2

"They're WHAT?!" I swear, all the birds within a 5-mile radius spooked up at the echo of my enraged question.

Nora grabbed at my sleeve, "I'm so so sorry, Kendra, I didn't know how to tell you, and you wouldn't have come if you had known they'd be there."

I scowled, "You don't know that." But, no, she was right. We were at a gas station halfway across the state towards our campsite when Nora decided to drop the Devin and Bethany bomb on my vacation plans. Apparently, Corey thought it was still okay to invite them camping despite the Degrassi-sized drama scene at the movie theater.

"Did you know about this?" I turned my attention to Casey, who balked at my tone.

"Like, last night. Nora begged me not to tell." She shrugged.

I let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose, "Okay, so my two best friends have decided to prolong my suffering."

"No!" Nora stomped, "There will be a TON of my brothers' hot college friends there. It's the perfect opportunity to find a rebound, and I'm not going to let you throw away a good time just because Devin and his new conquest decided to come."

I stopped, considering what Nora had to say about the situation. She had a good point; I was one of the reasons why this trip was even happening. People wanted to have a good time and celebrate my friends and me, not Devin and his girlfriend.

I sighed, slumping my shoulders, "Fine, fine! I don't really have a choice, but I get it. I'll be there for my besties."

"Yaaaayyy!" Nora and Casey chorused as they hugged me.

"Now, let's get back on the road," Nora jingled her keys, "We're burning daylight, ladies."

As we got into the car, I decided to probe Nora for some information on the people her brother chose to invite from his college, soon to be our college. He was fun and nice enough, a total jock who went through girls like no one's business, but what a typical college guy doesn't in their first year. However, he had a little more substance in his personality than I gave him credit for. He had invited some LGBTQ+ groups from campus who were tight in his friend group. A few girls, a couple of guys, and a couple of non-binary people. He clearly wanted Nora to feel comfortable and ready when she started in the fall and was even setting her up with a super femme lesbian on the camping trip, much to Nora's excitement.

"He knows my type; I love them super cute and girly," Nora gushed about everything he had told her about this girl. I was happy to see her excited to explore people within her sexuality. High school had been tough for her, learning who she was and dealing with the lackluster dating pool in our very un-diverse town.

Nora glanced in the rearview mirror at me, "Some adorable guys are coming from Nicks' lacrosse team!" Her eyebrows waggled as she flicked on the turn signal.

"What about any girls?" Nora just about choked as the words came out of my mouth.

"What? I mean, yeah, but wait, what?"

Casey and I cracked up at her utter confusion. She was always so animated when caught off guard, which she clearly was, and definitely sort of excited.

"I don't know, I dated Devin for most of high school, and I never really explored anything else before that relationship. So if it was the right girl, I could see myself going that route." I shrugged.

"Okay, well, make sure you disclose that," Nora looked at me sternly, "Many of these people are out and don't enjoy their time being wasted."

I held up my pinky, "I promise, no funny business." And smiled as Nora shook it and grinned ear to ear.

"Oh my god." Casey voiced the thoughts in my mind as we slowly pulled into the campsite, tires crunching on the gravel driveway. Nick had rented out a cabin with a large yard and sandy beach on the lake, already dotted with tents as college students milled about. The cabin was dubbed the "party zone," where drinks, food, and music were available to keep litter and noise down. Outside, a couple games of horseshoes and cornhole toss had been set up, along with a volleyball net being set up on the beach. There were about 20 people already there, laughing and music trickled down to the waterfront.

"There are my girls," Nick sauntered out of the cabin in a tacky robe and ascot, wiggling his eyebrows at them.

Nora looked mortified, "What the hell are you wearing?"

"I lost a bet, lil sis."

"Clearly." Nora snickered, "Where do I park, Hefner?"

Nick swept his arm over to the line of other cars, "Pick a spot, unload, then lock your doors unless you want people banging in your car."

Casey made a face at his comment as we pulled in next to a beat-up SUV.

"Make sure you lock it. I swear, if I see anything crusty when we leave, I'm taking a cab home."

Nora rolled her eyes, handing me a tent and some chairs, "Chill, princess, I'm sure he's just joking," She turned to see the expression on Casey's face, who was clearly not joking.

"Alright! Fine," Nora emphasized her sentence with a click of her lock as she hauled her stuff away, "No sticky seats."

