already?"
He looks at me and grins. "That so hard to believe? Not as bad as you thought it would be, right?"
I stare at him, mouth hanging open slightly. I had no idea it was already July 4 th . I mean, sure, I know it's July and all, but it just never really felt like the holiday was approaching.
"I guess not." I return his smile. "What are you guys doing?"
"Doan's dad has a boat," Justin says. "We thought we'd take it out on the lake. We usually do it every year."
My stomach tightens at the sound of Doan's name.
"Oh," I say, trying to casually brush the sweat on my palms off on my shorts. "I think I'm good."
Justin just smiles at me. "Yeah, right. You're not sitting around at home with Dad and Tanya on the Fourth, Holls. I won't let you."
"Yeah, but I don't -- "
"No buts about it," he cuts in. "You have no good reason for not coming with us."
"Actually, I --"
"Nope. I don't care about whatever's going on with you and Doan. You're coming."
I feel my cheeks flush. "Nothing's going on with me and Doan," I protest.
"Good." Justin grins. "Then there's no reason you shouldn't want to come."
I let out a sigh. He's got me, and he knows it, and so do I.
"When do we leave?"
"Half an hour."
My eyes widen. "You think I can be ready that fast?"
Justin shrugs, a devilish gleam in his eye. "Remember you don't care about anyone that's going, right? You should be ready in five minutes."
I glare at him, don't say anything and hurry out of the room. I can hear him chuckling softly behind me as he puts the milk back in the fridge.
***
Justin stops his BMW in a sandy parking lot in front of a wide lake resting in the valley of several different mountains lining it on all sides. My jaw drops slightly at how beautiful the scene in front of me is; I've never seen anything like this.
The lake is huge, bigger than I remember it being the last time I came here when I was just a kid. Hundreds of tiny specks litter the water's surface -- islands. They're small, of course, even when you get close to them in a boat, but they're just big enough to pilot over to and lay out on.
And the way the sunlight reflects off the mountains, making them glow red even at mid-morning -- it's beautiful. Breathtaking, even.
Justin opens his car door and startles me out of my trance.
With one last longing look, I unbuckle my seatbelt and hop out of the car. I glance around subtly behind my sunglasses, looking for Doan.
I find him standing knee deep in the water, wiping at something on the side of the boat with a blue rag. I see him before he sees me, and I'm glad. It's like when you spot an enemy spider crawling across your bedroom ceiling late at night and you can't let it out of your sight because the very second you do, it disappears, and then you can't sleep, and it sneaks up and attacks when you least it expect it.
Yeah.
I'm not about to let Doan be that spider.
I stand here for a few seconds until Justin sneaks up behind me.
"Enjoying the view?" he asks, startling me from my thoughts.
I spin around, hand over my suddenly rapidly-beating heart. "Jesus, Justin, you scared me."
He grins devilishly at me. "You didn't answer my question."
I glare at him. "It's really pretty here," I say, raising my eyebrows as if I'm issuing some sort of challenge, and I think I might be.
But my brother only laughs. "Oh, Holls," he says. "And you think Doan's the crazy one."
I don't respond, and when I glance over to where I last saw Doan standing, I realize he's gone.
Just like the spider.
Great.
"Come on, give me a hand with this thing."
My brother points to the cooler he packed this morning before we left the house. I bend down to pick up one end and he grabs the other before walking backwards down toward the shoreline.
Meanwhile, I'm nervous the whole time because I can't keep an eye on Doan.
"Here's good," Justin says, and I release the end I'm
He looks at me and grins. "That so hard to believe? Not as bad as you thought it would be, right?"
I stare at him, mouth hanging open slightly. I had no idea it was already July 4 th . I mean, sure, I know it's July and all, but it just never really felt like the holiday was approaching.
"I guess not." I return his smile. "What are you guys doing?"
"Doan's dad has a boat," Justin says. "We thought we'd take it out on the lake. We usually do it every year."
My stomach tightens at the sound of Doan's name.
"Oh," I say, trying to casually brush the sweat on my palms off on my shorts. "I think I'm good."
Justin just smiles at me. "Yeah, right. You're not sitting around at home with Dad and Tanya on the Fourth, Holls. I won't let you."
"Yeah, but I don't -- "
"No buts about it," he cuts in. "You have no good reason for not coming with us."
"Actually, I --"
"Nope. I don't care about whatever's going on with you and Doan. You're coming."
I feel my cheeks flush. "Nothing's going on with me and Doan," I protest.
"Good." Justin grins. "Then there's no reason you shouldn't want to come."
I let out a sigh. He's got me, and he knows it, and so do I.
"When do we leave?"
"Half an hour."
My eyes widen. "You think I can be ready that fast?"
Justin shrugs, a devilish gleam in his eye. "Remember you don't care about anyone that's going, right? You should be ready in five minutes."
I glare at him, don't say anything and hurry out of the room. I can hear him chuckling softly behind me as he puts the milk back in the fridge.
***
Justin stops his BMW in a sandy parking lot in front of a wide lake resting in the valley of several different mountains lining it on all sides. My jaw drops slightly at how beautiful the scene in front of me is; I've never seen anything like this.
The lake is huge, bigger than I remember it being the last time I came here when I was just a kid. Hundreds of tiny specks litter the water's surface -- islands. They're small, of course, even when you get close to them in a boat, but they're just big enough to pilot over to and lay out on.
And the way the sunlight reflects off the mountains, making them glow red even at mid-morning -- it's beautiful. Breathtaking, even.
Justin opens his car door and startles me out of my trance.
With one last longing look, I unbuckle my seatbelt and hop out of the car. I glance around subtly behind my sunglasses, looking for Doan.
I find him standing knee deep in the water, wiping at something on the side of the boat with a blue rag. I see him before he sees me, and I'm glad. It's like when you spot an enemy spider crawling across your bedroom ceiling late at night and you can't let it out of your sight because the very second you do, it disappears, and then you can't sleep, and it sneaks up and attacks when you least it expect it.
Yeah.
I'm not about to let Doan be that spider.
I stand here for a few seconds until Justin sneaks up behind me.
"Enjoying the view?" he asks, startling me from my thoughts.
I spin around, hand over my suddenly rapidly-beating heart. "Jesus, Justin, you scared me."
He grins devilishly at me. "You didn't answer my question."
I glare at him. "It's really pretty here," I say, raising my eyebrows as if I'm issuing some sort of challenge, and I think I might be.
But my brother only laughs. "Oh, Holls," he says. "And you think Doan's the crazy one."
I don't respond, and when I glance over to where I last saw Doan standing, I realize he's gone.
Just like the spider.
Great.
"Come on, give me a hand with this thing."
My brother points to the cooler he packed this morning before we left the house. I bend down to pick up one end and he grabs the other before walking backwards down toward the shoreline.
Meanwhile, I'm nervous the whole time because I can't keep an eye on Doan.
"Here's good," Justin says, and I release the end I'm
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