The Art of Being Alone (Together)

17 | FINALLY!

I check the rest of the buildings, but Lizzie's still nowhere to be found. Zack isn't in our meeting place in the center of camp when I'm done, so I figure I may as well help search the buildings he was checking.

The first building clearly belongs to the theatre program, since it has a small stage built in at the front of the room. I can only imagine how often Rita stands up there, demanding attention and hogging whatever spotlight she can get her hands on, no matter how small.

I call out for Lizzie and Zack, but get no reply, so I move on to the next building. The rows of computers set up on the long tables make it pretty obvious it's the writing room. Again, no reply from Lizzie or Zack.

Great, now he seems to be missing, too.

I make my way over and into the first building I saw him go inside, which I quickly gather is the fashion workshop, thanks to all the sewing machines and mannequins around the room. 

That's not all that's in the room, though. Leaning against one of the fabric-covered tables is Lizzie, and leaning against her is Zack, their lips locked, hands in each other's hair. They're so busy they didn't even notice me come in, freeze a few steps into the room, and drop my jaw in surprise.

The heavy door falls shut behind me, making all three of us jump. Lizzie and Zack flinch apart, their heads snapping towards me.

I gather myself, picking up my jaw from the floor and blinking my wide eyes back to normal.

"Sorry!" I apologize, unable to stop myself from grinning. "I, uh... I guess you found her."

The two of them are bright red, matching the vibrant fabric beneath Lizzie. Zack clears his throat, eyes glued to the floor as he steps back.

FINALLY! I want to scream and do a happy dance, but I manage to keep my celebration to myself.

Lizzie runs a hand through her short hair, taming it. She's smiling, and when she speaks, her voice is on the verge of giggles. "Del, hi! I'm really sorry I ran off like that-- I didn't mean to make you guys worry."

I wave it off, trying not to laugh at the thick tension in the air. Zack's fidgeting, shifting his weight and looking anywhere that isn't at me. He shouldn't be so embarrassed about getting caught-- I'm pretty sure I was going to hear about every detail of this from Liz either way.

"It's okay, I'm just glad everything's... you know, worked out, obviously. I'll, uh, leave you two to... talk," I say, backing towards the door. "We'll catch up later."

Lizzie bites back a smile as I open the door and hurry back outside. Hopefully none of the fashion students are hoping to get some work in during lunch-- if they open that door, they might be in for a surprise.

I can't stop myself from grinning while I head back towards the mess hall, hoping I can still grab something to eat. I knew it was just a matter of time before the two of them finally got together. Still, who would've thought Rita would be the catalyst behind it all?

I take a quick trip through the buffet, then briefly debate taking my sandwich back to the painting building to hang out with Ethan. In the end, I decide to have lunch by myself instead, and take my food over to my usual seat. The mess hall is a lot emptier than I'm used to, since most people finished eating while I was looking for Liz and talking to Ethan.

I really do wish I was spending lunch with him. But as much as I'd like to go watch Ethan paint, I know there's a lot of stuff I need to think about, and being around him makes it pretty hard for my brain to function properly.

As if I hadn't already let the truth slip out earlier, my happiness for Lizzie and Zack makes it pretty obvious that I really do think of them as my friends. If I want to avoid getting close to them, now would be the time to back away. I'm sure the two of them will be so caught up in each other for the rest of camp that they might not even notice if I started keeping to myself. 

But even as I'm thinking about it, I know I'm not really considering it. I like hanging out with them, and I've been having way too much fun this summer to seriously think about ditching them. Lizzie and Zack-- and Ethan, who somehow got caught up in being my friend, too-- deserve better than that, anyway.

I know in my heart that it's time to face the truth: Ethan is right.

If I spend the rest of my life pushing people away because of what Mei did, there's a good chance I'll end up being miserable. I think it's time to put all this behind me and try to move on. I mean, there are still twenty-three days of camp left to make the most of. Wouldn't I rather spend them without Rita and Mei on my mind?

Yes, obviously. And Ethan made a good point about the possibility of getting kicked out. That's the last thing I want, and I'd feel totally responsible if anything like that happened to Lizzie or Zack. This whole thing was my idea. Maybe I should put an end to it while I still have the chance.

I guess all this means my lone-wolf plan is officially over-- not that I was ever really having any success with it anyways. It's sort of funny that now, the idea of spending the summer alone seems absolutely absurd. Maybe it would've been easy if I'd really tried, but I don't think I would've had even half the fun I've had so far.

Once I finish eating I grab my camera from the cabin and head over to the photography building. I need to get some work done for the art show-- plus, there's no harm in giving Lizzie and Zack some more alone time.

I sit behind one of the computers, pop out my SD card, and pull up photoshop as I transfer the pictures over. I still don't have a theme idea for my display, but I do have some pictures that I want to include for sure.

I open a photo of Lizzie and Zack, who are splashing each other and laughing in the lake. It's so not the type of photo I would've imagined myself taking a month ago. The old Del probably would've taken one look at it and said it looked like a still from a commercial for allergy medication. It's cheerful, bright, and admittedly, a little cheesy. 

But it makes me smile, and I'm proud of it. Come to think of it, I'm proud of myself. I overcame my fear of friendship, and that's enough to keep a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Well, until dinner, anyway. Because unfortunately, a new fear takes the place of the old one before I can even enjoy the fact that it was gone.

Thank you guys so much for 2k! 💖

What do you think about Del overcoming her fear of friendship? How about her not wanting to continue the prank war? 💭

Are you happy about Lizzie and Zack? 💏

What should their ship name be? 😆 Zizzie?