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  Rolling onto her side, she curled up and started talking really quietly.

  “Should we leave the room?” Amber whispered.

  “Nah. We can’t head out every time one of us gets a phone call.” I turned off the pump and tested the firmness of my bed. It worked.

  “What are we going to do if she keeps seeing him?” Amber asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, the other two guys will probably be there. I just don’t know if it’s such a good idea for all of us to hang out together. I mean—”

  “Why don’t we worry about it if it happens?”

  She jerked her thumb toward Jenna. “You don’t think his calling means it’s going to happen?”

  It probably did.

  “I’m too tired to solve this right now,” I told her. I just wanted to go to sleep. We’d been running around all day.

  “I know I’m probably worried about nothing. Gawd, I wish we hadn’t decided to visit a psychic.” Amber got her stuff together and went into the bathroom.

  I fingered the beads dangling around my neck. I didn’t know why I’d freaked out when Brady kissed me. Yes, I did. Brady was nice and that scared me. I didn’t trust him not to hurt me. Even for one night. It was a lot easier leaving him than it would be having him leave me.

  Jenna had talked about having a summer fling, but I’d never had a casual relationship. Drew had been my first date. I didn’t know how to date a guy without caring about him. And why would I want to?

  Why spend time with someone I didn’t like? And if I liked him, well, the more time I spent with him, it seemed like the more I’d start to like him, and the next thing I’d know . . . I’d be vulnerable again.

  The best thing for me to do this summer was to just hang out with Jenna and Amber. And if Jenna was with Tank all the time, then Amber and I would buddy up.

  I was probably worrying for nothing.

  I’d never see Brady again, anyway. Even if Jenna saw Tank, it didn’t mean that Amber and I would hook up with the other guys.

  Brady was no doubt going to be just a one night . . . whatever.

  Chapter 6

  “Okay, I’ve blogged day one of what I’m calling our Amazing Summer Adventure,” Jenna said, leaning away from the desk where she’d set up her laptop.

  It was the next morning. Ms. Wynder had knocked on our door shortly after the sun made its appearance. When I’d volunteered for this, I hadn’t considered that I’d be sleep deprived the whole summer. Even when I worked for my parents, I didn’t go in until just before the lunch crowd hit.

  Although I suppose I wouldn’t have been dragging so much if I hadn’t stared into the darkness for most of the night, thinking about Brady. Reliving the kiss. Wondering if he’d decided that I was a total nut.

  What did I care what he thought? I’d probably never see him again. Saraphina’s predictions were no doubt all jumbled up. Visions weren’t an exact science. Just because she’d mentioned hammering and a red cap didn’t mean they were in proximity. Last night was probably it.

  Of course, Amber, who was used to getting up with the cows—literally—was her usual perky self. She seemed to be totally over all the doubts she’d had the day before about the psychic encounter.

  She and I peered over Jenna’s shoulder. Jenna wanted to be a journalist, so she was all about reporting what was happening in our lives—with posting photos and all. And there was the photo of me and Brady.

  I looked…happy. And he looked…sexy. And together we looked…cuddly. An item.

  And I thought, Drew, eat your heart out.

  “So Drew is still on your friends list?” I asked, trying not to sound as interested as I was.

  “Oh, sure. He’s bound to see this.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I write interesting stuff, and he knows it. And he’ll be interested. I mean, face it. What we’re doing here is way different from what anyone else is doing over the summer. He’ll want to know all the delicious details.”

  She got up from the chair and I sat down. The room didn’t have much furniture except the beds, two dressers, a desk, and three chairs—two of which we’d raided from a lounge down the hall.

  Amber pressed up against my back as she tried to read what Jenna had written. “You didn’t mention Sean, did you?”

  “Of course not.”

  Jenna had written about our visit with the psychic but glossed over her prediction for Amber—no doubt because Chad was on her friends list, too, and he didn’t need to know that Amber might find someone better.

  Jenna hadn’t revealed anything incriminating. Still, it always unsettled me a little to see the intimate details of my life shared with others.

  “Oh, by the way,” Jenna said as she started getting dressed, “I might see Tank tonight.”

  I could hear the excitement in her voice.

  “Where?” I asked, trying to sound casually interested, instead of anxious to know if that meant that I might see Brady. Did I want to see him? I did. Scary.

  Amber moved away to start getting dressed, too. I decided I’d better follow or I’d be left behind. I pulled on the Helping Hands Helping Humans T-shirt that Ms. Wynder had designed for us to wear the first day to identify our group. It had hands all over it. What can I say? She was more into numbers than art.

  Jenna shrugged. “I’m supposed to figure out exactly where the dorm is and call him later with directions. He has a car. Said he’d come get me.”

  “That’s awesome!” Amber said at the same time I said, “Aren’t things moving a little fast?”

  I never would have asked that question before prom night. Sometimes I missed the old me.

  “I mean—”

  “I know,” Jenna said. “You got hurt and now you don’t trust boys, and you’re worried that I’ll get hurt, too.”

  “I trust boys.” I trusted them to hurt me. Drew had really messed me up. I hated that I was giving him that power.

  I sat on a chair and started lacing up my hiking boots. We’d been warned to wear sturdy shoes and jeans because we didn’t know what we’d run across in the debris. No exposed legs. No sandals.

  “You don’t trust boys,” Jenna repeated.

  What was I supposed to say to that? Do, too? So we could get into exchanging meaningless comebacks like two-year-olds?

  “Uh, y’all, do we have to wear these T-shirts?” Amber asked.

  I looked over at her and saw that the hands on her T-shirt were rudely placed. I dropped my gaze to my own chest. Yep, those little hands were sending a message that I didn’t want to send.

  Jenna started laughing. “Oh my gosh. I never thought I’d be so glad for a tall body. At least my hands aren’t exactly where they shouldn’t be.”

  “Considering the message, I don’t think we do need to wear them,” I said. “At least I’m not.”

  I jerked off my T-shirt and scrounged around in my suitcase until I found a faded T-shirt from a vacation my family had taken at Thrill Ride! Amusement Park.

  Amber and Jenna changed their shirts, too.

  I welcomed the distraction from what might have turned into an argument with Jenna. I was really happy for her, glad she’d met a guy who wasn’t bothered by her height. And I really, really hoped…

  I didn’t know what I hoped. That she didn’t get hurt, of course, because we were only here for the summer, and he was only here for the summer, and even though he went to college in Houston…. I suppose their relationship could last past our time in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, before prom night, I probably would have believed in it continuing after we got home. But I used to believe in a lot of good things, like love was forever and boyfriends were neat to have.

  Pancakes and sausages were waiting for us in the cafeteria. Several of the volunteers were already eating. Our little group of six, along with Ms. Wynder, gathered at one table. While we ate, Ms. Wynder went over the safety rules again: Watch out for critters, stay alert, don’t get in a hurr