Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
My body didn’t understand that though.
About two weeks before Camden was supposed to leave, I woke up with knot in my stomach. At first, I’d thought I was coming down with a stomach bug, but as the days passed, it wouldn’t go away. The constant ache made it impossible for me to sleep or eat, and sometimes, it felt like I couldn’t breathe. It went on for days, and without any way to get me to a doctor, it scared the hell out of Ramsey. Eventually, I couldn’t take his nervous glances and constant checking up on me anymore, so I faked feeling better.
He bought it. At least I think he did, but around the same time, Camden started to worry about me too. There were only so many excuses I could come up with every day for why I wasn’t eating lunch.
Yes, they were both right to be concerned. Something was seriously wrong with me, and as the summer drew to a close, the knot in my stomach had become a boulder that was too heavy to carry.
I was always tired.
I was always irritable.
I was always just one comment away from tearing apart at the seams.
But I didn’t know what else to do. So I started lying to Camden too. And you know what? When you’re scared and alone and you need something to be true so badly that you start to believe it yourself, it’s not hard to lie to other people anymore.
I felt like death when I woke up that particular morning. I cried in the shower, clutching my stomach for over an hour, but being that it was Camden’s last day, I pulled myself together, got dressed, and headed to the creek.
I was fifteen minutes late, but he was nowhere to be found. I searched for a while, hoping he was hiding, waiting for his moment to even the score for all the times I’d scared him in the past. But when I’d checked the plastic container he’d dug into the ground, I found it filled with worms and a note tucked inside.
Nora,
My parents got here last night to pick me up. They planned a whole stupid barbecue with all my aunts and uncles and cousins for today. I should be back around five, but I might be late, so bring a flashlight.
Camden
P.S. Get ready! My mom is making banana pudding!!!
P.S.S. Mr. Leonard was still asleep, so the worms are all yours today.
P.S.S.S. Am I doing this P.S. thing right? I got a C in English.
P.S.S.S.S. I’d rather be there with you.
God, I was going to miss him.
I spent the morning staring up at the sky. I chalked it up as a practice for my sad, lonely future after he left. Yeah, fine. I was being dramatic. But I was eleven and losing the only friend I’d ever had. I was allowed to be dramatic.
The walk home seemed longer that day.
Cars passed. People waved. And my stomach ached with such a heavy weight that I had to stop and catch my breath a few times.
My dad was home when I got there, which meant I couldn’t stay unless I wanted Ramsey to have a heart attack, so I grabbed my flashlight from under my bed and headed out to find my brother and Thea.
I’d always loved their tree, standing tall in the middle of the Wynns’ hayfield. It had plenty of shade, a cool breeze, and enough space to give the illusion of privacy.
Our creek was still better.
Thea and Ramsey weren’t there when I arrived, but no matter where they were, they’d end up at that tree at some point. I peeled my backpack off, sat with my shoulders against the bark, and did my best to ignore the overwhelming dread of waiting to say goodbye to my best friend.
“Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were working today?” Ramsey asked when he showed up about twenty minutes later. I didn’t have a chance to reply before his face suddenly paled. “What’s wrong? You feeling sick again? What hurts?”
I shook my head, crossing and uncrossing my legs at the ankles. “Relax. I’m fine. It was hot earlier, so I’m going back tonight when things cool off.”
With a twitch of his head, he cleared his shaggy, brown hair from his eyes as he studied my face to see if I was telling the truth.
I wasn’t, but I was getting pretty good at the whole lying thing, so I passed the test anyway.
“Want me to go with you?” he asked.
“We could both go,” Thea added, suddenly appearing as only my brother’s shadow knew how. She grinned and sank down next to me. Sir Hairy—canine royalty of mutts—wedged himself between us and began covering my face with sloppy kisses.
I gave his ears a good scratch and replied, “It’s the last Friday night before school starts. Don’t you two have anything better to do?”