Keeping Her Secret (10 page)

Chapter Ten

Dee dropped a full plate
in front of Riya before her butt had even hit the bench. “Saved you some.”

“You’re the best,” Riya said in way of thanks. She picked up a spoon and scooped a giant heap of buttered grits into her mouth.

The announcements had finished, and Riya had about four minutes to eat before they cleared the cafeteria to set up for the next activity. Remembering her promise to Courtney, she swiped a banana from the tray and popped up to grab a box of the cereal they always kept on hand for the picky breakfast eaters. When she turned to head back to her seat, a T-shirted man chest stopped her. She craned her neck to see Colt Chastain standing in her way. His blond hair stuck up at all angles.

“Do you know where my sister is?” he asked.

Oh my God, does he know? How? Who told him? How much does he suspect? How pissed is Courtney going to be?
All of those thoughts passed through her mind in less than a nanosecond.

“You share a bunk with her, right?” he asked. “You must have seen her.”

Her overactive mind hit the brakes. “Yeah, I saw her.”

“Is everything okay? She didn’t practice this morning, and she never misses breakfast.”

Riya nodded, unsure how much of the truth to share. “She’ll be at the first session.”

“Was it the vodka?” Colt continued without giving Riya a chance to answer. “I knew I should’ve stopped her. She never drinks.”

“She doesn’t?” In the past two days, Riya’d overheard Courtney tell Bridget how much she’d drank at this or that party several times.

Something in Riya’s tone caught Colt’s attention. He scrutinized her expression. “She’s two different people,” he said. “The real one, and the one she thinks everybody expects her to be. Though, I guess you know that better than most, don’t you?”

Riya inhaled sharply and choked on her own spit. Through the coughs, she spat out, “Me?” He knew something, he must. “I don’t know anything.”

“Yeah, you know the real her,” he said. “From when we were kids.” The skin between his eyebrows wrinkled. “You’re weird this morning.”

Riya shrugged, thinking up an excuse. “I’m tired, not quite awake yet.”

He nodded like that made perfect sense. “How late were you up with Courtney, anyway?”

Riya couldn’t figure out if he was testing her or she was just being hypersensitive. Either he suspected something and was fishing for information or he knew everything and was testing Riya’s loyalty on Courtney’s behalf. Or she was overreacting entirely.

“Derek told me he left her with you last night and that she’d been really drunk,” Colt added. “How bad was it?”

“Pretty bad,” Riya said. “I held her hair. I think she threw up everything she’s ever eaten.”

He probably didn’t need to know that, but Courtney’s drunkenness felt like a much safer topic than anything else they could talk about.

Colt grimaced. “Sorry.”

Riya felt compelled to say more, to keep talking. “I gave her water and medicine this morning. It’s going to be a rough day for her.”

“She doesn’t deserve you.” There was something in his tone that made Riya nervous.

Her gaze jerked to his eyes, and he waited. Of course Courtney deserved her. More, even. Courtney was amazing. She deserved anything and everything. Riya, remembering the panicked look in Courtney’s eyes that morning, clamped her mouth shut until she could come up with a normal non-romantic thing to say.

“I gave her some ibuprofen.” She tried to sound dismissive. “It’s nothing anyone else wouldn’t do.”

Colt twisted his lips together. “Riiiiight.” He drew out the word.

Dee materialized next to her. “You going hiking again, Riya?” And then, as if he hadn’t been the main reason she’d come over instead of waiting to ask Riya on the walk back to their cabin, she said. “Oh, hey, Colt.”

Colt grinned down at her. Not a polite smile or a casual good-morning smile, but a full-on “I’m so happy to see you” smile.

“Good morning, Lola,” he said with a deep smirk.

Dee giggled, rolling her eyes playfully. Well. Riya had missed something, it seemed.

“I told you not to call me that,” Dee said, but zero conviction backed up her words.

“I had my schedule changed so I can go hiking with y’all. Is that okay?” Colt asked without taking his eyes from Dee.

“Of course,” Riya said before mumbling something about having to go and backing away as discreetly as she could manage.

She caught up with the twins and Elise as they cleared the table. She scooped her apple and Courtney’s banana from her plate before Tiffany piled it on top of her own.

“So…” Riya trailed off, indicating Dee and Colt with a twitch of her head.

