“Mom . . . ,” I say, hoping the right words will come out, but I’m stuck between her concern and the shit storm that’s approaching.
She pulls back and holds my face. “You’re fine.”
“I’m fine.”
She moves one of her hands to Lennon’s face. “You’re okay too?”
He nods. His expression is taut.
“What in God’s name is going on?” my father roars over my mother’s shoulder. He’s not talking to me. He doesn’t even give me anything but a cursory look. His eyes are on Lennon, and he pushes my mom aside to get in Lennon’s face. “You snatch my daughter away and take her into the woods?”
“I didn’t snatch anything,” Lennon says, eyes narrowing.
“I asked him to take me,” I tell my dad. “Reagan left us. She was our transportation home. And Lennon knows the park—”
“I don’t give a damn,” my dad says. “Reagan came home five days ago. Five days! You’ve been alone in the wilderness with my daughter—my daughter,” he shouts at Lennon.
“Dan,” my mom says, trying to pull him away from Lennon.
Dr. Viramontes clears his throat. “Zorie, I’m glad to see you and Mr. Mackenzie are well.”
“There was never anything to worry about,” I say, giving him a tight smile. “I’m sorry you were dragged into this.”
He shakes his head. “I’m just glad you’re all right. I invited you here, so I feel responsible.”
“Damn right, you’re responsible,” my dad snaps. “These are underage kids.”
“I find that most of our club members are smart, self-aware individuals who don’t need a babysitter.”
My dad snorts. “Then you’re obviously not a parent, because these kids don’t know their asses from their faces.”
Dr. Viramontes holds up his hands in surrender. “I told you before, I’m not going to fight with you. Since my club member is seemingly unharmed and accounted for, I will leave you to sort this out among yourselves. I just ask that you don’t upset the other campers. We’re here to witness nature, not disturb it.” Dr. Viramontes glances at me, a look of pity on his face, before he turns to walk away.
My mom gently inserts herself between Lennon and my dad. “Let’s talk about this civilly.”
“The time for being civil has passed,” Dad says.
Something snaps inside my head. I glance back, making sure Dr. Viramontes in out of earshot, and then I turn to my father.
“It absolutely has,” I tell him. “It passed when you threatened Lennon last fall in that hotel. Yeah, that’s right. I know. I know everything.”
“What hotel?” Mom says.
Something close to rage passes over my father’s features. “Oh, really? Did he tell you that I caught him trying to use a stolen credit card and that he took a swing at me?”
“Yeah, and that’s the bruise you told Mom and me that you’d gotten at a construction site,” I shout. “You lied about that. You lied about Lennon. Instead of telling his parents, you took it upon yourself to administer justice that you had no right doing.”
“What in the world are you talking about?” Mom says. “Dan, what’s going on?”
“I caught him trying to get a hotel room for the two of them,” Dad says.
Mom blinks rapidly. When she opens her mouth, a strangled noise comes out.
“That’s right, he did. And my love life is my business alone,” I tell my dad. “You took my best friend away from me. You ruined both of our lives just to keep your dirty little secret.”
A tense silence follows. I can’t believe I just said that. It just . . . came out, and now, as Mom’s eyes narrow quizzically, I wish like anything I could take it back. I glance around to see if anyone at the campground can hear us arguing; no one seems to be paying attention but Avani, who looks as if she can’t decide whether she should stay or go.
“Zorie,” Mom says evenly. “What dirty little secret?”
“Nothing.” I can’t look at my dad. Why did I open my mouth?
“Zorie,” Mom repeats, this time more firmly.
“Lennon was at the hotel because it was homecoming,” I tell her, tears sliding down my cheeks. “Dad was at the hotel because . . . he was seeing another woman.”
My mom stares at me and then calmly turns to my dad. “Was this Molly?”
He nods once, quickly.
“I see,” my mom says.
What?
“That’s it?” I look back and forth in disbelief, at her, then him.
“I know about her,” she says. “We were going through a rough patch. We’re past that now.”
Now it’s my turn to stare with an open mouth. When I finally speak, I sound like an idiot. “How . . . ? When? You knew? You didn’t tell me. You knew?”
My mom glances at Avani, who is still standing nearby, pretending to look at the night sky. “It’s not something I’d like to discuss in public. But yes, your father told me about . . . the other woman. He ended it. We worked through our issues.”
“He cheated on you,” I whisper.
“I’m not discussing this with you now,” she says quietly.
“You didn’t discuss it with me at all!”
“It wasn’t your business,” she says, now angry. Her dark eyes shine with intense emotion. “It was mine. Mine alone. And your father’s.”
“Am I not part of this family?” I ask. “Don’t I deserve to know that my father is a piece of shit?”
“Hey!” my mom says.
“You’re not going to talk to me like that,” Dad says. “Joy’s right. It wasn’t your business.”
Lennon crosses his arms over his chest. “You made it her business when you fucking lied to her.”
My dad points a finger at Lennon and stalks toward him. “You listen to me—”
“No, I won’t,” Lennon says. “You want to punch me? Then do it, old man. I was too stupid to realize it then, but I know now that I didn’t need to be afraid of your threats. We have a camp full of witnesses here. You want to hit a minor? My parents will see you in court.”
“No one is hitting anyone,” my mom shouts, angrily pushing
