‘Cool,’ Noah said. ‘Just wanted to make sure you knew.’
Briar didn’t know what else to say. She stayed like that, the landline receiver pressed to her cheek, cool against her overheated skin. She listened to Noah’s breath, comforted by knowing he was there.
‘Look…’ Noah said, ‘I’m not gonna pretend to understand why she never reached out to you after everything went down, but I do know what you were like after she left.’ Briar scrunched her eyes shut against the onslaught of memories. Memories of sleepless nights that fall semester, of constantly checking her phone for messages, of drafting her own – paragraph after paragraph of apologies, explanations, appeals – of the deafening silence from across an ocean. ‘I wasn’t in great shape either, I know.’ Noah sighed. ‘I guess, just… be careful?’
Briar nodded, feeling like that advice had already come too late.
‘I gotta go,’ Briar said.
‘Okay.’
She hung up, pausing for a moment before racing out the door and into the woods, trying to outrun her thoughts.
Chapter 12
Briar
The next time Briar saw Alice, she was brushing her teeth. Alice’s face appeared next to hers in the mirror like a bad horror movie and Briar blinked, not convinced that it wasn’t a continuation of the nightmare she’d woken from that morning.
‘Whassup?’ The words came out garbled around her toothbrush.
‘There’s an issue down at the lake,’ Alice said. She was already dressed and teeming with too much energy.
‘Of course,’ Briar grumbled, then spat.
When she followed Alice outside, she was immediately assaulted by the harsh morning sunlight. Lines of sleepy children blindly followed their counselors to the bathrooms for showers. Breakfast wouldn’t be ready for another hour at least. The day hadn’t even started yet – she couldn’t fathom what could have gone wrong already. She made a vague gesture for Alice to lead the way.
The problem became very apparent when they got to the lake.
‘Well, that’s not supposed to be there,’ Briar said, staring at the speedboat drifting in the middle of the water and then at Freddie, who looked like he’d just been for a swim.
‘Cabin 10 thought it would be a fun prank to untie it last night,’ Freddie said. ‘Don’t worry, I’ve already dealt with them. They’ll be cleaning the bathrooms today, listening to my‘90s Pop Princessplaylist. I can’t think of anything more unpleasant for a group of thirteen-year-old boys. I’m off to supervise, good luck.’ He saluted them, then took off down the path.
Briar grimly took stock of the situation. Because it was the only motorized boat on the grounds, they would have to row out to get it.
Her anxiety spiked with every jerk and wobble of the canoe as she and Alice slowly made their way towards the middle of the lake. When their discordant strokes led to a particularly bad rocking, Briar grabbed the side to keep from falling out.
‘We have to pull together,’ Alice said, looking over her shoulder at Briar, her frustration evident. ‘Otherwise, we’re just wasting energy.’
‘I’m trying,’ Briar said, huffing out a breath. She waited for Alice to dip her oar into the water before following suit, pulling hard. The boat teetered the other way. They were now zigzagging wildly, no closer to the speedboat.
‘You did that on purpose,’ Alice accused.
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘Look,’ Alice said, ‘I’m not in the mood.’
Briar snorted. ‘Oh, well, if you’re not in the mood, then that’s that.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Alice bit out. She’d sped up, leaving Briar to match her pace, their paddles flying. The canoe rocked horribly, and Briar felt her stomach flip. This was exactly how they’d operated in school, with Alice dictating everything and expecting Briar to follow her lead. It was how their friendship had ended the first time.
Briar gritted her teeth. ‘I think you know.’
Alice whipped back around. ‘No, actually, I don’t. Why don’t you enlighten me? Because from my perspective, this whole summer you’ve been punishing me. And I’ve just been taking it because—’
‘Becausewhat?’ Briar asked, eyes narrowing.
Alice took a deep breath as if to calm herself. ‘Because I deserve it, obviously. And I know you’re going through a lot with Su—’
