Page 67 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions

Maybe she’d forgotten?

Or maybe she was waiting until we finished to speak.

Because it was my nature, I fretted the whole time.

Hopefully, they’d pair me with Joe. That wouldn’t be so bad. I loved Joe. It’d be brotherly bonding. Even Lacey and her phone addiction would be preferable to one of Roderick’s stinky cousins. Perhaps I could convince everyone to let me sleep on the floor in the kids’ cabin?

I could stand watch over them—protect them from…bears.

Or something.

The grandparents were too old to fight a grizzly.

It didn’t escape my notice how ironic it was that I was debating signing myself up to be a defender against animals, when only half an hour previously I’d practically begged Alex to do the same for me.

Mom took eons to reply, waiting until I finished setting up the last of the bunk beds. Uncomfortably sweaty from all the reaching and tucking, I offered her a nervous smile.

“I think you already know who you’re staying with,” she said.

The color drained from my cheeks.

“No.”

“It’ll be good for you.”

“Mom—”

“He’s a nice boy.”

“Yes, I know, but—” I shook my head.

“He’ll take care of you.” She reached out to rub my back. “I even made sure he had one of those little lamps so you don’t have to be alone in the dark.”

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

I walked from the cabin in a daze, my feelings at war. Was I relieved? Kind of. Was I horrified? Absolutely.

An entire week.

In a single tent.

With Alex.

Could I survive that? I mean…the car ride had been pleasant. And hehadpromised to protect me from snakes. So really, it was…convenient. But it also meant we’d be biting each other’s heads off soon enough. And—and—flirting!

Oh dear.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

I had no idea which tent was ours, so I stood in front of the line of them, twitching every time something rustled in the distance. Snakes. Bugs. Creatures with maniacal, dirty little hands. Just dying to get their grubby paws all over me.

I might as well have a heart attack right now.

The trees shook as a gust of wind danced through the leaves, and I shuddered, my ears tucked into my shoulders. I shouldn’t have come here. I should’ve pushed Alex harder to take me back. Why did I agree to this? What had I been thinking? Had it really not occurred to me that I might end up in the wild?While camping?

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