“Avril! Hey! You decided to come!” I turn to look over my shoulder at the sound of my name, and Jude is making his way toward us with a big grin on his face. He’s the program assistant who picked me up at the train station earlier this evening. My flight from Dallas to New York City was delayed, so I had to take a later train out to Connecticut, which meant I was the very last one to arrive. I got here just in time to drop my bags in cabin number one before dinner. “And Alexander,” he adds when he sees Lex. “Shit.” He snaps his fingers. “Sorry. You said you go by Alex, right?”

Jude is cute. Dark brown skin and big, warm eyes. His hair is shaved short except for a cascade of perfect charcoal-colored ringlets in the front. I see Lex run a hand through his own red hair before he throws a grin back in Jude’s direction. “It’s just Lex. I go by Lex.” He’s playing with the fringe on his scarf again.

“Lex.” Jude nods. “Got it.” And I notice the way his eyes linger on Lex for a second, even though he’s talking to me. “I told you the bonfire would be awesome. It’s kind of a first-night tradition. You get settled in okay?”

“Yep,” I tell him. “Like you said. Hilton by the sea.”

The temperature has dropped, and I wrap my arms around my chest. I wish I’d grabbed a sweater. I keep forgetting I’m not in Texas anymore. By mid-June, Dallas is already sweltering. Even at night. But here, with the breeze sweeping in off the water, it’s chilly.

“Yeah.” Jude laughs. “The cabins aren’t exactly luxurious.” That seems like an understatement. I think of the paper-thin bunk bed mattress and the leaning dressers with their crooked drawers. “But you’ll really just be there to sleep anyway. Willa keeps everyone busy.” He laughs again. It’s an easy sound, and it makes me a little jealous. I wish I could be easy like that. “Oh man, you guys are gonna love Willa. She’s a trip. In the best way. You’ll meet her before breakfast tomorrow.”

“Whoa,” Lex mutters under his breath, like he can’t quite comprehend it. “Willa fucking Culver.”

I knew she’d be here, of course. We all knew she’d be here. But Lex’s reaction is still understandable, because Willa Culver is a theatre legend.

“The one and only,” Jude tells us. “Y’all get ready, because for the next four weeks, Willa’s gonna be your director, your teacher, your boss, your mom, and your best friend all rolled into one.”