to say hello.
"Are you sure we don't need this?" Mads asked, frowning as she held up a stray tent peg.
The blond girl shook her head. "That's just a spare, I promise."
"Perfect," Nikki beamed. "Home sweet home."
"While you were gone, Poppy,” Nikki said, gesturing around at the four girls, “we made some friends.”
We all introduced each other and just like that, it seemed, we had four new girlfriends: Astrid, Spencer, Kat and Gabby.
Gabby was reading something on her phone and it chimed a new text message. A smile crept onto her lips and she nudged Spencer, the brunette with my money, in the ribs. Her eyes lit up and she squeezed Kat’s shoulders with an excited squeal. The blond one, Astrid’s shoulders slumped.
I had no idea what was going on.
“We gotta go,” Gabby said, pulling at Kat who in turn pulled Spencer away from our camp site with an excited squeal. O–kay…
The only one who didn’t move was Astrid who, with a resigned sigh, watched them go.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and said with a shrug, “They met boys last night.”
It all made sense now.
"Sucks for you," I said.
"I know, right? We've been here all of twelve hours and they meet some boys and take off already," Astrid said, shaking her head. She was trying to hide her annoyance, but her face gave her away, the taut forehead and downward turn to her lips that she carefully pulled back up again into a nonchalant smile. "I'm not surprised," she said, "I'm just surprised it happened so fast."
"You can hang with us until they get back, no problem," Nikki said.
"Really?" Astrid asked with delight.
"Definitely," Nikki said. She looked at Mads pointedly and Mads nodded. Was this progress, or just more politeness among strangers? I couldn’t tell. Either way, Astrid's cheeks pinkened with pleasure.
A mosquito buzzed around my face and I slapped at it – I missed the mosquito, but I slapped myself in the face. Astrid flinched at my random face–slapping and tried not to laugh. That was embarrassing.
Hamish snorted.
I looked behind me and found him sauntering back to the camp site, alone. "Nice one, Douglas," he said. He reached down into one of the eco bags and tossed me a bottle of insect repellent. The first of many things I’d forgotten to bring myself, I’m sure. “Good, you’re back,” I said, screwing up my nose as I sniffed the bottle. That stuff was always so rank.
His eyebrows shot up above his sunglasses. “Are you talking to me?”
“Are your frat brothers here yet?” Mads asked.
Hamish’s jaw set, grim.
“Bunch of dicks,” he muttered, turning to look behind him again. A muscle in his jaw tensed. “They flaked. Went to Hawaii instead.”
“Seriously?” I held my breath and sprayed the repellent on my arms and neck. “All of them went? And they didn’t even tell you?”
He didn’t answer.
Wow, that was cold. No one said anything for a minute, not sure what we could say; Hamish oozed with humiliation.
“Their loss,” Nikki said.
“Yeah. They don’t know what they’re missing,” Mads agreed. She walked over to him and linked her arm with his with a big smile.
Nikki frowned.
“Whatever, I suppose you can stay,” I said.
“You only want me around for my wheels.”
I shrugged and he smiled at me gratefully.
Not looking, I sprayed the repellent toward my throat and noticed too late the movement beside me. Astrid was beside me and suddenly bent at the waist, coughing. I had just sprayed her in the mouth with insect repellent.
“Oh–my–God–I’m–so–sorry!”
“Jesus, Poppy!” Mads said as she stepped toward Astrid.
Astrid held a hand up to signify she was okay. Her eyes watered and she wheezed a couple of times before saying, “I’m fine.” She turned away and coughed a couple more times and wiped her mouth with the back of her arm.
I threw the repellent bottle back at the eco bag. I could not believe that had just happened. We stood looking at each other in
"Are you sure we don't need this?" Mads asked, frowning as she held up a stray tent peg.
The blond girl shook her head. "That's just a spare, I promise."
"Perfect," Nikki beamed. "Home sweet home."
"While you were gone, Poppy,” Nikki said, gesturing around at the four girls, “we made some friends.”
We all introduced each other and just like that, it seemed, we had four new girlfriends: Astrid, Spencer, Kat and Gabby.
Gabby was reading something on her phone and it chimed a new text message. A smile crept onto her lips and she nudged Spencer, the brunette with my money, in the ribs. Her eyes lit up and she squeezed Kat’s shoulders with an excited squeal. The blond one, Astrid’s shoulders slumped.
I had no idea what was going on.
“We gotta go,” Gabby said, pulling at Kat who in turn pulled Spencer away from our camp site with an excited squeal. O–kay…
The only one who didn’t move was Astrid who, with a resigned sigh, watched them go.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and said with a shrug, “They met boys last night.”
It all made sense now.
"Sucks for you," I said.
"I know, right? We've been here all of twelve hours and they meet some boys and take off already," Astrid said, shaking her head. She was trying to hide her annoyance, but her face gave her away, the taut forehead and downward turn to her lips that she carefully pulled back up again into a nonchalant smile. "I'm not surprised," she said, "I'm just surprised it happened so fast."
"You can hang with us until they get back, no problem," Nikki said.
"Really?" Astrid asked with delight.
"Definitely," Nikki said. She looked at Mads pointedly and Mads nodded. Was this progress, or just more politeness among strangers? I couldn’t tell. Either way, Astrid's cheeks pinkened with pleasure.
A mosquito buzzed around my face and I slapped at it – I missed the mosquito, but I slapped myself in the face. Astrid flinched at my random face–slapping and tried not to laugh. That was embarrassing.
Hamish snorted.
I looked behind me and found him sauntering back to the camp site, alone. "Nice one, Douglas," he said. He reached down into one of the eco bags and tossed me a bottle of insect repellent. The first of many things I’d forgotten to bring myself, I’m sure. “Good, you’re back,” I said, screwing up my nose as I sniffed the bottle. That stuff was always so rank.
His eyebrows shot up above his sunglasses. “Are you talking to me?”
“Are your frat brothers here yet?” Mads asked.
Hamish’s jaw set, grim.
“Bunch of dicks,” he muttered, turning to look behind him again. A muscle in his jaw tensed. “They flaked. Went to Hawaii instead.”
“Seriously?” I held my breath and sprayed the repellent on my arms and neck. “All of them went? And they didn’t even tell you?”
He didn’t answer.
Wow, that was cold. No one said anything for a minute, not sure what we could say; Hamish oozed with humiliation.
“Their loss,” Nikki said.
“Yeah. They don’t know what they’re missing,” Mads agreed. She walked over to him and linked her arm with his with a big smile.
Nikki frowned.
“Whatever, I suppose you can stay,” I said.
“You only want me around for my wheels.”
I shrugged and he smiled at me gratefully.
Not looking, I sprayed the repellent toward my throat and noticed too late the movement beside me. Astrid was beside me and suddenly bent at the waist, coughing. I had just sprayed her in the mouth with insect repellent.
“Oh–my–God–I’m–so–sorry!”
“Jesus, Poppy!” Mads said as she stepped toward Astrid.
Astrid held a hand up to signify she was okay. Her eyes watered and she wheezed a couple of times before saying, “I’m fine.” She turned away and coughed a couple more times and wiped her mouth with the back of her arm.
I threw the repellent bottle back at the eco bag. I could not believe that had just happened. We stood looking at each other in
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