Hi! On day off! I have Wi-Fi though! I just got here but call me tomorrow!
I play on Instagram for a few minutes, scrolling through his and everyone else’s pictures.
Finally I get dressed in leggings, a tank top, and a zip-up sweatshirt. By the time I get outside, Gavin and Botts are already cooking, so I set the outdoor table.
Lawrence is just sitting there drinking. He’s hot in an I go to the gym too often kind of way. He’s the type of guy who stares at your boobs while you talk.
Allie is sitting beside him. I notice she has full lips, and a small gap between her two front teeth.
The whole house is gorgeous—there really are wings—but the outside is my favorite. There’s a hot tub, and a perfect pool, and a dock swaying slightly over the water. The sun sets while I place the napkins around and snack on chunks of Brie and Botts’s parents’ wine.
He took out a white and a red from his parents’ wine cellar.
“They won’t mind?” I ask.
“Nah,” he says. “They’re Canadian. They think the drinking age should be eighteen.”
I set the table using what Botts told us were the pool dishes, which just means not glass.
Botts stopped on the way and picked up burgers, steaks, beef salami, cheese, and stuff for breakfast. “I got some veggie burgers too,” he tells me. “I didn’t think you were a vegetarian, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure.”
“You could have texted me,” I say.
“I don’t have your number!”
“Right.” Another way camp is not the real world. We all talk to each other all the time, but never on the phone.
Gavin grills some salami to start and by the time the burgers are cooked, the stars are out in full force. Dance music is playing from the outdoor speakers. It’s perfect.
“Who wants cheese on theirs?” Gavin asks.
“Me!” I call out.
“None for me,” Botts says.
“I know, I know,” Gavin says. “Botts keeps kosher.”
“Really?” I ask.
“I try,” he says with a shrug.
“Gavin, you make a great burger,” Allie says, taking a bite. I’ll have to tell Kat what a great cook you are.”
“Oh, she knows,” he says. “She especially loves my salami.”
“I’m sure she does,” Botts says dryly, and we all laugh.
The six of us are sitting at the table between the lake and the pool. It’s so pretty under the stars! And we’re drinking wine! A lot of wine!
And the more wine we drink, the louder the six of us get. Somehow Botts, Gavin, Brody, and Lawrence end up doing handstands on the dock.
“Behold the North American male and his unique mating ritual,” Allie narrates in an overly formal tone.
“What?” I nearly snort wine out of my nose.
“They’re showing off for us,” she explains.
I pretend like I don’t agree, but I kind of do. And I kind of love it.
After we finish our meals, and clean up the plates, and pour more wine, Lawrence suggests we make our way to the hot tub.
“I’ll change into my suit,” I say.
“Fuck it,” Brody says. “I’m going in my boxers.”
He strips off his clothes and goes in.
“In,” Allie says.
“Um . . .” I should change into my bathing suit.
Botts takes off his clothes too. He’s wearing Star Wars boxers. They are adorable. He goes in.
Lawrence goes in next.
I look at Gavin. He looks at me.
Am I going to do this? Going in a hot tub in my bra and panties isn’t cheating, is it? I wouldn’t tell Eli, obviously. But it’s not cheating.
Gavin takes off his top.
Oh, those abs.
Okay, I’m going in. I unzip my jeans. I am wearing a good blue lace thong. The bra is beige and doesn’t match, but it’s not horrible.
I sink into the steaming water between Botts and Allie. Ahhh. Perfect.
Botts smiles when I sit down.
Everyone but Gavin—me, Botts, Lawrence, Allie, and Brody—is already in. I see that under the water, Lawrence has his hand on Allie’s thigh.
“Nice out here, huh?” Botts says to me. “We’re glad you made it to Camp Blue Springs this summer, Rosenspan.”
“Happy to be here.” I clink my pool wineglass with his.
“Any room for me?” Gavin asks, and Allie scoots over.
My breath catches as Gavin sinks in next to me.
