Something in the Way(24)

Manning exhaled deeply. "I'm older and wiser. Just trust me."

Of course I understood why we had to keep our friendship to ourselves.  It wasn't anything to be ashamed of, but not everybody would understand  it. That meant that to other people, there was only thing linking us:  Tiffany. "Are you going to ask Tiffany to go to camp?"

"Yes."

"But why?" I asked. "She thinks camp is for losers."

"Because it would be good for her. Think about it. She's not working right now, maybe a little aimless."

"A little?"

"Maybe she'll end up liking it."

I looked over my shoulder at the house, surprised nobody at home had  thought of it. It was a good way for Tiffany to make some extra cash and  get some space from Dad. But it meant I'd be giving up a week alone  with Manning. I turned back to him. "Is that really the reason you want  her there? Or is it because it looks bad for you and me to be friends?"

Manning took out a cigarette. "I have to go back to work. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Fine." Frustrated, I walked back along the curb toward my house. I'd  have to trust him. He'd been good to me so far. He'd won me a pelican.  He made eye contact with me. He didn't talk over me like a lot of people  did. Whatever his reason was for wanting Tiffany there, I'm sure he was  looking out for all of us.

When I reached the front door, I turned and looked back. Manning still  leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a lit cigarette hanging between  his lips.



Tiffany parked her car with a sigh and stared out the windshield at the YMCA.

"You don't have to do this," I reminded her.

"Manning asked me to."

"So you like him again?"

She looked over at me. "I never stopped."

"After dinner last week, you acted like you weren't sure about him."

"And yesterday I hated overalls, but this afternoon, I went to the mall  and bought two pairs because I saw them on Heather Locklear. It's not a  crime to change my mind."

Thankfully for her. Tiffany changed her mind about a lot of things, like  outfits and friends. She'd do the same with Manning, too.

I got out of the car and looked around the parking lot, half-expecting  Manning not to show. But there he was, leaning against the side of his  truck, smoking. I waved, but it was dusk, and I couldn't tell if he'd  seen us, so I started over toward him.

When I was close, he put his cigarette out on the ground. "You're late," he said.                       
       
           



       

He didn't talk much, but when he did, my heart dropped into my stomach.  All the time, when we were apart, I thought about his deep, rumbling  voice and wondered when I'd hear it again. "I told you six-twenty," I  said. "It's six-nineteen."

"Your clock's slow."

"No it's not," I said. Actually, I didn't know who set the clocks in my  house, but I'd always been on time for school. "Is it?" I asked. "Are we  really late?"

He lifted one corner of his mouth.

When he smiled, I smiled. "Are you teasing me?" I asked.

His expression changed when he looked behind me. "Hey, Tiffany."

"Hi." She brushed by me and opened her arms.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm trying to hug you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a ten-year-old girl?"

"Please?"

With a sigh, he opened one arm. Tiffany snuggled into his side, wrapping herself around his torso.

My stomach soured like I'd eaten rotten seafood.

"I missed you," Tiffany said.

I turned away. If they were hugging, he might kiss her again-and I was  certain I'd puke if he did. "We should go in," I said, walking off.

There was no time to introduce Manning to the director before the  meeting. Gary was already standing at the front of the small, crowded  room, trying to get everyone to settle down. There was a podium in the  center, but Gary never used it. I'd know him anywhere just by his thick,  black curly hair that would've been down past his ears if it didn't  grow straight out. A beach bum his whole life, he had a perpetual tan  and bloodshot eyes, and he was the only person I knew who'd rather have a  conversation with kids than adults.

There was only one pair of seats left, and the rest were singles. Fine.  Let Tiffany and Manning sit together. I took a seat near the front so I  wouldn't have to see them hug.

"Welcome to the first Young Cubs counselor meeting," Gary said. He  must've been at least thirty. He'd been running the program since I'd  attended as a camper. "I'm happy to see familiar faces and some new  ones."

Throughout the meeting, I refrained from looking back at Manning. He  probably thought all this was childish, bored out of his mind. Being a  counselor was fun, though. Last year, I'd been in charge of one of the  younger cabins, and the girls had been endless in their love and  affection. They'd thought the world revolved around my co-counselor and  me. There was no feeling quite like a group of little girls all arguing  over who got to be the one to hold your hand.

The meeting lasted a half-hour and after, I found Manning and Tiffany  seated at the back of the room. "What'd you think?" I asked them.

"Outdoors for up to eight hours a day?" Tiffany asked. "Sounds awful. And dirty."

I shrugged. "Don't bring nice things, and you'll be fine. Manning?"

He gave nothing away. "Let's find out if they have any openings first."

As if on cue, Gary wandered down the aisle between the seats, a big  smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. "Well, well. Lake Kaplan. We're  lucky to have you for another year."

"Thanks. This is my sister and her friend." Manning didn't even look at  me as he stood. I'd done what he'd asked by introducing him as Tiffany's  friend, and that was my reward-nothing. At least if I'd called him my  friend, I would've gotten a warning glance.

They shook hands. "Gary, right?" Manning asked. "Manning Sutter."

"Nice to meet you, Manning. You don't look like you're in high school."

"He's not," I said. "I was wondering if there were any paid counselor positions open for him."

"It's a little late for that. We've already done all the hiring." He  twisted his lips. Gary was the kind of guy who liked to find solutions  for everything. If he could help, he would. "We did discuss bringing on  one more counselor due to a rise in campers this year."

"I'm interested," Manning said. "I work construction, and we'll have a break for a few weeks during that time."

"Construction? Think you could help out with some projects around the campgrounds?"

"Absolutely," Manning said.

"Great. Let me talk it over with the board and see if I can swing the  budget. As for you-" He looked down at Tiffany. "I'm sorry. I didn't  catch your name?"

"I'm Lake's sister." She paused. "Tiffany."                       
       
           



       

"Hi, Tiffany. I'm almost certain I wouldn't be able to convince them of a  second position. We've got plenty of female hires. I'm sorry."

Tiffany opened her mouth. I'd seen that look on her face before. Dad had  taken her car away for a week her senior year because she'd snuck out  in the middle of the night to go to a party. She'd gotten it back two  days later. "But I really want to go," she said, glancing at Manning.  "And you just said you might need more help."

"We will." Gary smiled. "We'd love to have you as a volunteer."

Tiffany laughed nervously. "You mean for free?"

"For fun," Gary said, grinning some more. He turned back to Manning.  "We'll need some information from you guys. Background checks and things  like that since you'll be around a bunch of kids."

"No problem," Manning said.

"Good. Let me get your number, and if I can work it out, I'll give you a call."

Manning followed Gary to the front of the room, and I sat next to  Tiffany. "This is so dumb," she said, pouting. "I don't even want to  go."

"You said you did."

"If Manning's going, I want to. Obviously. A whole week away from Mom and Dad with him would be massive."

My entire plan dissolved before my eyes. "That's not really what camp is  about," I told her. "Most of the time, you'll be so busy with kids, you  won't have time for anything else. And like you said, it's dirty."

"They have showers, right?"

"Um, yeah. There are kids there. Personal hygiene is important."

"Well . . . I guess I don't really have any big plans that week." She  flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked around the room. "I think I  recognize some of these people."