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5.Curiosity.
6. Generosity.
7. Responsibility.
Great. Now I’m stuck onitys.
This should be easier. I’ve worked with Kayla for a while now, and she never gets on my nerves. How aboutpretty. Kayla’s definitely pretty. And that’s ends inttynotity.
Hello, variety.
And so what ifvarietydoesn’t really describe Kayla. She’s straight-up predictable. Which I appreciate. Before I can start digging into morettyandetywords, my phone buzzes. When I’m not on a break, I keep it in a drawer—either here or at the reference desk—so I’m not tempted to check it. Phone use on the job is against library policy. But I’m not clocked in yet, so a quick check before my shift starts can’t hurt, right?
And maybe it’s Tess.
I haven’t heard from her since this morning, and she said she’d update me. I wonder how camp is going. So I check my phone. Definitely not Tess.
MILO:I’m not letting you off that easy, Crane. Consider yourself still on the hook.
This is not good. Milo’s still expecting me to make the reunion, but I’ve already told the guys multiple times I can’t. We’ve gone back and forth, leaving each other messages several times, but we haven’t talked with actual voices about it yet. I’m always at work. Which basically proves my point.
ME: Sorry, man.
MILO:Dude. Priorities. You can skip work a couple days.
ME:Wish things could be different, but like I said. The siren call of employment is too strong.
MILO: We’ll see.
What doesthatmean? And what does it mean that I don’t want to miss camp for a couple of days? I glance over at Kayla and see she’s busy digging around in her filing cabinet, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve got nothing to hide from her, even if she overhears. So I place the call. Milo doesn’t answer. Another voicemail. Argh.
“Hey, Milo. It’s great to feel wanted, but you’re also making me feel bad, man. You know I’d love nothing more than to see you all, but I’ve got responsibilities, so we’ve got two choices. Either I miss this one, or we reschedule for later this year. You, Caden, and Troy talk amongst yourselves. Let me know. If it’s too late to adjust plans, carry on without me. I’ll catch you next time.”
I end the call, and there’s that shifting in my gut again. Maybe the poke, poke, poke was about missing the reunion all along. Not about Tess. I check the clock. Five minutes until I have to clock in. Without thinking too deeply about the implications, I text Tess.
ME: Hey. Just checking in.
I figure that message is appropriately low-key. It’s a statement. Not an actual question. I’m totally playing it cool. The ball’s in her court now. Not that we’ve been tossing balls at each other. Now or ever. No balls at all.Hey. How about you stop thinking about balls?
MESS: The first morning assembly went great. I’ll probably win an Emmy for best vocalist.
ME:You got my vote.
MESS: Nice. There’s too much to share now, but everything’s going exactly how I planned. Except better. Right now, we’ve got two groups at the lake, two on a nature hike, two playing volleyball on the field, and two doing crafts. There are 100 kids here, and everyone’s having the time of their lives.
ME:Sounds like you are too.
MESS: You’ll understand when you get here. If you can make it to the bonfire, we’ll be making s’mores and singing camp songs.
ME:I’m up for s’mores, just don’t ask me to participate in anything musical. My voice makes babies cry.
MESS: Aww. It can’t be that bad.
ME:I assure you, it’s worse than you can imagine.
MESS: I’ll take your word for it.
ME:Good luck with the rest of the day.
