Nicholas.

The sun beat down on the back of my neck as I stood on the gravel path of the "Pine Forest" camp, staring gloomily at the rows of wooden cabins. The suitcases pulled at my arms, and Vivienne's words were still ringing in my ears: "You'll love it, kiddo, stop whining." Yeah, sure.

Sighing, I trudged toward the registration point, but froze dead in my tracks. Standing by the table with the badges, arms crossed over his chest, was a tall guy in a black t-shirt. Those familiar black curls and that lazy half-smile were exactly like the person who was always hanging around our living room.

— "Nick?!" — it escaped me before I even had time to think.

Nicholas looked up. For a second, panic flashed in his brown eyes, but he immediately grinned widely and waved.

— "Kiddo?! Now that's a surprise. Keep it down, though, don't scream for the whole camp to hear."

I stepped closer, boring into him with a glare. Nicholas Davis — my brother's best friend, a neighbor, and simply the person who, a month ago, swore to Vivienne that he was spending the whole summer helping his grandmother in Vermont. I poked my finger at his badge: "Nicholas D. — Counselor for Group №3."

— "Grandmother, huh?" — I hissed. — "Vivienne is going to kill you. You didn't even tell him."

Nick scratched the back of his head, blushing slightly.

— "I need the money, and they pay pretty well here. Viv doesn't approve of these kinds of side jobs; he says I already work too much. So, here I am. I'll tell him myself. Just later. Once I figure out how."

I rolled my eyes and wanted to respond, but just then, a red-haired boy of about ten rushed up to us and tugged on Nick's sleeve.

— "Nicholas! Jenny and Mark are fighting over a mug again!"

Nicholas rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly and shot me a guilty look.

— "Sorry. Talk tonight? I'll find you after lights out."

He ran off, leaving me standing there, processing what I'd heard. Great. Just great.

— "God... am I really going to be in a group with 10-year-olds..." — I grumbled and looked at the paper, double-checking which group I was in. 3. Still 3.