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“What got into you?” he asks, taking a step back and discarding his supplies in the trashcan. “What were you thinking?”
I raise my injured brow and scoff. “Can I speak now?”
“Not with that attitude.”
“Fine,” I groan, my fists clenched around the paper blanket beneath me. “Bryce was being a dick and bullying Patrick. All I did was stand up for him which is more than I can say for you.”
“What?” he questions, narrowing his eyes at me. “What did I do?”
“Nothing. You did nothing. Those guys have been picking on him foryears, and you just casually didn’t notice?” I seethe, ignoring how close he’s getting to me.
His jaw drops lightly, and all traces of anger are gone with confusion taking its place. “He’s been getting bullied? Here?”
“Yeah,” I say, tipping my head to the side as I read his expression. “You really didn’t know?”
“How could I have? Bryce and Joshua have been nothing but outstanding counselors.”
I snort. “That just shows how much you know about the people that work for you, old man.”
“Just because you’re angry with me, doesn’t mean you get to be disrespectful,” he snaps, leaning forward and planting both hands on either side of my hips. His hot breath fans my lips as he leans forward, eyes narrowed with danger and something else I can’t quite place. “Apologize.”
I suck in a little breath but hold my ground. Am I being a brat? Yes. Do I care? “No.”
“Why are you so angry?” he questions as he lifts his hand to trace the cut on my eyebrow. “Look where your anger got you, son.”
“I’m not your son,” I snap, slapping his hand away. “I have no idea why the fuck you picked me, but I don’t want to be here.That’swhy I’m angry. I don’t want to be here, but if I have to be here, I’m not just going to stand by and let people get picked on by those pricks.”
“Why are you here then?” he asks, cocking his head to the side as he leans in closer. “Why don’t you just go home if you already hate it so much?”
“Because I need this,” I admit through gritted teeth. “If I want to stay at UNC, I need to spend the entire fucking summer here.”
His fingers once again find my lips. “Watch your mouth.”
“Or what?”
He drops his head and his hand as he takes in a deep shuddering breath, his shoulders rising and falling with the tension he carries. He’s white-knuckling the paper sheet underneath us and I can feel the way his arms tremble. He takes a hard step back and shakes his head. “Fine. You don’t want to be here, and I understand. But if you want to stay, you have to cut the attitude. Maybe if you actually tried to enjoy yourself, you’d realize this place isn’t that bad.”
I scoff and gesture down at my ripped jeans and band t-shirt. “Do I look like I fit in here?”
“All I’m asking is for you to try,” he whispers, his eyes wandering down my figure and averting his gaze at the last second. “Just try or go home.”
I’d love to go home. I’d love to forget this shitty day and put this whole weird experience behind me, but I can’t. If I want to keep going to UNC, I have to do this. UNC is my safe haven, my happy place. I love my classes, I love my dorm, and I love my friends. It’s the one place in my entire life I’ve felt free to be myself. It’s the one place I can escape my shit-bag parents and just be me.
And I’ll do anything it takes to keep that, even if it means pretending to pray to Jesus and ignoring my unusual attraction to my camp director.
“Okay,” I finally say.
His eyes widen. “Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll…” I clench my jaw but nod. “I’ll try.”
The smile Jarred gives me rocks through me. It’s so full of kindness and optimism, the exact opposite of how I feel, and it makes my chest all tingly. “Wonderful. Tomorrow is kind of a day for the counselors to hang out and get to know each other, but we need to get your lifeguard training sorted. How about you meet me at the lake around seven?”
I bite the corner of my lip, tongue playing with my lip ring as I nod. “Sure thing, boss.”
His eyes trace the way my tongue flickers against the cool silver hoop and gulps. “Um, okay. Good. I’ll see you tomorrow, Noah.”
And he hightails it out of the room without another word before I can say anything else.
