Page 6 of Best Vacation Ever

Lori chews on her bottom lip. I know that look, and I clench the phone tighter in my hand.

“My parents just finished telling me how this summer is for studying, working, and volunteering only.”

“So?” I exclaim. Lori’s parents have such a tight hold on her, it makes me appreciate my mom and dad’s relaxed take on parenting even more. Lori’s lucky I’m around to force her to get out occasionally, or she’d be locked in a tower, wilting away studying until she’s thirty. “It’s aweek, not the whole summer!”

Lori frowns and looks away from the camera. “I don’t know, Faye. I really want to come . . . I’ll try to talk to them.”

This can’t be happening. The stars have aligned to allow us to go on this trip, and I cannot allow Lori’s superstrict parents to ruin it!

“I’ll come over and convince them. I’ll get my dad to come as well. That worked last time when we went to Niagara for the weekend. Youhaveto come, Lori. At least look at the emails I sent you.”

She sets her phone on her bed and gets up, and I hear her shuffle around her room. Once she’s back, she props her phone on what I assume is her computer screen so I can still see her.

“Before I bring it up to my parents, are you sure Adam’s letting us come? Or did he just say ‘maybe’ and you interpreted it as ‘pack your bags’?”

“Lori. We’reG-O-I-N-G.” I spell the word out for her. “He had a bunch of conditions, but I have the confirmed itinerary in my hands as we speak.” I flap the stapled pages in front of the camera before pressing it to my nose and audibly inhaling. I sigh in contentment. “Smells like suntan oil and the ocean.”

She laughs, her mood lightening. “You’re ridiculous. What were the conditions?”

“Oh, I wasn’t really paying attention. I’m sure it was the usual ‘don’t embarrass me, I don’t want to see you the whole trip’ blah blah blah.” I fall back to lie on my bed. “Kellan’s coming.”

It’s an effort to not start daydreaming about Kellan Reyes.

“Obviously Kellan’s going.” She hesitates. “Does he know you’re going?”

Kellan is Adam’s best friend, who I’m always around since Adam’s friends are always over. Though I’ve known Dylan the longest, Kellan is my favorite. Kellan and I even hang out without Adam all the time, and it’s in a totally non-datey way even when it’s just the two of us. But when Adam has his friends over and if he’s in a good mood—which is rare—he lets me hang out with them. I’m naturally flirty and flirt with everyone, and so does Kellan, so Adam thinks he has nothing to worry about.

Key word:thinks.

Because a few weeks ago, I slept with Kellan.

Twice.

Adam doesn’t know, and never will, since Kellan and I swore to never tell anyone. Well, anyone except Lori obviously. She’s my best friend, so when I say,I won’t tell anyone, what I really mean isLori and I won’t tell anyone.

I sigh and shake my head to rid myself of images of Kellan.

“I don’t know. He hasn’t messaged me about it. Do you think it’ll be awkward?”

Lori’s full lips stretch into a thin smile, and I can tell she’s trying not to laugh. “Faye. It’s you. It’s almost impossible to embarrass you; Do you even possess the gene for that emotion?”

“You’re right. I’m going to have fun either way. Get me a hot vacation fling,” I say.

“Geez, Faye, we’re sharing a room, right? I don’t want to hear any of your sex noises!”

“That means you’re coming!Yes!”

“I’ll talk to my parents,” she says, lifting her phone properly up to her face as I hear her laptop click shut.

“Good,” I say. “And don’t worry about the sex noises. I’ll put the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door.” I chuckle, leaving her to decide if I’m joking or not.

“Great. Can’t wait to sit on the floor in the hallway, waiting for your booty call to leave.”

“You’re such a team player.”

Lori jumps and lowers the phone, leaving me with a perfect view of her ceiling.

“Lori, what are you doing up? I thought you said you had a headache and were going to sleep?” Her mom asks from what I’m assuming is the doorway to her room.