“Sure,” I say, grabbing them in the most unsure fashion.
We ride in silence. Miles drives, and I’m pressed in the middle like mayonnaise in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We find tasks on opposite sides of the store to keep ourselves busy all day—I eat lunch out back with Shep like Miles and I used to do, while he stays inside and talks on the phone to Lexi.
This becomes my daily routine for the next two months. Eat, sleep, be ignored by Miles, repeat.
It’s a joyful summer.
It’s Reed’s idea to have a bonfire the last night of summer break. With the way my chair is positioned, I snatched a front-row seat to the Miles and Lexi show through the flickering flames of the campfire.Lucky me.
Her fingers lace up and down his, and I fight to stare anywhere but their touching hands. She invited her friend Ruby again, who sits between Ronny and Rex in fold-out camp chairs, and I’m in the middle of Alex and Reed.
I scroll my text chain with Cozy, smiling at every bucket list photo she sent this summer: A hike to Table Rock, riding the Bogus Basin coaster, floating the Boise River on a paddle board, and winning a french fry–eating contest at Five Guys with Peter (who became her new boyfriend, by the way).
“We should play spin the bottle,” Ronny suggests, pulling me from my phone scroll and wagging his eyebrows up and down in Ruby’s direction.
“Yeah, no.” She winces like she wouldn’t be caught dead sitting next to him on any other occasion than this one.
“Fine. Truth or dare, then,” Ronny taunts.
“I’m down,” Alex says.
A collective sound of agreement waves through everyone as I groan.
Reed prods my leg with his foot. “You okay?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m good,” I lie, peeking over at the happy couple who are giggling about some inside joke no one else gets.
Reed nods at me and lets it go.
“Okay, who wants to start?” Ronny asks. “How about you, Rex.”
A grin blooms on Rex’s face as he turns from Ronny to Ruby. “Truth or dare.”
“What are you smiling about?” Ruby folds her arms over her chest. “Dare.”
Rex scans the yard. The edge of the water is nonexistent from where we sit. “I dare you to jump in the lake.”
She plants her hands on the cupholders of her chair to stand.
“Naked,” Rex adds.
Everyone gasps.
I look over at Ronny, whose eyes look like they’re about to explode, and I stifle a giggle. Maybe this game won’t be so bad after all. Entertaining at least.
“Fine,” she says, pushing out of her camp chair and plunging through the darkness toward the dock. My mouth gapes open right about the time I see her top come off. We lose sight of her the moment she is more than five feet away, but a splash sounds a minute later, and everyone cheers.
I can’t believe she just did that, I scream inside my head. Well, come to think of it, it’s Ruby. I can. ButI’mnot doing that.
“I’ll get her a towel,” Ronny says, jumping from the edge of his seat.
“Well, that might be a while,” Alex jokes, and I almost laugh along with him until he turns to me. “Your turn. Truth or dare, Teddy?”
I fidget in my seat, wishing he would have chosen anyone else.I won’t be caught dead choosing dare if everyone’s idea is to skinny dip in front of these people.
“Truth.”
“How many guys have you kissed?”
