Falling for her best friend's brother was NOT a part of her summer plans...
Karma Fitzgerald never saw Nathan Jenkins as anything other than the womanizing big brother of her best friend, Lanie. That all changed during a summer trip to the beach, wh...
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The rest of the three hour drive to the campsite in Windsor, New York involved less bickering and more laughing and singing. My mom called to check in every hour which was a little annoying but not that surprising. Of course she was glad to hear only female voices in the background. Once again, I had to reassure her that Nathan wasn't coming along with us on this trip.
It was actually pretty relaxing to get out of the city. We stopped at a few places along the way, mainly to eat lunch and to use the restroom. By the time we got to the campsite, it was around two in the afternoon. It was good that we got there with plenty of time to spare to set everything up before it got dark.
Lakeshore State Park was a large place that was split up with sections for camping, recreation, a kids playground, and birthday parties. There was also access to the lake in the very back of the park. The area where we reserved was big enough for all three of us to set up our separate tents. It included a small stone circle fire pit, a single power outlet with two ports, water access, and a picnic table.
As soon as we arrived, Harper and I got to work with setting up the tents while Lanie went to the entrance where the park ranger sold firewood. She came back with enough to build an entire house, but we weren't complaining. It was better to have too much fire wood rather than not enough. Besides, the nights were still a little chilly this time of year. We were going to need a fire for something other than roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.
Once we got all three tents set up, next was the blankets and sleeping bags. It took a few hours for each of us to get settled and our stuff organized in our tents. Once we were finished, we got to work with starting a fire. It felt good to sit next to the dancing flames and feel the heat coming off of them.
It was right around dinner time now and I was definitely getting hungry. Lanie was taking a nap while Harper took her car to go get us something to eat from one of the restaurants not too far from the park. Even though I was sitting in front of the relaxing fire, I couldn't keep my mind from wandering to thoughts of USF.
I was going to be getting that letter in the mail any day now about whether or not I got in. While I had no plans to go to that school, who knew how my mom was going to react once that letter came in. I kept checking the mail everyday, hoping that I could intercept it. No such luck yet.
The closer it got to graduation, the more I was freaking out. I understood why my parents were pushing me to go to USF. After all, it wasn't that easy to be offered a full ride. But I honestly believed that there were some things that were more important. Even before Nathan and I got together, I still didn't think USF was a good idea. I didn't feel like it was the right fit for me. My whole life was here, and everything and everyone I cared about was here. I grew up with Harper and Lanie. Even if it was in my best interest to go to USF, being away from my two closest friends would only make me miserable.
Suddenly my phone started ringing. Assuming it was either Nathan or my mom, I reached into my purse to grab it and answered without looking at the caller ID.
