Hey, look at me.
I want to kiss Hudson Trent.
Even though I’ve never kissed a boy before.
She swallowed. It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing she could talk to Zac about, and Frankie wasn’t answering her phone. It might not even happen.
But she wanted it to.
And he had a star for her.
She dragged the oversized T-shirt off and put the cute one back on, making her hair go static. There was a small chance she was losing her mind. She stared in the restroom mirror. The shirt was blue and had a scooped neck. Instead of a bra, she had on a bikini top that had never seen the light of day, but now the straps were peeking out. It was typical summer wear. Though not for her. Until now.
She teamed it with her denim skirt, then grabbed one of Zac’s hoodies. It almost reached her knees, and if she needed to cover up, it would do the job just fine.
She was ready. Her parents had gone to watch the movie and no doubt make out, and Zac had gone off to his bonfire. She’d vaguely promised that she’d go to one or the other.
She stepped outside and swallowed. The day was fading, turning the twilight into a soft purple haze. Lights glittered down by the lake, and shadowy figures were trailing toward the large movie screen that had been set up.
Footsteps sounded behind her and she spun. Hudson? But it was a girl with long blonde hair pulled back from her face and cascading down her back like a waterfall. Diana.
“Hey, you. Zac’s sister. Tell him he’s pond scum. Total lowlife.” Diana came to a halt and glared at her. Via winced. It wasn’t the first time she’d been on the receiving end of one of Zac’s conquests.
“Look—” she started to say, but Diana held up her hand and marched over to where several other girls were waiting. They let out a defiant burst of laughter and disappeared in the direction of the bonfire. Via sent her brother a quick text to let him know there was an angry blonde heading in his direction, and then scanned around for Hudson.
He was nowhere. Had he changed his mind?
Her phone buzzed and a text message came in.
I’m at your favorite place.
She frowned. Her favorite place involved electricity and Wi-Fi. There was nothing about Camp Doom she liked—
The tree. Where she’d hidden from him several times.
And where she’d literally fallen for him.
If she met him there, no one would see them walking together.
Because he knew that made her uncomfortable. Warmth filled her as her thumbs flew across the screen.
On my way.
Night birds sang out and insects darted past as she walked down the side of the cabins and to the copse behind the campsite. The grass, dried out from the long summer, rustled beneath her sneakers, and the violet sky was darkening to a pale gray as the silvery white moon rose up above the lake. She used her phone to guide her, then put it away as she stepped into the clearing.
Hudson was leaning against the tree, while a picnic rug was spread out nearby with a couple of sodas and bowls of covered food. Candles were dotted around, sitting in old jam jars and tins. Romantic, but no chance of a fire. Her heart pounded.
She walked toward him. A half smile slid onto his lips as his gaze swept across the T-shirt that hugged her chest.
“Wow.” His voice was soft against the darkening night. “Via, you look amazing.”
“Thanks.” Heat prickled her skin and she had no idea what to do with her hands. Hands were stupid. Who even invented them? She thrust them into her pockets, with the hoodie hooked over her left arm.
“I’m really pleased you came.”
“A movie about tap-dancing squirrels? Not a hard decision.” She kept her voice light.
“I can work with that.” He grinned and reached for a crutch to swing himself over to the picnic rug. “I believe our table is ready.”
“Very impressive.” She sat, curling her legs under her. He eased himself down, ankle stretched out in front of him.
His face was in the half shadows, all angles and edges.
“The menu is soda and chips. Oh, and I stole a couple of chocolate dessert cups. Though they have the texture of primordial sludge and should only be consumed under advisement.”
“I’m good.” She shook her head, knowing she’d only manage to spill anything if she held it. In the distance someone was playing guitar. Probably from Zac’s bonfire. “Did you have fun with your aunt and uncle today?”
“If you’ve seen one playground, you’ve seen them all.” He shrugged. “What did you guys do?”
“Torture by tennis. The only cool part was stopping at a bridge on the way. It’s right on the San Andreas fault line and constantly needs repairing,” she said, fumbling for her phone and swiping the screen. “Here.”
His eyes were bright against the flickering candlelight as he studied the photo where the metal rail was twisted around from the damage.
“That’s why I like you, Via,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You know the difference between the railing being hit by a truck and twisted by a fault line. And the difference between a star and a constellation.”
She swallowed. He liked her?
Like liked?
“Hudson—”
“You don’t have to answer,” he quickly cut in, and stared at the star-filled sky.
She studied the curve of his neck. His Adam’s apple protruding as he swallowed.
“What if I want to answer?”
There was silence between them and he turned, catching her gaze in his. Her skin prickled.
“What would you say?”
“I like that when I’m with you, I don’t feel weird,” she said. Now whose voice sounded hoarse?
“Weird? Anyone who thinks you’re weird is a moron. You’re smart…and beautiful.”
In the distance a chorus of voices joined the guitar, while night insects chittered all around them.
And he thinks I’m beautiful.
She leaned forward and
