Chapter Fifteen

On the car ride home, my anger turns into sadness. Mom keeps looking at me in the rearview mirror.

“¿Estás bien, Stella?” she asks as she parks in front of the house.

“Yeah,” I reply, but I feel my lip quivering.

Mom says in a soft voice, “I don’t believe you, mi amor. I could tell you had an argument with your group.”

She turns around so I have to look at her face-to-face.

“You can tell me.”

Suddenly I burst into full tears. I confess that I’m feeling overwhelmed and how, worst of all, the Sea Musketeers want Logan to be copresident.

“And I feel like…,” I say in between sobs, “I’m getting everything wrong!”

Mom reaches behind and grabs my hand.

“Mi estrella, you’re doing great. I’m proud of you for trying to do new things. I also really don’t think your club members are trying to do something malo to you.”

“It feels very mean,” I reply, pouting.

“The club is a big responsibility. During the summer, it’s easier to focus on only your club, but during the school year, when it’s busier, it makes sense to share more of the workload.”

I nod. Deep down I know she’s being sensible, but it doesn’t feel like that. It feels like they are stealing my idea from me.

She hands me a tissue to wipe away my tears. I have to go through a few tissues to clean up all the waterworks.

“Come, let’s get out of this car and grab Biscuit. We need to take him on a walk.”

Biscuit showers me with kisses when we open the laundry-closet door. It’s like he knew I needed some comfort.

As we walk him around the block, Mom says, “I think that we all need a little break.”

“More movies?” I ask. I’d be happy to curl up on the couch with a blanket again.

Mom replies, “That’s always nice, but we also all need to unplug and relax. I’m thinking a getaway.”

“Where?” I ask.

“Well, Diego has invited all of us to go camping at Indiana Dunes National Park next weekend. That’s what he and I were texting about earlier. He’s been planning to go with Izzy for a while. He says there is space at his campsite for us to go with them.”

“Camping? Don’t you remember last time?”

Mom laughs. “Yo sé, but we went in November last time in Wisconsin. That was a very bad idea. It’s still early October, and it feels great outside.”

I nod. That’s true. I’m wearing only a light sweater today, not a parka and long johns.

“But we don’t know what we’re doing,” I say.

I also think back to my own personal camping adventure last month. Jenny and I freaked out, and it was only in our backyard. I can’t imagine camping in the wilderness, where there are sure to be large predators nearby. How will we survive?

“Diego goes camping all the time,” Mom replies. “This also isn’t going to be rugged camping. He texted me the site, and I checked it out online. There are plenty of people nearby, regular bathrooms, showers, and everything. It would be only one night, too.”

I look down at Biscuit. He’s lying on the grass, blissfully soaking up the outdoors. He looks happy. I want to be that happy. I guess the outdoors could be good for me. I’ve also been avoiding the Mom-and-Diego situation for a couple of weeks now. This camping trip would give me a good opportunity to see firsthand what is really going on. I also think it would be a nice excuse to skip a Sea Musketeers meeting for one week. I’m not ready to see any of their faces yet.

I look up at Mom.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

“Great!” says Mom. “Nick already agreed. I’ll call Diego and let him know.”

I pick up Biscuit, and we head back home.

I’m still uneasy about the camping idea and Diego, but when Biscuit snuggles up against me, I instantly feel better.