Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita Page B

later. He’s probably in the boathouse thinking no one would look there because it’s usually locked. That’s where my brother hid last year when he was a counselor. Apparently they unlock the boathouse for the hunt. We’ll come back for him if we have time.”
    I wanted to reach over and kiss that pez right on the cheek! I couldn’t believe they weren’t rushing over to check right now. But their loss was my gain. If Cole was spotted coming this way and the boathouse was unlocked, then he could be in there. It was the only hiding place at the lake I could think of other than lying in one of the canoes. But they always had lake water hanging out in the bottom and were all moldy. Eww.
    “Guys, we only have a half hour left,” said one of the pez. “Let’s get Dylan to the jail before it’s too late.”
    They headed off, leaving me alone again and my eyes narrowed in on the small, wooden boathouse. Instead of running, however, my feet felt like they were glued to the sand. I was possibly
thisclose
to finding Cole and part of me suddenly didn’t want to. My hands felt sweaty, my mouth was dry, and I was beginning to hyperventilate. Maybe I wasn’t ready to do this after all.
    “I thought I saw a counselor go this way!” I heard a camper yell.
    Maybe I didn’t have a choice. The boat shack was a few feet away. I could make it inside before I was spotted. I fumbled for the door and miraculously it really was unlocked. I shut it quietly behind me and looked around hopefully in the dark. There didn’t seem to be anyone in here. Disappointed, I waited till I heard the campers run by to continue my search.
    The shack was kind of spooky at night. The only way I could see was the illumination of the moon shining in the windows. I tried not to think about spiders and counted the seconds till the coast was clear. That’s when I heard a noise. I spun around and there in the moonlight was a knight. Cole! I gasped.
    My heart started beating madly and I thought I would pass out. This was really happening. I was alone with Cole and I was about to tell him the truth. Cole moved to take off his mask. “No! Wait. Don’t do that!” I blurted out. I could barely breath I was so nervous. I had to do this and I had to do it quickly. “I know it sounds silly, but I have something to say and it might be easier if I wasn’t looking into your eyes.”
    I closed my eyes and tried to think of the words I’d practiced over and over in my head a hundred times before: I like you and here is why. I could hear them, but I couldn’t get myself to say them out loud. I was too nervous to do it. “I…” I couldn’t do this. Telling someone you liked them was harder than I imagined. How did boys do it? “I…” Think of Cole, I told myself.
    I pictured Cole laughing at the mess hall, his curls bouncing as he held his stomach. I thought of that moment when he tackled me to the ground during Capture the Flag and took a few seconds longer than he should have rolling off me. I could see his bluer-than-Court’s-bright-blue-nail-polish eyes looking at me at a campfire when he gave me his last roasted marshmallow. How he helped me through the woods to avoid being seen by Beaver the night of the prank. Cole wasn’t afraid of being caught even if I was.
    And that’s when I realized: What exactly was I afraid of now? I’d liked Cole almost the entire summer and this was the first time I’d been afraid to be myself around him. That was silly, wasn’t it? I’d never pretended to be someone else around him before and I wasn’t about to do it now. I pulled off my wig and stared at his suit of armor.
    “There is something I’ve wanted to say to you for weeks,” I said slowly. “It’s something I’ve never said to a guy before, but I know if I don’t say it to you, I’ll always regret it.” I took a deep breath, letting the air fill my lungs before I finally spoke. “I like you,” I blurted out. “I really like you and I hope what