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Mary got up and knelt by Johnny, patting his back. “They look great. I’d love one.”
“Why does she hate me so much?” Johnny’s lips trembled.
Crystal covered her mouth and fought back tears. She’d been that girl, mad at the world. Only, she’d never had a brother to take it out on. Poor boy.
“She doesn’t hate you,” Mary said. “She’s just having a hard time right now. It’s not you.”
The dog came over to them, leaned against Mary, and licked the boy’s hand.
“Uh oh, I think Murphy wants a marshmallow,” Mary said.
The boy glanced down at him. “I know he can’t have one, but we can roast a hot dog, right?”
Murphy barked, like he knew the word.
Johnny grinned and clapped his hands. “Hot dog, hot dog, hot dog. You want a hot dog?”
The mutt spun in a circle three times, chasing its tail, and flopped on the ground, tongue hanging out.
“Can you keep it down out there?” his sister yelled from the tent.
Paul put his guitar aside and stood. “I’ll get the hot dog.”
She backed up from the screen. It felt too much like spying. Sound carried in the woods and across the water. Paul’s voice, controlled and quiet, mixed with the still-angry Mallory’s, and then silence, until he came back out.
“Here ya go, son. One hot dog ready to be roasted.”
“Thanks, Dad.” The boy’s defeated tone cut into Crystal.
She covered her head with the camp pillow and tried to stop the walk-down-memory-lane of her childhood. A tear slipped out of her eye anyway.
Enough.
The itching on her arms, hands, and face soon took over any thoughts. Thoughts of how she’d never been in school withfriends. Thoughts of how she’d never been able to be herself. Thoughts of how she’d been used by her mother to make money to fuel her drug habit.
All ancient history, and nothing she could do to change it. Even buried deep after all these years, the bitter pain and anger still managed to surface.
The guitar music stopped and the woods quieted. Well, aside from the chirping crickets and croaking frogs. Not the worst sounds ever. It beat the sirens and booming rap music of the cars in the city.
Crystal tried not to scratch her arms. This would be a long night. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
By morning, her face had swelled to the point her skin hurt. The rash had spread to almost every part of her body. She slipped out of the tent and headed to the restroom for a look in the mirror. The dim, first rays of dawn lit the path.
She gasped at her reflection. Holy shit. Her face had swollen to double its normal size and her eyes were mere slits. The rest of her body hadn’t fared any better. She could be cast as a sumo wrestler.
As much as she hated going to a doctor, she had no choice. She dialed Sydney’s number. It went straight to voicemail, so she tried Trevor’s, which did the same. Her gut twisted. They wouldn’t be awake at six in the morning. She’d have to go to the villa and knock on their doors, but that was a two-mile walk. After splashing cold water on her face, she went back to her campsite.
She stuffed her water canteen into a small backpack with her credit cards and ID. Taking off on foot, she followed the road that led to the villas. She’d swear her face would explode if it got any tighter, and the itching had reached a frenzied point that made her want to roll her whole body on a steel wool pad.
If only she had another option. Without a doubt, Trevor would grab his camera and snap pictures of her. He’d find a way to leak some to the press under the guise of “marketing the show.” She’d signed off on that as part of the contract. Her Pillsbury Doughboy, balloon-sized face would be splashed all over the tabloids. That was the last thing she needed to restore her image.
Two headlights appeared in the distance, accompanied by the low rumble of an engine. Seconds later, Zach’s UTV came into sight.
Crystal’s heart somersaulted and crashed. She sure as hell didn’t wanthimto see her in this state. She stepped off the road and lowered her head, wishing she had a hat to hide her face. He glanced in her direction as he passed and kept going. She blew out a relieved breath, until she heard the beeping sound of him backing up.
Shit.
He stopped the vehicle in front of her, grabbed something from the back, and hopped out. Clicking on a flashlight, he shined it on her face.
