When the boys set off to hunt for food as if we've suddenly been struck by famine, Tonia, Dell and I collapse on the chairs where I'd left the towel and my purse when we were dealing with Wendy. Leaning with our elbows on the table, we idly watch the spray being kicked up by the barefoot dancers having fun on the waterlogged dance floor.

That is one thing about Summerfields that I truly love. You can leave your belongings and have fun, and everything will still be there, safe and sound, when you get back. After being on holiday in other parts of the country, I do not take the lack of crime in our district for granted.

"These puddles are going to ruin my shoes," Delia complains and leaning over, she plucks off her footwear, storing it under her seat. I follow her example, and on my other side, I see Tonia doing the same with her shoes.

"I meant to thank you," she tells me when she catches my eye, and I smile at her. "I thought about what you said at the waterfall about being yourself in a relationship and focusing on building something real rather than just being romantic. You said that if one person gets all their needs met and the other one is always the one compromising, it's just indentured servitude, and that really got to me."

I said that?

"I've had a long talk with Brian, and he had no idea that I felt that I couldn't just relax and be myself around him; that I thought I needed to be perfect all the time. According to him, he likes me the most when he shows up at our place unannounced and catches me playing Frisbee with my little brother. No make-up, and my hair a mess," she smiles, shaking her hair, which is anything but a mess right now. She is as flawlessly beautiful as always. "Or eating barbecued ribs with my fingers, standing at the grill in our backyard, just hanging out with my family. The kind of things I always thought did damage to our relationship and would put him off me. Things are so much better between us now."

"Oh! I am really glad to hear that," I tell her sincerely. "Lurch is a sweet guy," - when he's not a noisy idiot - "I'm glad you found a way to be yourself around him."

"Can I hide here with you for a bit?" I'm startled when a girl with long, dark, wavy hair suddenly drags a chair up behind Dell and me and, sitting down, peeks through the narrow gap between our shoulders to spy on the dance floor.

"S-sure..." I say, giving Delia a questioning look. Yvette Walton is Lurch's lively cousin, and people often think they are twins since they share the same surname and are the same age; they don't look alike, but she is every bit as easy-going and carefree as he is. I'm not used to seeing her without her boyfriend; I barely recognised her all by herself.

She looks really pretty in a silvery tunic, reflecting the grey of her eyes and black leggings, her hair streaming moistly over her shoulders. She'd clearly been caught in the rain at some point... could be on purpose. She is often seen dancing around in downpours. She says it makes her feel refreshed, alive, and one with nature. This tendency of hers is also why so many people think she's Lurch's sister; she is just like her aunt Rose, the owner of the organic crafts shop in town.

All the inventory in Aunt Rose's store is homemade, and she supplies anything artistic people could possibly need. All of it is either edible or biodegradable or both, ranging from homemade paper, candles and paint to shampoos, soaps and potions to cure constipation. Yvette is often found working in the store or creating items to sell in it.

"Who are you hiding from?" I ask, wondering if she also had a run-in with a drunken hagraven that escaped from Skyrim to ruin her romantic moments. Yvette can be unpredictable, but she doesn't usually skulk around hiding behind people... I have occasionally seen people hide from her, though.

"Bobby Seinfeld."

Delia and I share a confused frown. Bobby is in most of our classes at school, and he's a pretty nice guy; I cannot think of any reason why anybody would ever want to hide from him.

"Why?" Delia wants to know outright since she's way less tactful than I am.

"He wants to dance with me." This conversation just keeps on increasing in weirdness.

"Really? That's odd! Archer won't like that!" Delia exclaims, and I agree; why on Earth would Bobby go after Archer's girlfriend?

"No, he won't," Yvette agrees. "He'd rather I danced with someone he doesn't like. Cole Sadler, for instance."

Delia, Tonia and I groan in unison at the mention of that name, and laughing, we look at each other in surprise.

"That guy has too many hands," Tonia grimaces; she'd clearly also experienced him.

"Why would Archer like it if you danced with that slimeball?" I ask, really not understanding this strange conversation. Archer (Jet's much more civilized cousin) and Yvette's endless love story has always been a secret source of inspiration for me. They have been dating since forever, and I've never seen them having any drama or fights. They're actually more like friends or siblings than lovers... perhaps I understood it wrong, and they've never actually been dating. Maybe, like Ethan and me, they were just pretending.

