I Shouldn't Love Him
I Shouldn’t Love Him (Book 2) – Chapter 73

LAKE

Everyone went about their business as if nothing had happened.

As if Manning hadn’t left for almost two hours.

As if taking an innocent person into a police car was normal.

I helped each girl in the cabin pack their things, leaving mine for last. The cabin was messier than I thought. Hannah and I worked in silence picking up, unmaking beds, emptying trash cans. The girls were sitting outside in the sun on their bags.

“Can we turn the radio back on?” we asked.

“No.”

They remained silent after that, and as much as I wanted them to be, it didn’t help. My hands were busy, but my mind was wandering. Manning had said I wasn’t involved in why they took him, but I didn’t see how that was possible. I had been there every step of the way. The officer must have seen something and returned to the station with it. Would they come and get me next?

I hoped so, that way I could explain everything. The sneaking, the driving, the swimming, the almost kissing – if the alternative was Manning getting in trouble for being with a minor, I’d tell them the truth: It was all me. I was responsible for all of this. I would make sure they knew, even if it meant being punished for life. Even if the result ruined me in my father’s eyes.

When the cabin was clean and all the girls had their bags in hand, Hannah looked at my bunk.

“We’re supposed to take care of them now.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead. I wish I had taken a shower, because I was sure that after all that work I smelled like a swamp.

“It’ll only take me a second to pack.”

Let’s put them in place.

The kids were everywhere, bees buzzing around a hive, as we walked the girls to the buses. I searched the area for someone who might have news. Manning had not yet returned; I could feel his absence.

I spotted Gary before he saw me.

“Start loading your things,” I told the girls, and to Hannah, “I’ll be right back.”

Gary looked up, waving his clipboard at me.

“Hey, LAKE. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes. What happened?”

“What?”

“With Manning? Where is he?”

Gary looked around.

“He is still at the post.

“Why? What happened?”

“I can’t tell you.

“No.” He looked at his list. “Actually, go see her for me.” It’s not here yet, and we have to stay on schedule.

My mouth opened.

“We can’t leave him here.”

“We have no choice.”

“But he’s alone with no way to get home.”

Gary dropped the clipboard at his side.

“What am I supposed to do? Keep the campers here all weekend while waiting to replace out if one of our counselors gets arrested? How do you think the parents would feel about that?

” “But we can’t just…”

“I think you should go get your sister. I need her daughters here, and . . she’s probably more upset than you, don’t you think? It’s her boyfriend after all.

Anger rose inside me like a wave. Tiffany only cared about Manning when it was convenient for her. I was the one who cared. She had no right to be upset. I I did.

I wanted to explain all this to Gary, but my frustration must have been written all over my face. Gary put a hand on my shoulder.

“You need to calm down, Lake.”

“I need to see Manning.”

“You don’t I can’t.”

“Then I want to talk to his lawyer.”

“Why?”

“I can’t say.”

Gary frowned.

“I’m starting to worry.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know not.”

We looked at each other.

“Should I be worried?”

It probably seemed like I was exaggerating. Gary didn’t understand why this was so important to me, but making him understand might cause Manning and me more problems. I promised Manning I would keep quiet. “No,” I said, breathing deeply.

“He’s just been a good friend to us. Our family. And Tiffany.

“Okay. So are you going to go see him?

There was nothing more to do. It wasn’t like I could go into town and talk to Manning myself. At least Tiffany could drive. Again, she was my only connection to Manning.

Tiffany was exhausted. She had her hair up in a messy bun and her bangs stuck to her forehead.

“Kimmy, why are you taking everything out of the bag we just packed?” ” she asked.

“I can’t replace my Walkman.”

As Kimmy rummaged, her dirty socks jumped on the floor like fugitives on the run.

“I need it for the bus.”

“But you weren’t going to shut up when you came here!

“You didn’t even listen to music.”

I put my hands on Kimmy’s shoulders.

“We have games planned for the bus. you won’t need your Walkman. Right now, I need you to do a job for us.

Kimmy pouted.

“What work?”

“Go around to each bed that doesn’t have a sleeping bag, remove the sheets from the mattresses and pile them in the middle of the cabin.

Sounds fun, right? »

I had given him permission to wreak havoc. She sprinted with both feet to the nearest bed.

“You’re making things too complicated,” I said to Tiffany.

“If I ever mention having babies, remind me of this experience,” Tiffany mumbled.

“I’m just glad Manning isn’t here to see me like that.”

It’s because he’s with the police, I wanted to beat the shit out of him. But that wasn’t the way to reach Tiffany.

“What did he want?” ” I asked.

“When I sent you to talk to him.”

“Iris” Tiffany gaped behind me. “Are you kidding me?”

I looked back to replace Iris smiling with red lipstick. She was making kissing noises. “Oh, Manning. I love you.

I recognized this lipstick, it was Chanel. That wouldn’t go well. I was about to intervene when Tiffany stood up. “Come here,” she said to Iris.

Iris took a step back.

“You have done wrong. I taught you the other night how to use l*p liner. You should have put this first because now the lipstick is bleeding. You look like a prostitute.

— Tiffany, I said through my teeth. “What?” she asked me. “Do you want her to look like a prostitute?”

Iris narrowed her eyes then walked over to Tiffany, taking the lipstick out of her pocket. She put it back. “Pardon.”

“It’s good.” Tiffany removed the cap, inspected the lipstick, and muttered under her breath, “It would cost you a month’s allowance, but that’s okay.”

If I hadn’t been so concerned about Manning, I might have passed out from shock. Somehow, at some point, Tiffany had been struck by an ounce of patience. Although it made me happy to see her trying, I needed her to focus. “Tiff?” What did he say ?

