He shrugs one shoulder casually. “She’s scared. No offense to her, but she seems like the type of person who freaks at everything.”
“Don’t you think there’s a very good reason for us to be scared?”
If he isn’t scared, why not?
“I do. Why do you think something is wrong with her?”
“I don’t know. She seems…distant. I guess I don’t know how she handles stressful situations. I forget we’ve only known each other a matter of weeks.”
“Camps have that effect on you.”
Is he speaking from experience as a camper or as a CIT? He couldn’t have been here before, though. Andy, Cora and Mary are the returnees.
There is no way Olly could have been here before now; he’s the same age as me. Unless he’s lying and has a fake ID that says he’s a year younger.
No, not Olly.
We reach the others. I have to get Kayla to sneak into the guys’ cabin.
“Esme, want to go watch something? I brought my iPad and we have a couple hours until we have to be in the food hall for dinner,” Olly says.
Result. I can be in his room without sneaking in.
Ignoring Kayla, Rebekah and Tia, who are waggling their eyebrows, I reply, “Sounds good. If we start a new series, we both have to swear not to watch an episode alone. No skipping ahead.”
He holds his hands up. “I swear.”
I nod. Today I snoop through his things. Tomorrow I go back to Rebekah’s room and find her phone.
I follow Olly into his cabin. It smells like feet covered up with pine air freshener. The bedding is pale blue; the girls’ is cream.
He stands outside the door to his room and lets me enter first. I clench my fists as my palms sweat. Nothing is going to happen in here, so I don’t know why my nerves are racing.
What if Lillian is someone he cares about and this thing between us is him trying to get me to trust him? He could shut that bedroom door and strangle me. Okay, obviously not. I need to start getting some decent sleep at night.
That does seem a little excessive over some burns. I really don’t think Lillian died, and although my mistake was a big one, I was scared, and just a kid.
I want to believe that no one would kill over that.
Olly might be innocent.
“Okay, pull up Netflix,” he says. “Mine is the bottom bunk. Jake shotgunned the top.”
I turn to him and grin. “I did too.”
He chuckles. “I believe it.”
I grab the iPad sitting on his bed and open Netflix. “What do you want to watch?” I ask. “Ooh, what about The Circle?”
He shrugs. “Sure. Whatever.”
“You have no opinion on this?”
“It doesn’t matter what we watch, Esme.”
I’d swoon if I weren’t worried that he’s been leaving creepy notes and chasing me through the woods.
But Olly couldn’t have been the chaser either time. He was with me. There can’t be three people involved, surely? Or more?
I shake my head and swallow bile at the thought of a whole group. I press Play, trying to ignore where my mind is taking me. The suspicious side of me really sucks right now. It’s like it overrides logic and all I’m left with is a big pool of suspects who don’t quite fit into the mold.
Olly sits beside me. We lean against the wall and I rest the iPad on my legs.
“Wait,” I say, pressing Pause. “Do you think you could grab us some water before we start? I dehydrate in seconds here.”
I don’t think I’ve heard Olly mention the heat once.
Could my newest Netflix buddy be used to this climate?
He smirks. “Fine, but no snooping through my stuff. A guy’s underwear drawer is private.”
Damn it.
“I wasn’t going to….”
“I’m kidding, Esme!”
My throat goes dry.
His eyes linger for a second too long on mine, then he gets up.
33
Olly specifically told me not to snoop when he left.
Am I listening?
Nope.
The second I see him pass the window and head toward the food hall, I drop the iPad and slide off the bed. Olly isn’t a mattress or pillowcase kind of guy, so I go straight for the dresser drawers.
Biting my lip, I pull open the third drawer down. The top two are likely to be Jake’s since he took the top bunk.
Or that’s what Kayla and I have done anyway. Rebekah and Tia too.
The wood makes a scraping sound as I gently tug the drawer toward me. Wincing, I slow down. Why is it so loud? But I’m alone; no one will hear it. I dig one hand in and root around.
I’m a terrible person!
An iPad case, pack of gum, penknife, deodorant.
Come on, Olly, you must have something personal.
I root deeper and come in contact with a small leather square.
Bingo.
The black wallet is worn and curled at the edges like he’s had it a long time.
Okay, his license must be in here.
And that’s the exact moment the door creaks.
Olly’s rough voice asks, “What are you doing?”
I drop the wallet and close my eyes.
Shit.
Face up to it.
Standing, I turn to him. “O-Olly,” I say, my heart in my throat. “I was just…”
“Snooping,” he says. “Why?”
He leans against the doorframe, his expression blank. I don’t think he’s mad.
“I like you.” I sigh.
Not at all a lie. I do like him, and I want my doubts to just be in my head.
“I’m sorry, okay? I saw an opportunity to see your stuff. That was crappy of me. I don’t know why I did it.”
He steps into the room, his eyes sharp. “I don’t have anything to hide. No secret girlfriend’s pic in there.”
“That’s not why I was looking.” My cheeks flame. “Wouldn’t you be curious if we were in my room?”
“Is this what girls do to guys they like?”
“It’s what everyone does. When you like someone, you want to know everything. Sometimes you can tell more about a person by what they own than what they say.” I’m lying. I don’t enjoy snooping at all.