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Abby

The hotel is great. They wanted to bunk us in separate rooms, but we dug our heels in and said we’d all be sleeping in one. We joined the beds, and that was that. The counsellors didn’t like that. They said we always had to do things our way. Well, that’s the truth!

After unpacking, we had a photoshoot on the terrace. Our room has an enormous terrace, by the way. We really had to snap some pictures of it. Iris and Vicks went to have Malibu with the boys. I’d get one too, if I could. I love Malibu! Yeah, I know how that sounds.

My phone chimes—two texts. What the hell now? I grab the cell and lie on the bed. Texts keep on coming. Sent from the Internet and signed “the boys”. I can feel my brain freezing. My head spins. I’m going to lose my mind.

Hi, Abigail. Listen, keep away from Ve!

Go to the club and pick up a Spaniard. When you come back, he’ll dump you, and we’ll get our friend back.

Stop fucking with him, telling him you want to go back home to him. We know all Polish girls are sluts and fuck around in Spain!

And why did you tell him to stop doing speed?! As if he’s yours!

We’ll take him to Coco and then to Edge Vibe. He’ll come around. You can consider your relationship finished. Divorce!

Each time you call, he feels down. What were you thinking, bitch?! And besides, his face is a ruin. You won’t want him anymore.

Stop calling him. He can’t even eat normally now. You’ll see. We’ll tell him. Now fuck off—and don’t forget condoms. Have a nice fucking!

I can feel a wave of bile inside me. I’m revolted. I feel weak.

“Abby? What happened? You look like you saw a ghost,” Ivy says, alarmed.

“Here. Read this!” I throw her the phone.

“Holy shit! What a bunch of idiots!” She’s pissed now. “Come on, you know they’re playing with you. They want to make you mad. They want you to have a drink and do something stupid. Somebody told them to do it. Maybe stop talking to Myro. Something’s not right here.”

“They were jealous from the get-go. Maybe I should call Ve? Maybe he can speak now? And about Myro, I guess he’s having it both ways—he pretends to be Ve’s friend and keeps selling the guys information. What a bunch of losers! Who would do such a thing?”

“How can you even be sure something has happened to him? Come on!” Ivy says.

“Where?”

“We’ll call Ve and you’ll know for sure.” She grabs my hand and tosses me my handbag. “You going, girls?”

Ivy recounts the whole story to the other two on the way.

“Come on, Abby, they’re idiots,” Vicks says. “They haven’t got girls themselves, and they know Ve found a real good one. They thought you’d be a slut and that they’d prove him they were right. And not only were they wrong, Ve fell in love with you. And they’re losing their buddy now, because of course he prefers spending his time with you. He’s obsessed with you.”

I call Connor, but nobody picks up. I dial Myro. I tell him what happened, but he assures me he knows nothing about any texts. Says it’s got to be a wind-up.

In the meantime, Ivy’s mom calls and yells at her because the camp counsellor called her to complain about us. We’re the four that always have to have things their way…

In the evening, Ivy and I go to the club, but the party sucks. I can’t stop thinking about Ve. I decide I won’t be visiting any clubs during the camp anymore. Besides, they always say people get killed or cut there. What a town…

The weather is bad. It’s raining nonstop. Everyone is drinking booze. Me and Ivy keep away from alcohol. Everyone is asking why. Last year we had lots to drink. This time it’s weird.

Seven more fucking days. I hope at least the sun comes out.

I get texts today again. I don’t have the strength to deal with that anymore. If Ve wants to do stupid shit, let him do stupid shit. It’s his life. Today they outdid themselves.

Nobody likes you here. Bridget is better. Connor should be with her instead! Don’t call him!

Fuckwits! I’m so scared they’ll make him go to a party and get him involved in something he’ll regret. Or make him take speed again. If he does, it’s the end. That’s a line I won’t let him cross.

Everybody went to the club, and I’m sitting in my room with Ivy. We’re supporting each other. We both have our boys’ T-shirts. Comical. Life used to be so easy when we were single! No limitations, no stress. That doesn’t mean I regret anything. I couldn’t care less about parties and booze, but the stress makes last year’s camp seem so much better. We were both free and had lots of fun at parties. I even met a handsome Italian boy, a real treat, and he seemed to like me too. One time at the club we went outside and made out. Acounselor caught us and gave me a pretty hard dressing down. I thought about it differently then, but he was right. I didn’t know the boy. He could have taken me somewhere. Though I still think I’m somehow protected, that I can sense other people’s intentions. Anyway, Mattia—that was his name—took my address and kept sending me letters afterwards. He even sent me photos of himself. He was pretty handsome, a bit like Roger. He rode a bike and had a sports car. I’m pretty sure his family was rich.

Today the sun has come out at last. Sadly, only for a moment. We’re going to Barcelona. I love that city. I adore the fountains at Montju?c, near the Placa d’Espanya—the view is incredible, unforgettable. I love fountains in general, especially those with music and light shows. They’re fantastic! A place like that is the perfect spot for a proposal.

We go everywhere—the longest bench in Park Güell, Sagrada Família, Camp Nou. I even buy my brother an original FC Barcelona T-shirt. I also snap hundreds of photos. The views here are straight out of a fairytale. Located by the sea, Barcelona is one of my favorite cities. It’s warm here for the majority of the year. Only I’m not sure if I’d like to live here. I’d prefer an English-speaking country. LA and Miami are definitely on my to-do list. I’m sure I’m going to fulfil that dream one day, though both those cities aren’t strictly English speaking—Spanish is popular there too. Who knows, maybe someday someone will make a movie. I’ll be the producer and screenwriter. That would be a great mix of all the things I love: traveling, photography, movies, and writing. Who knows!