Tiffany put on the lipstick, sat on the ground, and put it in the mesh pocket of her luggage. “Who?”

“Manning.”

She blinked at me. For the way she had just yelled at Iris, her voice was strangely even. “He’s in trouble because he left camp last night.”

I scratched my elbow. I shouldn’t feel guilty for lying. How many times had Tiffany lied to me or omitted information to get her way? “Do you know why?” I asked.

” Is not it ? You spoke to him.

My palms are sweating. I didn’t know what she was talking about. “When?”

“This morning. It was you who told me to go to his cabin. Didn’t he tell you all that?

“No. He said it was. . adult affairs.

Tiffany raised an eyebrow and laughed. “You’re an adult, aren’t you?” You’ve been trying to act like one lately. Be like me.

My face blushed. “What do you mean?” She looked away. “Manning doesn’t think it’s a big deal, whatever the police want. But he didn’t know how long they would keep him, so he might need me to pick him up later.

“It’s a long drive back here.”

“Who else is going to do it?” You? His family? He wants me there. She sat on her overstuffed suitcase and tried to zip it. “All I know is that it has to do with something that happened last night. He won’t tell me more.” I knew that.

Either he lied and said it didn’t. didn’t concern me, or there was something else going on. Manning wanted to protect me, he’d made that clear since we met, but at what point did he make things worse? I didn’t exactly feel safe with him in custody , unable to tell me about our next move.

“Can I come with you to get it?” I asked.

Tiffany pulled the zipper so hard that her fingers slipped and she flew backwards. “F**k She shook her hand. “God, it hurts. And I broke a f*****g nail.

“Tiff?”

“I’m so sick of this place,” she said. “C It’s dirty and noisy. I only came for him, and now he is. .”

“What?” I asked, every hair on my body prickling.

“Whatever-”

“What else did he say?” »

“Nothing, I already told you.”

“But if there’s something else, anything, I need to know.”

“What do you want from me, Lake?” she said, banging her fist on the suitcase. Surprised, I stepped back. “I have no idea what’s going on. He wouldn’t tell me anything. I don’t know what to do or if I should do something or right.” Her body shook under the threat of a sob. I was so shocked by her tears that I ended up on the floor next to her. She rarely cried unless it was to get something from my father. I removed her hands from her face to put my arms around her. “It’s good.”

She walked away. “Don’t do it.”

“For what?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re the reason we’re in this mess.”

It seemed to me that Tiffany and Manning were adults enough to decide whether or not they wanted to be here, but when had Tiffany ever taken responsibility for her decisions? “Whatever, Tiffany. I came here to watch over you and Manning, not to fight.

“What if he gets into real trouble?” she asked. “How will you feel then?” »

“He won’t.”

“How do you know?” she asked.

“Innocent people don’t go to jail.”

She looked at me harshly. “What if he’s not innocent?”

“He is,” Gary said from the door. “Manning is a good guy. Whatever happened, I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.

“Take us to the station, Gary,” I said. “Please.”

“I can’t. Not only wouldn’t it help, but Manning specifically asked me to keep you away. “

But I’m his girlfriend,” Tiffany said.

“He’s trying to protect you.” He sniffed at us, his eyes wandering over our faces. We must have looked as bad as we felt, because he conceded, but not without a roll of his eyes. “If it makes you feel Better, I’ll come back as soon as possible and check things out. Once everything is settled at home, I’ll come back here on my own and make sure Manning is okay. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but I could see that was all we were going to get. It was better than Manning being alone. “Thank you,” we said. “

But I have one condition: Relax. You’re too young to worry about this stuff. Actually, I have two conditions. Pack your shit and head to the buses now.” With a poor attempt at an angry face, he turned and left.

Tiffany looked exhausted. I could tell she was thinking about leaving her stuff just so she could stop packing. Considering there were designer handbags in there, she must have been desperate.

“I’ll sit on the bag, and you zip it up,” I said. “I’m heavier than you.” I might have been, if I had the tits and a*s she had, but it was exactly what she needed to hear. She took a breath and stood up so I could take her place. After struggling with the zipper, she closed the bag. His face and eyes were red, his hair sticky with sweat. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened earlier, before Gary interrupted us. Tiffany was clearly upset. Was it possible that she actually cared about Manning?

With this realization, a new fear took hold within me. Not for Manning or even myself. If Tiffany found out I snuck out with her boyfriend, she would be furious. Embarrassed. Hurt What I had done, I had done without considering how it might affect my own sister. It had been easy to convince me that it wouldn’t matter to her because she had no real feelings for Manning. But did she? “I’m sorry this week was so bad,” I said sincerely. “I’ll go to the mall with you when we get home and buy you something.”

She wiped her nose. “With what?”

“I saved an allowance. Probably more than you.

She turned around and climbed onto her bed to take down the photos of her and her friends that she had taped to the wall. “You know I can have almost anyone. Manning is lucky I’m still here.

I didn’t know where it came from, but there was only one way to answer if I wanted to get out of here alive. “I know.” I waited for her to continue, but she just removed the tape from the corners of the photographs. “Did something happen to him?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Are you considering breaking up with him?”

“Maybe.”

So many things were going through my mind at once. If they broke up, Manning would be out of his life. But would it then also be outside mine? No. He and I had to replace a way. We knew it would come to this. It wasn’t like I expected her to stay with Manning for two whole years until I turned eighteen.

“We’ll see how it goes if I get him back,” she said.

I didn’t know how to encourage him. It was a very real possibility that without Tiffany, Manning and I would be separated until I turned eighteen. It was an excruciating two years away from him. But the thought of them together made me feel like I had a piece of glass lodged in my chest – I couldn’t go very long without being reminded that he was there. Manning and I needed Tiffany , but at the same time, it was undeniable that she was also on the way.