from a pretty good distance away, but it’s still a shock to see the cottage lit up and dozens of summer students standing near a line of kegs.
“Hell, yeah,” Ax says, jogging ahead. He passes by Lars and Cadee, both of whom have stopped on the edge of the clearing to gape at the scene before us.
“What the fuck?” I whisper.
There has to be more than a hundred people here. The little swimming hole is packed. There’s a volleyball net set up and a game going on in the fading sunlight. A loud clinking sound makes me turn my head to find a game of drunken horseshoes in progress. And—
“Is that a croquet setup?” Lars laughs.
“What the hell is going on here?” Cadee whirls on me. “You did this, didn’t you? Just so I wouldn’t have a place to call home! You are such an asshole, Cooper Valcourt. I hate your ugly guts!”
She stomps off and neither Lars nor I make a move to go after her.
He stands next to me. “Did you do this, Cooper?”
“No, I didn’t do this. When would I have time to plan a party today?”
Lars sighs. “It looks like it’s been going on all day.”
He’s right. Someone didn’t just throw this together. There’s a catering table, for fuck’s sake.
Then I see Isabella. Lars sees her at the same time and points. “She did this.”
I can’t say I don’t agree. Her and her pledges are all sitting in a circle of Adirondack chairs in front of a small campfire, chatting and laughing, their faces bright from the fire and glowing from the sun today. They’re still wearing their derogatory white t-shirts that Ax made. Like a badge or something. Clearly not fazed by his attempts to shame and humiliate them.
And why should they be? It’s a joke to them. They don’t take it seriously. It’s just part of the game.
“Fuck it,” Lars says. “I’m staying with Ax. You coming, Cooper?”
I look over my shoulder to see if Cadee’s around. She’s not. So I’m just about to say yes when I sigh. “Nah. I’m going home. You guys can find a way across the lake when you’re done, right?”
“If we don’t show up for rush tomorrow, you know where to find us.” Then he walks off, calling for Ax to grab him a beer.
I turn back to the woods and head towards the boat. Surely, Cadee will be there. Where else could she go?
But when I get there, she’s not.
Fuck it. I jump in, take a seat, and I’m just about to turn the key and take off without her when I stop and just lean back in my chair to pause for a moment. And think.
I don’t know how long I sit like that, but it’s very dark and the stars are out when I hear a voice behind me say, “Why didn’t you stay at the party?”
Cadee. I don’t turn to look at her. Just keep my eyes trained on the sky. “I’m tired, Cadee.”
She rocks the boat a little when she steps in. And then she slips into the passenger seat to my left. “Me too, Cooper.”
“I get it,” I say, still not looking at her. “I do. I understand that you’ve been dealt a shit hand and you’re pretty far in the hole right now. But my life isn’t fun. It isn’t…”
I stop. It’s stupid to even try to explain. No one gets it. I am Christopher Valcourt. What could possibly be wrong with my life?
Cadee doesn’t say anything. But from the corner of my eye I watch her bring one leg up and prop her head on her knee. She’s got her body angled towards the center of the boat. Like she wants to have a conversation or something. Or maybe she’s just… listening.
I turn my head without picking it up from the back of my seat and stare at her. “You know I didn’t mean any of that shit today.”
“Do I know that?”
I stare at her for a little bit, even smile. Because I like Cadee Hunter. I have always liked Cadee Hunter. I have known this girl my whole life. And that’s not just a throwaway expression. It’s the God’s honest truth. We never ran in the same circles—hell, she never had a circle other than her parents. But all growing up she was always there. On the edge of things. Like a sweet mystery. Or a promise of something better beyond the tall walls of High Court and past