7 Days {edited}

Twenty-five

The tall, red-haired girl approached us quickly, wearing a light pink checked suit. It was so skimpy, you could hardly call it a one-piece anymore. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Rain Matthews," she said, her voice sweet like syrup.

Just like that, all my memories of Megan came flooding back. She was my best friend in middle school, but when my parents got divorced and my mom came out as lesbian, she ditched me and told everyone in school. She even told our friends at church, and they told their moms, and then the whole church hated us. It was the #1 reason we'd left.

After that, I'd switched schools and stopped going to church. It was a fresh start, but the memories still haunted me. And now that Megan was here, in the flesh, I wanted to escape all over again.

I couldn't speak. Stunned to silence, I stood there with a blank expression on my face.

"What? Did I get your name wrong? I didn't think you changed it when your mom married that one girl, but maybe you did," Megan said.

Jordyn and Cami gave me strange looks. I could tell what they were thinking: Her mom's a lesbian? Blake gave me the same look. It was Lincoln and Emily who looked away.

"What's the matter, Rain? Too scared to come out and say something? Guess you didn't get that from your mom." She winked at Lincoln and I wanted to rip off her head.

"What are you doing here, Megan?" I asked, finally able to speak.

"The same as everyone else. Attending church camp. I can't believe it took you this long to notice me. But the real question is, what are you doing here? After what happened all those years ago, I didn't expect to see you at a place like this."

I sucked in a breath. It was as if no one else was around, like it was just me and Megan. Only it wasn't. All my friends were standing there, hearing her tell my secrets.

"Why don't you leave me alone? You seem to be pretty good at that, anyway," I replied.

She feigned shock. "Aw, poor little Rain thinks she made a good comeback. That's cute, isn't it, Link?" She gave Lincoln a sugary-sweet look, complete with big green eyes and pouty lips.

"Wait. You two know each other?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, she goes to my church," Lincoln explained.

"He started coming a few years after you so rudely picked up and left," Megan added.

This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be here. How was this even real? I was having such a good time, until she came along and ruined it. Just like she always did.

"Megan, please leave," I said carefully.

"You can't force me to leave, Rain. I'm here to go boating, just like the rest of you. Now, if you want to be civil, then I suggest you move aside and let me in the boat."

"Fine. But don't talk to me. I don't want to speak to you ever again."

"Wow, crybaby much?" She did an airy laugh, obviously fake, and climbed in the boat with the rest of us girls. "Coming, boys?"

Lincoln and Blake looked at each other, then back at Megan. "Um, yeah." Then, one by one, they got in the boat.

We hadn't even started, and already this was the worst boating experience of my life.