“This is ourtent? It looks like a coffin,” Gigi remarked when we had unfolded it on the ground before setting it up.
“Don’t be morbid, Gigi.” Courtney rolled her eyes. “You guys should be thanking me for finding these lightweight tents. Like you could’ve carried anything heavier. I just hope none of you are claustrophobic,” she added, driving her tent stake into the ground with a large rock.
Our camp wasn’t really a campsite, just a clearing between the trail and the river. Courtney had been on a power trip since we’d gotten here, telling us who to bunk with and how this was all part of the team-building exercise.
Now, inside my sleeping bag, I turned on my side atop the uneven ground, trying to get more comfortable. Outside our tent, the only sound was the Sol Duc River’s rushing water less than thirty feet away. I closed my eyes, but it was impossible to sleep.
My legs and back ached from carrying the pack raft seven miles uphill, and I longed to be home in my own bed. A fly buzzed inside our tent. Beside me, Gigi snored loudly.
We were all too tired to stay up around the fire much after it got dark, especially knowing Courtney planned to wake everyone at dawn to get a head start on tomorrow’s hike and would demand we get our rafts in the water by noon.
I twisted inside my sleeping bag, wishing I would’ve had the guts to tell Emma the truth after Courtney interrupted us earlier. There was no way I could lie to the school board on Tuesday and destroy Bryson’s and Jake’s futures. Which meant I had to tell Emma the truth before then. Even though she—and Courtney—would hate me for it.
Maybe I would wait until the trip was over. Except I knew it was going to eat at me until I got it off my chest. I’d seen Emma’s temper fly enough times to clearly imagine the names she’d call me when I finally confessed what Courtney and I had done.
Outside, someone unzipped their tent. Feet crunched atop leaves and twigs as they moved past. I sat up. From the heavy footfall, I guessed it was Emma.
I unzipped my tent, pausing to see if I’d woken Gigi. Her snoring continued, and I grabbed the compact flashlight beside me and stepped outside. In the dim glow of our campfire embers, I slid my feet into my hiking boots.
I needed to tell Emma alone. Get her to believe me without Courtney around. If Courtney heard my confession, she would try to make me out as a liar, insisting it was all my idea, including covering it up and placing blame on Bryson and Jake. She even had a photo on her phone to prove it. I darted my gaze toward the tent Courtney shared with Beth, knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I told Emma myself.
I zipped my tent closed and flicked on my flashlight, aiming the beam in the direction of the footsteps.
“Emma?” I whispered, moving around the side of my tent.
“It’s me.” Courtney squinted from my light, blocking the beam with her hand. “Can you lower your light?”
“Sorry.” My lungs deflated with disappointment as I lowered the flashlight to my side. “Is it just you?”
“Yeah, I had to pee. Which I usually like to do alone.”
I envisioned the sarcastic deadpan expression on Courtney’s face even though it was too dark for me to see her with my light shining on the ground.
“Beth’s out cold.” Courtney snorted. “I know it’s the offseason, but she really needs to keep in better shape. I mean, have you noticed howbigshe’s gotten this spring?”
Inside me, something snapped. I stepped toward Courtney. “I’m sick of you bullying all of us while pretending like you care. All you care about is yourself. I’m not lying for you anymore.”
“Palmer. Geez, calm down. What are you even talking about?”
I gritted my teeth at her feigned innocence.What am I even talking about?“On Tuesday, I’m going to tell the school board the truth. I’m not going to let Bryson and Jake’s futures be ruined over something you did.” I crossed my arms. “And I’m willing to take the blame for my part in it too. I should’ve told the truth a long time ago.”
“You can’t do that,” Courtney hissed, closing the gap between us so that I could feel her breath on my face. “I lied to protect both of us, not just me. I risked everything. Because I’m your friend, Palmer.”
A puff of air escaped my chest. “Ha! You’re nobody’s friend.”
Courtney’s green eyes narrowed in the glow of my flashlight, which because my were arms crossed, shone sideways into the woods. “You ungrateful bitch. I could ruin you, and your mom.”
My mom? I was taken aback at her mention of my mother. Then I realized what she was getting at. My hand closed into a fist.
“If you throw me under the bus, I’ll make sure my parents find a new Realtor for their house,” Courtney spat.
“You can’t do that. My mom has nothing to do with this.” My shoulders tensed, thinking of how hard my mom had worked to become a Realtor after losing her job at the dental office when she had to take so much time off to care for her sister. Courtney’s parents recently decidedto downsize, and getting their listing was huge was for my mom. Selling it could make her career in a small town like Sequim. Not to mention cover our bills for an entire year.
“You don’t think they’ll fire her immediately if her daughter publicly accuses me of being a liar? This whole time, I’ve only been trying to help you.” Courtney waved her arms in the air. “My parents have enough connections to make sure your mom never gets a good listing again. Word travels fast in a small town. They only hired your mom out of charity anyway.” Courtney brought her face within inches of mine. “The same reason I’ve tried to be generous to you and your fat friend.”
A smile spread across her face, and I finally lost it. I shoved her in the clavicles. Courtney stumbled backward, and I raised my fist in the air. A second later, my knuckles impacted her face.
Courtney cried out in pain, her hands flying to her nose.
