I turned over in my bed, and looked to my phone to see what time it was. Six o’clock. I sat up, and looked around my room knowing that I had to get up for something, but not remembering what it was. Right, jogging with Kevin. He was going to be here at six thirty. I took my time for the most part, pulling out some shorts, and a tank top, throwing them on and eating a light breakfast so I didn’t end up barfing it all back up later. When I was ready, I grabbed a piece of paper, and the door to the cabin creaked open. I heard someone step inside, and when I looked up from the pad of paper I was writing on to let my parents know where I was, Kevin was standing in the kitchen leaning up again the door frame. My goodness, he looked hot too. But I quickly shook that thought from my mind, and finished writing out my note. When I was done, I followed Kevin out the door and we walked down the resort road and when we got to the first main road, we started jogging.
To get to the resort, there is the high way that you take, then you turn off, and turn off again onto the widest and curviest road that you will ever see. All together that road is two miles one way, and Kevin jogs all the way there and all the way back. Well, Kevin does the whole stretch there and back, so I was totally in for it. Whether I would actually be able to do it, would be a different story.
As we set off, we didn’t say anything, I don’t know about Kevin, but I had to get used to the cooler air in the morning. I let my mind just wonder, and it came back to the image of Kevin leaning up against the door frame in my cabin not ten minutes ago. He was hot, I will admit that. He had his normal running clothes on, the ripped off sleeves that had been cut down to his shorts, with a pair of basketball shorts. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, and I think that’s part of the reason of why I thought he was hot right then, and even now. When he ran, his shirt would wave in the wind, and I could see his abs flex as we turned down the windiest road. Upon reaching the point where we would turn back around, he stopped running and I did too, just now finding out how much that run had taken its toll on me. As I walked, he looked at me and smiled. “Already sore are we?”
I gave him a little laugh and nodded. “Yea, I think so. I haven’t really ran this far in a while, I’ve been running in the neighborhood but not close to this far. I guess I’m a little out of shape,”
“I totally understand,” He said as his hand came up and landed on my shoulder, then slid off. It wasn’t awkward or anything, but it was sweet. “So, this Cam kid, does he run with you?”
I sighed, knowing where this was going, and not wanting to go there but finally understanding part of the reason of why he asked me to come with him. He could control how long we were ‘running’ and no one would take a second glance because that’s where we were doing. But Kevin of course, had to kill two birds with one stone, with going running and seeing what he could find out about Cam. Clever, I’ll give him that. “No, he doesn’t. Most of the time over the summer he is at the high school for football practice at least in the morning.”
“Okay, so what do the two of you guys do for fun over summer break?” He asked, giving me a short sideways glance to make sure I wasn’t going to lie.
“Well last year we always went to the beach, or hung out in his back yard. The year before that, we biked a lot into town, and before that we hung out a lot in our backyards. Most of the time we just talk and what not, but there are times were he brings up something serious and I end up talking to him about it. Why?”
“I have noticed throughout the years, that you have come to like him more and more than the year before. So I was wondering what you did with him that made you fall so hard for him and stay with him if he’s such a jerk now. I can see that that reason is the reason why I am friends with you right now. Because we talk. That’s the only reason why I don’t forget you year after year and why we make our families come up the same week every year. Because we talk and through that we have gotten closer.”
I didn’t say anything to that. I didn’t know what to say. It was so wired because I was used to something like this coming from Jade’s mouth, but never would I have thought about Kevin saying this. Or Cam for that matter. And he was right, year after year, I had fallen more and more for Cam, even this year, no matter how much of a jerk he has been to me. I started to think of something to say, but Kevin beat me to it.
“Look, whatever is going on with you and Cam, no matter what time of the day, or year, you can always call me up, and talk to me. When you can’t turn to him, you can turn to me,”
His voice was quiet and soft, something that was new to me because it was usually loud and cut through the crowd. I looked at him, and stepped in front of him to make sure I was really seeing what I was seeing. Kevin looked like he was about to cry, and it just hit me as to why. He liked me. I stood here year after year, telling him about Cam when he had liked me all along, from the beginning. I didn’t give it a second thought, and I just took a step towards him, and wrapped my arms around him. I could feel his arms wrap around my waist, and he squeezed me tight, just as I did him.
When I let go of him, I was crying, and I quickly tried to wipe my tears away so he didn’t see, but he beat me to it all together, lifting up the end of his shirt and wiping them away for me. At that point we were almost to the resort entrance, so I scrambled for something to say. “Kevin, I’m sorry -”
“No,” he cut me off. “Don’t be sorry, Mary. Just know that no matter what happens in life, I will always have your back, just as I know that you will always have mine.”
I just nodded, and we walked back to our cabins together in silence. He came with me to mine, and gave me a hug at the door, saying good bye before turning to go back to his cabin.
I turned and went inside, and went straight to the shower. It took me a while, and I took an extra-long shower, but when I finally processed what happened on that run, I shut the water off and stepped out. He had pretty much said that I liked Cam, and that no matter what he liked me, kind of like no matter what, I liked Cam. It was something new, but I refuse to let the fact that he likes me come between us being friends. He understands that I like someone else, so he should be able to be okay with just being friends for now. And I have to say, this kind of explains his behavior lately, with his leg up against mine last night for cards, and everything else that’s been wired this vacation. But that’s okay, because he knows where the line is, and if he goes too far, I only have to remind him, and he will be okay with it. Or at least in theory. But I’m not worried about that right now. Right now, I worried about what’s going to happen after I get back home, with me and Cam, and with me and Kevin.
Making my way back into my room, I checked my phone, which told me that I had a new text message. I opened it and saw that it was from Cam.

Hey, I just wanted you to know that I got together with Nikkie. Thought you should be the first to know!

At first I just stared at it. But when I read and reread it, the more I just wanted to go home and ask him why? Why did he text me when we weren’t talking? Why would he get together with her in the first place? Why would I have to be the first to know? Why why why why why why why why why why why? I decided that I wouldn’t respond to him, to hold up my end of the bargain of the fact that I wasn’t going back when I said that things were going to change when he walked away. I want to make sure that he knows I won’t give into him. Not again.
I tried hard not to start crying, but I guess it wasn’t hard enough because a few tears got through, and I quickly wiped them away when there was a knock on the door. “Mary! Come on, the other girls decided to start an early game day, I told them I would get you,” The door opened, and I could hear him walking into the cabin slowly and carefully.
“I’m in here,” I called, not wanting to see him right now, but knowing that I had to. He opened the door, gave me one look, then was sitting on the bed next to me while pulling me to him. I wasn’t crying or anything, no matter how much I wanted too, but it was nice just having him here in my time of need.
“Was it Cam?” His voice was only a whisper, but I heard it and nodded. His arm was around my shoulders with my face on his shoulder. His hand rubbed my arm, and I thought back to when Cam would have done the same thing to me, except we were younger. I couldn’t count on him like this now.
“He texted me telling me that he was going out with Nikkie and that he wanted me to be the first to know.” He didn’t say anything to that, but he pulled me closer to him, and I was okay with it. It wasn’t in a girlfriend/boyfriend way, it was in a best friend kind of way which was what I really needed at that moment. After a few moments, I sat up, and faced him squarely. “Thank you, Kevin,” I said, and leaned in to give him a hug. He hugged me tightly, and pulled back, giving me a look.
“Anytime,” He smiled.
I got up, straighten my shorts, and held out my hand to him. “Come on, let’s not be late for the games again.” His smile met mine, and we left my cabin both a little glad that the other was there at that moment.