Boyfriend for the Summer

To my shock, Leena types back right away.

OMG!!! WHAT? Who is he? Do I know him? TELL ME EVERYTHING.

I stifle the laugh that comes out of me, so I don’t wake the few people who are already sleeping in the cabin. No, you don’t know him.

What’s his name? Maybe I do.

I blush in the darkness. No names yet. It makes it too real.

Okay but seriously Persephone. I’m going to need you to tell me absolutely everything else right now.

I know she’s serious when she calls me by my full name. And the whole reason for texting her in the first place was to tell her. So I tell her everything.

Almost everything.

15

Persephone

Present

Bonfires were always my favorite part of camp. At least the parts that weren’t hanging out with Leena and Eric. There’s always a beautiful camaraderie with plenty of chocolate and marshmallows to go around.

As I help prepare for the bonfire—unwrapping a truly absurd amount of chocolate bars—my mind drifts to a specific bonfire that I spent with Eric.

And now we’re here again.

I followed him to the broadcast shack on instinct. Needing to feel him and tease him and prod him. But I’ not sure that was the real reason I did it. I want to fuck him and the tension between us is stretched tighter than a trip wire. And everything that happened in that shack was so unbelievably hot that I’m going to remember it for a long time. No doubt resurfacing when I’m alone and can act more effectively on that memory.

But I got a text message today from Leena. Completely innocent, but it was asking how I was faring in our old stomping grounds. And I’ve felt guilty as hell all day.

I know that I’m not technically doing anything wrong. Leena and Eric haven’t been together in over a year, and the last time that they dated wasn’t for very long. But it seemed to really hurt Leena. That’s the only reason I can think for the complete purge of him from every aspect of her real and online life. Me sleeping with them would feel like a betrayal, I’m sure.

And yet, the only thing that has enough power to make me forget about betraying my best friend is fucking him again. And so that’s what I did.

But I still have nervous energy coursing through my veins. I’m unsettled and restless. I hate it. So I’m pushing everything I have into unwrapping chocolate, and eating more of it than I probably should.

I look over at Mabel, who’s organizing the marshmallows and graham crackers. “I’m assuming we don’t have any adult beverages in the campground, do we?”

She chuckles. “No, dear.”

“Shit,” I whisper under my breath.

“What did he do?”

I go still for a second before starting to unwrap and break more bars. “Who?”

“Eric.”

“He didn’t do anything.”

Mabel smiles in that knowing way that she has—that she’s always had. “If you say so.”

“Why would you think that?”

She rolls her eyes now. “The rest of us aren’t stupid, Persephone. And I saw you two when you were together the last time. You’ve been attacking those chocolate bars like a woodpecker in heat, so I know you’ve got your bug up about something. All your campers sing your praises, and so do the other counselors. But I see the way you and Eric look at each other. He did something. You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to, but it’s a simple process of elimination.”

I gape at her. There’s a reason that Mabel is still here. She’s the witch, fairy godmother, and loving grandmother of Red Rock Summer Camp all rolled into one. “He didn’t do anything,” I whisper. “I did something. Or I let it happen.”

“I see you took your cryptic pill today,” she says.

“It’s complicated, Mabel.” I drop the chocolate and sit on a stool across from her.

She smiles a little half smile like the fucking Mona Lisa. “In my experience dear, nothing is actually that complicated. People say it’s complicated when it involves something that they don’t want to face. Either about themselves or about someone else. So, which is it for you?”

Fuck, I hate that she’s right. But in this case, I don’t want to face things about me, Eric, or Leena. “Is it okay that it’s both?”

“Yes. As long as you know the real reason.”

I sigh. “Okay but is it wrong if I don’t want to deal with it?”

“Not necessarily. Nobody likes discomfort. But is it going to be better in the long run if you get it over with?”

There’s no telling. Because it could go either way. “I honestly don’t know.”

“Then is it better in the long run to know or to ignore it and just attack chocolate?”

I make a face at her. “I hate you and your logic.”

Mabel grins. “Me and my logic have survived worse. Why don’t you go and see if they need any help with the fire? We’re almost done yet and we’re about to start.”