Page 89 of Until Next Summer

Turning left will lead me to the Lodge. To Hillary.

And I couldreallyuse a girlfriend right now.

—

When I approach the Lodge, I’m relieved to see the window of Hillary’s room glowing yellow. Soon I’m hurrying up the stairs and knocking on her door.

She opens it, her eyes wide with surprise. “Jessie. What’s going on?”

“Can you talk?” I don’t wait for an answer, just push my way past her. Then I see Cooper sitting on one of the twin beds and stop short. “Oh.”

He and Hillary exchange a glance. They’re fully clothed, but it’s still awkward.

“I’ll go,” he says, and stands. But as he passes Hillary, he murmurs something to her, and she blushes.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, but…”

“It’s okay. What’s up?” she asks, motioning for me to sit next to her on the bed.

“Luke, that’s what.”

“What happened?”

I yank the elastic off one of my braids and pick at the loose strands. “Whatdidn’thappen, you mean? And he has thegallto act like I wasthrowingmyself at him. Ugh!” I flop back on the bed like a dramatic teenager. “Hewas the one giving me compliments.Hewas the one saying I’m distractingly beautiful—”

“The nerve,” Hillary says, smiling.

“Right? And then he’s all, I could write a paragraph about your freckles, and I can’t stop thinking about your body next to mine in the water, and I’m having dreams about you again—”

“Oh. My. God. You’re kidding.”

“I’m dead serious!” She’s listening with rapt attention, like we’re fourteen, in our cabin, talking about boy drama. “He’s literally touching mylips, Hilly, so did I think he was going to kiss me?”

She hesitates and says, “Yes…?”

“Of course I did! Wouldn’t you? And when I leaned in—involuntarily, I might add—”

I break off, seething with frustration.

“Yeah?” she prods.

“He stepped away from me!”

She gasps. “He didnot.”

“He did!” I run my hands through my hair, my braidsthoroughly unpicked. “And then!” I stand and mimic Luke’s posture, folding my arms and looking at the ground. “He’s all, ‘I’m not in a place in my life where I should get involved with anyone.’ Like I evenwantthat.” I slump back on the bed, throwing an arm across my face. “I guess now I just avoid him for the rest of the summer.”

“That’s one way to handle it.”

I move my hand, peeking out at her with one eye. “Do you have a better idea?”

Her lips curve up in a mischievous smile. “Oh yeah.”

—

Thirty minutes later, we’re sneaking through the woods, trying to be quiet even though we have to keep stopping because we’re laughing too hard to walk. We’re “camp drunk,” as we used to call it—stone-cold sober but acting like sorority girls leaving a party at three a.m., giggling and stumbling. Deep inside, I know that what we’re about to do is ridiculous and immature, but no way in hell am I stopping now.

We creep closer to Luke’s cabin, and Hillary and I each stand behind a tree, peering out. His lights are on, giving us a full view inside.

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