Listen to Your Heart

Prologue

*2 weeks earlier*

It was supposed to be the best summer ever. At least that's what Emily has been saying every day since June started. When she told me, it did sound like the perfect trip. Just us, eight other teenagers, and all of Europe to explore.

It was going to be amazing. I spent all most of the school year counting down until we would leave. It feels like I spent a lot of this school year counting down to things. Senior experience. Prom. Graduation. And yes, this trip.

The year had flown by so quickly and soon enough there were only two weeks left until my trip. Two weeks until what I thought would be the perfect summer. I had two weeks left, but then, my world came crashing down.

I got home from school that afternoon and it was like every other Monday. The only difference was that it was my second to last Monday of high school. I walked into my house and found my mom waiting for me in the living room.

"Hi Lauren," she said with an unnerving tone.

"Uh hi mom," I replied.

"Why don't you sit down?"

"Um okay," I said while sitting down next to her on the couch. She looked at me and didn't say anything. I sighed, I knew she needed to tell me something, but I didn't know that it would be this bad. "What do you need to tell me mom?"

"Okay well your father and I talked things over and we just can't afford the Europe trip." She paused to give me a pat on the back. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I understand." I said and I really meant it. My dad's business went under a few months ago so my glamorous summer of fun is never going to happen now.

I was about to get up and go to my room when my mom said, "I got a job for you."

"What? Where?" I pray that it's not at the pet shop again, she got me a job there last summer and it was horrible. I spent almost every day cleaning up dog poop.

"You're going to work at Sarah and Matt's camp."

"No! Please mom. Don't make me go back there!" I begged, but she wouldn't give up. I had to spend the summer working at Camp Blue Brook, a sleep away camp filled with entitled kids who all have trust funds. I used to go there, but I got to go for free since my mom was such good friends with Sarah, one of the owners. I went to Blue Brook for six summers. I wish I hadn't because they were horrible but now, three years after my last summer, I had to go back. Back to hell.