We rolled our big cooler into the cabin, taking in the graduation decorations that swayed in the air-conditioned doorways.

"You really went all out, Nick," I said as he popped open the top of his beer.

"No big deal, sister from another mister," Nick took a large swig, "You can stay in a le casa or pitch a tent outside; it's up to how your vibes resonate."

Casey threw her stuff into a large room with two beds. While Nora and I put our clothes in the room, we would sleep outside in tents. Casey was not an outside sleeper and would hold the extra bed if it rained or if we just wanted to sleep inside. Grabbing our gear, we met Nick outside the cabin to determine where we wanted to pitch our tents. He pointed us towards a fire ring in the center of the yard when a Subaru pulled up next to us.

"Hey, man!" A girl with short brown hair, butterscotch-colored skin, and tattoos pulled up. Her face was round and kind, and her deep brown eyes squinted joyfully when she smiled. "Where should I park?" My heart skipped a beat as her eyes looked past Nick to me. A sweet smirk crept onto her face as her eyes swept over my face. Blushing, I broke eye contact and smiled at the ground.

"Charlee!" Nick fist-bumped her and jerked his thumb behind him. "Parking is back there."

Charlee winked, "Thanks, be right there!"

As she drove away, Nora elbowed me, "Dude, she was totally into you."

"I doubt it; you don't even know if she's gay!"

"Charlee? Totally gay," Nick pushed his way into our conversation. "But the question is, are you, my dear Kendra? Last I checked, you liked dudes."

Nora jumped in for me, "She's keeping an open mind this weekend; Devin really opened her eyes to other possibilities."

I smiled and nodded. In reality, Nora and I had drunkenly kissed before, something not even Casey knew about. While kissing boys was okay, having sex with them was fantastic. But when I had kissed Nora's sweet lips, I had felt a flutter I never had with boys. I was curious about that feeling.

"Right on," Nick punched me in the shoulder. Charlee walked up to our group a few minutes later, her backpack slung lazily over her shoulder. Her walk was neutral, her stomach flat, light curves on her hips, and small, perky breasts. She wore cargo shorts and a t-shirt, and as she got closer, I could see the sides of her head were shaved now that she had her hair up in a small ponytail. Her eyes scanned over my face as I blushed again.

"This is my sister, Nora," Nick pointed to Nora, and Charlee looked over at her, "this is Casey, and this," He threw his arm over me, "is Kendra." He gave me a noogie before crushing his now-empty beer can and tossing it into a nearby trash can. "Nice!"

Charlee gave a little wave to everyone, "Hey, I'm Charlee." We all gave minor, awkward 'hey' in her general direction before her eyes lit up in recognition. "See you guys later!" And she ran off to a group of two guys and a girl.

I was a little disappointed to see her leave but was quickly swept away by Nora to set up our tents. We found a place close to the fire pit and set up our tents practically on top of each other, including a rug and two bean bag chairs. After setting up, we made our way back to the cabin to grab a drink. The cabin was full of college kids looking to escape the afternoon sun by then, and someone had put on a movie while softer pop music rang in the background of an intense game of Uno. Nick was on the phone with someone barking orders for what I could only assume was someone buying pizzas.

I gazed around at all the faces, slowly inspecting for one person in particular, when an arm snaked around Noras' shoulders, and a deep voice said, "boo."

Nora snorted, "What's up, Jim?"

Jim gazed over at Casey and me. "Well, I know you, but aren't you going to introduce me to your delicious friends?" His sharp blue eyes were placed lightly on his perfect tan face, and sandy blonde hair wisped over his eyes. He was, in all definitions, handsome as hell. His arms were muscular and pulled at his sleeves, while his slim frame gave way to long legs in skinny jeans. He was definitely my type, while Casey practically drooled at the sight of him. She hung back shyly, waiting to see what I did.

"I'm Kendra, and this is Casey," I picked up one of her braids and played with it. She loved it when I played with her hair. I loved running my fingers over the small, tight cords and often helped her with scalp relief from the braids.

"Well, Kendra, Casey, you two are absolutely stunning."

Nora pushed him off her, "Jim, you're gross." She wrinkled up her nose in disgust.

Another tall, muscular, and tan man came up behind Jim. He had deep brown eyes and black medium-length hair.

