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her and the next she does not know if her feelings are valid.
    At the moment, she believes that he does like her. Why else would he ask me to go camping with him?
    “He probably would, as long as he knew exactly where we were going and that your brother and sister will be there too. James is cool about letting me do things. He trusts me,” she says, and then smiles.
    “Well, should I ask him?”
    “No, I can.”
    “We’re going to the spot I found at the lake where I took you last Saturday. We want to leave after school on Friday. My dad is gone for the weekend. We have to be back by Sunday afternoon by three.” Ian pauses and a frown washes over his face. “Before he gets home.”
    “He?”
    “My dad,” Ian says, still frowning. After a moment of silence, he perks up. “So you really think he’ll let you go?”
    “Oh yes,” Grace says. “James trusts me and he’s really good about things like that. He’ll definitely let me go.”
    Despite the excitement in her voice, Grace becomes anxious again about Ian’s invitation. She wants nothing more than to spend time with him. In fact, she would be happy spending every waking moment with him, but she worries about getting hurt, and feeling like she did when he didn't call her for days.

 
 
 
    The Friday they are supposed to leave for the camping trip, Ian and Grace sit under the towering oak tree, eating French fries and staring into each other’s eyes. Ian senses that Grace has been having doubts about his feelings for her, and he has been trying to show her with little gestures that he really, genuinely likes her.
    “Are you excited for our camping trip?” he asks, breaking their silence.
    Ian reaches out and grabs Grace’s hand.
    “Honestly, no.”
    His heart drops. “What? Why?” he asks, shocked.
    “I hate the outdoors. Remember? The bugs.”
    Ian tilts his head to the side and studies Grace inquisitively. “Then why did you say yes when I asked you to come?”
    “Because.” She smiles, sweetly, and stuffs a French fry into her mouth.
    Ian pulls on her hand and brings it to his lips. He pauses before he plants a kiss on the top of her hand.
    “Because I want to be with you, silly,” she confesses.
    “Well, like I said. I’ll protect you. I bought citronella candles, and we have plenty of bug spray. You’ll be fine,” he reassures her.

 
 
 
    Grace stuffs her pajamas into her backpack and looks around her room.
    Two nights and a day and a half, she thinks as she looks around for anything else that she may need.
    James walks in with an industrial sized sleeping bag. “I took the one out of my trailer. It will be warmer than that girly one you have,” he says, as he throws the old heavy, hunter green sleeping bag on her bed. “It’s times like these that I wish I had gotten those damn cell phones,” James says, as he sits on Grace’s bed.
    “I’ll be fine, James.”
    “I know you will. I'm not sure why, but I trust Ian. And you know I trust you. But don’t forget to get those directions to the camping spot for me before you go,” he says, smiling.
    “I won’t. I promise.”
    After Ian rings the doorbell announcing his arrival, Grace walks down the walkway from her home, following Ian to the car. Always the gentleman, Ian opens the passenger side door for her. As Grace crawls into the car, she glimpses the two red haired kids sitting in the backseat.
    “Hi. I’m Grace,” she says, reaching her arm back to shake hands with Bailey.
    Bailey is smaller than what Grace had pictured her to be. She is thirteen years old, but looks like she is ten. She has straight, fire-engine-red hair, and her face is a mass of freckles. She has Ian’s blue eyes, and Grace thinks she is very pretty.
    “Hi, Grace!” Bailey says in her high-pitched voice. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
    Grace notices that Bailey is very polite for her age.
    Geesh, I wish Michelle would be more respectful like this, she thinks, and then shakes