He really does have a good stomach. Also shoulders. Also salami, I’m pretty sure. I feel my face heat up and it isn’t from the hot tub. Or the wine.
It might be from the wine.
We’re crowded in here and his knee touches my knee under the bubbling water. Accident or on purpose?
“Your co-counselor is a riot,” Allie says.
“Talia?” I ask, trying to focus on her.
“I love Talia, but I meant Tube Top.”
“Oh, Janelle,” I say.
“Yeah. Her.”
“I like those tube tops,” Lawrence says.
Allie gives him a look.
Gavin’s knee is still touching mine. It has to be on purpose. It has to be!
“I like her a lot,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm. “She’s a good counselor.”
“I hear she’s slept with half the male staff,” Allie says.
“She hasn’t slept with me,” Botts says.
“Or me,” Brody says.
“Or me,” Gavin says.
“You have a girlfriend,” Allie says, pointing her finger at him. I notice that her other hand is on Lawrence’s arm.
“I only slept with her once,” Lawrence says.
“Lawrence!” Allie chides. Then she climbs onto his lap. “Don’t you dare sleep with her.”
He laughs.
Brody takes a joint out from somewhere and passes it to Botts. He passes it to me. I inhale and then pass it to Gavin.
I don’t smoke often, and I’ve only ever done it with Eli. But if you’re not going to smoke in a hot tub on a summer night on your day off from camp, when are you going to?
“She hasn’t hooked up with that many people,” I say. “There’s been one guy. And anyway, she’s single, so who cares?”
She’s single. Unlike me. Even though I’m the one who is practically naked in a hot tub with four boys, none of whom are my boyfriend, one of whom now has his thigh pressed against mine.
Does he feel what’s going on here? He must!
Should I move? I don’t want to move.
I will not do anything stupid. I will not do anything stupid. I will not do anything stupid.
What if Allie sees? Will she tell Kat that some chick is hitting on her guy? Am I hitting on her guy? Is he hitting on me?
The joint comes back to me.
My head starts to spin.
I think I should go to my room before I do something stupid.
“I’m going to call it,” I say suddenly.
“Already?” Botts says.
“Me too,” Allie says. “Lawrence, help me out?”
I think they are calling it for a different reason than I’m calling it.
“I can stay a little longer,” Gavin says.
I pull myself out of the hot tub, wishing really hard that I was not wearing just a soaking-wet bra and a blue thong. “Good night.”
“Good night,” they all say back.
I do everything I can not to look at Gavin as Allie, Lawrence, and I head back into the house.
“Hi,” I say, answering my ringing phone. The sun streams through the window.
“Did I wake you?” he asks.
“No,” I say groggily.
“Liar,” Eli says. “Isn’t it already ten there?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“Where are you?”
“Botts’s country house. Day off.” I am proud of myself for behaving last night. Sure, I smoked pot and got drunk, w
as pretty-much naked in a hot tub, and had a guy’s thigh pressed against mine, but I stayed loyal and that’s what counts. “Where are you?”
“Berlin. In a hostel. Not a country house.”
“Did you get bedbugs yet?”
“Probably. Did you get ticks or lice yet?”
“Probably.” I scratch my head. “Are you traveling with other people?”
“We met some Aussies. They’re fun.”
I want to ask if the Aussies are male Aussies or lady Aussies, but I don’t.
“The funniest thing happened last night, actually.” He tells a whole story. I try to listen but kind of fall asleep. “But we forgot our umbrellas!” And then he laughs.
“That was the punch line,” he says.
“Oh. Sorry. Ha!”
“I guess you had to be there.”
“I’m just tired,” I say. “I don’t get a lot of sleep at camp.” We pause.
“Yeah,” he says. “So what did you do last night?”
“Um . . . Just a barbecue.” I do not mention the pot, the hot tub, or the thigh. Which makes me wonder what he’s not mentioning.
“Anything fun on deck for this week?”
“Um . . . our bunk is going on our overnight. To Nude Beach,” I say, and laugh.
