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As I did, he looked at the bracelets stacked all the way up my wrist. “You have lots of friends.”
“But I only made one bracelet.”
“Where’s the gold one?” he asked.
“I left it at home.” It was funny how these little wax ones could feel as valuable as the expensive one from my dad. “Didn’t want it to fall off.”
Our eyes met. We were close, unlike that first day, when I’d been hesitant to approach the gruff man who’d held my delicate chain coiled in his hand.
I could’ve lingered there all morning, grazing my fingers over his strong, tan forearm. He didn’t exactly make a move to leave, either. But another cabin came into view behind us—Tiffany and her girls. Not only were they on time, but also in a straight line.
I tightened the bracelet on him and took my hand back. Manning shook his head. “After last night, I promised myself I’d never be alone with you again. Yet here we are, not even seven hours later.”
“We’re not alone,” I pointed out. “Everyone’s here.”
“I’ve got something I want you to have, too,” he told me, looking over at Tiffany. “But I’ll give it to you later.”
I smiled. The fact that I had no idea what it could even be made me extra giddy. “Later, then.”
We all found our places in the bleachers and Gary waited at the front. Since it was the last morning, it took a little longer for the kids to settle down. “Good morning,” Gary greeted the group. “You should know the drill by now, campers. Close your eyes. Breathe the morning in. Appreciate your existence. Let’s all say thank you for such a beautiful day.”
“Thank you,” I murmured with everyone else.
“For a fun-filled and active week.”
“Thank you.”
I felt eyes on me, so I opened mine. It was him, finder of bracelets, hoarder of cigarettes, a Pink Floyd beast of a man. For the first time that I knew of, he’d looked over at me during Reflection.
“It’s important to spend time outdoors,” Gary said, “to take advantage of everything Mother Nature has afforded us.”
Manning looked three times the size of anyone around him. He was significantly bigger than Kirk, his teenaged co-counselor. Gary, too, who had a big presence but was actually pretty wiry. Nobody could compare to Manning. He was a bear in the mountains. My great bear. One day he’d be mine; I already felt that he was, I just couldn’t say it. But he knew. I knew.
We held each other’s gazes until Gary cleared his throat. He was watching us, so I closed my eyes again, and he continued. “Sometimes we allow ourselves to be consumed by the television set or get caught up in problems that don’t matter. Sometimes we let friends and family dictate our state of mind. When you wake up tomorrow, even though you’ll be home, continue this practice of being grateful for what you have, and for the gift of the day to come. Be calm. Be grateful.”
“I will be grateful,” we all said in unison.
“This morning, we’ll go around and say what our favorite part of this experience has been. Take a few moments to reflect on the week before you open your eyes.”
Where to start? There were so many moments I wouldn’t trade for the world. Last night, for one. Horseback riding with Manning. And maybe my favorite of all, our time under the stars as he showed me the constellations. But it wasn’t as if I could say any of that.
Having the girls look up to me this week, I felt as if I’d grown up a little, unlike last year, when I’d still felt like one of them. I’d enjoyed getting to know Hannah and even spending time with my sister. It’d been thrilling to stand up in front of the crowd and perform skits at the nightly campfires.
A murmur made its way through the camp. When it got louder, I opened my eyes. Two policemen stood at the edge of the clearing, by the woods. One had his thumbs hooked in his belt, the other crossed his arms. My stomach dropped as I immediately thought of last night. I looked at Manning. He was talking to a kid but his eyes were on the officers.
Gary had his back to them, so he continued. “Counselors, discuss the week with your cabins and decide which moments you’d like to share with the camp. Then, we’ll go around and—” When he noticed he’d lost our attention, Gary looked over his shoulder, but only briefly. “We’ll go around and . . . share with the group. Lexi, take over a sec?”
I stopped breathing. A few moments earlier, I’d been inhaling the beauty of the day. Expelling the negativity, as Professor Sal had said. Now I couldn’t even feel my mouth, my lungs, my hands. Just my heart pounding against my ribcage. The cops were here. Surely, it had nothing to do with me and Manning, but I couldn’t ignore the coincidence. Last night was the first time I’d ever come close to getting in trouble with the police, and here they were again.
