, thinking through what this all means for him. “Will you keep me accountable for my writing, like I’m doing for you with your running? It’ll be the perfect trade-off.”
“Sounds like a deal to me,” I say, smiling.
I lick my fingers after polishing off my entire pizza. I love the fact that I’ve known Andrew for so long. He’s seen me eat before and knows what my appetite is like. There’s no judgment when he watches me eat the entire pizza, only a look of affection.
“Please tell me the night isn’t over after this,” I look at him with pleading eyes.
He beams. “Don’t worry, Em. I have more planned for us.”
CHAPTER 19
Summer 17
Iwake with a throbbing in my head. I pull the blanket over my face to shield my eyes as the sunshine streams through the thin fabric of the tent. A groan slips from my lips.
I roll to my right. “Becs, I’m never giving in to your peer pressure ever again.”
When I finally pull the blanket off my head and sit up, I find an empty sleeping bag where Rebecca should be.Jeez, what time is it?
I heave myself out of the tent and find my three camping mates fully dressed and ready to tackle the day. Rebecca sees me first and rushes to me right away. “Are you okay? Andrew said you were sick last night! I’m so sorry!”
I hold out a hand to her. “Don’t yell at me.”
She smiles a little. “Someone is learning her limits early. Don’t worry. Andrew made some great breakfast burritos. A few bites of that, and you’ll feel much better.”
As I slouch into one of the chairs near the fire pit, Andrew rises from his spot. “How’s your hand feeling? I didn’t get a chance to bandage it up last night.”
I look at him confused for a moment. I hold up both myhands and find the angry red line that crosses my entire palm. Then I remember grabbing the fire pit and holding the lemonade can. “Let’s just say it’s the least of my worries right now.” I grimace as the splitting pain in my head persists. “Do we have any Advil?”
Rebecca rushes to the truck and begins digging around while Andrew hands me a foil-wrapped burrito. “Angelina and I are going to head down to the water for a bit.”
Unwrapping my burrito, I freeze at Andrew’s use of his girlfriend’s full name. I assess his face and can immediately tell something is off. I take a bite of my burrito and try to think back to the events of last night.Is he mad at me?
Rebecca comes back with a bottle of water and two tablets, interrupting my thoughts. “Here you go. You better perk up because we still have another day and a half out here before we head back.”
I ignore her remark. “What do you think is going on with Andrew? He seemed upset. Did he say anything to you about last night?”
She sits down in the chair next to me. “He told me you were sick last night and that you were afraid to be left alone. I woke up about an hour after you went to bed, and he was still in our tent.” After a pause, she notes, “He didn’t seem mad at you, but I got a weird vibe too.”
“Do you think it’s because of something from last night?”
Rebecca leans in, even though no one else is nearby to hear us. “My twin intuition is telling me something is off with him and Angelina.”
I pull back, my eyebrows raised. “Why would something be off with the two of them? They seemed fine last night.”
She shrugs with a laugh. “My twin intuition only gets me so far.”
“I’ll give you this, you were right about the burrito and Advilhelping my head.”
