The Art of Being Alone (Together)

14 | Crapping Myself Pales in Comparison

With my new interest in taking portraits, photography is back to being fun, and the workshops are finally as enjoyable as I always imagined they'd be. Actually, they're even more helpful than I anticipated, since I'm tackling something new.

But even though all that is going great, if I had to pick one word to describe how I've been feeling these last four days, it'd be impatient. 

For one thing, I'm impatient for Rita and Mei to strike back, since waiting on their retaliation is totally stressing me out. I feel like I'm constantly on guard, expecting them to exact revenge at any moment.

Word did get around about Rita's underwear, and even though most people seem to know it was a prank, it hasn't stopped them from making jokes-- well, to Rita. I don't think anyone would be dumb enough to say anything to Shaefer. Even Haru, who approached Rita in the lunch line yesterday and asked when the wedding is. Of course, he almost got stabbed in the head with a fork, but judging from the laughter of him and his friends, it was worth it.

Rita and Mei haven't said anything to me or Lizzie about what happened, but there's no doubt that they know it was us. So I guess all we can do now is wait and see what happens. Either they're waiting for the perfect time to strike, or they've finally decided to let it go-- and I'm not too convinced "letting it go" is even in Rita's vocabulary.

I'm also impatient to see Ethan's painting. We haven't had a chance to talk much since the day he got started (although let's be honest, the small talk we make in the lunch line still makes my knees weak) and every morning since then, I've woken up hoping he'll find me and tell me that he's finished. I keep telling myself that I'm just excited to see what my portrait turns out like, and that it's got nothing to do with the fact that I'm hoping for another chance to get to know him.

I've still been thinking about what he said, and I still don't have any answers. For now, I just want to enjoy summer with Lizzie and Zack, and try not to be so concerned about the whole friendship title.

Speaking of, that's the other thing I'm impatient for-- waiting for the two of them to get together is like waiting for an apology from Rita. Okay, that's a little bit of an exaggeration, since an apology from Rita is less likely than the Lochness Monster showing up in Lake Kintaw. I at least have hope that by the end of the summer, the two of them might confess their feelings. 

That hope increases tenfold when Lizzie and I get back to our cabin after dinner. I'm just in the middle of telling Lizzie about the light leak technique I learned in class today as we walk through the door, but my sentence trails off as my eyes land on her bed.

"Del?" Lizzie questions, waving a hand in front of my face.

I grin, grabbing her by the shoulders and swiveling her around. Over her shoulder, I point to the blue, origami crane sitting on her pillow. She gasps, the two of us hurrying over. We stand on opposite sides of the mattress, looking down at it in frozen surprise. On one of the wings, Open Me is written in plain black letters.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" Lizzie shakes her hands like she's trying to expel the excitement from her body. "You don't think-- I mean, it has to be from him, right?"

"Open it!" I pick it up and shove it in her direction, eager to see what it says inside. Of course it'll be from Zack-- it's probably a love letter or a romantic poem confessing his feelings.

Lizzie hastily unfolds the bird with shaking hands, careful not to make any tears in the paper. Her eyes scan the page, and she bites her lip, letting out a high pitched squeal. A few of our cabin mates look over as she fans herself. 

"Lizzie," she reads aloud to me, "Please meet me by the dock at midnight. I know it's asking a lot, but there's something important I need to tell you. Yours, Zackary." She places her hands on her heart, still clutching the page. Then she gasps, eyes going wide. "Oh my God-- what am I gonna wear?"