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Authors: Brent Hartinger
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pointed his index finger at me and started waggling it. It was like he was so angry, he couldn’t even talk to me. He could only shake.
Except he wasn’t angry. I saw that now. He was crying. And that just made me feel about a thousand times worse. The thing he had most feared about trying to get a girlfriend—that he would totally embarrass himself in front of her—had come true with a vengeance.
“Oh, Gunnar!” I said. “I am so, so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?”
He didn’t forgive me. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he turned and ran from the boathouse. He slammed the door in my face, and I didn’t blame him in the least.
* * * * *
I had screwed up. I knew it, and Gunnar knew it. Still, I also knew that he’d forgive me eventually. He had to. He’d done something to me a few months earlier that was almost as stupid, and I’d forgiven him.
Even so, I figured I’d give him a day or so to cool off. I still hadn’t talked to Min since we’d had our little spat three days earlier—by now, she had had enough time to cool off—so I asked her to meet me down at the secret cove after lights-out. After all, we had plenty to talk about: not just the stuff about Gunnar, but also my encounter with Web the night before, looking up at the stars, and the even more interesting encounter with him in the camp showers.
I got to the cove first—I’d put my kids down in almost no time. (Who knew? It turns out I was a master camp counselor after all!)
This time, I didn’t climb up on the big granite rock. I waited on the beach. But as I waited, I noticed that the rock did remind me of something after all (and not just the Rock of Gibraltar). It looked like a deflated wedding cake.
A few minutes later, I heard the crunch of footsteps in the dark.
“Min?” I said. She’d been frosty with me for a while now, so I was a little worried that she’d still be miffed.
“Russel!” she said excitedly. “Hey!” She almost skipped out toward me. But that meant she’d forgiven me, right?
“You seem happy,” I said to her. “What’s up?”
“You’ll never believe it!” she said. And then she spoke the horrible words that I knew I would remember until the day I died: “Web and I hooked up!”
Chapter Seven
So Min and Web had gotten together. How was this possible? I knew Min was bi, but I’d never known her to be seriously hot for a guy before. I saw now that this was why she’d been so eager to be his partner those first few days, and why she’d been so insistent a couple of nights before that he wasn’t gay (big-time duh!). As for Web, the question in my mind had been whether or not he liked me, not whether or not he liked guys in general. Talk about putting the conditioner before the shampoo!
“Wow,” I said to Min, that night in the cove. “That’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“Really?” she said. “Because I know you liked him too.,,
“No. I mean, yeah, I’m a little disappointed. But hey, if he’s straight, he’s straight. And if he’s straight, well, I’d rather have him hanging out with you than with Lorna.” Lorna was one of the other counselors, a real cheerleader-and-headband type.
Min smiled. “Thanks, Russel.” Then she happened to glance back toward camp.
“What?” I asked.
“Huh? Oh, nothing.”
“Are you meeting Web tonight?”
“No! Well, maybe. But I don’t have to leave just yet.”
“Go on,” I said.
Her face brightened like a halogen lamp. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, Russel! You’re fantastic!”
And before I could say anything else, she turned and bounded off into the darkness like an eager puppy.
* * * * *
On the way back to my cabin, I ran into Gunnar.
“Hi!” I said. “How you doin’?” What I really meant was, Have you forgiven me yet?
“Hi,” he said. “I’m okay.” What he really meant was, No.
One of my best friends had hooked up with the object of my affections, and my other best friend was so mad that he was
Except he wasn’t angry. I saw that now. He was crying. And that just made me feel about a thousand times worse. The thing he had most feared about trying to get a girlfriend—that he would totally embarrass himself in front of her—had come true with a vengeance.
“Oh, Gunnar!” I said. “I am so, so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?”
He didn’t forgive me. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he turned and ran from the boathouse. He slammed the door in my face, and I didn’t blame him in the least.
* * * * *
I had screwed up. I knew it, and Gunnar knew it. Still, I also knew that he’d forgive me eventually. He had to. He’d done something to me a few months earlier that was almost as stupid, and I’d forgiven him.
Even so, I figured I’d give him a day or so to cool off. I still hadn’t talked to Min since we’d had our little spat three days earlier—by now, she had had enough time to cool off—so I asked her to meet me down at the secret cove after lights-out. After all, we had plenty to talk about: not just the stuff about Gunnar, but also my encounter with Web the night before, looking up at the stars, and the even more interesting encounter with him in the camp showers.
I got to the cove first—I’d put my kids down in almost no time. (Who knew? It turns out I was a master camp counselor after all!)
This time, I didn’t climb up on the big granite rock. I waited on the beach. But as I waited, I noticed that the rock did remind me of something after all (and not just the Rock of Gibraltar). It looked like a deflated wedding cake.
A few minutes later, I heard the crunch of footsteps in the dark.
“Min?” I said. She’d been frosty with me for a while now, so I was a little worried that she’d still be miffed.
“Russel!” she said excitedly. “Hey!” She almost skipped out toward me. But that meant she’d forgiven me, right?
“You seem happy,” I said to her. “What’s up?”
“You’ll never believe it!” she said. And then she spoke the horrible words that I knew I would remember until the day I died: “Web and I hooked up!”
Chapter Seven
So Min and Web had gotten together. How was this possible? I knew Min was bi, but I’d never known her to be seriously hot for a guy before. I saw now that this was why she’d been so eager to be his partner those first few days, and why she’d been so insistent a couple of nights before that he wasn’t gay (big-time duh!). As for Web, the question in my mind had been whether or not he liked me, not whether or not he liked guys in general. Talk about putting the conditioner before the shampoo!
“Wow,” I said to Min, that night in the cove. “That’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“Really?” she said. “Because I know you liked him too.,,
“No. I mean, yeah, I’m a little disappointed. But hey, if he’s straight, he’s straight. And if he’s straight, well, I’d rather have him hanging out with you than with Lorna.” Lorna was one of the other counselors, a real cheerleader-and-headband type.
Min smiled. “Thanks, Russel.” Then she happened to glance back toward camp.
“What?” I asked.
“Huh? Oh, nothing.”
“Are you meeting Web tonight?”
“No! Well, maybe. But I don’t have to leave just yet.”
“Go on,” I said.
Her face brightened like a halogen lamp. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, Russel! You’re fantastic!”
And before I could say anything else, she turned and bounded off into the darkness like an eager puppy.
* * * * *
On the way back to my cabin, I ran into Gunnar.
“Hi!” I said. “How you doin’?” What I really meant was, Have you forgiven me yet?
“Hi,” he said. “I’m okay.” What he really meant was, No.
One of my best friends had hooked up with the object of my affections, and my other best friend was so mad that he was
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