“Ow! It’s true,” he yelled. “Right, Camden?”
Camden’s head tilted, and he didn’t look at me when he lifted his shoulder. “If you say so. How would I know? It’s not like I’m checking out your little sister.”
My cheeks flamed even hotter. He always acted like I was still five instead of fifteen.
Jackson held his fist out, and they did a fist-bump.
“Right. Because we agreed a long time ago to never date each other’s sister. Goldie’s hot, but she is off-limits. And so are you.” Jackson looked at me and rubbed some caramel on the tip of my nose.
I was already close to boiling.
“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes and wiped it off. “You aresoannoying.” I moved to the sink and washed my hands, then turned around and glared at both of them. “And Goldie would never date you, so it wouldn’t matter if she’s off-limits or not,” I told Jackson. And then I pointed at Camden. “And I wouldn’t date you, even if you were the last boy standing on a deserted island and we had to forage for our food and I needed someone tall to reach things.”
He stared at me for a minute, and the room was silent before Jackson burst out laughing, and Camden eventually did too.
“Good thing we’ll never be the last people on the planet, and we won’t be on a deserted island together either.” Camden leaned down so he was at eye level. “Because I wouldn’t touch your flat chest with a ten-foot pole.”
I swallowed hard.Do not cry. DO NOT CRY.
I crossed my arms over my flat chest and narrowed my eyes at him. “I know that’s right. Because there is no way I’d ever let you come near them.”
He looked like he was ready to keep arguing and then realized there was nowhere to go with that.
Jackson pounded his hand on the island. “Well, now that that’s settled, we’ve gotta go if we wanna make the party.”
Camden nodded, and they walked out.
Later that night, I couldn’t stop replaying the whole thing in the kitchen. Finally, I got out of bed and threw a sweatshirt on over my tank. I was glad we were at the lake house—I always had more freedom there. Goldie and I could hang out with Erin, a local whose family owned Cox Trading Post, and she was somuch fun. It had been the perfect summer…as long as I was nowhere near Camden. Which seemed impossible, since he wasalwaysaround.
I sighed, feeling restless. My parents were watching a movie, and I’d already told them good night. I walked down to the Whitmans’ yard with my book and climbed up the stairs to the tree house. It took a few minutes for me to get comfortable, but once I had the light right and the pillows piled under my head, I leaned back and started reading. Or tried to anyway.
But I kept hearing Camden’s words.I wouldn’t touch your flat chest with a ten-foot pole.
I started crying, and at first I tried to ignore the tears, but then I gave in and turned to my side and let it all out. Once the tears had dried up, I was mad that I’d wasted my time on that. It didn’t make me feel any better. I sat up and looked for the stash of makeup I kept tucked away in a box out here. The boys still came here sometimes, but not as much anymore, and I knew they wouldn’t be here tonight. I did my makeup with the light from my phone and the twinkle lights around the tree house.
Jackson and Camden’s friend Mitch had told me about the party. I hadn’t wanted to go because Goldie had plans with her dad, but maybe I could talk Erin into going with me. Mitch had always been nice to me.
My parents were in bed when I left, and since I’d never snuck out before—or done anything else they wouldn’t approve of, for that matter—I knew they’d never suspect that I’d go to a party. I’d feel bad about it later. Or maybe not, if I didn’t get caught.
The bonfire was huge, the music blasting, and the beachfront was filled with people. I could hear the noise of laughing and shouting over the music and waves.
“It’s a banger,” Erin said. “And I am here for it.” She linked her arm through mine. “What got into you, Ms. Juliana? You’re usually in bed by eight thirty.”
I nudged her, laughing. “My rags will still appear at midnight, just like Cinderella.”
“If you last until midnight, I won’t know what has happened to my best friend.”
“You make me sound ancient.”
She tilted her head back and forth like she wasn’t going to argue that.
Mitch spotted me before we’d made it all the way to the food. He swaggered over with an easy grin, his sun-bleached hair looking blonder in the evening light and tiki torches.
“I didn’t know I’d convinced you to come,” he said. He turned, looking over the crowd. “And I’m shocked your brother was okay with this.”
“My brother doesn’t get to tell me what to do.”
His grin expanded, all sparkly-white teeth, and he handed me a plastic red cup.
