That North Carolina Summer

Watermelon

We finish unpacking, and Rylie touches my arm, letting me know we should go down for lunch. I try to ignore the small shock as her fingers graze my arm. We walk out the door and I stop as I take in the view. Thanks to the fact that we're on the fourth deck, and the large gap between the houses in front of us, we have an amazing view of the ocean.

Rylie notices that I've stopped, so she walks to the railing and props her arms on it. I walk up next to her and we stare out at the waves crashing. She breaks the silence first.

"I don't think I will ever get tired of these views. Growing up here makes you appreciate it more. Or maybe that's just me!" She laughs.

"No, I feel the same way! There is so much to appreciate here, we have the ocean, amazing beaches, and endless trees. Growing up here and getting to experience every part, definitely helps you appreciate it more. Even though it can get very hot." I finish with a laugh. Rylie smiles over and me and we both look back towards the ocean.

My heart begins beating faster when I feel Rileys arm brush against mine. All too soon she pushes off the railing and starts towards the stairs. Willing my heart to calm, I follow her down the many steps, and she leads me to the cabin to the right of ours. We climb the stairs to the first floor and into the doors. It's a big room, with at least 40 tables. I glance around at the 200 or so kids, all looking to be between the ages of 10 and 18.

We get to the food line, and Rylie tells me what food to go for, and what to avoid.

"You're definitely safe with all the fruits, and most of the veggies. The bread is always good and fresh. The meat is the trickiest. If it is something you know, go for it, but if you don't recognize the name, skip it!" She laughs, and I wonder if there is a story behind that, when she says, "I learned that the hard way. But that's a story for another time." I laugh with her, looking forward to hopefully hearing that story.

Looking down at the line of food, I grab a plate and bowl and begin getting my food. Even though I really only want watermelon, I also grab a club sandwich, a bag of chips, and salad. When Rylie reaches me, she laughs as she sees my bowl full of watermelon.

"You know you can get different fruits as well!" I mimic a glare as I respond to her.

"Watermelon is my favorite fruit, and the only one I need, is that a problem, Rylie?"

"No, no! Not at all." She says sarcastically and laughs again as she leads me over to a table at the back. Rylie starts greeting the kids, and I realize these must be her friends from last year. I study each of their faces, stopping as I recognize one from earlier.

"Hey, Jeremy, right?" He smiles as he sees me.

"Hey! You made it! And I see you met Rylie, glad she got you here in one piece!"

Rylie turns to me with a questioning look.

"I met him at check in, he helped me carry my stuff to my room." I say to her quietly. "You didn't tell me you had cute guy friends!" A flash of emotion crosses her face, too fast for me to catch it, but I don't like the look of it. I curse myself for even bringing that up and trying to seem normal. Rylie turns back to the group.

"Everyone, this is Aspen. It's her first year here." She starts introducing me to the group, and I try to memorize their names. "That guy with the obnoxiously nourished hair is Jeremy, who you seem to have met. He's 18 and this is his 8th year here, so go to him if you need really anything. Next we have Alyssa. She's 16 and it's her fourth year. She was in the same cabin as us, but got moved last minute to be with her twin, Sydnee, who is to her right. It's not easy to tell them apart, if you couldn't tell. Except for that Sydnee has been here 5 years. If that helps." She giggles and moves on. "Now we have the other guys. Josh, who's 17, Derek who is 18, and Austin who is 15. They have each been here 6 years. Although Austin is definitely the best surfer out of all of us. Anyway, Aspen is going to tell us about herself now!" I freeze and shoot a look at Rylie. I don't do well in front of a lot of people. Not that seven is a lot, but still. I take a deep breath and start.

"Well... I'm Aspen. I'm from Raleigh, so not too far from here. Even though it's my first year here, I don't think I'll fail miserably because I've been surfing a bit my whole life. So don't count on me losing..." I say with a giggle, sighing with relief as they all laugh with me. I smile over at Rylie and we start eating.

"She also really likes watermelon, so make sure to tease her about it!" Rylie tells the group with a grin in my direction.

The conversation flows easily and I smile more and more as I get to know my new friends. They tell me all about their families, where they're from, and their favorite stories from last year.

I'm sitting across from Jeremy and notice we've been talking to each other a lot. He's been asking me lots of questions which surprises me. Glancing over at Rylie, I notice her quietly watching Jeremy. Guilt floods through me as it clicks in my head.

She likes him. Crap, I don't want her to hate me!

Then my heart sinks as the realization sinks in.

If she likes him...

I don't let myself finish the thought, and mentally slap myself. I'm here to learn not to like girls. I need to find a guy I can flirt with, and that guy is obviously not Jeremy if Rylie already has a thing for him.

I'll talk to her later and apologize. I don't want to lose her friendship over a guy.

I focus my attention on the twins and their story, but keep my eye on Rylie and notice she's a little happier with my attention off Jeremy. What's weird is that she doesn't seem to be talking to him at all, which just confuses me more.