Page 84 of XOXO, Valentina

My neck itched, and my cheeks felt hot. “I took a quick trip with a friend from school.”

He smiled at his phone, thumbs flying. “Me, Emma, and Jake want to come back to Camp Rock Bridge this summer as counselors.”

“Emma C. or Emma W.?”

“Both.” Shane scrolled without glancing up from his phone. “You think I can?”

“What about basketball camp?”

“That’s in July. And football doesn’t start until the second week in August.”

I frowned, already counting the weeks Shane would be away this summer. “You have the entire summer planned.”

He stopped scrolling and waited. “Is that cool?”

Even though I would miss him, I wouldn’t stop him from living his life. “Sure.”

“We still have the family weekend in Edisto the first weekend in August,” he said. “Maybe Coach Joey can come.”

My fingers tightened on the wheel, and spots swam in front of my eyes. I blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the road. “What?”

“Maybe Coach Joey will come with us for the weekend to Edisto.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Come on, Mom. I know you’re dating him.”

I pulled off the highway into my parents’ neighborhood, my heart racing. “I’m not dating Joey.”

“That’s who you took a trip with, though, right?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you’re being so secretive, and you look weird.”

My heart jumped to my throat. “I don’t look weird.”

“Who did you go with then?”

“Uh…”

Shane laughed. “Everyone knows the tea on you and Coach Joey,” he said. “You’re always huddled up together at track meets. And I saw you kissing at yoga.”

I snorted. “We weren’t kissing.” Not until we were locked in Kennedy’s office, we weren’t.

“Well, I thought you were going to, and I didn’t want to see it, so I left.”

I parked in front of my parents’ house and cut the engine. “Joey and I are just friends. We run together sometimes.”

“And take trips to the beach.” He smirked. “I don’t know why you’re hiding it. We talked about you a long time ago, and I told him I was cool with it. I guess. I mean, Coach Joey is dope.”

“You talked about me?”

Shane nodded. “I’m not a little kid anymore,” he said. “We can talk about your relationships and stuff. You don’t have to hide.”

I hoped my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. I needed out of this conversation. “What about you and Erin?” I asked, turning the tables.

Shane shrugged. “What about her?”

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