“Huh?”
“It’s called New Beach. But Janelle calls it Nude Beach.”
“Ah. Got it.”
“I was kind of dreading it earlier in the summer, but it should be fine. We won’t really be nude,” I say. “No nudity of any kind. At least not mine. The eight-year-olds do like to run around naked.”
I spot my wet thong and bra on the floor.
What was I thinking last night?
I get out of bed and peek through the blinds. There’s someone in a kayak across the lake. Gavin, I’d guess. The water is a mirror reflection of the pale blue sky.
Botts is sitting on a sun chair on the dock, reading a book. I wonder what time they went to bed last night. I crashed pretty hard.
I hear a door open down the hallway, and hear Allie tell Lawrence that she’ll meet him downstairs.
So I guess that happened last night.
“Do you have to go?” Eli asks me.
“No! Do you?”
“Well, a bunch of us are meeting at the bar.”
“Oh. Okay.” I hate it when people say “Do you have to go?” when really they have to go. For that matter, so does Eli. Or he used to. “Have fun,” I say. “Remember your umbrellas.”
“Ha. What are you gonna do today?” he asks.
“A whole lot of nothing, I hope. Day off.”
“Have fun, Beautiful. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I click the phone off and stare at it for a second. He’s so far away. And for the first time, he felt it.
“Hey, Rosenspan,” Botts says. The two of us are sitting in chairs, reading. Gavin, Brody, Allie, and Lawrence are playing Frisbee. We are all wearing the bathing suits that we didn’t bother putting on last night. Allie is giggling all over the place. I guess she’s happy with how things went after the hot tub.
“Guess what tomorrow night’s Evening Activity is?” he asks.
“I don’t know. Tell me!”
“Staff softball game!”
I throw my arm up. “Woot!”
“You’re on my team—yes?”
“Of course,” I say. “I play third base. Don’t forget.”
“I know,” he says.
“I don’t want you giving my position to the Tank or something.”
“No way. And he’s captain for the other team.”
“We’re playing against the Tank?” I scream.
“He’s slow. Sturdy. But can’t actually hit a ball. We’re good. Do you think Janelle would play?”
“For sure.”
“We could use some other ladies too. The other team has Priya and Marissa and they are fast.”
“I’m fast.”
“Oh, I remember.”
“I’ll ask around,” I say. I wonder if Lis would play. I remember that I’m supposed to feel Botts out about her. “But speaking of ladies . . . have your eye on anyone this summer?”
He puts his hand on my chair. “Are you making a move on me, Rosenspan? What about your boyfriend?”
“I am asking on behalf of a friend,” I say.
“Suuuuure,” he says. “I’m just messing with you. I know you’re out of my league.”
I laugh. “I’m not ‘out of your league.’ I’ve just got a boyfriend.”
He waves his hand. “But I have a feeling I know who you’re asking for.”
“You do?”
He shrugs. “One of your bunkmates, perhaps?”
“Perhaps,” I say carefully. “Are you interested?”
“I don’t know,” he says. “Maybe? She’s nice and funny and definitely pretty, but . . . I don’t get the sense we’re into the same things. What if we’re not a good fit in the real world?”
“What are you into exactly?” I ask.
“Baseball. Camp. Skiing. Star Wars. Books.” I notice he has Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell opened beside him and that it’s half read.
“Any good?” I ask him, pointing at the book.
“Very good,” he says.
“Well, she’s definitely into camp,” I tell him. “I’m not so sure about the others. But it’s the summer! Why are you worrying about the real world?”
If last night is any indication, I don’t seem to be worried about the real world.
“Good point,” he says. “Ten for two!”
“Huh?”
“You’ve never heard that?” he asks. “It means you live ten months in the real world for two months at camp.”
“Ten for two!” Allie says, plopping down on the empty chair beside us. “But maybe camp is the real world and the school year is the pretend one. That’s how I like to think of it.”
