Page 61 of One Last Summer
Oh, fuck.
“I literally just took a nap in one of the chairs by the waterfront,” she said as she shuffled inside, and I could tell by her tone that she was annoyed I’d even asked. “The doctor said to take it easy, not hole up on bed rest. I’m fine.”
“Why didn’t anyone wake me up?” I shrieked, shimmying out of my sleeping bag to stand.
“Did you have big plans today? Were you supposed to run a marathon or something?” She was beside me now, massaging the small of her back with the heel of her hand as she watched me, perplexed.
“Wait, are you having contractions again?” I studied her closely, like an archaeologist in front of a newly discovered dinosaur bone.
“Jesus Christ, Clara, I will tell you if I don’t feel well, okay?” She let out an exasperated laugh. “Besides you’re the one acting like you’re going into labor, not me.”
“I really wanted us all to make friendship bracelets this morning,” I explained, rummaging around my duffel bag for clean clothes. “And then do the relay this afternoon. We put it off yesterday because we didn’t want you to miss it.”
Hopping into a pair of shorts, I yanked them up to my waist with one hand while somehow wrangling a tank top over my head with the other. I moved into the bathroom still struggling to get my arms through and was just shoving my toothbrush into my mouth when Sam caught up to me.
“Oh, honey,” she said, and I could tell she was preparing to say something she knew would disappoint me. “Everyone’s already kind of gone off and done their own thing.”
I paused, mid-brush, a tiny blob of toothpaste foam dribbling off my bottom lip.
“Seriously?”
Sam nodded, watching as I spat and spooned water into my mouth with my cupped hand.
“Eloise and Linus went to go ‘check out a van,’” she said with air quotes. “Nick and Trey have been on some long walk since breakfast and aren’t back yet.”
“But they went on a walk yesterday,” I said, dabbing the water off my chin with the edge of my shirt. “How many walks can a practically married couple go on? They’re acting like my grandparents.”
“I don’t think it’s that weird.” Sam shrugged, her curls bobbing as she moved. “Regan and I went on a lot of walks. We’re in our mid-thirties, Clara. We’re practically boomers.”
I slumped back down on my bed, defeated.
“I just had this whole plan about how today was supposed to go,” I said. “Mack even helped me get all the relay stuff out of the office yesterday.”
Just saying his name out loud left me feeling frazzled and confused.
“I know you did,” she said sympathetically. “And it’s very cute how excited you are to do all this camp stuff. You’re like a little kid.”
“A very tall little kid,” I corrected.
“You were basically this tall when you were eleven,” she said. “Look, I think this week just means completely different things for everyone, especially since it’s our last time here. We’re all in very different places, you know?”
I nodded. I did know.
“It’s okay.” I tried not to sound too defeated. “I need to finish up this document to send to my boss anyway.”
I paused, debating for a moment if I even wanted to ask about Mack.
It didn’t take long for me to decide that I really, really did.
“Have you seen Mack?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual, inconspicuous. “Is he around?”
“I ran into him at the dining hall this morning,” she said. “He had just had a meeting with Steve and Marla and then said he was heading into town for something.”
“Oh. Cool.” My attempt at acting chill and aloof faltered as my face fell, remembering his stony gaze last night, our blistering argument in the middle of the lake.
“‘Cool?’” she repeated back to me, her tone skeptical. “Okay, what happened?”
She shuffled past and sat down gingerly on the edge of her bed, staring at me expectantly, almost like she knew exactly what had gone down with Mack, even without me saying a word.
