Give Me a Sign(76)

“Yes,” I sign, doing a little dance as I walk over to him, wearing his hoodie, putting my arms up and flapping the sleeves around with excitement.

“That’s awesome! I’m happy for you.” He offers a hand to help me take a seat on the rocks beside him. My feet are warm by the flames.

“What about you?” I ask, looking up at him.

“What about me?” he signs, bobbing his head. “I’m excited!”

“Are you coming back?”

He tosses more sticks into the fire. “I can’t.”

I expected this response, but that doesn’t make it easier to digest. “Why?” I hold the sign for a few seconds, even though I have a good guess. But if he came back for the rest of this year, why wouldn’t he want to come back for next summer? “We could be together all summer again.”

“I’ve got baseball,” he signs. “For college. It was already hard to make this year work.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t expected this, but I knew he played. I try to think of some way he can come back. “Maybe you can come back and visit camp for a week.”

“Maybe.” He doesn’t look sure.

“You leave for college soon, right?”

“On the last Sunday.”

“Like, the last day of camp Sunday, Sunday?” That’s barely any time together left. Is he leaving straight for the airport? I thought we might be able to find a way to see each other a few more times after camp was over.

He scrunches up his mouth and nods slowly. “But!” His eyes widen with excitement. “Ethan’s planning an end-of-summer surprise in the city for that Saturday night.”

“Yeah, I remember he said that.”

“Yeah. It’ll be awesome.”

I lift my head and gaze at the dark night sky. I wish summer wasn’t so short. “Where are you going to school? RIT, right?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Gallaudet.”

“Oh,” I say, having assumed because that’s where a lot of counselors had gone before. “I thought you were going to be in New Y-o-r-k, but Gallaudet is in DC, right?” Either way, it’s far away from me.

He nods, reaching back into his backpack to grab something. He nudges my shoulder, so I sit back up and notice that he’s holding two Fruit Roll-Ups.

“Where from?” I ask.

He smiles. “My mom.” He holds up the backpack. It’s crammed with snacks. His mom made sure he didn’t have to go on any more food runs.

“That’s a lot. You’ll never finish it all.”

He takes a bite and shrugs. “More for the plane.”

“Right after camp.”

“Right after camp,” he repeats.

The fire starts to dwindle, so Isaac reaches forward and tosses in another log. I watch the flames engulf it. Isaac’s off to college after this. I always knew this was coming. I can be realistic. Our days are numbered.

“That’s so soon,” I sign.

He wraps his arm around me. I stretch out my legs until my feet are near the fire. I lean against Isaac, finishing the Fruit Roll-Up that’d been dangling from my mouth.

I’ll miss him. I’ll miss the person I am around him.

He can sense my apprehension and leans forward, planting a soft kiss on my forehead. We spend the rest of the night wrapped together in front of the fire as I count the hours we have left together.

* * *

Knowing I’ll be back next year, I try not to be too sad as this year winds to a close, but it’s hard not to get nostalgic as everything turns into a last. Last time at the beach. Last time hiking along the path. Last time playing large-group games on the grassy field. Last time at the pool. Last time the chef serves some sort of sludge for dinner. Last night Isaac and I dance together in the barn, forgetting the world around us.

No matter how repetitive some things seem after an entire summer’s worth—the same songs performed at each talent show, the same cannonball jumps at the lake, and soon, the same tearful farewells that inevitably plague every camp at the end of the season—it’s hard not to be upset that this season is almost over. Saying goodbye to Gray Wolf will never be easy.

And just like that, another week passes, and the final Friday is here. Isaac and I are supposed to be on duty, but Gary and the nurse offer to keep watch near the cabins, letting us roam the campgrounds with the rest of the counselors. Isaac and I wait at the firepit for Ethan, Jaden, Natasha, Simone, Bobby, and Mackenzie to join us.

“Let’s do the lake again!” Ethan says and signs.

“Not the bridge.” I don’t think I could manage a second leap this summer.

“We could jump from the d-o-c-k,” Isaac offers.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Ethan says and signs. “Just a casual night at the lake. I already told the lifeguards. Let’s go!”

We take our time walking down to the water. This path is so familiar now that I can anticipate every turn and sign without looking where I’m going.

Oliver and Ben are waiting for us at the fence. “Ethan gave us a heads-up this time that you all would be coming,” Oliver explains.

“So you can join the fun,” I say.

“But unfortunately, it can’t go too late,” Oliver says, frowning. “We’ve got an early train to catch tomorrow morning.”