“What’s real anyway?” Botts asks. “Is your guy the real deal?” he asks me.
“Eli?” I say. “Of course. I wouldn’t be with him if I didn’t think he was.”
But then I wonder, is he the real deal? How do you know? And what if he isn’t?
Am I just wasting an entire summer because we were too afraid to take a break?
I freeze. Where did that thought come from?
A Frisbee goes whizzing by my head and into the water.
“Oops,” Lawrence says.
“I’ll get it,” Gavin offers. “I could use a swim.” He shallow dives into the water, grabbing the yellow Frisbee with one hand outstretched. “Man, that feels great.”
“Cannonball!” Lawrence jumps in after him.
“I’m burning up too,” I say. Instead of jumping off the dock, I step onto the shore and wade into the water. The ground feels sandy and murky and sinks under my feet. “This is kind of gross,” I say.
“That’s why we jumped in,” Gavin says.
“Thanks for the heads-up.” I dive under the water and swim out toward him. “Hi,” I say.
“Hi,” he says back. “Glad you came?”
“It’s no South of France,” I say. “But it’s not half-bad.”
We call it a day at three, shower, pack up, and head back to camp. Gavin and I stop at Dunkin’ Donuts on the way back. We both get a box of doughnuts for the kids.
I get another text from Fancy’s mother.
Me: Hi! Am on my day off. Will check when I get back!
Fancy’s Annoying Mom: You get days off from camp? How hilarious. If only moms got days off!
Um, if Fancy is here, doesn’t she have the whole summer off?
We arrive at Dinner Washup exactly when the next crew is leaving for their days off.
I see Danish wearing her backpack on my walk to flagpole. “Feeling rested?”
“Very,” I say.
“Good! I’m going on my day off. Don’t burn the bunks down. Muffs is in charge.”
Earmuffs? Why did she put him in charge instead of me
? Did I not do as good of a job at Family Feud as I thought? “Where are you going?” I ask, trying not to sound jealous.
“Saratoga. Meeting Kirsten! Hooray!”
“Who’s Kirsten?”
“My girlfriend!”
“Oh! I forgot you have a significant other outside of camp! Why do I never see you at the office making phone calls and using the Wi-Fi?”
“Because, my dear, I use the Wi-Fi in the head staff office, near the infirmary.”
“Ahhhh, that is so much closer.”
“It really is,” she says. “Sucker.”
I laugh. “Have fun!”
I hurry back to the bunk. I’m excited to see my girls.
“Hello?” I call out.
“Sammy!” I hear.
“She’s back!”
“Hooray!”
At least ten arms wrap themselves around me.
“We missed you so much!”
“Don’t ever go away again.”
“Did you get us doughnuts?”
“Yes, my sweeties, I did.”
Everyone cheers. Unlike their parents, they are so easy to please.
It’s ten thirty p.m. and Lis, Talia, Muffs, JJ, and I are all sitting together at Slice.
Janelle and Gavin have OD.
“Did Botts say anything about me?” Lis asks as soon as Muffs and JJ get up to get drinks.
I hesitate. “He thinks you’re pretty. And nice.”
“He does? Really?” She smiles.
“I think he needs to get to know you. You should try to spend some time with him. Speaking of which, want to play in the staff baseball game tomorrow night?”
“Um, no,” she says.
“Why not? It’s the perfect opportunity to get to know him! And impress him!”
She bites her nail as she talks. “I’m not going to impress him when I drop the ball. That would un-impress him. But I’ll come to the game and cheer for both of you, okay?”
“Fine,” I say.
“Is your camp boyfriend playing too?” she asks.
“My camp boyfriend?”
“Yeah. Like a work husband. Camp boyfriend. Gavin.”
I blush. “He’s not my camp boyfriend.”
“He totally is,” Talia says. “He always puts you in his boat at sailing. Haven’t you noticed?”
“Has he?” I have definitely noticed that.
“Does Eli know about your camp boyfriend?” Talia asks.
Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe Page 11