Page 110 of The Last Time I Lied

That all day I’d told myself I simply provided an answer to that state trooper’s innocent question. But deep down I knew the score. By saying Theo’s name, I had accused him of harming Vivian, Natalie, and Allison. All because he picked Vivian over me.

Not that such an outcome had ever really been in doubt. I was a scrawny, flat-chested nothing. Of course Theo chose her. And now I assumed he and everyone else in camp hated me. I couldn’t blame them. I hated myself more.

Which is why I was surprised when Franny came to Dogwood later in the night.

She had spent the previous night there. Not wanting me to be alone, she crept in with a sleeping bag, some snacks, and a pile of board games. When it was time to sleep, Franny unrolled the sleeping bag on the floor next to my bunk. That’s where she slept, lulling me to sleep by singing Beatles songs in a soft, gentle voice.

Now she was back, the bag of snacks and games in one hand and her rolled-up sleeping bag in the other.

“I just got off the phone with your parents,” she announced. “They’ll be here tomorrow morning to take you home. So let’s make your last night here a restful one.”

I stared at her from my tear-stained pillow, confused. “You’re staying here tonight, too?”

“Of course, my dear. It’s not good to be here all by yourself.”

She dropped the sleeping bag onto the floor and began to unroll it.

“You don’t have to sleep on the floor again.”

“Oh, but I do,” Franny said. “We must keep the beds free for when your friends return any minute now.”

I imagined Vivian, Natalie, and Allison flinging open the door and tramping inside, dirty and exhausted but very much alive.We got lost,Vivian would say.Because Allison here doesn’t know how to read a compass.It was such a comforting thought that I glanced atthe door, expecting them to do just that. When they didn’t, I started to cry again, adding a few more drops to the pillowcase.

“Hush now,” Franny said, swooping to my side. “No more tears for today, Emma.”

“They’ve been gone so long.”

“I know, but we mustn’t lose hope. Ever.”

She rubbed my back until I settled down, her gliding palm tender and soothing. I tried to recall if my own mother had ever done such a thing when I was sick or upset. I couldn’t think of a single instance, which made me savor Franny’s gentle touch all the more.

“Emma, I need to know something,” she said, her voice on the edge of a whisper. “You don’t really think Theo hurt your friends, do you?”

I said nothing in return. Fear kept me silent. I couldn’t take back what I’d told the police. Not then. Yes, Theo was in a lot of trouble. But I also knew I’d be in trouble, too, if I admitted my accusation was a lie.

And that I’d locked Vivian, Natalie, and Allison out of the cabin.

And that we’d fought right before they left.

So many lies. Each one felt like a rock on my chest, holding me down, so heavy I could barely breath. I could either admit them and set myself free or add another one and hope I’d eventually get accustomed to the weight.

“Emma?” Franny said, this time with more insistence. “Do you?”

I remained silent.

“I see.”

Franny removed her hand from my back, but not before I felt a tremor stirring in her fingers. They drummed along my spine a moment, then were gone. A few seconds later, Franny was gone, too. She left without saying another word. I spent the rest of the night alone, wide-awake in my lower bunk, wondering just what kind of monster I’d become.

—

In the morning, it was Lottie who knocked on Dogwood’s door to tell me my parents had arrived to take me home. Since I couldn’t sleep, I’d packed hours earlier, transferring the contents of my hickory trunk into my suitcase as dawn broke over the lake.

I carried the suitcase out of the cabin and into a camp that had become a ghost town. Silence hung over the empty cabins and darkened buildings—an eerie hush broken only by the sound of my parents’ Volvo idling near the mess hall. My mother got out of the car and opened the trunk. She then flashed Lottie an embarrassed smile, as if I had been sent home from a sleepover after wetting my sleeping bag.

“Franny apologizes for not being able to say good-bye,” Lottie told me, pretending that neither of us knew it was a lie. “She wishes you a safe trip home.”

In the distance, the front door to the Lodge opened up and Theo stepped outside, flanked by two of the detectives who had quickly become a common sight around camp. The firm grip they kept on Theo’s elbows made it clear this wasn’t a voluntary exit. I stood dumbly by the car and watched as they walked him to the arts and crafts building, likely for another interrogation. Theo caught sight of me and gave me a pleading look, silently begging me to intervene.

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