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Caitlyn
Mya, Zoe, and Caitlyn left the well-lit, moth-infested bathroom and stumbled through the grass. They directed the beams from their flashlights in the general direction of their campsite. The moon shone bright and round overhead. Crickets, frogs, and bugs chirped and croaked all around them, a noisy serenade.
Caitlyn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She loved camping.
“Where do you think the guys went?” Mya whispered.
“Jarret didn’t say,” Zoe said. “Roland came over and whispered something to him, and they both went off into the woods.”
“Peter and Dominic came up to Roland, first, and whispered to him,” Caitlyn said. “Peter’s always up to something.” They tried waiting for the guys to return, or at least for the bonfire to burn itself out, but sleepiness overcame her. She just wanted to change into pajamas and crawl into a sleeping bag.
Mya shuffled closer to Zoe. “Is Jarret your boyfriend?”
Zoe glanced over her shoulder at Caitlyn before answering. “I don’t know. Not officially. But he told me all these things he wants us to do together.”
Mya whispered, “Like what?”
“Well . . .” She looked at Caitlyn again. “Do the Wests really have horses? And do they really live in a big house? I told him our house is big, but he said it wouldn’t compare to his.”
As private as Roland was about his home life, Caitlyn couldn’t believe Jarret was so open. “Um, I guess.”
Zoe stopped outside the tent and shined her flashlight in Caitlyn’s face. “You guess? Don’t you know? You said you went over there once.”
She had gone there, not long ago, to apologize for accidentally starting a rumor at school about Roland. She’d had to beg Peter to show her the way. Her first glimpse of their awesome house still lingered in her mind. Turrets and battlements, black gated windows and a huge front door. They lived in a castle.
“Has he invited you over already?” Caitlyn asked.
Zoe smiled and gave a look that answered Caitlyn’s question. He had.
Mya unzipped the tent.
Caitlyn crawled in after her. She shoved her toothbrush into her duffle bag and unzipped her sleeping bag. She left her flashlight shining on a wall of the tent so they could see.
Zoe zipped the tent and sat on the end of Caitlyn’s sleeping bag, the air mattress squeaking under her. “Jarret never said when, just that he wants me over.”
Mya giggled then spoke in an awestruck tone. “Wow. You’re Jarret West’s girlfriend. Has he kissed you yet?” Dressed in a yellow nightshirt, she sat atop her sleeping bag, arranging a blanket over her legs.
Zoe smiled. “Maybe.”
Mya squealed. “I wish Roland would kiss me. Do you think he likes me?” Her pale blue eyes snapped to Caitlyn as if she had no clue that Caitlyn liked him, too.
“Roland doesn’t want a girlfriend,” Zoe said.
Mya scrunched her face. “How do you know? Maybe he—”
Something scraped the side of the tent.
Mya drew in a sharp breath.
Caitlyn giggled. “Don’t worry. Haven’t you ever camped out before? It was probably an acorn or a twig falling from a tree.”
“Zoe.” The quiet voice came from directly outside the tent.
Everyone’s eyes popped. They exchanged glances. Zoe slid off Caitlyn’s sleeping bag and crawled to the door of the tent. “Who is it?”
“Who do you think it is?” whispered a guy. “Come out.”
Caitlyn would’ve been offended by his rude tone and made some snotty reply, but not Zoe. She unzipped the tent, stuck her head out, and whispered something to him. Then she said to Caitlyn and Mya, “I’ll be back,” as she slipped sandals on.
“Wait,” Caitlyn said as Zoe crawled out. “Who is it? Where are you going?”
Zoe zipped the tent shut. She and her visitor whispered back and forth for a moment. Then silence.
“I’m sure it’s Jarret.” Mya stretched out on her side and propped her head on her hand.
“She shouldn’t go out there with him at night.” Caitlyn crawled into her sleeping bag, glad to finally rest her head on a pillow. She left the flashlight on and shining low on the corner of the tent so Zoe could see when she got back. A bug outside tapped the tent where the light shined.
“Why not?”
“Just the two of them? Alone?” Mom would have a cow if she ever did that. A boy and girl shouldn’t be alone together, she’d say. It just opens the door to trouble. She was probably right but maybe not for everyone.
“I’d go, if it were Roland.”
“I wouldn’t,” Caitlyn said. Would I? If Roland ever did want her for a girlfriend, would she turn down his offer for a midnight stroll? If she did, would he take it as rejection and dump her? What if he wanted them to be alone sometimes and she always said no? How long would he put up with that? Would he be willing to follow so many rules? If she did things Mom’s way, the courtship way, he would have to. A relationship would be easier, less restrictive for him, with other girls. Like Mya.
Watching the shadow of a long-legged bug that stood motionless on top of the tent, Caitlyn shook her head. “Why can’t Jarret see her in the daytime?”
“You don’t understand because you don’t like anyone right now.” Mya lay back and let out a long, wistful sigh.
Caitlyn’s blood simmered. Was Mya that blind? Had she no clue that Caitlyn also liked Roland?
“I do,” Caitlyn said. “I do like someone.”
Mya lifted her head. “You do? Who?” She sat up, wrapped her arms around her legs, and gazed wide-eyed at Caitlyn.
If she couldn’t figure it out for herself, why should Caitlyn bother telling her? What would Mya do if she knew? Redouble her flirting efforts? Certainly not give up. Did it even matter? Roland didn’t want a girlfriend. But she did love being his friend and maybe . . . after some time . . .
“I like Roland.”
“What!” Mya whipped her pillow at Caitlyn. “You can’t like him. I like him.”
Caitlyn whipped the pillow back, hitting Mya squarely in the face.
“That’s not fair. You know I like him,” Mya whispered loudly. “I liked him first. You can’t like him, too.”
“Well, I like him, too.” Caitlyn rolled onto her side, facing away from Mya, but then the tent door unzipped so she rolled back.
Zoe crawled in, smiling.
Mya flicked her flashlight on and shined it in Zoe’s face. “What did he want?”
Squinting, Zoe snatched the flashlight from Mya and shut it off. “He wanted to take a walk, that’s all, but I said no. So he just told me goodnight.”
Stretching out again, Mya let out another wistful sigh. “I wish Roland would’ve told me goodnight.” Then she bolted upright, a scowl on her face. “Did you know Caitlyn likes Roland?”