Willa cuts her off. “You should do that. I’m going to crash for a couple of hours and maybe hit up some thrift stores.”

In the two days down from Catskill, they discussed all the things they could do in New York. Explore Central Park. Take an Alexander Hamilton tour of the city. Visit museums and art galleries. Ride the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. Willa still wants to do some of these things—but absolutely not with Campbell and Kaia.

Confusion etches a line in the gap between Taylor’s eyebrows. “I thought we—”

“I was awake all night,” Willa says. “So you just go do your thing and I’ll do mine.”

Taylor

THIS IS A WATERSHED MOMENT for Taylor Nicholson. She can choose to spend the day in New York City with her brother and a girl whose presence is causing Willa pain—or not. The fearless girl who defeated a thunderstorm is lost inside someone small and diminished, and Taylor is embarrassed that her brother is responsible for it.

“I can upload some pictures while you sleep,” she says. “Then we’ll do stuff together, okay?” Taylor turns to Cam. “I’m staying with Willa.”

He shrugs. “We’re going to find early brunch.”

As he leaves with Kaia in tow, Taylor rolls her eyes and calls after him, “Early brunch is breakfast, you ass.”

She’d hoped to make Willa laugh, but Willa just stands there, her expression hollow, as Campbell walks away.

“I don’t think he means to be cruel,” Taylor offers, even though she knows her words are unhelpful. “He’s just—”

“Let’s not do this now.”

Taylor does the rowing as they return to the sailboat. She makes them bagels with cream cheese for breakfast, which they eat in silence. The way Willa stares into the middle distance is unsettling, but there is nothing Taylor can say—nothing she thinks Willa will want to hear—that will make her feel better. Willa curls up on her bunk, and Taylor uploads the photos from the concert that she took with Vanessa’s phone. She smiles as she scrolls through images of the Donut Shop, of her all-time favorite band, and especially of Vanessa. Taylor feels guilty, but last night was one of the best nights of her life. Her feelings for Vanessa make Taylor’s sexuality feel more solid. She has a word for it now that she’s never used before.