We collected Moreno after that. He was awake and waiting back at camp. He acted as if we’d just gone for pizza—and taken our sweet time getting back—but I didn’t miss his look of relief when we walked into the campsite.

“Of course you did,” he said when Maya told him we’d succeeded. “I trained you, didn’t I? Now let’s get these tents taken down and go home. Oh, and get that beer gone on the way. If Sean sees I bought it for you, he’ll give me proper shit.”

Jacinda cleared her throat.

“Fine,” he said. “You can have one, too.”

She gave him a look.

“What?” he said. “They’re not going to drink and drive. That would be wrong.” He walked to me. “You okay with taking the wheel, kid?”

I nodded. I don’t drink. Not because I’m too young, but because, well, I just don’t. A valid choice.

“I’ll drive,” Jacinda said. “And as long as it’s only beer…”

“It is,” Maya said. “Just beer and just one each. That’s the rule.”

Moreno leaned over and whispered. “It’s their rule. They’re very responsible. It’s kinda scary.”

We packed to go. Sean was already in his jet, heading our way from Los Angeles. His flight would take a few more hours, but we wanted to be back to Badger Lake and settled in before he arrived. I’d just finished helping Maya take down a tent when Derek walked over.

“Don’t forget this,” he said, handing me my novel.

I took it…and my study pages fell out.

“So that’s where I put those,” I said and reached down to scoop them up before he did. “I must have put them in there before we left—”

“Don’t,” he said, his voice low.

I glanced up. Maya caught my eye and motioned that she was stepping away. She bundled the tent under her arm and gathered pegs. Derek handed her the last two. She murmured a “thanks” and walked to the picnic table to bag the tent.

“It makes it worse when you lie about it,” Derek said.

“I-I wasn’t…I just…”

“You’re hiding the fact that you were studying on your vacation time, because you’re hiding the fact that you’re trying to get into college early. It’s a surprise for me. Which means it’s not really lying. Except it’s like giving people a surprise party when they really don’t want to celebrate. Part of the reason it’s a surprise is because they don’t want it. Which”—he met my gaze—“isn’t right.”

I swallowed. “But—”