Class Clown (The Thornback Society #4)

20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Ruby’s Truth: When in doubt, trust your true friends.

By the time Aryn and Meredith arrived, I’d gotten my head back on and had decided to be open to whatever happened with Nico. He’d said he was all in, and I could admit that I’d never had a guy get under my skin this way. I was the queen of games and banter, and Nico was shredding that all up with his constant sincerity, which had my insides bouncing between joy and terror.

I knew my attention would be divided with my friends being here for a few days, but I was optimistically curious to see if Nico’s actions would match his words. I had no reason not to trust him, he’d certainly never let me down, but words didn’t always mean much to people. Actions, however, they never lied.

My friends pulled up in Aryn’s car and I ran toward them before the dust had even settled. My hair flew around me, and my smile stretched across my entire face as the sight of them made me giddy with happiness. Aryn, with her wild waves of auburn hair and her bright smile, barreling right back toward me, with perfectly moody Meredith following her more sedately – it was perfect. The three of us hugged, and I laughed as they allowed me to bounce them around in a circle until we were dizzy and had to stop.

“You’re here!” I squealed .

Meredith nodded as she smoothed her sleek black hair into place and tugged her button-front shirt back down. “It took us all day, but it’ll probably be worth it.”

“Of course it’ll be worth it.” I turned to Aryn with a grin. “Did you wake her up too early?”

Aryn nodded. “6:30 a.m. Meredith was even less happy than this Meredith is.”

Meredith shook her head. “I am alive thanks to diet cola and a driving need to prove to Brooks that I’m a good road-tripper.”

“Brooks isn’t here,” I responded.

Meredith hooked a thumb towards Aryn. “Like she won’t be giving him a full report when we get back home.”

Aryn bounced on the balls of her feet, stretching a little to ease the strain of an all-day car ride. She was dressed in her typical athletic gear and looked ready to take the place on. Meredith, however, was eyeing it all with a sort of wary curiosity, like she’d wait to give her judgment until she saw how it played out.

Aryn clapped her hands together. “So, the view is gorgeous and everything, but when do we get to set eyes on this roommate of yours? I’ve been dying to meet him.”

Meredith held up her phone. “I’ve been tasked with getting more pictures and all the details you don’t want to share.”

I airily waved a hand. “Who knows where he is right now? As the assistant director he’s kept pretty busy.”

They both looked around at the growing crowd of arrivals, with the usual hugging and some tears from both parents and kids, and I did my best to herd them back towards Aryn’s car to get their luggage.

Meredith dug her heals in, her sharp bony body managing to stop me. “I see him.” She pointed. “Over there, right?’

I turned to look, and as had become the norm, my pulse jumped at the sight of him. He looked good, standing tall and straight as he observed everything. Today he wasn’t wearing a ball cap, and the slight breeze ruffled his wavy hair. His hands were clasped behind his back and I wanted to catch his eye and watch his shy smile grow when he saw me.

“Yeah, that’s him,” I responded with forced nonchalance. “He looks totally surrounded by people who need him.”

Aryn laughed. “He’s standing alone. You should introduce us. ”

I waved a hand. “There will be plenty of time for that later, seeing as we’ll be bunking together.”

“I smell avoidance,” Meredith muttered and Aryn nodded her head, but at least they started walking toward the car with me.

They watched me closely as we gathered their duffel bags and sleeping gear out of Aryn’s car, exchanging looks I pretended not to notice. I definitely needed to update them, but it wasn’t going to be in the parking area in front of the other camp staff.

I fell into chatter mode, giving every strange and boring detail about the camp that I could think of. They patiently listened, occasionally murmuring a reply, until I’d hustled them right past Nico – who had noticed us and offered me that smile I’d been hoping for - and into the back door of Funky Bunks.

“The only rule of Funky Bunks is never use the front door,” I told them as I walked to it to demonstrate the huge bang. “It scares us to death every time.” Then I turned to the bunks. “We’re behind that sheet wall. I got an extra pad for the floor that we can scoot under the bunk during the day. Who wants top bunk and who wants the floor pad?”

Aryn looked at Meredith. “She fell for him.”

Meredith smirked. “Definitely.”

I gasped. “That’s . . .”

“It’s totally true.” Aryn cut me off. “I knew it would happen. I heard the stories, he’s like molasses to your gingerbread.”

I snorted. “That analogy doesn’t even make sense.”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t have to. I still stand by it.”

