“I’ll let you go so you can celebrate,” he says. “Get an extra-large sundae from the Dairy Barn on me, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Love you, pumpkin.”
“Love you, too.”
After hanging up, I take a deep breath. That was not how the call was supposed to go.
“You didn’t tell him,” Leah says, staring at me with her hands on her hips.
“He didn’t give me a chance.”
“You need to do it.”
“I know,” I mumble. Although, at this point, maybe I should wait to hear from the Naval Academy. If I don’t get in there, then my dad would have to agree to the Air Force because that would be better than nothing.
Leah wraps her arm around my shoulder and pulls me in for a hug. “Let’s forget about him and enjoy today. You got in, which is the hardest part. Everything else will fall into place.”
I nod and offer her a small smile. She’s probably right.
She has to be right.
* * *
An hour later, we’re halfway around the trail. Logan and Noah went near the water’s edge, but Leah and I found a large boulder close to the creek, which empties into the lake. There’s not much water flowing today, so there’s only a faint trickling sound and I remember why I like it here so much. It’s always been peaceful like this—quiet, beautiful, and free of people.
“You’ve got a big smile on your face,” Leah says with a grin.
I draw my knees to my chest and rest my chin on top of them. “Yeah. I’m happy.”
“Is it just your acceptance letter?”
My smile must double in size. My acceptance letter. I can’t imagine three better words. “Yes. Well, the letter and this place.”
She pulls a water bottle from her backpack and takes a drink. “It has nothing to do with your hiking buddies?”
Lifting my head, I give her an apologetic look. “Yes, of course it does. I love hanging out with you. You know that. I’ll miss you next year.” As much as I’m looking forward to the Air Force, it will be difficult to leave Wallingford—my home for years—and my friends, especially Leah. I’ll be starting over. I’ll have to make new friends. And make a new name for myself. And move up rank again. It will be hard, but worth it.
Of course, if I went Navy, I’d be with a lot of my classmates, including Alex and Leah. Keeping my dad happy and my same friends are two good reasons to at least consider the Naval Academy.
But then I’d be giving up on my dream.
I can’t do that. I won’t. It’s Air Force for me. It’s always been Air Force. I just need to get my dad on board.
“I wasn’t talking about me, doofus. Your newest hiking buddy.” Leah points toward the lake, but the ferns and shrubs are so overgrown, we can’t actually see the guys down there. Still, I know who she means—the cadet who occupies too many of my thoughts.
I rotate to face her, crossing my legs in the process, while she continues staring straight ahead.
“I like him,” I admit. It happened on Halloween. In a split second, he went from friend to … I want to say “more” but that’s not true. We’re still only friends, though it’s not like with my other guy friends. I don’t shy away from his hugs. I don’t flinch if he happens to touch my shoulder. And I actually enjoyed all the times he grabbed my hand during the haunted house.
Turning her head to me, she says, “No kidding. And he likes you. So what are you two going to do about it?”
“Nothing.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have time for a boyfriend. With school and sports and all my clubs and my focus on the academy.”
“Well, you’re in at the academy, so you don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
I shrug. She has point, but I’m not totally in yet. I still need to convince my dad it’s a good idea.
“And it seems to me,” she continues, “like you’ve been successful in carving away little bits of time for him already without affecting anything else. You’re practically dating as it is. You do realize you’re on a date right now, right?”
“He specifically said this isn’t a date. That’s why you and Noah are here.”
She rotates her whole body to face me and crosses her legs like I’m doing. “But it easily could be. That’s what I’m saying—nothing will change during the week because, well, it’s Wallingford. But on the weekends, you’re going to leave campus anyway, it might as well be with him.”
“I don’t know…”
“Why?”
I don’t answer her right away. Leah’s boyfriend is hundreds of miles away, so there’s no way he could derail her future. The only time they’re together is during the summer when her biggest responsibility is stocking the shelves of a grocery store. It’d be different, having a boyfriend here all the time.
A bird chirps, then another immediately responds with a longer song. I glance up, trying to find them, but they’re elusive. Once it’s quiet again, I say, “I didn’t plan on dealing with the hassle of a guy until my life was in order.”
“Your life is in pretty good order.”
“No”—I shake my head—“I wanted to be set in my career first.”
“Paaaaaige,” Leah says, slapping her hands on her thighs. “That’s ridiculous! You’re talking years from now.”
“I know.”
“Logan will be long gone by then.”
I shrug. “I’m sure there will be someone else I find good-looking and funny and sweet and too kind for his own good.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” She stands and sighs. “Are you sure you want to pass up this opportunity?”
Without another word, she starts working her way back to the water on the overgrown path, trampling the green-and-brown plants in the process. I stand on top of the boulder to watch the guys, who are skipping rocks in the lake. They’re both terrible and only get one skip each. Leah joins them, picks up a small pebble, angles her body, and sends it thirty feet away with at least four jumps. That’s what growing up on a lake in Minnesota will get you. The guys cheer for her and then try to one-up her but fail time after time.
Sitting back down, I lean on my elbows and allow my eyes to wander up to the sky. It’s a beautiful vivid blue with only a few wispy clouds. Although the sun is angled low in the sky, it still provides a little added warmth. I close my eyes to enjoy it.
Is Leah right? Twenty years from now, will I regret having not given Logan a chance? I’m a decisive person—always have been—so this indecision is disconcerting. And part of me feels like if I’m not 100 percent positive about this, then it’s not a good idea.
“You look deep in thought,” a voice I’ve come to appreciate says, just as the warmth on my face fades.
I open my eyes and find Logan standing in front of me, blocking the sun.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Can I join you or do you want to be alone?”
“You can join me.”
He sits down in the spot Leah occupied only a few minutes ago, wincing a little in the process. “Are you still sore?”