hard to make friends during the summer here," Caleb says. "That's all."
"Yeah? So you thought you'd get friendly with Ashley, is that it?" I know that game. Don't even try to play it.
"No," he says. "I mean, yeah, a little, but you, too."
"What the fuck?" I say. Did he just say what I think he did? "Are you flirting with me, kid?"
"What the fuck, are you serious?" he asks.
I laugh. He finally grew some balls and stood up to me, and it's just kind of funny. He glares at me, but he starts to smile a little, too.
"Ethan, let's go," my dad says. "We've got work to do."
Yeah, well, we're leaving now. I turn away from Caleb and get into the car, simple as that. I'm done talking. What else is there to say?
My dad starts to drive off. We're good. Yeah, this is simple. He got directions to the bait shop and we're heading to get worms or something. Fishing, all of that.
I spare a final glance towards the main campground office and see Caleb sort of looking my way. Not exactly, but he sees me looking back and he does this kind of wave. What the fuck?
I don't know. I wave back, I guess? Polite, that's what that is. A polite wave. Polite as fuck.
Seriously, Caleb is weird. Also he better not flirt with Ashley.
*** Ashley
I sneak through some of the wooded areas instead of following the main road back to our campsite, just in case. I don't want Ethan's dad to see me, and since they're taking the car, they'd drive out and um... maybe see me, so...
It's really not that complicated, but I kind of feel like a stealthy ninja. Sneaky sneaky. I'm not even very sneaky, though. To be honest, I'm kind of clumsy and woods are weird. There's sticks and brush and leaves everywhere and it's hard to move sometimes. I end up half walking, half tripping my way back to the campsite.
Ethan and his dad are gone when I get back, and my mom is there waiting for me. She gives me a suspicious look and a mischievous smile when I return.
"Did you have fun?" she asks.
"Have fun with what?" I counter.
"It seems to me that Ethan left to take a shower, and now that you're back it's obvious you were also taking a shower. Coincidence?"
"Um..."
"You really should be a little more circumspect, dear," my mom says. "It's not that difficult to figure out what you were up to. If your stepfather hadn't left already, he'd probably realize it, too."
"I know, I just... I don't know."
"So when are we going to tell him?" she asks.
"I don't know," I say. "Ethan wants to be the one to tell him, I guess, but also I don't know if we can even tell him, Mom. It's complicated."
She shrugs, nonchalant. "I'm not going to force you or pry, honey. It's your relationship, and Ethan's relationship. You're both welcome to do whatever you want as long as you're not hurting anyone. I would caution that the longer you try to hide this, the more hurt feelings you're going to have to deal with later on."
"I doubt Ethan's dad is going to feel that upset," I say. "I think he'd probably prefer not to find out, actually."
"I don't know. You'd be surprised," my mom says. "It's not him I'm worried about, though. It's you and Ethan. It isn't good to have to sneak around and hide things, especially when those things are a fresh, new relationship that you don't want to hide at all. I worry about you both."
"It's weird, though," I tell her. "Our relationship is weird, Mom."
"It's not that weird, honey," my mom says.
"It's pretty weird! He's my—" I realize I'm being a little loud. I blush and talk quieter. "Ethan's my stepbrother. I don't know why you're so accepting of it, like it doesn't matter. I really appreciate it, but it's still weird, you know?"
"Every relationship is weird, Ashley," my mom says. "How do you think I felt when I started dating Ethan's father? It's hard to date as a single parent, especially when both of us were parents. It's even harder to do when
"Yeah? So you thought you'd get friendly with Ashley, is that it?" I know that game. Don't even try to play it.
"No," he says. "I mean, yeah, a little, but you, too."
"What the fuck?" I say. Did he just say what I think he did? "Are you flirting with me, kid?"
"What the fuck, are you serious?" he asks.
I laugh. He finally grew some balls and stood up to me, and it's just kind of funny. He glares at me, but he starts to smile a little, too.
"Ethan, let's go," my dad says. "We've got work to do."
Yeah, well, we're leaving now. I turn away from Caleb and get into the car, simple as that. I'm done talking. What else is there to say?
My dad starts to drive off. We're good. Yeah, this is simple. He got directions to the bait shop and we're heading to get worms or something. Fishing, all of that.
I spare a final glance towards the main campground office and see Caleb sort of looking my way. Not exactly, but he sees me looking back and he does this kind of wave. What the fuck?
I don't know. I wave back, I guess? Polite, that's what that is. A polite wave. Polite as fuck.
Seriously, Caleb is weird. Also he better not flirt with Ashley.
*** Ashley
I sneak through some of the wooded areas instead of following the main road back to our campsite, just in case. I don't want Ethan's dad to see me, and since they're taking the car, they'd drive out and um... maybe see me, so...
It's really not that complicated, but I kind of feel like a stealthy ninja. Sneaky sneaky. I'm not even very sneaky, though. To be honest, I'm kind of clumsy and woods are weird. There's sticks and brush and leaves everywhere and it's hard to move sometimes. I end up half walking, half tripping my way back to the campsite.
Ethan and his dad are gone when I get back, and my mom is there waiting for me. She gives me a suspicious look and a mischievous smile when I return.
"Did you have fun?" she asks.
"Have fun with what?" I counter.
"It seems to me that Ethan left to take a shower, and now that you're back it's obvious you were also taking a shower. Coincidence?"
"Um..."
"You really should be a little more circumspect, dear," my mom says. "It's not that difficult to figure out what you were up to. If your stepfather hadn't left already, he'd probably realize it, too."
"I know, I just... I don't know."
"So when are we going to tell him?" she asks.
"I don't know," I say. "Ethan wants to be the one to tell him, I guess, but also I don't know if we can even tell him, Mom. It's complicated."
She shrugs, nonchalant. "I'm not going to force you or pry, honey. It's your relationship, and Ethan's relationship. You're both welcome to do whatever you want as long as you're not hurting anyone. I would caution that the longer you try to hide this, the more hurt feelings you're going to have to deal with later on."
"I doubt Ethan's dad is going to feel that upset," I say. "I think he'd probably prefer not to find out, actually."
"I don't know. You'd be surprised," my mom says. "It's not him I'm worried about, though. It's you and Ethan. It isn't good to have to sneak around and hide things, especially when those things are a fresh, new relationship that you don't want to hide at all. I worry about you both."
"It's weird, though," I tell her. "Our relationship is weird, Mom."
"It's not that weird, honey," my mom says.
"It's pretty weird! He's my—" I realize I'm being a little loud. I blush and talk quieter. "Ethan's my stepbrother. I don't know why you're so accepting of it, like it doesn't matter. I really appreciate it, but it's still weird, you know?"
"Every relationship is weird, Ashley," my mom says. "How do you think I felt when I started dating Ethan's father? It's hard to date as a single parent, especially when both of us were parents. It's even harder to do when
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