The Summer We Let Go

Chapter Twelve

Carter

          JACKIE FLOPS on my bed and groans into my pillow. I roll my eyes. "Still? You still don't know that Cameron is totally better than Brody?"

          She sighs, somehow without the pillow making it impossible, then sits up and pouts at me. "I think I do know. I just don't want to." At my blank stare, she continues. "Like, he's really cool. But I've liked Brody for so long, you know? I just don't want to give up on that."

          "Honey." I take her hand in mine and give her what I hope is a sincere expression. "Sometimes letting go can be the best thing that ever happened to us."

          "I know..." She says, shoulders slumping. I think she says it more to just say it than having really reflected on the notion. "Cameron did ask me to go out this Friday night. I haven't responded yet."

          "Why not?" I gape at her. For someone who always has her hair and makeup done perfectly and ready to show the world, she's never been on an actual date to require that kind of effort.

          "I don't know..." She pulls her phone out of her bra and stares at it. "I should. I don't have anything better to do Friday night since you're going to be gone, and since Brody canceled on me."

          "Brody asked you on a date?" I ask, gaping again. He doesn't seem the type to make the first move. With anything.

          "No..." She slumps. "I asked him. But he replied with," she straightens up and deepens her voice, "That sounds nice. Let me talk to Drake and see if we're doing anything Friday."

          My face contorts, "Ew."

          "Yeah," she agrees, tossing her hands up. "Like, Drake-ula isn't even that great. He's just a giant ass. So, anyway, I told him that I forgot I already made plans, anyway, and not to worry about it."

          "Well, Cameron seems really nice," I offer. "He gave us really generous sizes of pizza slices that day, remember?"

          "Yeah," she agrees, offering up a little bit of a smile. "I just can't believe you're leaving me for stupid Leo, though."

          I laugh and then get up to get my nail polish since we haven't done that in a while. I paint her toes while she plucks her eyebrows and goes on about Cameron, and I take that as a sign she's officially done pining over Brody. Cameron is more independent. Cameron is very intellectual. Cameron is older and more mature. On and on about how cute his texts are, how he loves to read, and how he's made the Dean's list his first semester last year. I didn't realize how badly I missed just having girl time with her. Talking about boys and other nonsense, and painting our toes, and listening to girly pop songs off her phone until Gramps calls us out for dinner.

☼

 I PACK the trunk with a cooler full of cans of mountain dew and bottles of raspberry tea, as well as a few different lunch meats and cheeses. There're also a few grocery bags full of condiments, bread, cereal, popcorn, chips, and a few stovetop dinners. I figure I can get some milk and butter when we get to town.

          It is scary that I have no idea how to survive barely even four days by myself.

          Hopefully, everything else I packed will work out. Tennis shoes, shorts, pajamas, tank tops, tees, charger, books, brush, toiletries... Oh boy. Do I need to pack toilet paper? Or will there be some at the cottage? I run inside and grab a couple rolls really quick and add them to a plastic bag in the trunk. Where's Leo?