Last Summer by Hailey Abbott

he’s not pining or anything because he met some chick who’s also going to school in Pittsburgh this fall, who seems nice, who she thinks he might be dating. Beth and George are moving on together , it seems.”
    Finished with that involved summary, Jamie proudly sat back and popped a carrot into her mouth. Kelsi looked over to the other table.
    Ella and Jeremy looked to be in high spirits, as Ella told some tale to Beth’s new guy, one that involved lots of hand gestures. But the new guy kept glancing over at Beth and George. They were talking to each other, with George tapping out points on the wooden table, like he was either drumming or giving a presentation.
    “Yikes,” Kelsi murmured.
    “Exactly,” Taryn agreed, snorting with laughter. The only other person who snorted when she laughed was Ella, Kelsi thought, which made her love the both of them even more.
    “Maybe not yikes , exactly,” Jamie said, frowning slightly. She shrugged. “I’ve always loved George. I think it’s really cool that they’re trying so hard to be friends.”
    “Has that ever worked, though?” Kelsi asked. She remembered how insanely in love George and Beth had been, and how badly they’d hurt each other. “In, like, all of human history?”
    “I can’t even watch,” Taryn told Kelsi. “It makes my head hurt.”
    Kelsi tore her gaze away from what she was certain was the impending catastrophe at the next table, and focused on Jamie instead.
    “I’m so excited that you’re going to Amherst!” Kelsi toldher cousin. “Bennett’s already promised to give you the full rundown on campus life. Taryn and I are always there, and we’ll get to hang out all the time. Next year is going to be amazing!”
    “I love Northampton,” Taryn chimed in. “It’s this totally crunchy but hip little town, with zillions of bookstores and thrift shops and cafés. It’s such a great place to live. You’ll definitely love it.”
    But Kelsi noticed Jamie didn’t respond. “I’m so hungry,” she said eventually. “I’m going to go grab some more of my mom’s Caesar salad. Do either of you want anything?”
    Neither one of them did, because they were both stunned and staring at her, so Jamie got up and hurried away.
    “Um, that was weird, right?” Taryn asked when Jamie was out of earshot. “She totally didn’t want to talk about school. I figured she’d be so excited about Northampton that she’d consider transferring to Smith, to be honest.”
    “Yeah…” Kelsi frowned after her cousin. “I don’t know what’s up with her. She’s the most driven one of all of the cousins. She usually can’t shut up about how great Amherst is and how psyched she is to be going there.”
    “Maybe she’s freaking out,” Taryn said with a shrug. “Remember how scared we were at the beginning of the year?” What Kelsi remembered was that she had felt terrified, while Taryn had seemed in her element, but she opted not to say anything.
    “Yeah, but Jamie spent all last summer there,” Kelsi said instead. “There’s no fear of the unknown—she’s already done it!”
    “Then, clearly, she’s just weird,” Taryn concluded with a wink, making them both crack up.
    The night darkened around them, and they lit citronella candles in the center of the picnic table to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Kelsi loved the tangy smell of the candles, and she stared into the center of the flame, while above them the night sky was a dark blue fading to black.
    “Did you talk to Bennett today?” Kelsi asked Taryn when they were picking at fresh berries and debating about making vegan s’mores over the fire.
    Taryn shook her head. “He’s always so busy,” she said. “Running around for that guy. Why, what’s up?”
    “Nothing.” Kelsi sighed. “I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like maybe New York isn’t the best thing that ever happened to him, after all.”
    Taryn frowned. She looked impatient for a moment or maybe Kelsi just imagined it,