Page 8 of Class Clown

He put one hand on his chest and bowed at the waist, his dark eyes sparkling with good humor. “Farewell, dearest nag.”

I rolled my eyes as he laughed and walked out the back door.

I stood with my hands on my hips, satisfied with my efforts to make my side of the bunk area homey. My dresser top was covered with a lacey cloth and loaded with pictures of my family and my Thornback best friends. There were three brightly colored romance books at a perfect angle, and a scented candle waiting to add ambiance to our evenings. I’d also added a vase of fake flowers to bring in some beauty. I didn’t have a green thumb, and figured I’d be pretty busy up here, so fake had won the war.

My bed had a bubble gum pink, faux fur quilt that was several inches thick and felt like a cloud. I’d blown on it and laughed when the tufts moved like meadow grasses in the wind. It looked completely out of place in the rustic cabin, but it gave me happy vibes and I couldn’t wait to slip in there after a good day’s work and read those romance novels by candlelight. Sweet dreams indeed. Mmmm. I wiggled my hips a little, thinking about how much I’d like to snuggle up right now.

BAM! The front door of the cabin shot open and I squealed, jumping in place and involuntarily holding my fisted hands up in front of me, because, yeah, I had two brothers and my body knew to hurry and prepare for battle without me having to actually think about it.

“Oh my gosh,” I cried, spinning awkwardly until I was facing the front door.

A man stood in the doorway holding a big, soft-sided pack in one hand, and a sleeping bag in the other. I couldn’t see much of his face because he was wearing a ball cap and the sun was behind him. The dreary interior of the cabin hid his facial features, but I could tell that he was tall and athleticallybuilt. He wasn’t a chunk of muscle like that super drool-worthy actor Dwayne Johnson, but the man knew his way around a workout room. He took a few steps forward and I was caught by the prowling way he moved. Instead of thumping steps, his feet were quiet.

But wait, why was he moving further into the cabin?

“Hold up.” I firmed my fists and held them straight out from my chest. “I think you’re in the wrong cabin, and I have a mean right hook.”

Mystery man looked around the interior, and then took a few long-legged steps back out the door. I watched, my face scrunched in confusion, as he looked at the sign next to the door and then back inside. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, but I was still working from a startled space and that is not the time to do a puzzle.

“Sign says this is the Funky Bunks cabin,” the man said.

His voice had my hands relaxing, and I straightened up, dropping them to my sides. Fear had been replaced by interest. He sounded raspy, as though he’d had a cold recently, or didn’t use his voice very often. He cleared his throat before stepping back inside the cabin to face me square on.

“Cole told me this was where I’d be staying,” he added.

This time when he spoke his voice had completely changed to someone used to giving orders. It still wasn’t loud, but it was full and deep and probably carried in the forest if he cared to yell. That would come in handy at a summer camp, I supposed. But, I didn’t know what to make of the change from raspy to commanding, and I certainly couldn’t process the actual words he’d said.

So, in my confusion, I said the first thing that sprang to mind. “This cabin is called Funky Bunks?”

He nodded, and moved forward farther until he was standing close to that one light bulb. Now that I could see his features, a wave of familiarity rushed over me. His eyes were dark under thick, black brows. His face was oval, his nose thin over full lips. His skin was the deeply tanned of someone who had started off with a naturally darker tone and then spent hours in the sun. Nothing about him was relaxed, and that was when it finally clicked. This rigid, stand-at-attention guy, was Cole’s lifelong best friend. A kid I hadn’t seen for years. The last time I could remember actually exchanging words with him had been at their high school graduation ten years ago - obviously before this he’d shed the last of his childhoodsoftness.

“Nico?” I whispered, still a little unsure.

He nodded. “Hello, Ruby.”

Okay, so Nico wasn’t a kid anymore. He was a full-grown man and I’m not going to pretend that nature didn’t do him some favors, because he was not hard to look at. But it seemed like nothing had improved about his general demeanor. Nico had always been serious, quiet, and probably a huge fan of tightly fitted sheet corners and ironed shorts. I’d never figured out how he and Cole worked. It was a major case of opposites attract.

At least I didn’t have to feel awkward about still being in my slept-in clothes with a rat’s nest hair situation going on. I could not care less what Nico thought about me. I wasn’t even sure he processed normal human emotions.

“You’re definitely not a kid anymore,” I cracked, gesturing up and down his body. “Congrats.”

His brows dropped beneath the bill of his hat. “For what?”

“For the way nature blessed you.” When he didn’t reply I smacked my lips together and moved on. “So, why are you here?” I asked.

“He didn’t tell you?” I shook my head. “I’m the assistant camp director. Cole said this is the administrative cabin and I’d be bunking here.”

“Alright. I’m going to have to take a second to process this news.”

I flinched a little as his dark gaze moved to the bunks. He’d be sleeping over there, same as me. I watched him blink, his rudely long eyelashes moving slowly, and I figured he wasn’t used to fluffy pink comforters in his world.

Well, I wasn’t used to sharing my living space with men. I also typically avoided people who make every silence an awkward silence. So, yay me. Standing before me was a double whammy of awkward male.

This wasn’t going to work out. It would be one thing if Nico could be chill, but he’d never really spoken to me, ever. Memories of him silently watching me from his seat at the kitchen table as I moved around my parent’s house came flashing back. I’d never been able to decipher his thoughts, and he hadn’t been inclined to speak them. All I did know was that I’d picked up an odd vibe and had avoided him as much as possible. I had no idea where he’d been for the last ten years, but it would not surprise me to find out there had been crimes involved, and I wasn’t here to be murdered by The Silent One.

“Did Cole tell you that I’d be bunking in here too?” I asked, suddenly wondering if both of us were surprised by this news. He couldn’t be happy about being with me either.

He only shrugged, and I wasn’t sure if it was ayeah, but I didn’t carething or anope, but nothing ruffles these feathersthing. Well, he could sit there with his smooth feathers all he wanted, because mine were ruffled to high heaven and I needed to find my brother. I was not sharing a bathroom with a virtual stranger. I was not doing bed-head, and morning breath, andoops I ate something that my digestive system is violently rejectingwith Nico. I would not be uncomfortable for three solid months.

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