Ethan and I are not pretending! I'm not pretending...

"Yvette and Archer broke up," Tonia informs us, and Dell and I both gasp in horrified shock. To me, hearing that is like hearing about the destruction of a dependable pillar; it's like hearing that my favourite soapie couple is getting a divorce.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry!" I say, turning to put a hand on Yvette's, which is clinging to the back of my chair while she peers over my shoulder.

"Oh, don't be. It's okay; we decided it together," she shrugs, apparently completely casual about the whole thing. "This is our last year of school; we need to be free and unsuppressed, open to new experiences. Who knows where we will be next year and how badly we might be burdened with responsibilities? We need to live while we can."

"You tie each other down and suppress each other's freedom?" Delia asks, looking sceptical.

"Only in fun ways," she grins and then shakes her head. "No... but I'm 18; I cannot be in an old married-couple kind of relationship already. I'm young; I need to be carefree."

"They break up at least once every two years for the same reason," Tonia tells us, and as Lurch's girlfriend, she is likely to know more about this. "It never lasts long."

"Grrrrr," Yvette says, narrowing her eyes at Tonia, who just shakes her head and laughs. "It's different this time. We're done with all that relationship stuff."

"Well, I'm so glad to hear that," Dell tells Yvette, and I cannot stop the what-the-hell look I'm giving her now, but she just winks at me. "Can I have him, then?"

"Huh?!" That came out in a trio of shocked voices.

"I mean, look at the guy! Archer is rather pretty with that naturally sun-streaked hair of his and those incredible ice-blue eyes, and don't get me started on those muscles. The guy is built like Dong-Man!"

"Who?" Yvette asks. All three of us agreed with the description up until that name, and then Yvette and Tonia left the bus.

"Fight for my way?" Delia tries to clarify, and when she's met with nothing but crickets, she tries again. "The guy played by Park Seo-Joon."

"Oh!" Yvette and Tonia chorus, and then the girls admit that they don't watch Korean stories. "I don't have the patience to read subtitles," Yvette explains.

"Tight muscles, like pretty sculpted rocks," Delia says helpfully, and we're all aboard the Archer tour bus again. "So, can I have him? Since you're done with him and all."

Tonia is chuckling, and Yvette is gaping at Delia, opening and closing her mouth without making a sound and then she blinks her eyes as if she's just waking up. "Does that mean I can have Simon?" she asks, giving Dell a cheeky look.

"No! Don't be ridiculous!" Dell tells her, her eyes running over Yvette in contempt while a frown draws her eyebrows together. I know it is coming, but I still jump with Yvette when Delia gives her a finger-flick to the forehead. "He's mine!"

"But if you take Archer, then you should give me Simon," Yvette grumbles reasonably, wisely covering her forehead with her hand. "It's only fair."

"No, it's not," Dell scoffs. "You broke up with Archer; he's not yours to give anymore."

"You have to give me Simon!" Yvette exclaims indignantly. "You cannot have them both!"

"Why not?" This is not even the weirdest conversation I've heard these two girls have in the 12 years I've known them.

"Well, fine! Keep them both, but then I want your brother," Yvette finally loses the staring contest she became embroiled in with Delia. Nobody alive has ever won a staring contest against Dell.

"No!" I yelp before I can stop myself. I know the two girls are just messing with each other, but my mouth opened all by itself, and the word just jumped out. I see Dell's wide grin and the teasing smile on Yvette's face, and now I want to crawl under my chair and cuddle my sandals. 

"Come on, Kiki, you can have Archer, just let me have Ethan!"

"No, I don't want Archer; I only want Ethan," I tell them, feeling my cheeks flare up with a warm blush under their murmurs of approval and happy giggles. Did I drink friggin' truth serum?! Why can I not just shut up?

"Well, Tonia, you're out," Yvette tells her. "You cannot have Archer. I'll punch you if you hurt my cousin."

"I... what?" Tonia is laughing a bit nervously, and I would be afraid too, if Yvette were giving me such an intense look.

