Page 48 of Never Will I Ever

He didn’t owe me the time of day, let alone becoming the person I’d bare my inner shame and resentment to, but he took it on anyway. Then he offered to bear the weight of more of it, should the need arise.

More than anything, I wanna thank him for listening to what I had to say.

An idea begins taking form while Elijah does his best to interrogate me about the activities for the day. There’s a small break in our schedule—an extra hour between lunch and our afternoon playing a game of kickball with our kids—and it may be the perfect opportunity to put this plan into motion.

Everything falls into place after our morning hike to the viewpoint over the lake, and once the kids are situated in the dining hall for lunch, I seize the moment and sneak away.

It’s a quick ten-minute drive to the gas station down the road, and I’m in and out with a six pack of beer, a few random odds and ends, and a full tank of gas less than five minutes later. Probably not a smart move on my part to leave without telling anyone, but hey, how does the saying go? Better to ask for forgiveness than permission?

Once I’m back at camp, I slip from the car and make my way to Kaleb’s cabin. Knowing my luck, he’s probably in there, taking the little bit of extra time we’ve been given to relax. Yet when I peek in the window, I find it’s dark and empty inside.

Bingo.

I quickly pull the note I’d penned before heading off to the store and tuck it in with one of the bottles, the glass holding it in place.

Thanks for hearing me out.

Cheers to starting over.

— A

My original idea was to just leave it at his door for him to find, but since it’s broad daylight, there’s a good chance one of the kids will see it. I’m not looking to blow up this newfound truce with Kaleb by bringing illicit substances on the premises, and kids finding the alcohol and ratting him out to Colin would be a surefire way to do just that. Or worse, they could decide to claim it as theirs, and we’d have a whole different set of issues on our hands.

Erring on the side of caution, I pull out my master key and shove it into the lock. Trespassing is a better option at this point, and all I can do is hope the sentiment outweighs the crime.

I quickly slip inside and leave the six pack and note on the chair in the corner of his cabin—which is somehow appallingly clean—then sneak out again before anyone notices my presence.

Maybe he’ll be upset with me for breaking the rules, or maybe he won’t care in the slightest. It’s a toss up with him. But at the very least, it’s a white flag. A symbol of peace.

I just hope it’s enough.

We’re out on the make-shift kickball field an hour later, and truthfully, this might be the first time I’m somewhat in my element since arriving at camp three weeks ago. Something about a set of bases and a pitcher’s mound immediately puts me at ease, and even though it stings knowing I’ll never set foot on one competitively again, I’m still looking forward to it.

Plus, if it gives me a chance to be better at something than Kaleb for a change, then I’m all for it.

Kaleb and I each chose a captain to pick teams, and to mysurprise, he calls Tylerto be his. I’d have assumed he would choose one of the twins, who look rather irritated by their brother picking someone else over them.

Then, likely shocking no one, I chose Elijah for mine.

Well, maybe Elijah was a little stunned by it, because the kid is frowning at me from behind his glasses as he walks over to me.

“Why did you do that? I’m always picked last for this kind of stuff.”

I had a feeling that may be the case, since he’s one of the least athletic of the group. But I wasn’t prepared for the words to leave his mouth, nor the way they’d hit me like a suckerpunch to the gut.

Resting my hand on his shoulder, I lean down to eye level with him and offer an encouraging smile. “Because I think you might make a better leader than a follower.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Just a feeling.” I shrug before letting my grin turn a little devious. “And wouldn’t it be nice to be the one who picked the kids on the winning team?”

His eyes light up and he nods, a matching grin spreading over his face.

When I rise back to my full height, I immediately feel Kaleb watching me. He’s wearing a curious expression as our gazes lock, and I may as well be a piece of glass beneath his analytical stare.

He silently holds me there, almost in a magnetic field I can’t break out of, before I shake it off to glance at Elijah, who’s taking turns calling out names of the kids he wants on our team. And while I can’t read his mind, I know he’s never felt this important before. I can hear the pride and confidence in his voice with every name he calls.

Like a natural-born leader.

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