My lips found her throat again and I flicked my tongue out quickly and tasted salt, making my tongue swell in anticipation of the kiss.
“Cricket?” we heard Ethan call out.
Cricket let out a panicked gasp and pushed me away. She separated herself from me by sliding down the shelf. All I could do was stare at her in disbelief.
“I cheated,” she said, placing her hand over her mouth as if in disgust.
“With who?” I bit, frustrated beyond belief that she was abandoning me yet again.
“You!” she whisper yelled.
“We haven’t even kissed!” I yelled low.
“I’m an awful person,” she said desperately. “I cheated.”
“You are an awful person,” I replied with acid and she began to cry. “But not because you supposedly cheated. It’s because you haven’t really been with Ethan for months now, yet you keep stringing him along. Just like me. You’re cruel, Cricket Hunt. And I’m officially done with you.”
“Wait!” she begged. “Please, let me explain. I’m ready to tell you everything. You have to understand!”
“Not a chance. I’m done with you,” I told her and meant it.
I launched myself from the pool and headed straight for the campsite.
“Where’s Cricket?” Ethan asked me.
“Back there,” I told him. With my heart.
The next morning, Jonah “knocked” on my tent. I sat up and unzipped it for him.
“What!” I howled.
“Dang!” Jonah laughed. “What crawled into your sleeping bag?”
“Your cousin did.”
“What?”
I laughed. “No, I just meant that I officially have decided to get over Cricket Hunt.”
Jonah sat on his haunches. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” I said, yanking my hair at the sides.
“I can see that.”
“Bite me.”
“Yowza. Sounds like she did a number on you. Is that where you were gone to last night?”
“Yeah, I was off getting tortured by your cousin.”
“Now, wait a minute, did she, uh, tell you anything?”
“No! And I swear, I’m recommending you all for the CIA.”
Jonah laughed. “All right, well, I’m taking Ethan hunting with Eugie for breakfast. You want to come?”
“Hell no! I want as far away from him as well.”
“Fine, grumpy.”
He zipped my tent shut and I fell into my pillow, pissed beyond belief. I don’t know how it happened, I was so amped up, but I fell back to sleep.
“Spencer!” someone yelled, waking up.
My heart pounded. I unzipped my tent and discovered a panicked Cricket.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m, uh, sorry to bother you, but everyone went back down to the springs and I don’t have anyone else to turn to.”
“I’m always a last resort for you,” I acidly replied.
“I deserve that, and I’m sorry, but right now I can’t talk about that. Right now, you and I need to go out and search for Jonah and Ethan.”
“What?” I said, my adrenaline spiking. “Why?”
“Because they took their bows to hunt and their rifles to protect and I just heard their rifles discharge.”
“Oh my God,” I said, already sliding my boots on.
I zipped my jacket up and grabbed my own rifle.
“Come on,” I told her. “Where did you hear the shots?”
“In that direction,” she said, pointing southwest.
“All right,” I said, walking.
“Jonah!” I yelled and waited for a response.
“Ethan!” she yelled.
We traded back and forth that way for a good five minutes before we heard two shots. We stopped dead in our tracks before sprinting their direction, yelling their names at the tops of our lungs.
Finally, Jonah yelled back, “Spencer?!”
“Where are you!”
“This way,” he said, blowing his air horn.
We found them and Eugie, their rifles cocked and ready and staring farther southwest from us.
“What happened?” Cricket asked, out of breath.
Ethan looked at her. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern in his eyes.
“I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile.
“Wolves,” he answered.
“Oh no. Eugie!” she said, calling him to her side. She held his belled collar in her hand. “Stay here, boy.”
“They ran off that way,” Jonah explained.
“Good,” Cricket said, “let’s get back to the campsite.”
He nodded but looked unsure.
We were halfway back to the site when Eugie began growling.
“Eugie?” Cricket said, uneasy.
All three of us cocked our rifles and lifted them.