“Yep,” Stefanie and Tiffany said in unison. It was kinda freaky when they did that.

Elise flashed a huge, toothy smile, and those two words were all that was needed to settle the Dee and Colt conversation.

The four of them waited for a minute outside the door, but Dee didn’t appear, so they headed back to the cabin to get ready for the day.

Courtney was nowhere to be found, but her bed was made and all her things had been put away. After dropping the banana and cereal on Courtney’s bed, Riya went to the bathroom partly just to see if Courtney was in there. She washed her face, used the toilet, and washed her hands before returning to her bunk.

Dee came jogging through the front door, beaming.

Tiffany threw the shirt she’d just been about to put on at Dee. “Look who decided to show up,” she said, teasing.

Laughing, Dee tossed it back at her. “Put your clothes on.”

Riya suffered a flash of jealousy. Though she understood Courtney’s need for time, she hated that she couldn’t celebrate their budding relationship with her friends.

She opened the drawer with her T-shirts and reached her hand in. But it was empty. Confused, she opened another drawer. Nothing. Only then did she notice that her toiletry bag, which had been sitting on top of the dresser, was also gone. She searched around and realized the blanket, pillow, and sheet no longer lay on her bed. She’d been so focused on Courtney’s bed when she came in that she hadn’t even noticed.

“Guys,” she said, interrupting her friends’ joking around. “All my stuff is gone.”

Four smiles fell from four faces as they turned their attention to her. She pointed to her empty drawers and the empty spot under their bunk where her bag had been.

“They’re kicking you out,” Stefanie said.

Riya’s stomach turned to stone.
No. Not now
. Not after Courtney had finally opened up to her.

“What did you do?” Tiffany asked.

Riya racked her brain, trying to think. She’d stayed out way past curfew with Courtney, but Courtney’s stuff was all still there, so it couldn’t be that. Could it? Unless her parents, bigshot lawyers, had somehow argued for her to stay.

Elise was the first to crack. It sounded like a cough, at first. She covered her mouth as a strange mewling escaped her lips. Dee turned away before an unmistakable laugh burst from her mouth. Finally, the twins joined in and everyone laughed openly. Riya scowled at her friends before smiling, relieved.

“Sorry, that was mean,” Stefanie said.

“So I’m not getting kicked out?” Riya said. “Where’s my stuff, then?”

“It’s an old camp prank,” Tiffany added.

Something twisted in Riya’s stomach. Courtney had pranked her? After the kisses and the confessions, Riya had assumed a cease fire at the very least.

Dee took in Riya’s outfit—a plain white tee on top of a white sports bra and black volleyball shorts—and tossed her a blue sports bra from her dresser. “You’re going to need this.”

Riya caught the sports bra and stared at it, still confused. “I don’t get it. Where’s my stuff?”

“Put that on. One sec,” Dee said. She changed in record time, slipping on tennis shoes without tying them.

Riya turned toward her bunk and changed into Dee’s sports bra, unsure why it was necessary.

“You’re probably going to miss hiking.” She sounded apologetic as she led Riya outside.

Halfway to the office side of the lake, the twins and Elise caught up, running until they fell into step with Riya. Tiffany French-braided her hair as she walked. If Riya still wasn’t so confused about where her stuff was, she would’ve asked Tiffany how she managed it. Riya could braid her hair and she could walk, but doing both at the same time would result in disaster, she was sure.

Dee marched straight onto the beach and extended an arm, pointing at a dark shape about a third of the way across the lake. It looked to be a kayak with a dark lump in the seat.

Riya stared at it, then turned to Dee, who nodded.

“My stuff is out there?” She squinted at the lump. She supposed that could be her bag.

“Yep,” Tiffany said.

“Courtney pulled out an old favorite for this one,” Stefanie added.

Riya glanced down at her borrowed sports bra. “So why do I need this?”

Dee blushed a little. “I didn’t think you’d want to come out of the water wearing a white sports bra.” She raised her eyebrows at Riya, asking if she needed to explain further.

That was thoughtful, but she still didn’t see why it was necessary. “I can just take another one of the kayaks out to get it, though.”

Elise stepped forward, toeing the water. “All the others are chained and locked if it’s not designated lake time,” she said. “They leave one unlocked in case of an emergency.”

