Page 101 of Tell No Lies

Sean laughed. Clearly, he understood. “I wouldn’t want to, either. It’s best to stay away and ask to be directed later. Just plan on showing up tomorrow with a duffel bag. They’ll take care of the rest.”

I had assumed this was his first trip with them too. He hadn’t exactly been in this crowd before Mckayla asked him to formal.

He must have caught my confusion. “I’ve observed … from afar.”

I laughed with him.

Mckayla just shook her head. “You could have come before. I would have wanted you there.”

I had to look away. They were too cute together, and it made me miss having something like that. Before Derek cheated on me last year, we’d been a cute couple like them.

Alexis bounded over with Justin in tow. “Are you guys ready for the best weekend of your lives?”

I had to laugh at her enthusiasm. It was just a two-day trip to an island an hour off the coast. I was pretty sure tents were going to be involved. That didn’t qualify for best weekend of anything.

The others agreed with her and started talking about things we were going to do there. Evidently, bison lived there and were a must-see. Interesting. There was shopping too. That was definitely more appealing to me. Snorkeling sounded like it could be fun, if I got over my fear of fish in the next day or two.

“Do you guys want to get together tonight to pack?”

I narrowed my eyes at Alexis. “What? How does that work?” Would we bring all of our clothes to one house and decide from there?

Mckayla laughed and bumped my shoulder as if I’d said something funny. “We do a video conference with each other. That way we don’t double up on things, and we can make sure none of us forget anything.”

I believed the “duh” was implied.

We agreed to plan on seven o’clock, and Alexis promised to text us to remind us. I gathered my things as the bell rang and headed toward Yearbook with Mckayla.

☼ ☼ ☼

The warning text to sign on came five minutes before seven. I smiled at the message and sat at my desk to turn on my laptop. When the screen came to life, there was a strange icon on the desktop. I looked closer and realized it was an envelope, just not one that I’d ever seen. I was debating whether or not to click on it when the video chat icon lit up, signaling an incoming call. I quickly accepted it and forgot about the envelope.

My screen divided in three as Mckayla, Talia, and Alexis joined the chat. Talia was standing in front of her bed with her hands on her hips. On her bed sat a pile of clothing at least two feet high. Her face was distraught, and I soon realized the gravity of this call. It was a serious situation.

“This is a disaster! I have no clothes!”

I bit down on my lip, trying to keep my smile from showing.

Alexis wasn’t as considerate. “Are you joking me? Look behind you! It looks like a tornado ran through your closet and dumped everything in one spot.”

Talia glared at her computer, but it wasn’t as threatening as it would’ve been in person. “I’m serious. I don’t know what to bring. Have you guys packed yet?”

Mckayla jumped in. “I’m almost done. I have two pairs of shorts, two swimsuits, four shirts, and a hoodie. I think that’s most of what I need.”

I ran through what she’d said again. “You need something to sleep in.”

She jumped up from her chair and ran to her dresser. After pulling out a pair of sweats and an old surf-team shirt, she turned and threw them into her duffel bag. “Thanks, Aubrey. I completely spaced.”

“No problem. I’m going to go grab what you said you were bringing. Two shorts, two swimsuits, four shirts, one hoodie?”

“Plus pajamas!”

I nodded and crossed my room to my closet. I could hear the murmurs of the girls talking as I repeated the items in my head.

When I came back into my bedroom, I dumped the clothes on my bed and searched for a duffel bag. Luggage seemed excessive for this trip. I looked around for a few minutes but couldn’t find my dance bag I used for competitions.

I put it off for later and sat back down at the computer. “Is there anything else I need to bring?”

At the same time, the three of them turned from what they were doing. I smirked at how similar they acted.