“How many bull’s-eyes can one person get?” Chase practically groaned, but his face said he was proud of me.
“You looked like Katniss out there. Sans braid,” Hazel added.
Felicia mimicked my stance. “Damn, Nat, who knew you were an archery prodigy?”
I rolled my eyes. All of this praise made me blush.
Lamar, Chase, and Emerson took their turns, but no one came close to my score. Then the real challenge stepped up. Well, maybe he was just a challenge for me. Jack held everyone’s attention as he aimed. He looked like he was concentrating too hard, and the shot was nice but not a bull’s-eye. Two more hits came close but not close enough, proving me to be the victor.
Autumn’s teasing voice came up from behind us. “Didn’t I teach you better than that, Hawthorne?”
Jack threw up his hands in happy defeat. “You can’t expect me to beat perfection.”
Autumn turned away from him, rolling her eyes as if he’d been sarcastic toward me, but I knew Jack’s sarcastic tone, and that wasn’t it.
“Looks like Nat’s the winner,” Autumn proclaimed, and suddenly, Jack’s arms went around me. He picked me up in front of everyone, as if he couldn’t wait to celebrate with me. As if he hadn’t been there competing for himself.
This was all so new, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. I hugged him and then slapped his shoulder. “Put me down, Mr. Lumberjack.”
He complied immediately, still grinning. I had the sudden urge to kiss him, but I remembered our surroundings—and the witnesses. Not to mention, we’d already talked about howthatwouldn’t be happening again. So, instead, I raised my hand for a high five.
If he noticed my awkwardness, he didn’t show it. “Nice job, princess.”
His tone was caring and sweet, and the nickname felt fond and not at all mocking like it had the first time Jack had used it. Even in this case, where my spoiled rich girl really was showing, but Jack looked at me with pride for it this time.
And it felt good. I’d done it. Not for my family or the boarding schools where I’d never truly belonged. But for myself.Everything was different at camp. Here, I fit in, and nothing could take that away from me.
“Thanks,” I gushed.
Autumn pulled out a spiral notebook and added a tally to my name. “All right, people. This isn’t over,” she announced. “Standings are neck and neck. After this event, Nat is in the lead. But Sawyer, Chase, Jack, and Lamar are all still in it. Which means this could lead to a tiebreaker, so make the talent show count. We’ll have campers vote on who they think the winners are for the talent show on Wednesday.”
Jack had been secretive about what his talent would be for the next show, though so had I. I was excited to be performing a song. While I wasn’t as good a singer as Hazel and Leo by any means, I could carry a tune, and I knew how to pick a crowd-pleaser. So suck it, Jack. This competition, at least the one between the two of us, was in the bag.
I smiled to myself, feeling confident.
Autumn came by my side, breaking my delusional fantasy of winning the competition, shitty little trophy in hand. “Can we talk?”
I stiffened. What could this possibly be about?
“Look, I heard about the whole Gia thing. I’m sorry about the misunderstanding.” Autumn’s face turned serious. She’d never hated me, I knew that, but she’d probably thought the worst of me. Just like Jack. “Jamie saw what happened that night and had to tell Jack.”
I nodded. The truth was that I liked how Jack had people looking out for him. “Don’t worry, Jamie and I can still be friends.”
She hugged me, something we hadn’t done once since camp ended last summer. I couldn’t fault Jamie for protecting Jack’s heart from a person who didn’t appreciate him. How could anyone be mad at that? And better yet, how could anyone notappreciate him? Sure, Jack was a cocky, imposing man, with a love of monster trucks and terrible taste in music, but despite the man’s many, many flaws, he was also becoming important to me. Maybe being with him was a bad idea, but regardless of what Jack may or may not ever feel, I’d protect his heart, too.
I was meticulously foldingclothing while listening to Noah Kahan, which balanced my thoughts that had been oscillating between the high of winning our archery competition and the gentle space of clearing the air with Autumn, when Mandy called.
“Mandy, what’s up?” We didn’t usually speak before her workday was complete.
Her words tumbled out of her. “Just on a break, but I have news. It couldn’t wait.”
“News?” Well, that was vague and disconcerting. Only she sounded happy. I grinned at my phone and put aside the stack of T-shirts. “What sort of news? Spill right now.”
“I’m getting married,” she screamed into the line.
I jumped for joy, not caring if anyone saw me. “Sho proposed? Or did you propose? Back it up right now.Details.”
My sister’s voice trilled upward as she poured out the story in a quick staccato. “It happened this afternoon. Sho was bummed. I mean, rightfully so. I’m working on our anniversary. I’d promised to take her out for dinner, but she said she couldn’t wait that long, so we went for lunch instead. I wasn’t sure what she was up to, but then there was this gorgeous emerald on my appetizer plate and an eager-looking Shoshanna on one knee.Oh my god, Nat, you should have seen it. I completely forgot how to speak.”
