turning around, figuring it was one of my parents.
“Did you have fun in Florida?”
I spun around. Marc was standing in my doorway, and my heart melted at the sight of him. He was wearing a white ribbed tank top with the big red cross on the front with Lifeguard written underneath in red block letters and his loose red board shorts. His hair was almost white from sun bleaching, and his skin was the darkest reddish-gold I’d ever seen. There were places on his shoulders where the skin was flaking away, the aftermath of a burn. He was looking down at the floor.
All my good intentions about putting distance between us went right out of my head at the sight of him. I loved him even more than I had before I’d left, if that was even possible. “Yeah,” I mumbled uncomfortably. “You?”
“You never answered any of my texts or called me back.” He moved into the room, still not looking up from the floor
His voice sounded so despondent, miserable, and sad I wanted to just put my arms around him and hold him, comfort him.
“I didn’t take my phone with me,” I replied, amazed my voice wasn’t shaky. “I forgot it and didn’t even realize it until we were halfway there.” So much for being honest with everyone—I hadn’t even been home for an hour and I was already lying again.
“You could have e-mailed me and let me know.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t say anything.
“Are you mad at me?” This time he looked up, and his beautiful blue eyes were swimming in tears. “What did I do, Scotty? Whatever it is, I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything.” I stepped past him and closed my door. I could hear Mom and Dad talking in the kitchen. I have to tell him the truth, even if it means he turns away from me in disgust. I bit my lip. “Sit down.” He sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the floor. I sat down in my desk chair. “It’s not you, it’s me.” I swallowed, searching for the right words to say, and finally decided to just say it. “I—I don’t think I can be friends with you anymore, Marc. It’s too hard for me.”
He looked at me, and the naked pain in his face broke my heart into about a million pieces, but I couldn’t worry about his feelings anymore. I had to do what was best for me.
The words started coming out of me in a rush.
“I’m gay, Marc, and always have been and I’m in love with you but I know you’re not in love with me you’re not gay but it’s hard you’re my best friend and I don’t want to put you in an awkward place and it’s so hard to be so close to you and not be able to tell you how I feel and I’ve missed you so much this summer and—”
He stopped me by leaning forward and putting his hand over my mouth. He licked his lips. “You’re in love with me?”
I nodded.
His face lit up with a huge smile, the one that always made my knees weak. “But Scotty, I love you, too.” A tear dropped out of his right eye. “I didn’t think…I never dreamed—”
I didn’t let him finish. I leaned over and kissed him.
And it was better than I ever had imagined it could be.
“Looks like no one’s here.” Logan’s voice cut into my reverie, startling me back into the present as he pulled into a parking spot at the lodge. “I guess they went back to the cabins.” He didn’t shut the car off, but turned around and looked at us in the backseat. “Maybe I should just drop everyone off. What do you guys want to do?” He frowned. “I can’t believe they just bailed on us like that.”
Carson opened his door. “You can drop us off later.” He got out of the car and stood there impatiently, tapping his foot in the gravel. “We need to write down our impressions of what happened at the graveyard while it’s still fresh in our minds and listen to the recording to see if any ghosts tried to communicate with us.” When no one responded or moved, he grew more impatient. “Come on, you guys. I know you don’t take any of
“Did you have fun in Florida?”
I spun around. Marc was standing in my doorway, and my heart melted at the sight of him. He was wearing a white ribbed tank top with the big red cross on the front with Lifeguard written underneath in red block letters and his loose red board shorts. His hair was almost white from sun bleaching, and his skin was the darkest reddish-gold I’d ever seen. There were places on his shoulders where the skin was flaking away, the aftermath of a burn. He was looking down at the floor.
All my good intentions about putting distance between us went right out of my head at the sight of him. I loved him even more than I had before I’d left, if that was even possible. “Yeah,” I mumbled uncomfortably. “You?”
“You never answered any of my texts or called me back.” He moved into the room, still not looking up from the floor
His voice sounded so despondent, miserable, and sad I wanted to just put my arms around him and hold him, comfort him.
“I didn’t take my phone with me,” I replied, amazed my voice wasn’t shaky. “I forgot it and didn’t even realize it until we were halfway there.” So much for being honest with everyone—I hadn’t even been home for an hour and I was already lying again.
“You could have e-mailed me and let me know.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t say anything.
“Are you mad at me?” This time he looked up, and his beautiful blue eyes were swimming in tears. “What did I do, Scotty? Whatever it is, I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything.” I stepped past him and closed my door. I could hear Mom and Dad talking in the kitchen. I have to tell him the truth, even if it means he turns away from me in disgust. I bit my lip. “Sit down.” He sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the floor. I sat down in my desk chair. “It’s not you, it’s me.” I swallowed, searching for the right words to say, and finally decided to just say it. “I—I don’t think I can be friends with you anymore, Marc. It’s too hard for me.”
He looked at me, and the naked pain in his face broke my heart into about a million pieces, but I couldn’t worry about his feelings anymore. I had to do what was best for me.
The words started coming out of me in a rush.
“I’m gay, Marc, and always have been and I’m in love with you but I know you’re not in love with me you’re not gay but it’s hard you’re my best friend and I don’t want to put you in an awkward place and it’s so hard to be so close to you and not be able to tell you how I feel and I’ve missed you so much this summer and—”
He stopped me by leaning forward and putting his hand over my mouth. He licked his lips. “You’re in love with me?”
I nodded.
His face lit up with a huge smile, the one that always made my knees weak. “But Scotty, I love you, too.” A tear dropped out of his right eye. “I didn’t think…I never dreamed—”
I didn’t let him finish. I leaned over and kissed him.
And it was better than I ever had imagined it could be.
“Looks like no one’s here.” Logan’s voice cut into my reverie, startling me back into the present as he pulled into a parking spot at the lodge. “I guess they went back to the cabins.” He didn’t shut the car off, but turned around and looked at us in the backseat. “Maybe I should just drop everyone off. What do you guys want to do?” He frowned. “I can’t believe they just bailed on us like that.”
Carson opened his door. “You can drop us off later.” He got out of the car and stood there impatiently, tapping his foot in the gravel. “We need to write down our impressions of what happened at the graveyard while it’s still fresh in our minds and listen to the recording to see if any ghosts tried to communicate with us.” When no one responded or moved, he grew more impatient. “Come on, you guys. I know you don’t take any of
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