"Anyone got plans for the long weekend?" Nate asked.
We were gathered around in the HQ one day after school. They had meant to study together for their upcoming tests, but their study session turned into playing music, pigging out on junk food, and talking about anything under the sun. I was curled up on one side of the couch, reading a book.
"Haven't given it much thought. Nothing, I guess," Clover said, sliding me a questioning look for confirmation. I nodded.
"I don't have a choir practice this weekend," added Rose, who'd been rereading the same page of her textbook the entire time. "Why, do you have something in mind?"
"I was thinking we could stay overnight at our lake house if the weather's good."
"You have a lake house? That's awesome!" I exclaimed. They looked at me and chuckled at my sudden outburst. Even Michael stifled his laughter. Turning bright red, I squeezed my lips together and tried to contain my excitement.
"It's our family vacation house," explained Nate. "It's in Esterbridge, so it's about a two-hour drive."
"Nice! Countryside road trip, here we go!" Clint shouted, to which Rose nodded vigorously.
"Hey, I have an idea," Clover chimed in. "Let's throw a dinner party at your lake house. Like a post-Thanksgiving just for us."
Nate snapped his fingers. "Yes, that's exactly part of my plan. It's our Friendsgiving, and it's gonna be awesome!"
"Yeah! No school, no chores, no strict bedtime rules..." Rose said dreamily.
"No parents. But all the boys and girls will be in separate rooms, a'ight?" Nate threw a stern look at Clint and Clover, who were huddled with each other on the other side of the couch. "Autumn will be on the lookout for any fishy activities that might happen, considering she's the most mature out of all of us. No offense, guys."
The rest of them shook their heads, and I flushed at how easily they agreed with him.
"I-I'm not mature like that. I can also act out, you know?" I said, trying to sound like a daredevil.
Clover stared at me. "Oh, really? Please do."
I ignored her. "Anyway, I'm not sure if my mom will let me go with a bunch of seniors. She's extra strict when it comes to me."
"Don't worry. I gotchu." Clover formed her fingers in an OK sign. "It's only for two days. You need this break."
She was right. I'd been feeling down since that incident with Finn, and an out-of-town vacation would do me good. Plus, with these people, it wouldn't just be a vacation. It would be an adventure.
"Hey, Michael. You've been weirdly quiet. You're down for this, right?" Nate asked him.
"Of course. Life goals. Travel the world," Michael answered, tossing me a knowing look across the room. That caught me off guard.
"Travel the what, bro? It's only a lake house."
"I think what he means by that is he wants to check out the living situation of... this." Rose motioned her hands all over Nate's shabby appearance.
"Hey, just so you know, our lake house is neat." He looked offended for a second. "That reminds me. Make sure to bring your own water for emergencies, and don't go into the woods because there's a fuckton of poison ivies out there. And there might be foxes and bears."
The rest of us looked somewhat uncomfortable, but we nodded.
Nate flicked his hands up to make another point, his demeanor taking on a sinister air. "Oh, and one more thing... It's very important that you remember this." He paused, leaning forward to the group. "If you ever hear any whistling at night, ignore it. Never look at the windows. It's for your sanity."
A wave of worried silence washed over the group. Then, an explosion of reactions occurred all at once.
"What the fuck, dude?" Clint exclaimed.
"Are you serious? Is this some The Cabin in the Woods type of thing? Because this is totally how a horror movie starts," Rose said, visibly shaken.
Clover scrunched her nose. "Well, that's it. Friendsgiving is canceled."
All the while, Nate was rolling on the floor, laughing his lungs out. "Just messin' with you guys. The lake house is safe."
"Fuck you." Clint took off his shoe and threw it at Nate, who was able to block it with his arms.
"Admit it, though. That would be a great vacation story to tell everyone at school."
"Yeah, when they read our obituaries," Clint fired back. Michael snorted a laugh and shook his head.
Poison ivies and potentially dangerous wildlife aside, the starry-eyed girl in me believed it would be a trip of a lifetime.
──────
Later that night, when the entire house was in a deep sleep, my phone lit up. Initially, I thought it was just one of those silly chain messages I had been getting lately, so I ignored it until I realized it was ringing, not vibrating. A call. I picked it up from the bedside table and immediately jumped out of bed as though a firecracker had gone off.
A call from Michael. It had been a while.
"Allô, Marmalade."
Feeling a strong rush of euphoria, I grinned from one ear to another. "That's the only French word I understand from you, Michael. I should probably get a French dictionary soon."
He made a tsk sound. "Knowing can sometimes be dangerous, though. It kills your wonder." I could hear a tiny smirk in his voice.
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. So, why did you call me tonight?"
He didn't answer immediately. It seemed as if he was internally debating whether he should answer.
"Michael?"
He cleared his throat. "Sorry. Have you, uh, convinced your mom to let you go on the trip?"
"Yeah. Thanks to Clover. As always, she handled the argument like a champ." I smiled at my sleeping sister on the top bunk. She hadn't mentioned the foxes and bears, though; otherwise, Mom would've lost it."
"Good to hear. Thought you might have needed my help," said Michael.
"Help? And what sort of help could you possibly have been?"
"Well, I would have persuaded her if she hadn't given you permission."
It was hard to visualize him coming over to my house to talk to my mother, but thinking about the possibility made me giddy.
"As if," I said, laughing politely.
"I swear that's what I would have done!" He was laughing as well. "You said I had a way with words. I might as well make use of my talent."
"Too late now."
"I know, but I'm glad you're coming with us, Autumn."
His unbearably charming sleepy voice saying my name made my heart fly through the roof, but the rational part of my brain told my heart to keep calm and be quiet.
"Me too. I'm very excited, as you can probably tell," I said.
"Yeah. Your sudden shouting in the band room was strong proof of your excitement."
"I can't help it. I've never been to a lake house before. I only see them in the movies and pictures, and they look so... romantic. Looking at them makes me wish I was in a Jane Austen novel or something."
"Yeah. That sure sounds romantic."
The way the word romantic rolled off his tongue so huskily had me melting.
Silence crawled in, and for a moment, only the sound of our breathing was heard. I wanted our conversation to go on and on just like before, but it looked like neither of us could think of a new topic, so we ended up saying awkward goodnights.
Before he hung up, he said, "Fais de beaux rêves. Dors bien. Tu me manques. Bonne Nuit."
I groaned. "You are so unfair, you know? I just hope you were not casting an evil spell on me."
He laughed.
"You know what? I'll study a language that's out of your knowledge so we're even."
That must have alerted him because he asked quickly, "What language?"
"It's a secret."
"A secret? But I told you—"
"maj ram, Michael." I ended the call. All those sleepless nights watching Star Trek films and TV series finally paid off.
It was a short talk but enough to make me fall asleep with a smile of contentment on my face.