"Dude, stop trying to get in every girl's pants." He playfully smacked the back of Jim's head.

"Oh, it will take more than that," Casey laughed, "I have standards."

Jim shot Casey a pair of finger guns, "Aye, I like you. May I get m'lady a drink?" He offered his arm with a dorky bow.

"Absolutely," Casey took his arm eagerly, "Do you have any lagers?"

Jim swooned as they walked away, something about how Casey was an angel sent from above. Shortly after they left, Nora said something about how her brother needed to introduce her to that girl, leaving me alone with the tall stranger.

"Uh," I cleared my throat, "I'm Kendra." I offered my hand to him.

He took my tiny hand in his giant one, "Nice to meet you; I'm Micheal. I'm on the lacrosse team with Nick. Going on my third year at Penn, but I've never seen you before."

"Oh, I'm an incoming freshman," I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear, "I graduated with Nora."

Micheal's eyes lit up deviously before simmering to his usual unreadable smolder. "Ah, fresh blood, I see." He slid closer to me, gently taking my hand, "Then let's grab a drink and talk about your classes; I'd love to hear it."

I swooned as he guided me to the kitchen. I opted for something light as I wasn't a big drinker, and he lightly placed it in my hand before ushering me outside to the docks. The docks had a couple of oversized chairs bolted down to the planks that overlooked the lake.

We chatted as the sun illuminated my hair like a halo. I knew I looked angelic, my short, white dress had poofy short sleeves and was tight to my hips where it flared out a little bit. The neon bikini I was wearing underneath popped out under the thin material. He looked hungrily at my body, barely listening to a word I said about my plans for college. I loved having that control over someone, especially a man. They were helpless to my woes and I quickly threw back my drink, chugging the rest for some courage. I let a single drop of the soda mixture drip down my neck into my cleavage.

"Oops." I said, innocently looking up with my doe eyes. I slowly got up, his eyes laser focused on me. By now, I was a little tipsy. The giggly, flushed level. I brazenly pulled the string holding my dress together at the back, letting it drift softly to the ground. Stepping out of my shoes, I peered over my shoulder as Micheal stood, slack jawed at his luck.

"Well, are you coming?" I giggled and jumped into the lukewarm clear water. I dove under, enjoying the cool rush against my red hot cheeks. I was definitely drunker than I wanted to be, and the water helped my senses creep back. I could hear a loud splash behind me as I breached the surface and slicked my hair back. I stood in the chest-deep water, staring up at his big frame.

He tucked my hair behind my ear and leaned down, "You are the most stunning woman I have ever laid my eyes on."

My breath caught at his words, and he ran his thumb over my cheek. His lips crashed into mine gently, slowly gaining more momentum as he devoured my mouth.

"Let's go down here," a voice echoed at the beach's edge, "There's no one down here."

"Are you sure?" A familiar voice sounded hesitant, "I see a towel down at the edge."

"Don't be silly, Devin," My eyes shot open at the name while four feet walked down the dock behind us. I broke away and tucked my face into Micheals's chest.

"What?" Micheal looked down at me, confused.

"That's my ex and his new girlfriend. Hide me." I muttered into his hairless chest.

"Oh, God." Micheal pulled me closer and hid us under the dock, laughing as we pushed up against the dock leg.

Some shuffling was heard above us as they sat along the edge, swishing their feet in the water. I made a face-up at Micheal, disgusted, and he responded by curling his lip up in a sneer as they played footsie.

"This is nauseating," I whispered to him as the muffled conversation started above us.

"I didn't realize I was revolting." Micheal nibbled on my neck playfully. We giggled and made out under the dock, blissfully ignoring the couple above us.

At least until I heard my name.

"I thought you said your ex was coming?" Bethany probed at Devin.

"I thought so too, but I haven't seen Kendra yet."

The pedicured feet stopped moving, "I hate when you say her name." I could hear her high-pitched whine edge into her voice.

Devin sighed, "What do you want me to call her?" I could tell his patience was running thin.

There was a short pause, "Just call her your ex. But, unfortunately, she's not good enough to be referred to with her name." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Okay," Devin said curtly.

"Oh my God, you totally still have feelings for her!" Bethany's shrill voice bounced over the water.

Devin sighed, "Bethany, I'm here with YOU. I'm having a baby with YOU. Stop saying that!"