"No!" Yvette suddenly growls, glaring at the dance floor again. "What the hell?! Not Harmony Harper! Come on! How can Archer dance with Harmony Harper?! I hate her! I'm going to kill him... and her! Excuse me!" and just like that, she is off again, storming the guy with the sun-streaked hair and ice-blue eyes, apparently built like an MMA champion... if one is to believe Delia. The guy who is no longer her boyfriend...

"What on Earth is going on there?" I turn my head to see what Delia is looking at and have to blink several times to make sure that the fairy lights aren't just messing with my eyes. Near the edge of the stage, Jet is dancing with Akari Yamashita, and he is doing it quite well, very civilized and decently, like a normal person and not the lush we all know and loath... well, I loath him... I think... Dell adores him.

"Didn't he go to buy food?" I ask, not understanding this development. I thought his dinner and movie with Akari was a once-off event.

"He got side-tracked," Tonia explains.

"Did he just twirl her? He just twirled her!" I exclaim, rather awed by how smoothly he moves. The guy can dance!

"And his hands are not straying from the path of truth and righteousness even once," Dell observes.

"It's like watching a Psy-Fi movie," Tonia agrees.

"I'm a little scared," I admit.

My fear dissolves in the enticing aroma of Marinara sauce, and I glance up to see Ethan holding a wrapped sub out to me. Gazing up into his smiling eyes, I am more than satisfied with my decision not to trade him for Archer. Ethan is mine! Well... he will be... or he is and will stay that way... or... something... I'm tired, and my brain is not working with me anymore.

"Thank you, Ethy," I smile, and Dell scoots over one chair to make room for her brother. Soon, we are all sitting in a row like people waiting at a bus stop, eating our food, our attention riveted on Jet acting like a pro ballroom dancer with Akari.

"That is so weird," Ethan grunts and Barn and Lurch mumble their agreement. None of them cares enough to say any more on the matter while they wolf down their food and drink their beverages, their eyes glued to the spectacle. 

After a few futile attempts at trying to have a conversation with me past her brother's back, Dell declares the inline seating arrangement annoying and moves to the seats on the opposite side of the table with Simon and Barn.

To my left, I hear Ethan reach the end of his juice, sucking only air now, and I hold my glass out to him. "Would you like some more?"

"Thanks," he grins, and to my surprise, he doesn't take the glass; he pulls the straw from his empty glass and pops it into mine. "Now we can drink together," he tells me, giving me a teasing smile.

I don't know what to say about what happens next. There is no excuse except that I fell for his dimples and lost my mind. As if it has a will of its own, my head tilts towards him, and my lips capture my own straw while he sucks on his. This is awkward, intimate, and seriously weird. I'm about to burst into laughter when Delia does it for me. I hastily set my straw free and sit up straight to glare at her.

"You can have the rest," I tell Ethan, trying not to see the I-told-you-so looks on Delia and Simon's amused faces; I cannot avoid the words, though.

"Told you it's fun," Dell reminds me, and rolling my eyes, I pick up my meatball sub to hide from her. "You might have some romantic fibres after all."

I'll give her some fibres in her butt when I boot her to the moon!

I'm surprised when Jet joins us, and Akari is still with him. I haven't seen them together since the night they went to the movie. Akari tends to keep to herself, and Jet was almost always with the guys. She looks fresh and relaxed tonight, her beautiful hair flowing softly over her shoulders and down her back.

Barn kept a sub for Jet and gives it to him when he sits down beside him. When Akari insists on having just a small piece and not the whole sub - I noticed at the restaurant that she doesn't eat a lot at a time - he produces a small knife, part of a toolset on his keychain and with great pains manages to cut her a piece.

"What?!" he asks when he gives it to her and sees all of us gaping at this strange display of human-like behaviour.

"And to think that twenty minutes ago you were trying to create a harem," I tease Delia when we're done eating, and I watch her use a serviette to wipe some sauce from Simon's mouth before she gives him a gentle kiss. No, I'm not above petty revenge.

"She was trying to create what?" Simon asks, puzzled, and I just grin at him.

"Do you want me to spill your secrets too?" Dell asks me with narrowed eyes and giggling, I get to my feet, pulling Ethan by the hand.

