Either way, he doesn’t say anything to Dawn all evening. He hangs out with Alex instead, the two of them talking about sports and video games like they’re overnight besties. He tries to make like he’s ignoring Dawn, but Dawn knows better. He keeps stealing glances in her direction when he thinks she won’t notice, but she does.

And when Dawn catches Lucas looking at her, he quickly looks away.

Morning comes early. Dawn wakes up from a dream that she can’t remember except that Warden was in it and they were somewhere warm, and she was actually happy.

She wakes up shivering under her tarp just as the sky starts to get light again. It’s been another restless, uncomfortable night.

Everybody moves slow but the counselors. Amber has a fire going already and water boiling for hot oatmeal. She gives Dawn a friendly look as Dawn crawls out of her sleeping bag. “Sleep okay?”

Dawn shrugs, mumbles something about coffee. Then she wanders off to find a boulder to pee behind.

While she’s gone, all hell breaks loose.

Chapter 37

“MOTHERFUCKER!”

Kyla is screaming when Dawn comes back around the boulder, dreading having to wash her hands in the freezing-cold water of the tarn nearby. Kyla’s voice makes Dawn forget about washing her hands.

Kyla is pissed.

“If you ever touch my ass again, dude, I swear, I will cut you,” she’s saying.

She’s saying it to Christian, who is backing away from her with his hands up and his eyes wide, shaking his head and kind of laughing—like Calm down, crazy; just relax—and then he looks around and sees how everyone’s watching him, watching what’s happening, and he kind of goes a little bit red. “It was an accident, Kyla,” he says. “Just chill.”

But Kyla isn’t having it.

“Yeah, an accident, bullshit,” she tells him. “Just how many accidents are you going to have, asshole? You think I’m that stupid to fall for your shit?”

Christian glances around again, and nobody’s turning away. His face goes hard. His voice gets an edge to it. “Now, calm down,” he says. “I apologized, and that’s that. You keep making a big deal out of this, I’m going to have to—”

“Have to what?” Kyla asks. “Bust me back down to Black Bear so you can touch my ass for two more months?”

Christian starts to answer, but Kyla waves him off, turning back to her tent. “We all know what you’re up to,” she says. “Creep.”

Christian claps his hands. “That’s it, you’re busted. Black Bear, Kyla. Congratulations.”

Over her shoulder, Kyla shoots him the finger.

“Brown Bear, then.”

She’s singing now. “Fuuuuuuuck youuuuuuu.”

“Bear Cub,” Christian says. “I hope you like it out here.”