“Sure. That would be cool. You guys wanna take off?” Brandon looks at Alec and I, then at Nathaniel. “I know you do.”

Sadie’s confidence looks a little dinged. “Charlie and Alec hardly leave The Village if they don’t have to. I’m sure they don’t want go.”

“I’ll go,” shoots out of my mouth, unplanned. “I mean…”

“You should go.” Nathaniel replies. “We’ll all go. But my douchebag brother failed his driver’s test, so hopefully one of you can drive.”

“Screw you. At least I’m old enough to take it.” At that both Brandon and Nathaniel push to their feet. They play around with each other; pushing and fake punching and I can’t help but watch them. Maybe boys are the same everywhere. Right now I don’t see anything different in the way they act and Alec. Except when it’s Alec, it’s me he’s goofing around with.

I fidget in the backseat, sandwiched between Alec and Nathaniel. Sadie Ann is driving and of course, Brandon is sitting in the front with her.

Dad about had a fit when we told him we were leaving. All it took was Sadie pouting out her bottom lip and he was a goner, though. He was happy the two of us are hanging out, apparently. I didn’t tell him Sadie would rather I stay home.

I shift again, uncomfortable in the too-tight shirt Sadie made me wear. I don’t know why she cares what I have on anyway.

“You okay over there?” Nathaniel asks. “You’re squirming around like you’re about to jump out of your skin. You’re not about to go all Incredible Hulk on me or anything, are you?”

His comment stings. “No!” leaps out of my mouth, with a harsh edge to it.

“She doesn’t usually dress like that. She’s uncomfortable,” Alec grits out. I want to thank him for sticking up for me and bury myself in a hole at the same time. Nice of him to out me like that.

“I was kidding, man.” Nathaniel leans closer to me. “You know I’m kidding right, Charlotte?”

The car goes deathly quiet at the name. No one calls me Charlotte. Sadie laughs while Alec gives me a strange look, but Nathaniel doesn’t seem to notice or care.

“Yeah. It’s cool,” I tell him. We pull into a parking lot in town. I’m thankful that we’re here so I can get out of the car. Alec gets out first and I stumble out behind him. It’s a bright, sunny day like it always is in the summer. Sadie is smiling as she slips on her sunglasses.

Alec cocks his head at me. I can see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to figure out what’s going on with me. The truth of the matter is, I don’t know. I wouldn’t even know what to tell him. It’s not just about the summer boy…it’s everything.

“There’s not a ton to do, but we can show you guys a few places,” Sadie tells Brandon.

“Sure. Sounds cool,” he replies.

“Charlie, if you guys wanna take off by yourselves and meet up with us later, that’s cool. I know you’re more comfortable around just Alec anyway.”

Dude. I’m going to kill her.

“If you wanted to get Brandon alone, you just had to ask,” I shoot right back at her. I’m used to taking crap from a lot of people, but most of the time, I don’t take it from my sister.

For the first time in forever, she blushes. Alec laughs and I hear Nathaniel mumble a “well played.”

“I have to keep this twerp with me anyway. My folks made me promise.” Brandon tries to flip Nathaniel’s hat off, but he dodges him.

“I was just being nice. I don’t mind if we all hang out.” Sadie’s smile is forced and I feel a little guilty for embarrassing her.

Brandon and Sadie walk in front of Nathaniel, Alec and I. One of the boys flanks either side of me and it’s impossible not to accidentally bump against them. Alec here, Nathaniel there. A brush of an arm, the touch of a hand.

We show them a few of the shops. There’s this ridiculous Lakeland Village Museum, which is really nothing more than an old, white house stuffed with Lakeland Village history. The boys walk through like they care and Alec and I pretend we haven’t seen it all a million times before. It was our first field trip in Kindergarten, then again in third grade.

We go to the ice cream shop where Brandon buys Sadie ice cream. Nathaniel turns to me and says, “What do you guys want?” And as stupid as it is, it makes me swoon a little. A boy has never offered to buy me ice cream before.

“It’s cool. You don’t have buy it,” Alec replies just as I opened my mouth to answer. “You want your usual, Charlie?”

Nathaniel shrugs like it isn’t a big deal and steps forward to order his ice cream. I try not to let it bother me, and nod at Alec.

We sit at the little tables with ice creams painted on them. One of the girls in Sadie’s grade did it. She’s planning on leaving Lakeland Village as soon as she graduates to pursue art school, and I envy her that.

Soon, we’re all piled in the car again and heading back home. I’m stuck between the two boys again and I’m kind of bummed I can’t make myself enjoy it. They’re both cute, super cute, but Alec is my best friend and Nathaniel’s only here for the summer.

“Anyone around here play ball?” Brandon looks toward the backseat. I actually feel Alec’s body go haywire.

“Football?” Alec asks, excitement in his voice. And I know, as much as he didn’t want to like these two boys, he’s just found a new best friend.

“Is there any other kind?” Brandon asks.

“Baseball. Anyone can tackle someone else,” Nathaniel says from beside me.

Brandon and Alec start rambling about teams and the next season and blah blah. It’s not that I don’t like to play around. We get together and have tons of games. It’s fun. Alec always picks me for his team and most of the other girls sit around watching, but I don’t care. I like being involved. But it’s different liking to play sometimes and being in love with it.

Alec is in love.

I wish he would try to leave this town one day to play somewhere.

“You want to get a game together when we get back?” Alec asks.

Brandon’s eyes glow with excitement. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’ll call a few people.”

Sadie Ann has a cell phone, but I don’t. “You’re only fifteen, Charlie Rae. You don’t need one,” Mom told me when Sadie got hers. I don’t really care. It’s not that I would call anyone but Alec anyway.

Alec pulls his out and starts texting a few people. Since he gets paid for helping out at The Village, he actually has money sometimes.

“You going to watch us play?” Brandon asks Sadie.

“Sure. I guess.” Even thought her words sound nonchalant, I can tell she’s happy he asked her.

“You’re down to play, right, Charlie?” This from Alec. He would never ask me to watch. He knows better than that.

“Yeah. Sounds cool.”

“You play?” Nathaniel asks, but it doesn’t sound like he’s making fun, just curious.

“Yeah, sometimes.”

“All the time is more like it,” Sadie says. “She likes playing with the boys.”

I hate it when she says things like that. It makes my gut twitch, but part of me doesn’t blame her. It’s true and I don’t think she’s always trying to be mean. She just doesn’t get me, and she likes to make sure everyone knows that.

“Cool,” Nathaniel replies.

“Her and I are awesome together. We kick ass out there,” Alec says.

No one replies to that. We pull up back at home and turn off the car. Everyone piles out. My insides don’t know if they’re excited to play, to hang out with Alec and the people we know. To do something comfortable, or if I’m freaked out because being around Nathaniel seems to make me that way.

“You ready?” Alec asks, but he’s not looking at me. He’s looking at Brandon.

“You know it.” Brandon grins.

“Charlie Rae! Thank God you’re back. I’m going to need your help a little bit, kiddo!” Dad calls from his perch by one of the boats.