18 | The Deadly Trifecta

"I mean, it was just perfect." Lizzie plops her elbows on the wooden table, narrowly missing her bowl of applesauce. She rests her head in her hands, too busy on cloud nine to notice that she almost flipped the food onto her handmade halter top. "I feel like I should send Rita a thank-you card."

I laugh, blowing on my forkful of macaroni in an attempt to cool it off. Lizzie's been filling me in on all the details of what happened with Zack, who's still caught up in the dinner line. Apparently, things ended up being pretty simple: Zack confessed his feelings, Lizzie confessed hers, and a lot of kissing ensued. As of somewhere around two o'clock, they're officially a couple.

Allow me to repeat myself when I say: FINALLY!

"It sucks that we don't go to the same school, and we live like, forty-five minutes away from each other, but I know it'll be fine. I'd still want to make it work even if he lived halfway across the world, you know? Plus, two schools means two proms, which means I have an excuse to make two different prom dresses." Lizzie gasps, her eyes lighting up even more. "Oh my God, I should make one for you, too! I bet we could find a way to get into each other's dances-- screw the one guest only rule."

I shake my head, knowing how much work goes into one of Lizzie's creations. "I couldn't ask you to do that! But you're right about going to each other's proms. At the very least, you could come to mine as my guest, but I'd have to find another way into yours and Zack's."

My stomach twinges in anticipation-- it's exciting, talking about a future that I just accepted a few hours ago. Just yesterday, if anyone had asked me about senior prom, I likely wouldn't have thought I was going. But now, the idea of attending with Lizzie and Zack is something I'd hate to pass up.

"Uhh, no way!" Lizzie's tone screams, Duh! "We both know who your extra ticket is going to."

I feel my jaw drop at the insinuation, and Lizzie rolls her eyes at my surprise.

"Oh, come on, Del! You and Ethan have something. It's been obvious to me since he told you to enjoy your food on the first day. You can try to deny it all you want, but I mean, the guy is painting you."

"And you just offered to sew me a dress, which is basically the same thing," I reason. She pouts, and I continue. "Ethan's great-- and he's obviously great looking-- but there's no way of knowing if he sees me as anything more than a friend."

"Well..." She smirks, picking up her spoon. "There's still plenty of time left to find out."

"To find out what?" Zack asks, setting his tray next to Lizzie's. The two of them share a warm smile, one that looks like it says a thousand things no one else can hear.

"To find out a lot of things-- including our next prank on Rita and Mei," Lizzie covers, keeping my interest in Ethan between us, which I'm grateful for. Not that I don't trust Zack or anything (I mean, he doesn't exactly seem like the gossiping type), but I'd rather not talk about my crush on Ethan when I haven't even fully decided if it is a crush or not.

Is it? Ethan's handsome, he's smart, and he's funny-- the deadly trifecta. I don't know how anyone wouldn't be attracted to him. Every time I'm around him I get an equal mix of nerves and butterflies so intense that it's a wonder I haven't made a fool of myself yet. And ever since I met Ethan, he's been on my mind way more than I'd ever like to admit.

I guess I really do have a crush-- I just didn't want to realize it, because I figured all my camp relationships would come to an end in a few weeks. But if I'm giving friendship a chance, that means I can give romance a chance, too.

Which is a lot to swallow, so I'm thankful for the change of conversation topic.

Well, for about two seconds, anyway. Then my brain processes what Lizzie just said, and I realize it's time to tell them I think we should give the prank war up. A sense of dread tugs my heart down to my stomach-- what if they disagree?

"We need something major," Lizzie states, thoughtfully stirring her applesauce. "Something that hits her where it hurts."

I bite my lip. I should come out and say it, and just tell them what I think. That Rita and Mei aren't worth the trouble, and we should quit while we still have the chance. But their determined, focused expressions keep my mouth shut.

"She deserves something heinous," Zack says, glaring towards Rita's table. Sounds like he's already picking up Lizzie's quirky vocabulary. "After trying to get you kicked out like that? I want to get her good."

Guilt washes over me at the words. Zack is right-- Lizzie deserves revenge for what Rita did. What kind of friend would I be if I tried to convince her that getting justice was the wrong thing to do? What if they think I'm out of line for even suggesting that we stop?

