Page 2 of Some Kind of Forever
“I love him, I do, but I’m too young. I have things I want to accomplish. Places to go. People to…do. Speaking of, who areyoudoing lately?” She waggles her eyebrows, taking another sip of her coffee.
I snort and shake my head. “I’mdoinga lot of different jobs this summer and don’t have time to worry about awho. I have to put all my energy into landing that internship, on top of working to pay for next semester.”
I have my shifts at the diner, the odd babysitting gig,andI’ll be a camp counselor for the first session at Camp Bender. Added to that is a trial catering event at the end of summer that will determine if Ms. Patti extends one of her catering internships to me. I can’t afford to get distracted. That internship is my Holy Grail.
“Ah, yes, because burning out by graduation is a great way to get your start in the real world,” she says, scrunching her lips to the side. “I’m just saying, maybe a little ‘hit it and forget it’ won’t hurt you this summer.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not the saying…”
“Whatever. You know what I mean.” She waves her hand in the air like she’s trying to swat away my attempt to change the subject. “How long has it been anyway?”
“Since what?” I challenge with a blank expression. The beeping timer sets me in motion.
“Since, ya know…” She makes anOwith one hand and sticks her pointer finger through it with the other.
“Oh, that… Since Evan,” I mumble, turning around to avoid her wide-eyed stare. I scurry back to the kitchen and turn the muffins onto the cooling rack, reset the timer, and slip in the last batch.
“Evan? Like freshman-year-in-college Evan? That Evan? That was three years ago!”
I face her as I come back around the counter and lift an eyebrow. She knows exactly whichEvanI’m talking about. She’s the one who helped pick me up off the proverbial floor after what happened with him. “Yes. That Evan. Thanks, by the way. Ilove to be reminded of how that all went down. Top ten, all-time favorite memory,” I deadpan. “And I’ve been busy!”
“Busy for three years? No one in college is that damn busy.” Her side-eye full of sass makes me roll my eyes.
“Well, I am. And why are we talking about this when I’m at work?”
She shrugs, biting her lip nervously. “Sorry! I was just surprised. Three years is so long ago I assumed you’d gotten back in the game. You know, gotten Prince Charming out of your system. And he was charming,” she rambles. “Evan charmed the pants right off your roommate.” She tries to hide her joking smile by pinching her lips closed as I glare at her, the giggles overtaking her short frame.
I met Evan Matthews at freshman orientation. He was tall, dark, and handsome—everything a naive eighteen-year-old me was looking for. A football player for Salima State, he was charming, affectionate, confident, and I was enamored…until I was catapulted straight out of the clouds and dropped face-first on the ground.
“Okay, buh-bye now.” I narrow my eyes at her. “Don’t you have some maps to pass out?”
“Yeah, I should get going. But, Kayla,girl, you really need to get back out there.” She glances at the clock on the wall and stretches her legs before standing. “Text me when your lunch break starts.”
Once the jangling from the bell above the door stops, I’m left to enjoy the last few moments of the quiet diner. Ashlie scored the front desk position at the Fort Bender Visitor’s Center and Museum across the street. She gets to relax behind a desk all summer with a good book, hand out maps, and remind everyone to sign the visitor’s log. I get to run around town like a beheaded chicken with its wings on fire.Relaxing? What would that be like?I’m only a little jealous.
CHAPTER TWO
CHASE
“Torture. That’s what this is. I thought we were friends, butthis? Unforgivable.” Hunter huffs as he looks out the car window, face scrunched tight.
“We didn’t know how to tell you.” I hold back a chuckle as I drum my hands on the steering wheel. “Besides, Fort Bender’s got some cool things going on. Give it a chance.”
“I’m looking for thethings… Therearenothings! A tree. Another tree.A third tree,” he groans. “We’re in California! Where’s the beach? The sun?The beach?”
“I said there’d be camping…”
“Yeah, but I thought you meanton the beach!” His voice raises in pitch the more frantic he gets, green eyes widening as I laugh at the ridiculous tone his voice has reached.
Hunter and I have been friends since he was born. I’m a year older, but that bit of age difference hasn’t stopped us from being close. Our families are close too. We’ve vacationed together for as long as I can remember. This year, his dad picked Fort Bender and Hunter isstressed.
“It could be worse,” I say, switching the radio station. “We could be stuck working that EdTechU convention booth again. At least this place has some character.” Our dads met in college,where they started a small educational technology company called EdTechU. It’s grown to be one of the largest tech support firms in the country. It’s always been my dream to work for the family business, and now that I’ve graduated, I’m ready to embark on that journey. All I want to do this summer is take it easy and have a good time in this small town which, according to my best friend, is the worst thing in the world.
“I’m just saying, you could have warned me,” Hunter continues, his short dark curls swaying against his light brown skin as he shakes his head.
“I sent you a map, details for our volunteer hours at camp, and the rental info. What more do you need?”
“Bruh, abeach!”
