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I followed her mumbling about buttheads and jerky friends, which just made her laugh harder as we walked outside of the dorm. Most of the other students had gone by now, with just a few stragglers. Some would leave tomorrow.

Her family was to the left of the building where the parking lot was located. They were pretty easy to spot in the middle of the almost empty lot. They were parked beside the street light. Her mom and dad were already in the front seats of the huge red SUV. Her cousins had just finished putting her boxes into the back. Charles and Bub got into the back. It looked like there was a third row that they climbed into. Wyn came over to us as we reached the car.

“We set your boxes next to the light.” His tone was concerned. “I can convince Aunt Nina to wait until your ride gets here.”

This guy was big, good looking, and scary, but a sweetheart. Felicity would have a lot of explaining to do when she came to the cabin at the end of summer as to why he wasn’t to be trusted.

“Thank you, Wyn.” I smiled at him as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I pulled up the Lyft app. “My ride should be here in a minute. Shows that they’re around the block.”

Felicity pushed her bag into Wyn’s arms. “Go on in the car. Let me say good bye to my friend.”

Wyn rolled his eyes. He nodded his head at me with a soft smile before climbing into the back of the SUV. Felicity turned to me and hugged me tightly.

“Be safe in that cabin. Text me every night. If I don’t hear from you in a two day period, I’ll call the cops.” I’d have laughed but I knew she was serious.

“Same goes for you.” I hugged her back for a few more moments before stepping back. “Thank you for making this year awesome.”

There was a loud honk behind us. Her dad looked at us and gestured at Felicity. She turned back to me and blew out a breath.

“Alright, I’ll text you. Let me know when you’re home and safe. And send me a screenshot of the Lyft driver’s info and take a picture of his license plate.” She waved to me as she got into the red SUV. Her face was drawn tight already. Whatever they were going to do this summer, she was not happy.

I waved until their car pulled out of the parking lot. A sedan pulled into the lot just as they pulled out. My phone beeped, letting me know that this was my Lyft driver.

* * *

The house was quiet when I walked through the garage. The Lyft driver had been a nice older man who entertained with me during the drive with stories about his grandkids. He’d been kind enough to help me pack and unpack my boxes and suitcase from the car. I’d sent a quick text to Felicity and Mom letting them know I’d made it.

The lights were all on. Mom always made sure we had automatic lights that turned on as soon as it started to get dark and could be controlled by an app on our phones. The security panel started to beep, letting me know I’d only have a few more seconds until it went off, which would be a huge hassle if it did. I hurriedly put in the code, my grandma’s birthday, before it went off. I set it back on and went to the kitchen.

There was a note from Mom on the island.

There’s lasagna in the fridge. Just reheat in the microwave. We also packed you a cooler with food and drinks for the cabin for the first two days. It’s in the fridge in the garage. I’m sorry you didn’t want to come to Cali with us, but we all love you. Call me when you get to the cabin.

--Love Mom, Gary, Milly, and Stephen

Ismiled as I finished reading the note. The cooler was probably Gary’s idea. He was pretty awesome for a stepdad. My stepbrother and sister were also pretty cute. They’d just turned eleven last month. So far, they hadn’t started into the terrible pre-teens stage yet.

It was the first summer since Mom had married Gary that we weren’t all spending it together, but I really needed to work on my art this summer for my portfolio since I’d received an internship to work with one of my heroes, Devon Mckenzie, for the second semester of the school year. I’d worked my ass off to be one of the two students who were selected for this semester and I wasn’t going to blow it by not having a more diverse portfolio.

My stomach grumbled, interrupting my thoughts about what I’d be working on this summer. The lasagna was exactly where Mom said it was. It took only a few minutes to heat it up. I decided to eat at the island bar instead of going into the dining room. Setting the plate with my lasagna in front of me, I opened the bottle of Coke I’d gotten out of the fridge as well. It wasn’t super healthy but after the long day, it was exactly what I needed.

Mom made lasagna from scratch with extra ricotta cheese because she knew that was my favorite part. I’d almost finished my plate when my phone vibrated. I’d thought it would be Felicity, but it turned out to be Jasper.

Hey! Happy summer! Sorry we didn’t talk all that much this past week, finals really kicked our asses.

I chuckled. Him and every other student on campus.

It’s cool. How’d they go? What are your plans this summer?

A few of my friends and I are heading to our summer house. Get away from the crowds. Go skinny dipping. The works. You?

I blushed as an image of Jasper skinny dipping flashed through my mind.I’m spending time alone to work on my art and sing karaoke to my heart’s content. I can’t wait.

His reply was almost immediate.Sounds like we’re both going to relax and have fun. I’ve gotta go, we’re getting the stuff in the car for tomorrow. Ttyl!

I smiled at the short conversation. Jasper was easy to talk to.

There was a beep from my phone again, my alarm went off reminding me that I needed to pack for tomorrow. I sighed. At least I only needed to pack clothes. I was going to take clothes from here and not the ones from school. The mountains were nice during the summer, but the night could still get a little nippy. Plus, it’d be nice to wear something else. Baggy clothes were my favorite to wear, but Felicity had started replacing my clothes at school with clothes that fit a bit more. Being a bigger girl with clothes that fit well made me self-conscious, but she was helping me step out of my comfort zone. But up at the cabin, I didn’t have to be around people, so I could be comfortable.