The Art of Being Alone (Together)

12 | The Hots For Shaefer

Rita isn't at breakfast the next day, which I pretty much expected-- right about now, she's probably sitting in Miss Rodriguez's office trying to explain how a bag of her underwear ended up in some innocent counselor's cabin. 

I know she might try to pin it on me and Liz, but I actually sort of doubt it. She has to know that if we did somehow get in trouble for it (despite the lack of any evidence), we'd explain why we did it in the first place. We'd probably get sent home, but so would Rita thanks to her being behind the Lizzie's Titties incident. She'd miss out on her precious play and the (seemingly non-existent) chance of Ethan asking her out.

That's why I'm feeling pretty chill as Lizzie and I enjoy breakfast, which, unfortunately, wasn't served by Ethan.

Speaking of every girl's favorite staff member, Lizzie grilled me about how I'd talked to him on the trail as the two of us got ready this morning. She managed to get me to spill every last detail, and tried not to be too offended that I didn't tell her about it as soon as it happened. There was a part of me that wanted to, but I'm:

A) Not supposed to feel anything towards Ethan, and
B) Not supposed to be getting so close to Lizzie that I go to her to gush about the guy I definitely don't have a crush on.

So I kept it to myself... for nearly twenty-four hours, anyway.

"I swear, he totally likes you. I mean, he wants to paint you! That's like, so romantic it makes me gag."

"He likes painting people, and I'm a person. I doubt there's anything more to it than that," I argue, trying to convince myself as much as her. I mean, it does sort of seem like a big deal. The two of us, most likely alone, with him staring at my face for God knows how long? The whole thing is a bit too intimate for me to casually brush off, as much as I want to.

"Well start doubting," Lizzie jokes, "because if I know anything about romance-- which I should, given how many rom-coms I've seen-- Ethan is totally smitten."

I smile, but shake my head. I'm not sure Lizzie knows as much about romance as she thinks, judging by how oblivious she is to Zack's obvious crush.

As if on cue, I just happen to spot Zack making a beeline straight for our table. The expression on his face is hard to place, but something about him seems even more nervous than usual, and it's enough to shake the "chill" feeling I'd been enjoying so much.

"Speaking of romance, your lover-boy is headed this way," I warn. 

Lizzie straightens and brushes a few crumbs off of her shirt. Thanks to his long legs, Zack is at our table in a second, setting his tray down next to hers.

"You're not gonna believe what we did," he says immediately, voice hushed. He glances warily around the room, as if someone could possibly overhear him among the noisy chatter.

Yeah, that chill feeling I was enjoying so much is officially gone now.

"Meaning...?" I wave my hand in a circle, urging him to continue. I hate it when people talk in cliffhangers.

He leans in, and Lizzie and I follow suit as he whispers, "It was Shaefer's cabin."

"Shaefer's..." Lizzie trails off, eyes going wide as it clicks. "Oh my God. You mean...?"

"We planted the bag in Shaefer's cabin?" I ask, stuck between wanting to laugh hysterically and fearing for my life.

Zack nods, his expression showing pretty much the same emotions. "I overheard two counselors talking about it on the way here."