I've just started to let myself have friends-- do I really want to risk losing them already?

Lizzie sighs. "I've been trying to come up with something, but I guess thinking up pranks isn't one of my strong suits."

"Same." Zack frowns.

Lizzie looks at me from across the table. "What about you?"

"Uhh..." I look between their hopeful faces, swallow hard, and shake my head. I can't bring myself to tell them what I really think. "I got nothing."

Lizzie raises a shoulder, offering a smile. "We'll think of something."

Again, the guilt eats away at me as I silently hope she's wrong. They've already moved on from the topic, talking instead about the upcoming movie night, but my brain is stuck wondering if I should've spoken up, or if I ever will. I poke at my food for the rest of dinner, hoping that by the time I get another chance, I'll have figured out what to do.

I do my best not to look like I'm having an internal crisis, nodding at their conversation and offering mindless input every few minutes. Meanwhile, my mind is busy running through all the possible outcomes of keeping my mouth shut vs speaking up about ending the war.

If I just go along with them, Lizzie gets the revenge she deserves and I don't have to worry about losing the first friend I've made since Mei. But all three of us could end up getting kicked out. On the other hand, if I tell them I think we should stop, I could hurt Lizzie's feelings and ruin the friendship I've just started. Plus, I know what it feels like to be betrayed, and that's the last thing I want to do to her.

As dinner comes to an end and the three of us head for the doors, I'm starting to think that I've made up my mind. Before I can head out into the cool night air with Lizzie and Zack, I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Ethan smiling down at me.

I smile back, all worries about the prank war dissolving and being replaced with that fuzzy, Ethan-induced feeling. If there's one thing I can't fault Rita for, it's her taste in guys.

The two of us step out of the doorway, so we're not in the way of the campers who're eager to rush back to their cabins and claim dibs on the first showers of the night. Lizzie turns back when she notices I'm no longer by her side, then wiggles her eyebrows at me when she sees who I am standing next to. She leaves with Zack and I look back to Ethan, grateful that it doesn't seem like he saw the incriminating gesture.

"I wanted to catch you before you went back to the girls' area," Ethan explains. His apron is covered with a few orangey-yellow stains, an obvious victim of macaroni night. "Unlike some people I know, I don't go sneaking around in unpermitted areas."

I press my lips together to hide a grin. "Hm. I have no idea who you're referring to."

"Uh-huh." He crosses his arms, nodding. "I guess you also don't have any ideas for any toppings for tomorrow's pizza, then?"

I shrug a shoulder. "Depends who's eating the pizza."

He laughs, shaking his head. "Good answer."

I bask in the compliment for a second before he speaks again.

"I wanted to ask if you could sit for me tomorrow while I work on the details of the painting-- it shouldn't take long. I just want to make sure I'm getting things right."

Two rowdy campers hurry past and bump into his shoulder as they head for the doors. Ethan steps closer to me to get out of the way, and I feel my pulse quicken. Then he reaches out and puts his hand on my arm to guide me closer to the wall, and my heart beats so fast I'm worried I might have to stop our conversation to go see the nurse.

"Yeah, sure," I manage to reply. "When?"

"How's tomorrow after lunch?"

I nod, half-wishing he wouldn't look in my eyes so intensely, and half-wishing he'd stand here and do it for the rest of his life. "Works for me."

"Cool-- we can meet up at the same spot as last time. I'll try not to take too long getting the kitchen cleaned up. Speaking of which... that's what I'm supposed to be doing right now."

"I'll be there," I promise, unable to keep myself from smiling. "You know, for someone who's worried about me getting in trouble..."

He nods, putting his hands up in surrender as he chuckles. "I get your point. I'll see you tomorrow," he says, backing towards the kitchen. The two of us go our separate ways, but the butterflies stay with me well into the morning.

Hey guys! I hope you like the new banner 😁

Also, I'm sorry I've only been posting once a week lately! I'm gonna try to get back on track with Tuesday and Thursday updates by next week. ❤

What do you think of Del's predicament? 🤔

Do you think Lizzie's right that Ethan thinks of Delena as more than a friend? 💌