Free Guard My Heart by Aj Summer Page A

laughing.
    “You look like a drowned rat!” she says, throwing my
t-shirt at me.
    “I feel like a drowned rat. Remind me not to do that
again,” I puff, wiping my face off with the shirt before I collapse knees first
into the sand. How many near-death experiences am I going to have before I
actually die?
    Jenna’s tummy rumbles loudly, and she slaps her hand down
hard onto it. She giggles embarrassed and looks down.
    “Come on. Let’s feed that monster before it devours you
alive,” I say while reaching out for her hand.
    Jenna flashes me a big smile and lays her hand softly in
mine. The three of us walk up the pathway back to the bungalows with Mia
leading and Jenna and I swinging our entwined hands between us.
    We do a quick rinse off under the outdoor showers and head
for our rooms.
    When I get back to my room I check my phone.
    No miss calls, no texts.
    Maybe he changed his mind.
     
    ***
     
    Mr. Rogers was not happy with us staying out all night. I
think he was sure we were out getting drunk on the beach, but seeing as none of
us smelled of alcohol, he let it go.
    Breakfast was alright. We could choose between a selection
of cereals, fruits, yoghurt, or real food like bacon, eggs, and
toast.
    I gave the server lady a big smile, making sure she knew I
was a growing boy with plenty of space for bacon and eggs. At first I didn’t
think it was going to work, but when I took a step forward to go back to my
table, she quickly waved me over and gave me two extra pieces. The grin I gave
her after that actually made her blush.
    “Shame on you, Kyle Andrews,” Jenna scolded playfully when
I sat down next to her.
    “What?” I feigned innocence.
    “Flirting shamelessly for extra food like
that.”
    I shrug my shoulder. “Hey, it’s bacon after all. Don’t
underestimate the lengths a guy would go to for bacon,” I say while nudging her
playfully with my shoulder.
    She smiles at me shyly and lowers her gaze to her yoghurt
and apple. I reach out for her hand and hold it on the table between us. After
last night’s kiss, I just can’t seem to keep my hands off her. I know I’m
leading both of us down a dangerous path. But maybe Reno changed his mind. I
haven’t heard anything from him or Mike. I hope Mike read the note I slipped
him, when I shook his hand at the library.
    Mr. Rogers announces that we have a trip to the falls
after breakfast and everybody is supposed to bring their suits and hiking shoes.
It sounds like a weird combination, but apparently the walk there is quite
rocky. But he promises there will be some pretty awesome pools when we get
there. This news seems to perk up quite a few of the students, and even I’m
excited. Hiking, rock climbing, and swimming sound like a guy type of
afternoon.
    I leave Mia and Jenna at their bungalow door with strict
instructions from them to meet back there in ten minutes. I think they just
want me to carry all their extra baggage up that hill. They’ve got a surprise
coming.
    I put on my chucks, because that is the closest to any
kind of hiking boots I have. My feet are going to be killing me by the time we
get back. I pull my bag from the top bunk to hunt for my towel, and my phone
tumbles down with it. I grab it with my one hand, but it slips through my
fingers and tumbles to the floor with a loud crack. When I pick it up I see the
screen is cracked. Shit. Great, I think to myself sarcastically. Then I see the
flashing envelope in the corner of the screen.
    My heart stops. A slow buzz starts between my ears, and my
breath speeds through my lungs. With trembling fingers I open the text.
    Unknown number.
    Blank text.
    He didn’t forget.
    I can’t remember much about the hike up to the falls. I
saw the green of the trees out of the corner of my eye as I kept my head down
and focused on my shoes. I heard Mia and Jenna talking, but didn’t care to
understand the words. The wind carried tiny sprays of water and splattered