“I thought this was your vacation. Homework shouldn’t exist on vacation. Only summer. That means sun and water and relaxing.”
“This isn’t sun or water or relaxing,” I said as he continued to kiss my neck and cheek.
“What?” Faking shock, he hopped to his feet and scooped me up in one swift motion. “This isn’t relaxing?”
I let out a scream.
He laughed as he carried me to his bed, where he dropped me onto the mattress. “How about that? Is that more relaxing?”
I smiled up at him and grabbed the front of his T-shirt, pulling him down into a kiss. “Much, much more relaxing.” I cuddled up against his side as he joined me on the tiny bed.
“I agree.” He ran a light finger down my arm, causing the hairs to stand on end.
“Brooks?”
“Yes?” His blue eyes focused on mine.
“Will you sing the song we wrote? I never got to hear the melody of it.”
“What?”
“The second festival song. The love song. I want to hear it.”
He smirked. “You’ve heard me sing. It’s not pretty. Maybe you should sing it for me.”
“I don’t know it. That’s my point.”
He sat up and retrieved his guitar from where he had propped it against the wall. I sat up as well, crossing my legs.
He finger-picked a melody.
“That’s pretty,” I said.
“Yeah? Do you like this chord progression better?” He played one while softly singing along. “Or this one?” He switched it up to a slightly different sound.
“I like the first one,” I said.
“Yeah, me too.” He paused in his playing. “Do you remember the words?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then sing with me. My voice isn’t strong enough to carry it alone.”
I nodded and we sang the words he had written. Words I was pretty sure were about this summer and our journey, at least that’s what my verse was about. Singing in front of him was so much easier now. I hadn’t realized how much until that moment.
He stopped playing before I got to the second verse.
“Did I get the words wrong?” I asked.
“I forgot how much I love your voice.”
My breath caught in my chest. “You’re sweet.”
“Yes, I am.” He stretched over his guitar and kissed my cheek.
“Hey, I forgot to ask you if everything was okay at home. What did your mom need?”
“My mom?”
“Did Maricela give you the message?”
He tilted his head as if listening and then jumped up. “Someone is coming.”
“Is that a problem?” There was no way it was Janelle. Would D barge into his cabin? She was the only other one I wouldn’t want seeing us alone right now. But he seemed nervous, so I slid off the bed and started to gather my homework.
“Leave it,” he said, looking around the room.
I was looking, too, because there was really no place to hide. There was a knock at his door, followed by the rattling of the handle. I practically dove under his bed, then rolled once, ending up on my back. He stacked my homework, shoved it in my backpack, and pushed it under the bed with me just as the door creaked open.
Kai’s loud voice filled the room. “Hey, I thought you were coming to town with us to eat.”
I let out a breath of relief and started to roll back out but stopped when Brooks said, “No, just wanted to look at the notes you guys gave me for the song.”
“You’re not mad that I don’t want to do the mushy love one, right? It’s not our style at all.”
They weren’t singing the love song? Why had Brooks pretended they were a minute ago? A pang of disappointment that surprised me radiated through my chest.
“It’s fine,” Brooks said. “We’re a band. You all outvoted me.”
He was mad; I could hear it in his voice.
“Great. You are mad,” Kai said.
“Yes, I am.” That was all he said. He didn’t expand.
“What’s that all about anyway? The band breaks up for a couple weeks and suddenly you’re writing love songs?”
My eyes were staring through the bed’s wooden slats, at the underside of the water-stained mattress above me. And that’s when I saw something else up there too. Sitting between two of those boards in an intricate web was a big, fat, black spider. I took a sharp breath.
“Is this about that Avery girl?” Kai finished.
“That Avery girl?” Brooks asked in an annoyed voice. “You mean the one you’ve known all summer and who got us into the festival?”
Please, spider, don’t move.
“Whatever, Brooks,” Kai said. “Are you in love with her or something? Are you guys together now?”
“No, of course not.”
I flinched and my movement or the breath I let out with it made the spider’s web shake. Its legs twitched. I bit back a scream.
“Good,” Kai said. “Because I haven’t forgotten the huge lecture you gave me at the beginning of the summer about getting involved with Lauren. I wouldn’t want you to lose your job over a summer fling with a guest. I know how much you need this place.”
I was trying to process what was being said while a spider was seconds away from descending on my face.
“Did you just come here to harass me, Kai, or did you need something?” Brooks snapped.
“Thought you might want to hang but I guess not.” There were footsteps and then a slamming door.
I slid out from under the bed as fast as humanly possible and then shook my whole body while simultaneously wiping it and saying, “Spider, spider, spider,” over and over.
Brooks took me by the shoulders and studied my front, then circled to my back. “You’re clear,” he said.
I shook out my hair, just in case. “There’s a massive spider under there. You might want to kill it later.”
“Noted.”
I dragged my backpack out and gave it a thorough inspection as well before putting it on my back.
“Are you leaving?”
I was halfway to the door. “Yes.”
“Avery, wait. Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad.” I was beyond mad.
“Yes, you are. Let me explain.”
I turned to face him, arms crossed.
His eyes twinkled. “So that’s what your angry face looks
