The Sweetest Summer(12)
“Uh, no, my hormones are perfectly fine. Something’s wrong with you. You’re like a senior trapped in a seventh-grader’s body.”
“Thanks.” Amanda thought that was a compliment. “So do you want to know how I got this invitation or not?”
“Doesn’t matter to me. I’m not even listening to you anymore.”
“Great. Well, there were about six boys and two girls. I think some of the guys live here year-round. So anyway, one guy asked me if we wanted to go swimming with them later somewhere really cool. I said yes, and he slipped me a piece of paper with ‘Eagle Nest Point’ on it.”
Evie tried to slow down, but Amanda wouldn’t let her. “Wait. Where was I when all this was going on? Didn’t that boy know you were just twelve?”
Amanda groaned with exasperation. “You were busy helping to load the suitcases in the trunk, and if you tell anybody I’m only twelve I will make your life miserable.”
Evie laughed because, honestly, Amanda already did that. “So how old are you supposed to be, then? I’m fourteen, and we’re obviously not twins, but there’s no way you’re going to be older than me.”
“Make me thirteen, then.”
Evie couldn’t believe how stupid this conversation was. “I hate to tell you this, but thirteen doesn’t sound much older than twelve.”
“Well, at least it has the ‘teen’ part in it.”
She had a point. “Okay, so how do you know where this Eagle Nest place is?”
“I asked the motel owner.”
Evie looked sideways at her little sister. “When did you do that?”
“When I went to the vending machines for ice.”
She just shook her head. “How did you even turn out this way? How is it that you and I can be in the exact same place at the exact same time and you always find a way to get in trouble?”
“Simple!” She pulled Evie to get her to run faster. “You see it as trouble. I see it as fun!”
They arrived at a metal fence. A crooked and rusty NO TRESPASSING sign hung by a single screw. Evie knew instantly that this was a bad idea. “We could get arrested,” she said.
“Or, we could die of boredom.”
They hopped over the fence and climbed up a dune dotted with sea grass, goldenrod, and a whole lot of bayberry plants. Duh—that was probably how the island got its name. Once at the top, they saw about a dozen kids hanging around a big piece of driftwood. Some were smoking. Some seemed uneasy, wrapped up in their towels and staring out at the water. This was obviously something that went on here every summer—the locals checked out the tourists and decided which ones would be fun to get in trouble.
Evie wanted no part of it.
“I’m going back to the motel.”
“No!” Amanda grabbed her upper arm. “You can’t! I’m just twelve! You have to stay and make sure I get home safely. What would Ginny and Charlie say if you abandoned me and left me with kids who were a bad influence?”
“You’re the bad influence. I should be protecting the local kids from you. And Mom and Dad would ground you if they heard you call them by their first names.”
They trotted down the sandy slope and walked up to the group. One of the boys announced, “Okay. Whoever’s not here is shit out of luck, I guess.”
“Oh, my God!” Amanda sucked in air dramatically. “That guy is a complete Baldwin.”