Chapter 17

 Some Pride 

When I woke up, something felt different.

My eyes flew open. Atticus stirred at my side, tilting his massive head back until it rested on my shoulders. The muscles in my arms and legs had the tight, stiff feeling of not having moved in hours. I blinked, staring at the sapphire sky. The numbers on my watch read 2:09.

I shot straight up.

We’d been asleep for hours.

My stomach gurgled when I leaped to my feet, and I instantly regretted my quick movement. The sore, inflamed muscles in my calves and thighs protested. I dropped back to the ground with a wince.

“The twins are going to kill me,” I said to Atticus. “We were supposed to be back an hour ago.”

Atticus hopped up—a bit more gingerly than usual—and wound his way through the aspens toward the trail.

Moving more slowly this time, I stood up. My head swam for a moment, then cleared. Nothing had changed in the landscape. The gentle breeze had faded. The sun had tracked farther against the sky. A brave ground squirrel chattered from behind a close rock. Despite my panic, I couldn’t deny a sense of being physically rested, although my abdomen felt wrung out for an entirely different reason.

I paused, staring at the top of Custer Mountain. I’d been asleep for three hours, at least. I could still summit, but that would cost me time and energy. After my spectacular crash, I wasn’t sure I had more ups and downs left to endure. What if the staff sent out a search party for me? I cringed at the thought.

Returning would be my best option, even though I had to face the ugly music: I owed Justin $500 I didn’t have. The magic wand that was going to solve all my problems disappeared in a wisp of smoke. So much for the easy road out.

“Ugh,” I groaned, kicking a rock. “The twins are never going to let me live this down.”

Summiting Custer Mountain would have to come later. In the meantime, I had to figure out how to tell Justin I didn’t have his money.

And get over the fact that I loathed biffies.

I stepped out of the biffy the next evening with a twisted face, my breath held. The heat of the summer had baked the small wooden house, turning the already sour air into something fetid. I hoped I could scrub the stench of urine off my skin.

“Looking good, Meg!”

“Is it just me, or is it definitely time for a little nap?”

A couple of staff strolled by, poorly attempting to cover their chuckles as they disappeared into the trees.

“Laugh it up,” I muttered. “I’m fixing your dinner, and I just cleaned a nasty toilet, you overgrown children.”

The skin of my fingers had wrinkled when I pulled my elbow-length plastic gloves off and tossed them into the bucket. Ten to go. Why did they have so many biffies? Couldn’t the boys just pee in the trees? A second pair of feet approached me from behind, and I braced myself for another round of teasing.

“Whoa! Blister!” Mark waved a hand in front of his face. “Cut down on the fresh veggies, will you?”

I rolled my eyes.

“So.” He waggled his eyebrows. “How’s it going? Do you love your new job? Should I rearrange things so you can do this all the time? Or you can just take a nap if you’re sleepy.”

“Shut up.”

He followed me as I moved past him, bucket in hand. Justin hadn’t even gloated when I’d returned, metaphorical tail between my legs. Then again, by the time I reappeared exhausted, dehydrated, and wearing one shoe because I’d thrown the other into the trees in a fit of low-blood-sugar rage, pretty much everyone had been concerned. Thankfully, no one had brought up the exchange of money yet.

“JJ did try to warn you about the energy gels,” Mark said. I strode down the trail so quickly that he moved into a slow trot. “I mean, to be fair. They’re new and experimental, so obviously diarrhea would be an issue. And with that much caffeine, sugar, and ginseng?” He whistled. “You’re lucky your blood sugar didn’t crash into a coma.”

“What do you want, Mark?” I snapped.

“Fine, fine. You don’t have to worry about dinner tonight. JJ, Justin, and I have it covered.”

I moaned. “That’s even worse!”

He clapped me on the back. “Sometimes we fall so that we can get back up again.”

“Get off me.”

“Does it make you feel better if I point out that it will take three of us to replace you? And we’re having JJ do his famous grilled cheese sandwiches. He claims he does it butter-free.” His nose wrinkled. “We’ll see how it pans out. He’s coming out of veganism for this moment.”

“He’s vegetarian, Mark.”

“Whatever.”

I paused, considering. “Yes, it does make me feel a little better.”

“Good.” He pushed me back onto the trail. “Now go clean my biffies while I check on a possible bear sighting. Don’t fall asleep!”

