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“Oookay,” Lucas says slowly. “What happened?”
“All they ever fucking do is talk back and play pranks,” Hunter rushes out. He sounds a little crazy, as if he’s finally reached his limit.
Seth chuckles and both Lucas and I give him a look like he’s an idiot. Hunter’s scowl is getting darker, and for a brief second, I wonder if he’s going to do a Ring move and reach through the screen to strangle Seth.
“Yeah, I remember that age,” Seth says. “Oh, to be young again.”
“I thought this would be easy,” Hunter practically growls. “There’s five of us and twenty of them. That’s four kids per adult. Not so bad, right? Not as bad as teaching PE to thirty kids.” I watch Hunter push his hair away from his face like he’s swatting flies. “But no. It’s like herding cats. No one shuts off their lights at eleven. The boys are constantly at war with each other. I have one cabin shooting loogies at the other cabin. I thought the girls would at least be easy, but no! They’re constantly whispering when I walk past and giggling. And, before you say anything, they don't have a crush on me.” Hunter shakes his head vigorously, his frown deepening. "They're ridiculing my clothes, the things I say, how I constantly run my hands through my hair. Just yesterday, while I was touching up my hair, the girls started copying me. Copying me!”
“Well, they do have a point,” Seth says with a nod. “You do mess with your hair a lot.”
“That’s not the point,” Hunter groans. “I just want to come home. I’m over it.”
“You just have one more week,” says Lucas. “That’s it, and then you can come home and sit with little Maria.”
I give Lucas a shrewd look. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to get rid of our baby?” I murmur.
Lucas shrugs. “They’re fathers too. Besides, we need a break.”
“I would be happy to be with Maria,” Hunter says. “I never want to teach teenagers ever again. I’m counting down the days until I can leave this terrible place.”
Suddenly, we hear a loud crash through the screen. Hunter turns, his eyes widening. He bolts up from his seat and shouts in a demonic voice, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” He turns to us, his eyes appearing crazed. “Sorry, guys. Looks like I have to go. There’s a bunch of boys running out of cabin three. I think they’re stealing all the toilet paper.” Seth, Lucas, and I lean away from the phone as the last thing we hear from Hunter is, “Stop! You put that back now! Don’t make me call your mother!”
The screen goes black and the three of us direct our attentions to Maria, now sleeping soundly in my arms. “Don’t ever grow up,” I whisper to her while slowing rising.
“I don’t think I could handle an evil teenage Maria,” says Seth while following me toward the stairs.
“Nope. Definitely not ready for that,” Lucas adds.
That will be for future us to deal with, I decide while walking up the stairs and heading toward my bedroom, where the crib is. We have plenty more years until then to figure out a game plan. And besides, not all teenagers turn out to be little jerks. At least, I hope.
After putting Maria down in her crib, Lauren, Charlie, and Mike come over. Lucas takes the first watch, remaining upstairs with Maria while I settle into the couch. I still have the baby monitor going just in case. We’re probably being too cautious, but it’s a given since we’re first-time parents. Charlie sits next to me. I notice the annoyed look she gives Mike before turning toward me and offering me a present. Being annoyed with Mike has become a bit too normal and I’m beginning to wonder why she still bothers dating him. The sex can’t be that good.
“Open your present,” Charlie says while clapping her hands excitedly. “I know you’re going to love it.”
I give her a look and shake my head. I know she got me a bunch of baby stuff. She told me she got me a bunch of diapers and baby clothes, so I don’t even know why she insisted we unwrap presents among each other today.
“Charlie,” I begin.
“Truet me!” she says with a nudge against my shoulder. “This one is a surprise.”
Slowly, I pull the wrapping paper away from the object, my eyes widening on the box of oil pastels beneath the wrap job.
“Oh, wow,” I breathe. “This must have been expensive.”
It’s a giant box of oil pastels—enough to last me at least a year, if not more.
“They had a sale,” Charlie says smoothly with a shrug. “And I had the money.”
I fling my arms around her. “Thank you so much,” I say, tears springing to my eyes.
“It was nothing,” Charlie says while pushing me away. “Besides, I’m heading to New York in a few months. You won’t be getting many presents from me for a while. Consider this my birthday present and Christmas present to you for at least the next two years.”
I chuckle and shake my head. “Got it.”
“Open mine!” Mike shouts while grabbing a small present from under the tree and handing it to Charlie. “I think you will like this one.”
Charlie’s smile dips a little bit. She glances at Mike hesitantly. Mike watches her, wide-eyed and reminding me of a golden retriever waiting for its master to throw a ball. She has him wrapped around her little finger, and yet, she doesn’t seem to care. Everything he does annoys her, and I wish she would just break it to him that it’s no longer working.