Did everyone know the full playbook on this prank except for her? Volleyball camps never took place on lakes, so she was not familiar with this particular flavor of “hide someone’s stuff.”

“So I have to swim out to get it.” She grew grateful for the borrowed sports bra.

Her friends nodded. She couldn’t believe Courtney had done this to her after last night. It made Riya realize how serious she’d been about continuing on, business as usual. That she’d go to all this trouble, as terrible as she felt, to make everyone think nothing had changed made Riya’s stomach sink.

“And make sure you don’t tip over the kayak on your way back,” Elise added, making a face. “Hypothetically. For example.” Nothing about that sounded hypothetical.

Stefanie elbowed her. “I told you I’d go out and get it for you.”

Elise smiled at her friend. “Some things you just gotta do for yourself.”

“It’s farther than it looks,” Tiffany offered. “Pace yourself.”

Dee glanced over her shoulder. Campers walked by in a steady stream, on their way to the first activity of the day. The hiking group would depart from the bonfire field in just a couple of minutes.

“Go,” Riya said to Dee. “Thanks for the…you know.” She motioned at her chest area.

“Are you sure? I feel bad leaving you,” Dee said.

“You told Colt you’d be there,” Riya said, putting more cheer into her voice than she felt. “He’ll be heartbroken if you stand him up.”

Dee cast one more glance at the kayak floating on the lake, then at Riya. “Thank you. And good luck.” She took off toward the bonfire area, walking on the boy’s side of the lake.

Riya turned to the other three. “You guys don’t have to stay and watch me. Go do whatever you were planning on doing.”

Elise glanced at Stefanie and gave Riya a sympathetic look. “We were going to make a dreamcatcher,” she said. “I was looking forward to it.”

“Please, go.” Riya shooed her hands at them. “I’ll be fine.” The two walked away with their thanks and apologies.

Tiffany plopped on the sand, sitting on her heels.

“What are you doing?” Riya asked.

“Dane’s not on duty yet,” Tiffany said. “He won’t be here for at least an hour. There aren’t any water sports planned until the second session.”

Dane was one of the lifeguards, Riya remembered from the first night.

“I’m a great swimmer,” Riya insisted. She didn’t want anyone to lose out on anything fun because of Courtney.

“Tate Ramsden drowned to death,” Tiffany said with no further explanation. Tiffany was a woman of few words. She was stoic. Riya liked that. Usually, anyway.

“Who is Tate Ramsden?”

“He was a competitive swimmer at Dartmouth who died last year at a YMCA,” Tiffany said. “So I’ll be right here until you’re safely back on shore.”

The thing about people who didn’t say much was no one could argue with the few things they did choose to say.

Not wasting any time, Riya waded into the water and dove toward the center of the lake. As she sliced her arms through the calm surface in even strokes, doubts crept in to her thoughts. Courtney wanted to act like nothing had changed so much that she hauled all of Riya’s belongings to the middle of the lake while suffering one hell of a hangover. Riya couldn’t help wondering if, for Courtney, it was more than an act. If she’d regretted her drunken declarations and wanted to take them back. Or…maybe…the drunken declarations themselves had been part of a larger act. Courtney couldn’t be so cruel as to play that kind of prank on Riya.

Could she?

…

Courtney went to archery that morning
because she knew Bridget would be there. She did not know David would also be there. And Derek. Crap.

Bridget only ever annoyed Courtney when she flirted. The girl subscribed to the belief that guys only liked stupid girls who never challenged them, so her giggles and inane agreements throughout the entire session had Courtney feeling nauseated all over again. Bridget, despite her inclination to act dumb and preference of talking about shallow things, was incredibly smart. Courtney considered willful ignorance a terrible waste. This morning, especially, it kept reminding Courtney of her own grand lie. No one could fully be who they were. Except Riya, who was so fiercely herself. Riya knew exactly who she was and lived her life without apologizing for it.

Derek kept trying to make polite conversation, showing he harbored no hard feelings, which was sweet of him. Courtney wasn’t in the mood, though.

Their instructor that day was one of the male counselors, so she told him she had “lady trouble” and he rapidly excused her to leave twenty minutes before the session ended. On her walk back to the cabin, she spotted dark clouds on the north horizon. She hoped they’d blow west instead of dumping rain on Pine Ridge.