“Why is that a bad thing, Zeesy? I’m allowed to change. I’m a growing person. I’m a teenager. The whole point is changing, right? We can’t stay kids forever"

Ifling an arm around Debbi; she pulls me close and rests her head on my shoulder.

Next year,” I choke out, “I refuse to come to camp. Nothing is worth the trauma of having to say goodbye to everyone.”

Debbi answers something totally unintelligible, and we all just sob harder.

I’m not handling. Four weeks did not go by already. It just did not. I refuse.

Shan comes over to me and squeezes my hand. I disentangle myself from Debbi and fling myself at Shan. We laugh through our tears and then just cry.

“I’m really going to miss you,” I choke out.

Shan nods. “Me too,” she whispers hoarsely.

We stop our sob fest to actually pack. I’m folding T-shirts, sniffing quietly, when Zeesy appears at the foot of my bed.

“Naomi,” she says. “Can we talk?”

I look at her. I don’t feel close to her, not now. It was an interesting summer; I feel like she and Debbi clicked without me, and I clicked with Shan, and honestly, I’m okay with that.

“Sure,” I say, because I’m a nice person.

She raises an eyebrow. Which is super cool, I want to do that. I resolve to teach myself this year.

“Uh, can we go outside? Like, in private?”

Ooooh. “Sure,” I say again. I abandon my folding, and follow her out of the bunkhouse.

It had been raining for a change, and the grounds are soft and spongy, and the air smells of mud and woods and that incredible camp smell that means it’s summer.

We settle in a gazebo. I’m uncomfortable, to be honest.

I don’t want to DMC with Zeesy right now. I want to finish packing, say my goodbyes, and go attend the farewell banquet.

Zeesy wraps a lock of hair around her finger so tight that it turns purple, and then lets it go.

“Naomi… I feel like… I think… you’ve changed,” she blurts out.