All the counselors yell out, “We won’t mind!”
“And all the campers won’t mind—”
The campers yell out, “We won’t mind!”
“And all the good times that we share and all the people that we care about . . . one more time!”
We sing the song over and over again, and everyone is jumping on the benches and hugging, and the kids are crying because they don’t want to leave.
I’m going to miss this place. I came not just because it was a job, but because I wanted to prove to myself that I could make it here.
Sure, it didn’t go exactly the way I planned.
I lost a part of me.
But I gained a part, too. I learned to stand up for myself. And for other people. And that maybe I want different things than I thought.
And that I’m a freakin’ amazing counselor after all.
Just like we greeted them on the first day, we put the kids back on the bus. Although this time we hug them tightly first.
They pound on the windows and wave goodbye.
We keep waving until the buses are down the road and gone.
“Now what?” I ask Lis.
“We pack up,” she says.
After we pack, and eat, and then pack some more and eat some more, we all head to Upper Field for a final bonfire. I flash back to the bonfire we had at pre-camp. Everything has changed so much. How will it feel to be all alone in my room at my parents’ house after this? No one to talk to at all times?
Muffs is sitting next to Lis. Is that her hand on his knee?
Interesting.
Talia is sitting next to Janelle.
Gavin sits down beside me while everyone sings “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey,” I say back. “How’s it going?”
“It’s okay. Want to go for a walk?”
“Sure,” I say. We haven’t spoken in days.
We head down to the beach, passing counselors as we go, saying hi.
It doesn’t even matter if anyone wonders about us anymore, since we’re both single.
“Want to sit on the dock?” he asks.
I nod. We take off our shoes, leave them at the lifeguard chair, and walk to the end of the creaking dock. We sit down and dip our feet into the water.
“So what happened with Eli?” he asks.
“I told him,” I say. “He broke up with me and I haven’t heard from him since.”
“Sorry,” he says.
“Me too,” I say. “Any word from Kat?”
“Nope. Radio silence.”
“Are you going to try and get back together?” I ask.
“Maybe? I don’t know. It’s not like this other guy lives in Maryland. And it’s not like I was an angel this summer.”
“Right.”
“What about you?”
“I texted him a few times, but it might be out of my hands.”
“I guess you regret it, then,” he says. “What happened with us.”
“I . . .” That’s a good question. “I don’t know, actually.” I laugh. “I had a really good summer. One of my best summers ever, possibly.”
He laughs. “Me too.” He scoots closer to me. “So. We’re single now . . . what do you think?”
“I thought you wanted to get back together with Kat?”
“I don’t know what I want,” he says.
I hesitate. It really was an amazing summer. But it’s over now. And if I do have a chance of getting back together with Eli, I want to be able to say honestly that nothing happened with Gavin after I saw him.
The thing about Gavin—I like how he sees me, and who I am with him, but I’m not actually sure I necessarily like him. He’s kind of into himself. He cares too much about how he looks and what people think, and “being cool.” I guess I’d rather have someone who doesn’t care about that stuff, because that’s the person I’d like to be, even if I don’t always manage it.
He’s a cheater too. Not that I’m one to talk.
“Friends?” I finally ask.
“Sure,” he says. “If you can resist my charms, here in the moonlight.”
“I can resist them,” I say. And I find that it’s true.
My duffel is already in my car, which is parked right outside the bunk. Now that the campers aren’t here, we’re allowed to drive up to our bunks. Lis, Talia, and Janelle already took off, but I am doing one final check through the cabin one last time to make sure I haven’t accidentally left anything behind.
“Hey,” Danish says. “Heading out?”
“Almost,” I say.
“So, aren’t you glad you came back?” she asks me.
“I am,” I say. “Thank you for giving me the job.”
“You were a great counselor,” she says. “And I recommended you to be head of juniors next year, if you’re interested in coming back and replacing me.”
“You did?” I ask, pleased.
“I did. I think you’d be terrific.”
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. Stay in touch, ’kay? We should get together in New York.”
“I would love that,” I say. I give her a hug, grab my backpack, and get into the front seat of my car. I am going to my parents’ to spend a few days with them before going back to school. I am not looking forward to their fighting, but it’s only a few days. And then . . . sophomore year. NYC. Here we go.
Seven Months Post-Camp
I pass Washington Square Park, the wind blowing through my hair. It’s still pretty cold out even though it’s March.
I can’t believe I haven’t seen him since August.
It feels like we’ve seen each other—we’ve talked and texted and of course I follow him on social media. But we haven’t seen each other.
The texts and calls have gotten a little flirty too. Since he’s going back to camp, and I’m going to be head of juniors, it’s possible something might happen. . . .
I am just about to turn the corner onto Waverly Place when I bump straight into the last person I expect to see in New York City—Gavin.
“Oh!” I say. “You’re here! What are you doing in New York?”
He looks just as surprised to see me as I am to see him.
He’s wearing a hat and a leather coat—weird to see winter Gavin. Today of all days. Especially since I haven’t seen Gavin since the end of camp either.
“I’m actually here with Kat for the weekend,” he says somewhat awkwardly.
“Oh! Wow. You guys got back together.”
“We did,” he says. “For now. She’s doing a year away next year. So we’ll see.” He smiles.
“Where’s she going?” I wonder if it’s back to France.
“Montreal. McGill. She’s going with her friend Sydney.”
“Oh! Janelle is going to McGill next year, too.” Small world.
“No way. So,” he says, stuffing his gloveless hands in his pockets. “What happened with you and Eli?”
“Me and Eli?” I repeat. “We didn’t get back together. We’re trying to be friends, but . . .” We are not friends at all, actually. We say hello when we see each other, but that’s it.