Return to Paradise Read Free

group. There's two other guys and three girls standing there waiting with their baggage.
    When one of the girls moves aside and I get a glimpse of the person she was shielding, my entire body goes numb.
    Maggie.
     

TWO

Maggie
     watch my protein bar fall onto the blacktop in slow motion, and the bite in my mouth tastes like dust. What is Caleb doing here? Where has he been the past eight months? He left town without a trace after our brief and crazy relationship. Why didn't he try to reach me, or at least give me a sign that he's alive?
    He's got those same blue eyes, that same chiseled face, and those same lean muscles peeking out of his T-shirt. He's real, and live, and walking right toward me.
    I can't look away, even though I desperately want to.
    He lets out a slow breath and says, "This is kinda awkward, huh." His voice sounds familiar but different. It's got an edge to it that wasn't there the last time we saw each other.
    "Yeah," I manage to squeak out. Umm ...
    "How've you been?"
    I can't answer that question. It's too fake. If he cared how I've been, he would have figured out a way to see me or talk to me. He left me before Christmas, before New Year's, before Valentine's Day, before my birthday, before prom and graduation. Before I got the news I'd have a permanent limp for the rest of my life without any hope of a full recovery. "What are you doing here?"
    He shrugs. "I was asking myself that same question this morning."
    One of the other guys standing with us, the one with long curly hair that falls in his face, farts. What's worse is that he makes a big show of moaning and pushing it out, like a little kid.
    "Dude, do you mind?" Caleb asks.
    "What?" the guy says, unfazed. "I had to let it rip."
    "Let it rip when you're alone, man. Don't be a fuckin' prick."
    "What are you, the fart police?" the guy says, stepping toward Caleb. Caleb stands tall, as if he's been in a lot of fights and isn't afraid of adding another one to his tally.
    This is unreal. I can't feel my toes because I'm in shock, and Caleb and this guy are going to get into a fight over ... farting?
    "Cool it, guys," bellows a rough voice. A tall black guy with a clipboard points to me. "Maggie, can I have a word with you for a minute? In private." He points to Caleb. "You too, Becker. Now."
    I follow the guy away from the van, painfully aware that Caleb is following close behind. I'm tempted to turn around and demand to know where he's been, but I don't even know if I could get the words out.
    The guy stops at a picnic table and drops his clipboard on it. He introduces himself to me as Damon Manning, the senior leader and chaperone of our group, then looks pained as he says, "Obviously, you two can't be on this trip together. Maggie, I had no idea my assistant put you in as the replacement after Heather dropped out."
    "I'll drop out," Caleb offers eagerly.
    "The hell you will, Becker. You've got no choice but to do this."
    That means Damon expects me to drop out. If I was the old Maggie, the one who was afraid of the least bit of conflict or confrontation, I'd drop out in a heartbeat. But I'm stronger now, and I don't back down from anything. Even Caleb.
    I turn to Damon with determination. "I'm not dropping out."
    "Maggie, I'm sorry but it's not going to work with both of you-"
    "I'm not leaving," I interrupt.
    Damon rubs a hand over his bald head and sighs. I can tell he's wavering ... at least a little bit. What can I say to convince him I don't have to quit the trip just because Caleb happens to be on it? Truth is, being with Caleb will be a challenge-a huge one I hadn't expected. But I decide I'm going to prove it to myself and to him that I've moved on. I don't let the past dictate my life anymore. We're both eighteen now, both considered adults in the eyes of the law.
    "This is a bad idea," Damon chimes in. "A really bad idea."
    "Can I talk to Caleb alone?" I ask him.
    Damon looks from me to Caleb. "Okay. You've got five minutes."
    When