I looked to Meredith for support. Her smile was knowing. “I’m not here to judge. Just to shamelessly watch it all unfold and offer up commentary like you did for me.”

Aryn laughed and I rolled my eyes.

“Let’s say for one second you’re right,” I hedged.

“We are,” Meredith stated, tugging the floor pad out and unrolling her sleeping bag onto it.

I sputtered. “We’re undefined.”

“Who is?” Aryn questioned.

“Me and Nico. ”

Aryn threw her gear onto the top bunk, her height making her the smarter choice to go up. “You haven’t even admitted you’re into him, so obviously it’s undefined.”

“Things are being discussed,” I argued.

Meredith coughed. “Brooks and I discussed things a lot before we were ever a couple. I think you called it a classic enemy to lovers romance.”

I nodded. “It was so precious.”

Aryn cocked a hip and leaned against the dresser. “Spill it, or I’ll sick Meredith on him and he’ll be spilling his guts before dinner.”

I frowned. “Nico is military. He won’t cave so easily.”

Meredith stood and kicked her now-made bed back under the bunk. She grinned up at me and I shuddered at the look on her face.

“Wanna bet?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Not really.”

“You have one chance to tell us your story before I go find out myself,” Meredith stated, folding her arms.

I sighed. “Alright. You guys know that the original plan was to matchmake him with Kristy, but then I started finding him beautifully fascinating, and he’s so nice to me, and then we became friends, and I kissed him in the forest at night, and then I told him I won’t apologize for it, and then he said I was his first crush and that he’d be pursuing me so buckle up. Oh, and distance isn’t an issue.”

My two friends shared a look. “Did you get all that?” Aryn asked with a chuckle.

Meredith nodded. “She fell for a decent guy who likes her back and she doesn’t know how to handle it.”

My mouth flopped open. “That’s not what I said.”

“Wrong.” Meredith left the cover of the sheet curtain to glance around the small living space. “That’s exactly what you said. It’s not about the words, it’s about their meaning.”

“None of the words I said meant that,” I argued.

Meredith looked back at me. “Wrong again. Stop denying it.” She smiled at Aryn. “We arrived right on time. She needs us.”

“For what?” I asked, shocked down to my socks at how this was unfolding out of control.

Meredith responded with a knowing look. “Who else would you trust with this important situation? ”

I shook my head and sat on one of the kitchen chairs. “This is getting blown out of proportion.”

“Okay, so you’re being open and honest with him about your feelings and he’s doing the same?” Aryn asked.

“Yes, actually, and all the honesty is a little much. What happened to excessive flirting, stealing kisses, and then moping in the bathtub when it all came crashing down?” I moaned.

Aryn sidled up next to Meredith and they whispered together in a way I did not appreciate. I was never left out of these side conversations. I was the duchess of side conversations. The world had heaved off its head.

They looked back, both of them nodding.

“Alright,” Aryn said, “we’re going to scale back here. We jumped the gun a little. You obviously know what’s best for you and we’re here to have fun and take a break from life. Let’s ease up and let things flow.”

I did not believe them for a second, but I appreciated them pretending.

“Awesome. Thanks guys,” I replied.

“So, why don’t you give us the tour?” Aryn said brightly. “Let’s start at the health center. I want to see where you work.”

“Is your porcupine stalker still around?” Meredith asked. “I wanted to shake the hand of the creature that saw your worth.”

I told them all about Quinn as we made our way to the health canter cabin, and the sound of their laughter calmed my nerves. It was going to be great to have them here.

You never really know that special combination of fear and humiliation until you clog the only toilet in the cabin. The cook staff had attempted a new recipe, and last night had been Taco Tuesday. But my intestinal tract had been no match for the salsa, and things had been dire this morning.

I’d promised myself so few things about this summer, but one of them had been to never need that grumpy maintenance guy. Today, I’d let myself down.

I stood staring down at the toilet bowl, praying to the gods of justice and romance that it would flush, and growing more and more horrified when it remained the same. I’d plunged, I’d pulled off the tank lid and wiggled things, I’d kicked the bowl, I’d even jumped up and down shaking my fists, but it was hopeless.

A tap on the door had me sucking in a breath and tensing all over.

“Rubes?” Cole called. “Other people need a turn. You aren’t the only one fighting off the tacos.”

“The bathroom is occupied,” I called back in what I hoped was a cheerful voice.

“Yeah, so, um, whatever you’re doing in there, it’s going to have to come second to whatever is brewing in my stomach.” Poor Cole, having this moment in front of my friends who were barely more than strangers.

