Camp Wisahickon

Chapter Twenty Eight

Georgina came over two hours before we were expected at Wes' house. She had just showed up at my door unannounced, and my mom frowned at her from the doorway instead of inviting her in. I was upstairs finishing my homework on my bed when I heard my mom call my name tentatively from downstairs.

I hopped down the stairs two at a time when I saw my mother frowning at Georgina like she was a bear sized bug on her front step. To be fair, I'm sure Georgina is the last person she expected to see at our house here for me. She was wearing ripped skinny jeans and a faded Rolling Stones tee shirt with her converse, and looked back at my mom just as strangely as my mom looked at her.

"Hey Georgina," I greet with a smile, and then reach out to grab her arm and drag her inside. "Come upstairs."

As I'm passing my mom, however, I see the look she's giving me, and I stop out of habit. Although she had been a lot easier on me these past few weeks, I still knew that I shouldn't push it. Instead of running upstairs and locking myself in my room with my friend, I turned back toward her and gave a forced smile.

"Mom, this is Georgina," I greet shortly.

My mom smoothes out her white blouse and smiles tightly at Georgina. "Hello, Georgina."

Georgina looks like she wants to roll her eyes at the formality, but she surprisingly just smiles back. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. S."

Before the uncomfortable interaction can get more awkward, I clap my hands together and announce, "Mom, we will be in my room for a little bit just hanging out before we go-" I stop when I realize I was about to tell her where we were really going, and cover it up with a cough before I continue, "to the movies."

Georgina smirks at my obvious cover up, but my mom is oblivious, and just continues nodding with the tight smile on her face. "Okay. Don't lock your bedroom door."

I hurry up the stairs and neither of us say anything before my door is shut and locked. "Your mom seems... nice."

I turn and give Georgina a blank look. "If nice is a synonym for controlling monster, then yes, she's very nice." She laughs as I fall back to sit on my bed and look at her curiously. "So, what brings you here?"

Georgina sobers up too and pulls my desk chair in front of me, then sits on it backwards, her arms crossed and leaning against the back of the seat. She looks at me pointedly as she says, "I do believe you owe me an explanation for earlier."

I nod my head. Right. I was finally going to tell her everything that happened between Carter and I before school started.

"Brace yourself," I murmur, giving her a wary look. "It's a long story."

So I told her everything. I told her about how Carter was the new kid at camp, and that every girl loved him, that he fell into the troublemaker crowd with the twins, that he infuriated me to no end in the beginning, and that eventually we forged a prank war. I even showed her the picture on my phone of him cuddling some kid because his bed was covered in shaving cream.

I told her about the night we got locked in the freezer, and I couldn't even help my smile when I told her about the night I played piano, and we kissed for the first time. My smile was quickly wiped away when I recounted the events the morning after we had sex for the first time, when I stood up to my mother and then he suddenly told me he didn't like me.

By the time it was over, I was willing away tears that burned my eyes, and trying to look at Georgina evenly. "And then I came to school and he was here. He beat up Jake on the first day back and ever since, he's been trying to talk to me."

Her mouth, which had been turned in a frown ever since I repeated the words he said to me at the end of the summer, suddenly formed an 'o'. "So that day at your locker when we went to lunch, you were trying to avoid him, and I totally ruined that." I nodded hesitantly, and she frowned again. "Fuck, Amelia, I'm sorry. I had no idea."