My ears started ringing, and I looked up at Micheal. His eyes were big, and his mouth sat agape. He dropped me in shock, and I squealed as my head went under. Micheal helped me up as I rubbed water out of my eyes.

"Kendra?" My eyes made contact with Devins as I stood slack-jawed, my arms wrapped around Micheals. His eyes worked their way down my body and back up, stopping at my perky nipples that poked through my thin swimsuit.

"YOU'RE SERIOUSLY CHECKING HER OUT?!" Bethany stood up with a stomp, "She is NOT that hot."

Micheal looked shocked, letting go of me, "Bethany?"

Bethany snapped her head over, horrified. "Micheal?"

"So this is. You're with. A baby with him?" Micheal gripped his face, struggling to the shoreline in shock. Bethany grabbed Devins's hand and darted off, neither of them acknowledging my existence. I heard Devin question her as they faded up the hill but shook my head, walking towards the ladder to the dock to grab my things. The sun had started sinking behind the forest, and the air was getting colder around me. Collecting my dress and shoes, I trodded up towards the blazing fire to warm up.

___

A chorus of male voices called out to me, and I hobbled into the circle in nothing but my bikini. I ignored them as I eyed Micheal and Bethany argue, and Devin sat with Corey drinking a beer. Then, walking up to Casey and Nora, I leaned down to hiss in their ears.

"Cabin. Our room. Now."

They listened as I took a warm shower and told them exactly what happened, occasionally whipping open the shower curtain to get a good look at their reactions.

"No fucking way," Nora said.

Casey was touching up her makeup in the mirror, "I knew it; there had to be a reason he just dropped our Kendy. She's a total 10 compared to Methany."

Nora and I laughed, "Yeah, well, I wanna know how the make-out sesh was with Micheal," Nora said.

"I will NOT be repeating that." I declared, "He clearly knows Bethany-"

"Methany," Casey stated.

"...Methany, sorry." I turned off the shower, and Nora handed me a towel. "I want absolutely nothing to do with that skank."

Nora nodded as I stepped out, the towel wrapped around me. "Sounds like a solid plan," Her phone beeped, and she looked down, "Besides, all the single college guys asked Nick about you."

I rolled my eyes, "Yippee."

___

An hour later, I was sitting back in the campfire circle, nursing a drink in my skinny jeans and sweater, when Charlee came up beside me, laying her blanket down next to mine.

"Hey," she said, "Can I sit here?"

I smiled shyly, "Of course."

She grinned and brushed against me to get into her chair. My arms' hair rose in excitement as a tingly sensation swept around my body at her touch. Sure, my heart raced at Micheal's handsomeness, but Charlee pulled me to her just by existing.

I was saved from awkward small talk when her friends sat down next to her and started a conversation. However, I could feel her eyes on me every so often when she stole a look over. I felt more nervous and self-conscious around her than any man I have ever encountered.

The moon was high in the sky when a game of truth or dare flared up in the group. By then, I was pretty drunk, and I could hazily see Devin and Bethany snuggling up while Micheal flirted with another one of my classmates. Interesting, guess I wasn't that great.

"Kendra, truth or dare." Nick's voice broke through my trance, and I looked over at the giddy man-child in front of me.

I smiled up at him coyly, "Dare."

Nick giggled like a schoolgirl, "Kiss the girl to your right."

My eyes grew wide as I snapped my head over to look at Charlee. She raised her eyebrows and grinned at me.

"Only if you want to," she said gently, placing a hand on my arm.

Tingles, again. This was going to drive me nuts if I didn't try. So slowly, I sat up and nodded, "Oh-ohkay."

Still leaning back on one arm, she reached over, cupping my face in her hand; she pulled me in, kissing me deeply.

Fireworks. No, nuclear bombs went off all over my body when her lips touched mine. Unlike Micheal, her lips were soft and tasted sweet. The warm exhale from her nostrils tickled my face as we lingered in our kiss for just a couple seconds, too long. Then, the group catcalled and forced me away from her. I blushed and looked down, biting my lip.

"Whoa," Charlee said, blinking down at me. I smiled shyly and returned to my drink as Nick moved on to Nora. I sat there, dazing off into space, until Nora ushered me to my tent for the night.

Whoa didn't even begin to cover it.