When I finished cleaning, I showered for twenty minutes with the hottest water I could tolerate, scrubbing my skin until it tingled. Although I hadn’t enjoyed the process, I had cleaned those biffies.

Distant voices filled the background as I walked the trail from the outdoor staff showers, carrying my dirty clothes in a plastic sack. Darkness fell. The sunset faded between each tree, turning them into black spires. A nearby cricket chirped as I approached my cabin, grateful to be clean.

“Hey, Meg? Over here.”

Although I couldn’t see him, Justin’s voice streamed through the trees by his cabin. The comforting scent of campfire lingered in the air. I dropped my bag in my cabin and headed over, my hair still damp on my shoulders. A fire flickered in a small stone circle, flaring toward the trees in orange and yellow tongues of flame. Justin sat with his back against a log. He motioned next to him with a tilt of his head.

“Have a seat.” He nudged a plate covered with foil my direction. “I brought dinner for you.”

“Is the kitchen closed?”

“They’re running a big poker game.” A brief lull in conversation brought a sound of guffawing from the lodge. “Thought this would be less chaotic.”

I sat next to him, balancing the plate on my knees. “Thanks,” I said. “That was really thoughtful of you.”

He poked at the fire with a gnarled stick. The charred end sent a plume of red and orange sparks dancing into the air. I opened the foil to discover a grilled cheese sandwich and peeled orange slices. The tang of the juicy orange erased some of the bitter bleach taste in my mouth.

“This is delicious,” I said, pulling off a piece of the sandwich. “JJ makes a mean grilled cheese.”

We sat in the silence for several minutes after I finished eating. When I tossed the paper plate into the flames, the edges started to smoke and then curl. I watched it disintegrate into the crimson ashes and disappear amongst the coals, and then I pulled my knees into my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Justin looked over but said nothing.

“I have to admit something,” I said, staring at the flames.

“Okay.”

“I don’t … I don’t have $500.”

The fire glittered in his eyes when I met his gaze and quickly looked away.

“I made that bet because I’m a little behind on a credit card payment, and I really thought I could win. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so arrogant.”

Desperate, I thought to add but clamped my mouth shut.

“You would have, I bet, if you hadn’t crashed from those gels.”

“Maybe,” I murmured. “But that doesn’t matter as much as the fact that I didn’t win and I can’t pay you right away. But I will! I will pay you. It just may take a few months.”

“Meg, don’t even worry about it.”

“Of course I will. It’s … it’s just embarrassing,” I said into my jeans. “And it’s even worse if you forgive it. I want to pay it. Just give me some time?”

He crossed his ankles and stuck his hands into his pockets. His casual, easy demeanor put me at ease. “Sure.”

“Thanks.”

“Did the bet have anything to do with your job search?” he asked. My shoulders tightened.

“Uh, yes. And no.”

My mind felt like a sheet of black sandpaper. Gritty. Scratchy. Full of bumps. I didn’t want to tell him the truth. I’m thousands of dollars in debt, have nothing but a return ticket home to my name, and don’t know how I’ll make it through the summer.

I couldn’t ignore the thought fluttering around my head. Justin has a lot of money. Maybe he could loan it to you.

No. I shuddered. I have some pride.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked.

“Not really. But thanks.”

“Anytime.”

Atticus rolled onto his back, so I scrubbed his soft underbelly. The fire popped and crackled, casting Justin’s eyes in deep shadow.

My thoughts unraveled. Jodie would call on Monday with job opportunities. With any luck, some of them would be open for the first of August, and I could sign a contract. It wouldn’t pay my credit card on time, but I’d stay at Adventura and fulfill my promise to the twins. Whatever ripple effect occurred, I would deal with it then.

Going into debt had been my fault, not Mark and JJ’s.

The sound of laughter rolled through the forest, washing over me. Having some kind of direction settled the lump in my chest.

Justin and I sat in the comfortable warmth of the campfire, so close I could feel the rise and fall of his chest. The scent of burning pine drifted through the air.

“You ready for a nap?” Justin asked, jarring me from my thoughts. “I mean, I can see you’re getting comfortable and know you like taking siestas in the trees.”

I shoved him in the shoulder with my own, failing to suppress a chuckle. His laugh rang out over the trees, banishing the sandpaper of my thoughts.