are you doing?"
"What's it look like?"
"But that's your tent."
"Yeah..."
"You're not staying with us, remember. This is our site. Thanks for the lift, we'll just get our stuff and you can be on your merry way."
"Nah, man," Hamish said.
"No 'nah, man',” I said, “ yeah, man."
"What's going on?" Nikki asked. She dropped her tent in the middle of site 28 and wandered over. Mads dropped her sleeping bag, pillow and handbag beside the tent and joined us as well. "Yeah, what's going on?"
"Hamish isn't staying here, Hamish is going to his own camp site with his friends," I said. "You have a camp site, right?"
"Yeah, the brothers booked it," he said. "But it's way in the back. This is better."
"No."
"You said I could hang out with you."
"You did say, Poppy," Mads said.
"Hang out," I said, "meet the band, not share a camp site with."
"I'm supposed to be your chaperone, Douglas," Hamish said. "You heard your mom, I think she'd be very disappointed in me if I didn't stick to my word and watch out for you. Make sure you don't do anything stupid."
"I'll take you with me when I go see Ty, if you promise to go away until the end of the festival."
He laughed. "If I hung out with you, you'd take me with you anyway."
"That’s what you think."
He twirled the car keys around his finger at me. "How you planning to get there?"
Dammit.
I clenched my teeth together. "Go. Away. Hamish," I said. “Go find your frat brothers.”
"Don’t listen to her," Mads said, “stay.”
"Yeah." Nikki smiled, flicking a glance at me. "Stay."
"Aw," Hamish said. He crossed to them and wrapped an arm around each girl's shoulders. "Aren't they the sweetest?"
I looked from Mads to Hamish to Nikki and scowled. "Argh. Fine!" I pulled my cell from my pocket and strode away from them.
"Well you're setting the tents up."
I walked absently along the gravel track for some privacy, staring at the screen of my cell phone. I opened a new text and sent one straight away to Ty. We're here! At the camp site. Where are you?
Then I called home like the dutiful daughter I was.
Sometimes.
"Yello?" The Pest answered.
"What are you doing home?" I said. "I thought you were at that red headed kid's house tonight."
“Oh, it’s you,” he said. Nice. "Everyone was sent home, his little sister got chicken pox."
"Oh," I said. "Did you get chicken pox?"
"I dunno," he said, "I am kind of itchy."
Brilliant.
"Stay away from Becka. Is Mom there?"
"Nuh. But Dad is," and then I winced as he shouted – still next to the phone – for Dad. Like he didn't have newly cast–free legs and could walk it across the house by himself.
"Is that you, Popster?" Dad said.
"We're here," I replied. "All safe and sound."
"Good–good," Dad said. "Your mom'll be pleased to hear that. Traffic okay?"
"Brutal," I said, "but we made it eventually. The others are setting up the tents as we speak."
"Your mum says Hamish has...changed somewhat from how she remembered him."
"I'll say," I said.
"Don't let him..." Dad trailed off.
"What?"
"Give you girls a hard time."
I groaned. "It’s not easy, but I'm trying."
I heard a bell chime somewhere at home. "Gotta run, sweetie, or I'll burn the lamb shanks."
"Tell Mom I called."
"Will do. Have fun, kid, don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Then I'd have like, no fun."
"Bye, smart ass."
We ended the call and I was happy to see a missed call and two texts waiting in my inbox. One was from my phone, telling me I had a missed call. I don't get why they have that special notification and text you about it too. The other text was from Ty.
Yes! You're here! :) We're at the hotel. Get here. Now.
I giggled and smiled at the sky. I'd missed him. I'd missed him a lot. Who cared about the tents and getting ourselves settled? New plan: go and find my boyfriend and kiss his freaking face off.
I skipped all the way back down Row A.
CHAPTER EIGHT
As I skipped excitedly back to our site, ready to jump in the car and head for the hotel
"What's it look like?"
"But that's your tent."
"Yeah..."
"You're not staying with us, remember. This is our site. Thanks for the lift, we'll just get our stuff and you can be on your merry way."
"Nah, man," Hamish said.
"No 'nah, man',” I said, “ yeah, man."
"What's going on?" Nikki asked. She dropped her tent in the middle of site 28 and wandered over. Mads dropped her sleeping bag, pillow and handbag beside the tent and joined us as well. "Yeah, what's going on?"
"Hamish isn't staying here, Hamish is going to his own camp site with his friends," I said. "You have a camp site, right?"
"Yeah, the brothers booked it," he said. "But it's way in the back. This is better."
"No."
"You said I could hang out with you."
"You did say, Poppy," Mads said.
"Hang out," I said, "meet the band, not share a camp site with."
"I'm supposed to be your chaperone, Douglas," Hamish said. "You heard your mom, I think she'd be very disappointed in me if I didn't stick to my word and watch out for you. Make sure you don't do anything stupid."
"I'll take you with me when I go see Ty, if you promise to go away until the end of the festival."
He laughed. "If I hung out with you, you'd take me with you anyway."
"That’s what you think."
He twirled the car keys around his finger at me. "How you planning to get there?"
Dammit.
I clenched my teeth together. "Go. Away. Hamish," I said. “Go find your frat brothers.”
"Don’t listen to her," Mads said, “stay.”
"Yeah." Nikki smiled, flicking a glance at me. "Stay."
"Aw," Hamish said. He crossed to them and wrapped an arm around each girl's shoulders. "Aren't they the sweetest?"
I looked from Mads to Hamish to Nikki and scowled. "Argh. Fine!" I pulled my cell from my pocket and strode away from them.
"Well you're setting the tents up."
I walked absently along the gravel track for some privacy, staring at the screen of my cell phone. I opened a new text and sent one straight away to Ty. We're here! At the camp site. Where are you?
Then I called home like the dutiful daughter I was.
Sometimes.
"Yello?" The Pest answered.
"What are you doing home?" I said. "I thought you were at that red headed kid's house tonight."
“Oh, it’s you,” he said. Nice. "Everyone was sent home, his little sister got chicken pox."
"Oh," I said. "Did you get chicken pox?"
"I dunno," he said, "I am kind of itchy."
Brilliant.
"Stay away from Becka. Is Mom there?"
"Nuh. But Dad is," and then I winced as he shouted – still next to the phone – for Dad. Like he didn't have newly cast–free legs and could walk it across the house by himself.
"Is that you, Popster?" Dad said.
"We're here," I replied. "All safe and sound."
"Good–good," Dad said. "Your mom'll be pleased to hear that. Traffic okay?"
"Brutal," I said, "but we made it eventually. The others are setting up the tents as we speak."
"Your mum says Hamish has...changed somewhat from how she remembered him."
"I'll say," I said.
"Don't let him..." Dad trailed off.
"What?"
"Give you girls a hard time."
I groaned. "It’s not easy, but I'm trying."
I heard a bell chime somewhere at home. "Gotta run, sweetie, or I'll burn the lamb shanks."
"Tell Mom I called."
"Will do. Have fun, kid, don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Then I'd have like, no fun."
"Bye, smart ass."
We ended the call and I was happy to see a missed call and two texts waiting in my inbox. One was from my phone, telling me I had a missed call. I don't get why they have that special notification and text you about it too. The other text was from Ty.
Yes! You're here! :) We're at the hotel. Get here. Now.
I giggled and smiled at the sky. I'd missed him. I'd missed him a lot. Who cared about the tents and getting ourselves settled? New plan: go and find my boyfriend and kiss his freaking face off.
I skipped all the way back down Row A.
CHAPTER EIGHT
As I skipped excitedly back to our site, ready to jump in the car and head for the hotel
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