Clearing her throat caught his attention. She laughed as he tried to look away nonchalantly. Before she could do anything, recognition filled his eyes as he read the papers on her bedside table. Like the flip of a switch, the atmosphere changed.
“What is this, Weston?” Gavin asked, holding up a packet of stapled papers.
She didn’t have to look closer to know it was her online course information for the fall. Printing it out made her feel better about her decision—like she was still going to college like everyone else.
Pulling the bottom of her shirt back down, she moved to lean against her desk. “My class information.”
“Yes, I can read.” He sighed and sat it back on her table before standing. “I mean why are you taking online courses through some random school in another state?”
She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Lila.” His soft tone made her look up. Genuine concern filled his eyes. “What about Bennu?”
“I’m not going.”
“Why not?” He moved to stand beside her in front of the open window. The warm sun did nothing to dispel the chill she felt, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Because I’m not.”
“That’s not an answer.” When she shrugged, he continued, “Lila, I’ve known you for almost eighteen years. You’ve wanted to study music at Bennu since you were four.”
She pushed away from the desk to put some distance between them. “You don’t know me anymore, Gavin. You haven’t known me for a long time.”
He raised his hands out to the side and yelled, “And whose fault is that?”
“You’ve done nothing but torment me since we were eleven.”
“Because you shut me out!”
They had moved closer to one another in their shouting. He stood only a few inches away, looking down at her. That close, she could see the specks of green in his eyes. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “You seriously don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
The volume of their voices had drastically lowered. She slowly shook her head and took a step back.
“Why aren’t you going to Bennu?” he repeated.
“Music is no longer the plan.”
“Is this about money? Did you not get in?”
She sighed. “I didn’t apply.”
“What? Why? Until last week, you meticulously planned every minute of your life. Bennu—music—was always the plan.”
“Yeah, well, things happen.” She wanted the conversation to end. The decision was difficult enough without him drilling her about it. “Plans change.”
“Not yours.” He turned and walked to the door.
“Where are you going? I thought we were checking another thing off the list.”
Gavin paused with a hand on the doorknob. “You know, Lila, we may not have gotten along the past seven years, but we never lied to each other.”
Before she could say a word, he was gone. As his footsteps sounded on the stairs, she finally let the tears fall.
Lila’s Summer Bucket List
Sleep under the stars
Attend a party
Get a tattoo
Use fake ID to sing karaoke in a bar
Stand under the lights on the football field
Go on a date
Sneak out of the house
Visit the baby goat farm
Go to Chicago
Midnight swim
Spend a day in bed watching movies
Stay up to watch the sunrise
Be kissed in the rain
Run through the halls of the high school
Conquer a fear
Paintball
Try something new
Dye hair pink
Sneak into movie theater
Climb water tower
9
Saturday
“Dude, you need to relax.” Dylan tossed a baseball up in the air, caught it, and threw it again. He’d laid on Gavin’s floor for nearly an hour repeating the motion.
Gavin shoved a hand through his hair. He sat on his bed with his laptop, clicking from page to page. In one tab he had up the school he’d seen on Lila’s papers. In the four others, he had maps and blogs open as he searched for things to do in Chicago.
“I just don’t understand why she lied.” He thought of her reaction to Kaley talking about her college plans throughout the week. Every time, Lila blanched at the topic, but he assumed it was nerves.
Dylan missed the ball, and it thumped against the carpet. He sat up to see Gavin. “She didn’t exactly lie. You weren’t friends before this week.”
“Something just doesn’t feel right.” A thought occurred to him. “Why does she need to finish the list in two weeks if she’s not leaving for school?”
He knew he probably shouldn’t have told Dylan about the bucket list, especially after seeing her reaction at the pool party, but he needed help with some of the items. He’d told Dylan the night he found it anyway.
“Maybe she has a job lined up or something.” Dylan’s suggestion made sense, but it still didn’t feel right. He couldn’t imagine her leaving the Scoop, let alone dropping her dream school for a random job.
Gavin pushed his laptop to the side. He stood, moving to change, and Dylan took his spot.
“So, you’re still taking her to Chicago, even though you’re mad at her?”
Gavin didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled a new shirt and jeans on before slipping into his tennis shoes.
“What do you have planned?” Dylan asked.
“Now that I have a fake ID for her, I’m going to get us in somewhere and check a couple things off at once.” Gavin checked his bag for the IDs one more time. He picked it up and turned around, looking for anything he might have missed.
“And her parents are okay with you two staying in a hotel?” Dylan grinned as he shut the laptop.
Gavin sighed and pointed to the door. As they walked downstairs, he said, “Her parents trust me. Besides, Lila hated me until a few days ago, remember? They’re not exactly concerned about us jumping into bed together.”
“Are you finally going to tell her how you feel?”
“No, he’s not.” Gavin’s mom came around the corner as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “This is not a romantic getaway. He will not be using this time to confess he’s been in love with the girl next door his whole life.”
“Mom!”
“If you hurt that girl or do anything to make