"Let's dance, Ethy!"

We dance, we eat again (at least, Ethan does), we buy coffee from the kind men at the coffee stall and dance some more, mainly in a large group, acting like idiots. I'm having fun... mostly... 

Every time I turn my back, come back from a bathroom break or close my eyes to sneeze, girls are gathering around Ethan. I'm not so possessive that I want to stuff him in a box and have issues with him chatting with girls, especially the ones I already know that he is friends with, but if I had to draw out my katana and go to war each time some random girl I don't know tries to feel his biceps or his abs or nags him for a dance or flirts with him, I would've been knee deep in pools of blood by now!

Ethan is not the instigator in any of this, and he is also the first to point out that he has a girlfriend, but as the evening progresses, it becomes abundantly clear to me that Ethan Fletcher is catnip for girls!

I've seen what cats do to catnip plants... I have to protect my boyfriend!

I knew that, of course, but I did not KNOW that until tonight. It is exhausting, and that exhaustion is effectively eroding the romance right out of my system and washing it away with the sporadic rain. Yes, rain can be very romantic at the right time and in the right place; it's less romantic when you have to dance barefoot on a crowded dance floor, splashing through dirty puddles and stepping on the occasional stone.

When the rain clouds all dissipate, and there is no longer a threat of showers, a large group of us migrate to the beach to build a fire with the driest driftwood we can find. I no longer feel the overwhelming urge to tell Ethan how I really feel about him; I am content basking in the warmth of his presence and the sound of his voice as I listen to the murmur of conversations I am not required to take part in.

Tired and with a slight headache after a full day of socialising, I'm sitting on the towel I used on Ethan's hair earlier, enjoying the glow of the fire and the movements of his bicep against my cheek while I lean against him, holding his hand in both of mine. I could live like this. I'm content, I'm happy, and I'm sooooo sleepy.

"What do you mean you're not camping with us tomorrow?!" Jet growls me wide awake, and it takes me a few seconds to realise that he is directing his outrage at Ethan. The two of them generally communicate with each other via growls and grunts, but this time, Jet sounds truly upset. Where did Akari go? He is so much easier to deal with when she is around.

"Just what I said, I'm not going camping tomorrow," Ethan shrugs, and I must say, I'm with Jet on this one.

"But we go every year!" Barn chimes in, and he's right. Every year, Ethan and a few of his friends take off after the church service on Founder's Sunday and go off into the woods for the rest of the day and the night, only returning scraped and dirty on Monday afternoon, ready to build their small wooden boats, with their dreams written on some of Lurch's mother's paper, used as sails.

The dream-launching ceremony is a well-loved tradition and a huge opportunity for Aunt Rose to make some money from her nature-friendly products. Camping on Sunday night is even more loved by Ethan than being a pirate in the yacht race; I am stunned to hear him say that he is not going to do it this year.

Earlier tonight, an announcement was made from the stage that the various religious services tomorrow morning would not be taking place on the beach due to rough winds being predicted until around noon. Strong winds always turn the beach into wild sandstorms. The services are, therefore, relocated to Scarlet Park. This message was repeated on all the community chat groups. 

"If we leave from Ghosties, we don't have to travel that far before we can make camp," Lurch points out reasonably.

"It's not the distance, Lurch," Ethan shrugs. "I want to hang out with Kira."

There are a few minutes of complete silence during which I am feeling too awkward to move. Is Ethan turning down camping so that he can hang out with me? That makes no sense. Is he feeling ill?

"You are so whipped," Jet laughs, his laughter increasing when Ethan leans towards him and punches him in the ribs. Seriously, these two boys should never sit next to each other.

"Come on, Kiki," Barn begs me, and now I really want to crawl under this bicep I'm leaning against and hide there. Nobody will be able to see me under Ethan's arm. "Please talk to the guy! This might be the last time we get to do this, all of us together."

"What?!" I can feel Ethan stiffen. "Five minutes ago, you all said you'll come back for Founders each year!"