“Right, so, you may want to trot on up to Bearadise Lodge and see if there’s a free bathroom up there.”

Silence, and then quiet enough not to alert the whole cabin, “Rubes, did you clog it?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Oh, when you grabbed at your bum, shrieked, and ran for the bathroom, I had a hunch. The sounds your stomach had been making before that tipped me off.”

I gasped loudly. “Lies.” I did not grab my bum and run for the bathroom . . . I think.

“Is the bathroom usable or not Rubes, I don’t have time to play around. I’m grabbing my own bum here.”

“You’ll definitely want to look elsewhere for relief.”

“Aaahhh,” he cried, and his footsteps pounded quickly through the cabin before the back door slammed closed.

One down, three more out there. I couldn’t leave this bathroom until I could do so with my head held high. It looked like I lived here now, because the issue had not resolved.

Another knock, softer than Cole’s had been. “Ruby?”

Dang it all to the mother of goats. It was Nico. Why? Why? I was not a regular clogger of toilets. I was a dainty, mannerly woman with superb hygiene habits and a digestive tract of steel. This could not be happening.

“You okay, love?” he asked.

I smacked my lips and rolled my eyes. “I am fine, thank you for asking.”

“Would the plumbing agree?”

I slapped a hand on the door. “That’s not a question you ask a lady, Nico. Show a little respect. ”

I swear I heard him tamp down a laugh. “Hypothetically, if I needed to use the bathroom, would I be able to do that here?”

“I would advise you to move along,” I responded.

“Understood. And, is there anything you need at the moment?” he asked.

“My pride stings a bit,” I responded, “but otherwise I’m fine.”

“Noted.”

His footsteps followed Cole’s, and when the back door closed, I sighed happily. Aryn and Meredith, I could deal with. But Cole was going to make me hear about this for years, and Nico was too cute and new to be dealing with these issues.

“Are the guys gone?” I called out.

“Yes,” Aryn and Meredith responded loudly, both clearly busting up laughing.

I cracked open the bathroom door and poked out my head. They were both sitting at the kitchen table, big smiles on their faces, laughing hysterically.

“This is the best morning ever,” Aryn giggled.

I exited the bathroom and closed the door behind me. “Well, it’s about to get better because I have to get the maintenance man and he scares me.”

“Oh, I love a scary maintenance guy.” Meredith hooted. “Bring it on.”

“The only downside to this is that I have no cell service, otherwise I’d be doing a play-by-play text to Hailey, Lizzie and the guys.”

Meredith pointed at her phone. “I’ve been recording, don’t worry.”

I shot them both a look. “Picture this: A girl away from her bosom friends, lonely, stuck in a cabin with her brother and his confusingly handsome and tempting best friend. Her friends make a visit, soothing her weary soul, only to viciously mock her when a speed bump enters her life.”

“A speed bump clogged the toilet?” Aryn asked, trying not to laugh.

“At least you got the first new couple humiliation out of your way. You’re in the clear,” Meredith added with a chuckle. “Nothing but smooth sailing from here.”

“Laugh it up. The maintenance guy will make Freddy Krueger look like a sweater-knitting, cookie-baking grandma, just you wait.”

Meredith held up her phone so it faced me. “Go ahead and call him. I’m recording.”

I threw a look at her. “We have no service. I have to do it in person, remember?”

They both stood up quickly, knocking their chairs back with their knees.

“Lead the way,” Aryn smiled.

I held my head high and, with a sniff, led the way out of the cabin and up the walkway to the main Bearadise Lodge. Luckily, we didn’t pass anyone on our way to the small maintenance office, where I stopped outside the door and gave myself a quick pep talk before knocking.

“I have strength within me. I am fearless and bold,” I chanted under my breath.

“Ruby Jenkins, putting positive affirmations into the universe before facing her greatest foe, Maintenance Guy. How will he respond? Stay tuned, viewers,” Meredith said, turning her phone camera to face her and using a fake British accent.

I rolled my eyes and she grinned. “I hate you sometimes,” I grumbled.

She shrugged. “That’s fair.”

I faced the door again and knocked. Meredith and Aryn both fell silent behind me. I knocked again and when there was still no answer, I tried the handle. It was locked.

I turned to face my friends. “I’m not sure if I’m relieved or even more worried. That toilet can’t be clogged all day. There are five of us.”

Aryn played with her lip. “Maybe toilets are clogging all around the camp.”

