The Junior (College Years 3)

“What?”

“Being nice to each other.”

“Actually, I think we’re pretty good at it. Until we start…dissecting what we’re doing.” He sends me a quick glance. “Maybe we should just stop questioning everything. We’re so busy fighting it when we could go with the flow and let it happen naturally.”

“I think you’re right.” I close my eyes. Practically melt into the seat when I feel Caleb’s hand touch my bare knee and give it a gentle squeeze. “You’re a good friend, Caleb.”

“I try.” He gives my knee another squeeze. “You scared the shit out of me earlier, G. I don’t like seeing you in pain, especially when there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Now it’s my heart’s turn to melt. “I appreciated you forcing me to go to the emergency room. Thank God I’m still on my parents’ health insurance.”

“Soon you’ll be on your own. You’ll be a teacher with your own insurance. And your own class,” he says. “You excited?”

“Scared,” I admit. “Nervous. I’d hoped to live it up this summer, but instead I got too caught up working and worrying over my savings account.”

“You’re going to be fine. I have faith in you. And you can still have a fun summer. It’s not over yet.” He removes his hand from my knee and I immediately feel the loss. I like it when Caleb touches me. Makes me feel connected to him. “If you’re up to it.”

“If you’re talking sexual escapades, I’m going to have to pass,” I say wryly. “Feels a little broken down there at the moment.”

More silence. I’m sure he’s not one to sit around and talk about vaginas and periods and all the problems that come with them. He likes talking about the fun stuff when it comes to vaginas. Like how many he’s explored.

Ew. I just grossed myself out.

“We can just hang out,” he finally says. “Hey, maybe we should take a day and drive over to the ocean.”

I send him a look. “That’s kind of far for a day trip.”

“Fine. Let’s make it an overnight trip.” He shrugs.

“Don’t you have practice?”

“I start back full force on Tuesday afternoon. I have Monday off. I don’t work either,” he says.

“I have Monday off too,” I admit. “I have to be at the school for all-day meetings on Wednesday.”

“Let’s get out of here then. Get away from reality and the heat and go to the beach,” he says, sounding excited.

“You want to stay the night and…what? Get a hotel room?” I wrinkle my nose, wondering what he’ll want from me if we share a hotel room. That sounds expensive. “I can’t really afford it.”

“My treat,” he says. “We can find somewhere cheap. Or hey, we can borrow Tony’s SUV and take it out on the dunes. We can camp on the sand.”

I burst out laughing at the thought of Tony letting Caleb borrow his car. “Tony is not going to let you drive his pretty Range Rover onto the beach and camp out there overnight.”

“You never know. Tony’s one of my best friends. He trusts me. Even with his expensive ass car.”

“I’ve never camped before,” I admit. “Not in a tent or an RV or a trailer. I’ve never done it.”

“Seriously? Growing up, that’s all we did. My parents have taken us out camping on the dunes or at one of the RV parks since I was a little kid.” He sits up straighter, and I can tell he’s getting excited. “We’re camping. It’ll be fun. I can borrow a tent from my dad. We’ll stay out on the dunes and barbecue hamburgers or hot dogs. Roast marshmallows.”

Sit by a warm fire and get those warm feelings. Snuggle up close together in the tent since I bet it’s cold out there at night. Maybe even share a sleeping bag.

This is dangerous. Incessant alarms should be clanging in my head, warning me off.

“Let’s do it,” I say, not paying attention to those warning bells whatsoever.

Seventeen

Caleb