"Who knows what will happen next year?" Lurch shrugs, and Tonia wraps her arms around him and hides her face in his shoulder. Lurch, Jet and a few others are leaving Summerfields at the end of the year. I know Ethan is sad about that, and I now realise that Tonia is too. She told me that she might be going to Paris next year. Does this mean she and Lurch will be splitting up? I hope not.

"Kiki, please," Jet pleads, leaning past Ethan's back to tug at the tips of my hair.

"I can't tell Ethan what to do," I mutter, embarrassed by all the attention I'm receiving. Everybody is looking at me, and I'm glad I'm mostly covered in shadows. "He is free to do what he wants, but I do agree with Lurch. Who knows what will happen in the future? This could be the last one, Ethy," I lift my head from his arm to look into his eyes. "I don't want you to have any regrets later."

Many of the friends gathered around the fire agree with me, but Ethan has fallen silent, no longer taking part in the discussion, and they soon forget what they were arguing about. I'm only half listening to them discussing what to bring on their trip, and from the sound of it, eating is all they'll be doing.

I once again rest my head against Ethan's bicep, and he detangles his fingers from mine to wrap his arm around my shoulders so that I can rest my head on his chest instead. I'm tired. I would really love to go to bed now, but I've just heard Ethan tell Barn that he is all for playing volleyball in the dark with the neon ball someone brought. I know what that entails; I've seen it before. Yes, a lot of falling all over each other trying to get to the glow-in-the-dark ball. In other words, chaos.

I want to go home. Whatever romantic aspirations I had left have burnt away, floating into the atmosphere with the red sparks drifting in the smoke from the glowing embers. I am relieved when I look to where the dance is still going strong and see the Winslow family, our next-door neighbours, leave the tarped area and walk towards the car park.

"Ethan, I'm going to ask the Winslow's for a ride home, okay?" I announce, extracting myself from under his arm.

"What?" he is blinking at me as if he doesn't understand the language I am speaking. "Oh! You want to go home?"

"Yes, I'm drained. I just want to go catch up with Daddy and go to bed."

"S-sure, I'll take you-."

"No, Ethy, please stay and play Glow Ball and have fun the way you always do. I'll see you in the morning."

He gets to his feet when I give him a swift kiss and stand up, say a general goodbye to everybody and start walking to the road. He doesn't try to stop me; he knows me well enough to know that after all the socializing I've been doing the last couple of days, I really need to be by myself to recharge. 

I never hang around at the festival for as long as I did today. Besides, my head is spinning with all the disjointed thoughts whirling in my mind. I need to think. Ethan simply takes my other hand and walks with me to where the Winslows' car is parked.

"Do you want me to get your shoes from my dad's car?" he asks me when we enter the car park, and he lifts me into his arms when he sees me gingerly walk on tiptoes over the sharp gravel.

"No, it's okay, thanks. I'll be fine. I'll get them tomorrow." Although lounging in his arms is lovely, it is also a little embarrassing, especially since Lance, the Winslows' 11-year-old son, is laughing at us out of their car's window. Besides, isn't my extra weight putting pressure on his feet, making walking here hurt him even more? If it is, he's not showing it.

"Uncle Ben, do you have room for one more, please?" he asks, setting me down when we reach the car where Mr Winslow is just closing the trunk.

"Of course!" Uncle Ben smiles, walking to the driver's side and getting into the car while Lance jumps out. He holds the back door open for me, giving Ethan a saucy smirk.

"You're sitting in the middle," he tells me, cocking his head cheekily.

"Kicks," Ethan says when I'm about to get into the car. "Is everything alright?" 

"Yes, it's all good, Ethy," I assure him, wrapping my arms around his waist for a hug that draws a lot of commentary from Lance about the grossness of PDAs and asking us if we're going to kiss too and if Ethan uses his tongue. He shuts up when Ethan finger-flicks his ear as expertly as Delia always does it and tells him to behave around his girlfriend.

Yeah, the god of chaos and mayhem just told someone to behave!

Lance's parents and his younger brother are already in the car, and I don't want to make them wait for me, so I step towards the door, where I turn to have a final look at Ethan, standing forlornly under one of the tall lamps lighting the car park.

I may not feel romantic any more, and this might not be the best backdrop for the occasion, but I can still tell Ethan how I feel about him. In a burst of inspiration, I decide to use his own language to make it as clear to him as I possibly can.