“The septic system is a little wimpy,” I replied.

Meredith took more footage, with her fake accent again. “The plot thickens. Where is Maintenance Guy. Did he also hit a speed bump after feasting on last night’s tacos? Is he too forced to plunge his own . . . hey!”

I grabbed her phone, ended the video and put it in my pocket. “You’ve lost privileges. Since when do you act goofy, anyway?”

I spun on my heel and made my way back to our cabin, hoping a magical leprechaun had shown up to make it all go away.

“Brooks has been teaching me about finding humor in things,” Meredith defended as we marched.

They kept joking about the situation on the brief walk back to Funky Bunks and, honestly, I could have probably laughed myself if it wasn’t my life getting messed up .

I pushed through the back door of the cabin and there Nico was, hands on his hips, standing in the open bathroom doorway, observing something.

I stopped hard and fast, my two besties slamming into my back as I stood with my mouth open, letting the horrifying state of affairs wash over me. How had it gotten worse? Had I slipped into a coma at some point and all of this was a hallucination?

My friends shoved at my back until we were all inside, and he turned at the sound of us wrestling our way in.

“Oh, hey,” Nico said warmly. “I found Steve and he’s almost done here.”

He tipped his head into the bathroom with a smile and then focused back on whatever was happening in there.

“Who is Steve?” Aryn asked as she sidled up next to me.

“I have no idea,” I hissed.

“Let’s be glad he’s fixing things,” Meredith added, also quietly.

The three of us walked in a tight unit over to the kitchenette table and sat down, me and Aryn on chairs and Meredith on the table itself, her as we waited.

Sounds came from the bathroom, followed by some grumbling in an unfamiliar voice. Banging? Oh boy, was this Steve person having to literally rebuild the plumbing system? I put my hands over my face and leaned forward onto the table. I wanted to die here.

After what felt like hours, the most beautiful sound in the world happened. The toilet flushed. Meredith patted my shoulder and I sat up, face still red, but with hope in my heart.

Nico was talking to Steve. He had a smile on his face and backed up as a heavy-set man rambled out of the tiny bathroom. His coveralls and scowl were immediately familiar.

“Maintenance Guy,” I breathed.

He heard me and looked my way, his angry eyes bearing down on me. Looked like he was still angry about rat-a-geddon. I offered up the brightest smile I could muster.

“Thanks so much, S-Steve,” I said.

Steve opened his pinched mouth to reply, but Nico put a heavy hand on his shoulder and ushered him out with another thank you, and some conversation about other facility issues. He turned to wink at me as he followed Steve out the door and closed it behind him .

I sagged back against my chair when they were gone.

“Dude was scary,” Aryn leaned close to whisper.

“Apologies for not believing you,” Meredith replied. “Not much scares me, but I think I saw him once in a horror movie.”

Nico popped back in a second later and clapped his hands together. “Steve took care of everything. Are you feeling any better?”

I nodded. “Me? Oh, I’m totally cool. Maybe the plumbing is old and in disrepair,” I responded lightly. “Could have happened to anyone.”

His return smile was knowing and I squirmed a bit as my friends laughed. “You’re probably right. I’ll see you ladies at lunch?”

Meredith and Aryn nodded and I did too. Then, as Nico turned to leave, they shot me a look that had me standing on my feet and following him onto the back porch.

“Hey, um, thanks for getting Steve,” I said.

He paused and turned to face me. “No problem. He’s crusty, but so were a lot of the people I knew in the military. I didn’t want you to have to worry about it.”

Those darn tingles had my hand reaching out to wrap around his and squeeze. “It was really nice of you to spare me that.”

He stepped closer and said softly, “It’s important to me to make things easier for you.”

“I’m really, really embarrassed right now,” I admitted.

“Don’t be.”

Then, with no regard for the fact that we could be seen by anyone walking by, he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to mine. The contact was brief, but I felt the effects of it after he pulled back, squeezed my hand and hopped down the porch steps to the gravel path.

When I could breathe again, I turned to enter the cabin, only to find my two friends standing in the doorway with twin expressions of disbelief on their faces.

“I believe in love,” Meredith said, making googly eyes at his back. “I have to, because I just saw a guy unclog a toilet that you’d decimated, and then rock your socks off with a kiss.”

I laughed and swatted at her as they joined me on the porch. “Don’t remind me.”

“That guy is the real deal.” Aryn grabbed my arm. “Please tell me you see that.”

I nodded. I saw. And, oh how I hoped it would last.