Page 62 of Don't Think

Trevor let me talk to the girls for a few minutes before we left, and although I still get emotional at the reminder that they’re not with me, I didn’t cry this time.

Not a single tear. And somehow, that feels like a small win.

It’s still something I’m slowly getting used to, but I know the second I get back home, all the emotions will hit me at once when I see their things and realize they’re not there.

Sweat lines my forehead as the hot, muggy July sun beats down on us. Every movement feels like it might be my last, but really? I don’tregretcoming.

I still want to fight whoever thought this was a good idea though.

Just when I’m about to drop and plop down on the nearest bench, I spot Ana up ahead—skippingdown the pathway.

Show off.

“Whose idea was it to add the zoo to the plan?” I ask, hands on my hips while I try to catch my breath and not die.

She laughs, turning around to walk backward. “Yours.”

My mouth drops open as I glance over at Nora for confirmation.

“It’s not a lie,” she says with a smirk. “It really was your idea this time.”

Great, well. There’s another reason to fight myself. It seems like I’m caught in a constant loop of stupid decision after stupid decision. But today’s a good day. So maybe I’ll save the round of fisticuffs with myself for another time. At the rate I’m going,there’s bound to be another dumb decision right around the corner anyway.

“I found them!” Ana suddenly exclaims, breaking into a run.

I’d like to know where this girl gets all her energy after a night of drinking. I swear she had way more than me last night, and yet she somehow wakes up totally fine, while I feel like I woke up in a dumpster.

I pick up the pace, my heart pounding in protest with every slap of my feet against the pavement.

By the time I catch up, I practically throw my backpack to the ground like it’s filled with bricks and grab my water bottle.

“What did you find exactly?” I ask breathlessly, not even bothering to look since I’m too focused on trying to rehydrate and not die.

“Jerry,” Ana says, her voice low, like she just found the holy grail.

I look up with my eyebrows pulled together, watching her stare into one of the animal exhibits. “I’m sorry—who?”

She points into the pen filled with flamingos. “Jerry!”

“Why do you keep calling flamingosJerry?” I chuckle. “You did that when we were looking over the itinerary too.”

“Oh,nowyou remember,” Nora chimes in, laughing.

Ana shushes her, holding her fingers up. “Shh. You’re going to scare them.”

I shake my head, completely lost. “Seriously, what the hell is aJerry?”

She turns to me, grinning. “One of the bands I listen to has a flamingo on their album cover. The fans named him Jerry. It’s a thing.” She shrugs like that explains everything.

Before I can even begin to ask the hundred questions racing through my mind about that, my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Jaxon

Hey. Did you maybe want to talk about last night?

No. Absolutelynot. Is he joking? Although my heart clearly didn’t get the memo. It’s just pounding more out of rhythm the longer I see his name lit up across my screen.

Or maybe it’s the near-death experience of this hike.