"Love you, Ethan Fletcher!" I bark, sticking out my tongue, shoving one hand out in a thumbs-up and the other in a hang loose sign, the way I've seen him do so many times, and then, feeling like an idiot, I jump into the car. Lance follows me, laughing so much that he nearly misses the seat and bumps his head on the doorframe.

"What the hell was that?" he chortles. "Are you mental?"

"A little," I admit.

"Lance! What have I told you about manners?!" Aunt Mable scolds her son while I quietly tie my seatbelt. When Uncle Ben pulls out of the parking spot and leaves the car park, I turn in my seat to see through the back window. Ethan still stands where I left him. 

Is he in shock?

During the ride home, I pretend not to hear Lance's rude questions about my relationship with Ethan, and he, in turn, ignores his parents, interrupting to tell him to behave. I am relieved when Uncle Ben pulls up in front of their gate, and I am let out of the car.

I thank them profusely for the ride home and grudgingly accept the offer of Lance as an escort to our gate, less than ten meters away from theirs. Honestly, we live in one of the safest towns in the world; too many lights light the street, and I can see a warm glow in our study window from here. I don't need a bodyguard.

"You can be my girlfriend if Ethan dumped you," Lance tells me when we reach the gate, and I'm about to open it and run away from him. "I'm gonna be taller and stronger than him; I've got it all planned," he informs me.

"That's nice, Lance," I sigh, opening the gate and stepping through the gap. "Ethan didn't dump me, but I'm definitely only dating him because he's tall and strong. We can compare the two of you about ten years from now, and then I'll pick the tallest and strongest one."

"Awesome!" he shouts, pumping his fist into the air. "It will be me, you'll see."

"Are you sure your brother won't be taller and stronger than you?" I ask, pretending to really think about it.

"He's a baby! He is only eight!" Lance scoffs, looking annoyed now.

"He'll be 18 by then."

"Well, I'll be 21!" he boasts and then his face scrunches up in disgust. "Shit! That is so old! I don't want to wait that long... Forget it; I'll ask Nancy to be my girlfriend instead. I'm two centimetres taller than her already, and she can skate. Ethan taught us to ollie, and she is really good at it. Sorry, Kiki, you're out."

"I'm devastated, but I understand," I tell him, finally able to trot up the driveway to the kitchen door at the back of our house when Lance, done rejecting me, goes home.

I leave my purse in the kitchen and follow the mellow sounds of a saxophone to Daddy's study, and I am not surprised to find him sitting in the recliner near the bookcases. He is fast asleep with his glasses dangling askew from his nose and a book in his lap. As much as I hate waking him, I know that he'll thank me for it when he doesn't wake up all stiff and achy with broken glasses squashed between him and the chair tomorrow.

"Hey, Pumpkin," he smiles when I touch his shoulder, and he opens his eyes. Daddy is a very light sleeper. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes, thanks, Daddy. Would you like some Milo?"

He follows me into the kitchen, and together, we get the mugs ready and the milk warming, and I gradually become aware of him giving me thoughtful looks.

"Ethan went home?"

"No, he is still at the beach with his friends; I got tired and caught a ride with the WInslows."

"What is wrong, Pumpkin?" he finally asks the real question, eating at him. "I can see that something is bugging you. Please tell me what it is; maybe I can help."

"I don't know, Daddy," I sigh, closing the lid of the Milo tin, satisfied that I've added enough of the granular powder to each mug. "It just feels as though there are too many girls in this world, and they all seem to want Ethan."

"That's true, Honey," Daddy agrees thoughtfully. "Ethan is a very likeable person."

"Right," I groan, chewing on my lower lip. "I know it's not his fault. He wasn't doing anything wrong. It just got to me a bit. I guess it's causing me to question everything about us."

"Pumpkin," Daddy smiles and, turning me to face him, he places his hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eye. "It really doesn't matter how many girls there are swarming around him. It's not important."

"It's not?" I frown. It seems pretty important to me.

"No," Daddy assures me. "What is important is that Ethan is strictly a one-girl kind of guy; he always was, and he always will be. The real question is: do you trust him?"

♂♀