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"Alright, let's set up camp here," Jeremiah declares once we're far enough into the golf field.

"Perfect timing, because I have just discovered the secret of... the apple bong!" Skye sings presenting the apple.

"That's surprising," Cam says.

"I have layers," they reply. The smile slyly and my stomach turns. I feel a hand in mine and it's Belly's. I turn to look at her and we exchange a small smile. The girls plus Skye set down blankets and sit in a circle while Taylor tests out her new apple bong.

"Taylor! Volleyball camp is in 4 days," Belly scolds her.

"It's not like they're gonna drug test us," she brushes it off. She gets a bit worried, "Coach would've had to put that in her email right?" Belly and Taylor start talking about volleyball camp and Belly decides to text their Coach about getting back on the team and showing up to camp. Taylor takes Belly's phone and texts their Coach for her while her and Skye pass the apple bong back and forth.

"What's going on over here?" Steven jogs over. "We playing truth or dare or what?"

"Mm, alright you in?" Belly asks rhetorically. "I dare you to eat the apple bong," she says with a cheeky smile. Steven takes it and apologizes to Skye for their hard work and then takes a bite. He immediately spits it out on all of us and we shriek. Cam makes his way over with food and sits with us.

"You know you have to clean that right?" he ensures.

"We'll make him clean it up," Conrad reassures Cam.

"We playing truth or dare? Conrad?" Cam joins in.

"I'm not playing," he sings.

"What? You scared?" Jeremiah taunts.

"Where do you uh, see yourself in the next 10 years?" Cam asks. Conrad thinks on it.

"Here honestly. Coming back to cousins. Fourth of July bbq. Digging for clams. Surfing with Jere."

"Making pomegranate margaritas," Belly joins in.

"Right," he laughs. "I don't know I just feel like- whatever kind of shit you got going on you just come back here you forget about it..."

"C'mon man, nobody's playing truth or dare right!" Steven complains. "It's either you go big or you go home!"

"Agreed this needs to get way more Euphoria!" Taylor laughs.

"Okay, um. I'll give it a whirl," Skye says. We all hype them up. "Belly. I dare you to uh... kiss Jeremiah." This got awkward. He simply scoffs and Belly looks over. Jeremiah looks away and back at Belly.

"Aren't we too old for that kind of shit? Right?" he asks getting out of it.

"Yeah," Liam agrees while patting his back.

"Cam," Taylor goes. "You know the drill?"

"Yes, Truth, please," he replies.

"What's your biggest regret?" she asks with no hesitation. I look away in fear of him looking to me and it having meaning. I hear him chuckle softly.

"I'd probably say uh... not- spending enough time with my sister before she died," he begins. I know this story. I know it well. I know him well. Taylor apologizes and Cam reassures her that it's okay. I bring myself to look at him and he meets my eyes back. Belly gives him the option of not talking about it and Cam carries on.

"It's okay. It was 10 years ago. She was 16. Um, I was just a kid. I really looked up to her. Mm still look up to her," he corrects himself.

"Does it get any easier?" Conrad asks.

"Yeah. It's always there. Ya know? But um... the pain starts to uh... ya know feel more like- a scar than it does a scab. Like sometimes, something totally random will set you off. Like um... a song she used to play for you. Or little yellow tree air fresheners she had in her car," he laughs it off. "The pain just feels brand new again... but um... everything... everything goes back to normal. Eventually. Whatever the hell that means," he scoffs.

"Yeah the fuck if I know," Conrad responds. "I'm sorry man," he whispers.

"No... I'm sorry about your mom," Cam apologizes back. "She was really cool."

Taylor breaks the silence with a loud yawn which causes us to laugh.

"I'm sorry Taylor, where did we lose you there?" Cam laughs at her. She defends herself and we realize how late it is. Steven leads the boys to get blankets for us and we all make our beds on the grass. I sit on my blanket and people watch. Belly goes to talk to Jeremiah by the cart. Steven and Taylor giggle together. Conrad stares at his phone. Liam has already passed out. Cam and Skye talk for longer. I can't take it so I get up and start to walk. I walk just far enough that I can sit and look up at the stars and not hear them. I sit and I look up. I hear steps but I don't bother turning. The person sits besides me and looks up too. They pull me in I rest my head on their shoulder and let the tears fall. Conrad holds me. He holds me and doesn't say a word until I'm done.

"I feel like a monster," I sigh.

"Yeah..." he whispers. "Me too." I know his story. It's my story. Pushing away the people we love because we don't want them to have less than they deserve. Beating ourselves up because we should've been what they did. I don't even need to tell him. He knows. And neither does he. I know.

Cam Cameron // Summer AgainWhere stories live. Discover now