Camp Boyfriend Read Online Free Page A

uncomprehending. “Or an arts camp?”
    “Both. It’s a traditional camp. My dad went there.” Paige was more interested than I would have thought and had lots of questions. Had I misjudged her? Not given her a chance? Maybe I could have had a friend this year…a real one. We must have talked for a while, because the next thing I knew, a crescent moon, my favorite, appeared in the southern sky, and the guys were out of the water.
    “There you are.” Matt’s voice wrapped around me just as Crash arrived to retrieve Paige, teasing her that he was going to throw her in the water.
    “Here I am.” I swallowed hard, knowing the point of No Return had arrived.
    Nearby, most everyone paired off into couples. A few of the guys weren’t dating anyone, but even they had invited girls to hang out with. The six of them were the noisier group at one end of the rocky beach, while some of the other couples disappeared altogether. Thankfully, Matt had never pressured me too much to take that long walk into the woods at twilight. Yet another reason he’d been a good boyfriend. I’d never felt ready and couldn’t go all the way with him when a piece of my heart still belonged to Seth.
    “Come on,” Matt gestured toward the quieter side of the party. “I brought a dry towel.”
    He laid out the towel and pulled on his T-shirt. His hair still dripped onto the collar in a few spots. My heart pounded hard; there was no turning back.
    “I want to apologize,” he started as he sat beside me on the blue terrycloth. “I haven’t even asked you about your sister’s wedding or anything lately. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
    “That’s okay.” I was kind of surprised he even remembered Kellianne had gotten engaged. We didn’t spend a lot of time at each other’s houses, and I had only mentioned the wedding a few times, over post-game pizzas in town. “I don’t expect you to share that headache with me. Unless, of course, you want to weigh in on the merits of semi-gloss lipstick versus matte for a church ceremony.”
    “Uh. Right. Not my area of expertise.” We shared a laugh before he grew serious again. Wrapping an arm loosely around one knee, he turned forest-green eyes on me. “Lauren, my mom and dad are getting divorced.”
    It took a while for the words to sink in.
    “Ohmigod, Matt. I’m so sorry.” I’d been so wrapped up in my own family drama this year that I had missed his. While I’d just had the vague worry of divorce floating around my head, given the amount of time Dad spent away from us now, Matt had to deal with the real thing.
    I reached for him, my hand on his arm before I could think twice about touching a soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. No matter how I felt, this sucked for Matt.
    “My dad cheated on my mom.” His voice turned harsh. Unforgiving. “I’m so pissed at him—” He shook his head. His jaw flexed.
    “That’s awful.” A sinking feeling washed over me.
    Matt was going through hell. I’d be a total jerk to break up with him when he already had a huge life crisis on his plate. Then again, how could I not when I intended to be with Seth next week? Guilt pinched at my heart.
    “Thanks.” Matt squeezed my hand hard. “I know I’ve been out of it lately, but that’s why. I—I’m so glad I have you, Lauren.”
    His heartfelt words delivered the death blow to my break-up plan, at least for tonight.
    “Me too,” I murmured, feeling like a traitor to him and to Seth. But weathering the divorce news alone would really suck, and it wouldn’t be right to give him another thing to worry about.
    I squeezed his hand back. Maybe I could spend time with him for the next few days and cheer him up before I broke the news to him on Wednesday or Thursday.
    “We can write to each other this summer,” I continued, hoping to reassure him so he wouldn’t feel like I was bailing. “And we’re allowed to use our phones for an hour once a week.”
    Seth would understand if I needed to exchange a few