No Good Deed

THREE

The next morning and early afternoon were spent much like any other Saturday at home on Summer break: a hodgepodge breakfast of cereal and Oreos, an hour of cartoon's for nostalgia's sake, a quick brush through the hair, and lunch with an old friend: Karla.

Things had gotten progressively less awkward between them. There were still unnatural gaps in their chats, stretches of silence that neither of them knew how to fill. An unspoken code had been breached, but they were making progress to mend the fractured hull of their friendship. Following Cam's tearful confession in her car outside the Town Park Shake Shed, they hadn't spoken for months. Cam had interpreted the shock in Karla's eyes as disgust or shame, when in reality Karla had been flattered; she just didn't know how to respond. Learning her best friend's deep, dark secret had made her feel like meeting a stranger for the first time. So, they'd gone their separate ways to separate college campuses, and that had been that.

"So," Karla stated, contemplating the final fry in her basket, "how are...things?" She didn't need to elaborate. Cam understood.

"Oh, the same. Mom and Brian are living across town, down the street with the cult they joined, acting like that's perfectly normal." She dislodged the straw from her milkshake and stirred to break up the solid mass.

"Whatever they say, Cam, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. One day, they'll see, and they'll regret it. Until then, you have your dad, your new college friends, your team – "

"I know." It came out like an order, as if she had commanded her friend to stop. And now they were making eye contact, and Cam could read in her best friend's face something she loathed more than anything: pity. "I'm sorry, really. It's just - "

"What? You can talk to me, Cam."

Cam glanced at her watch. "I've got to go, OK? I swear it's not a copout. We'll talk later. I'm meeting someone."

"Oh?" Karla's tone belied her curiosity as she collected trash nonchalantly onto her tray.

Cam shook her head. "It's not like that; I found a phone at the Lake yesterday. I'm supposed to meet the owner in a little while."

Karla cringed. "What if they're some kind of Craigslist psycho? Want me to join you?"

"No." Cam stood, dismissing the offer. "We're meeting at a coffee place. Don't worry about it."

"Suit yourself, but give me their name and number in case they try any funny business."

Cam rolled her eyes. She hated to admit it, but Karla had a point. Now that she stopped to think about it...What was this person's name?