Hannah  Grace

Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand. Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name.

Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home.

Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing” rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?

Wildfire

Kymora Wang

I appreciate it anyway, and for the first time in a long time, I feel understood. Which is a strange feeling to accept, since a lot of the time I don’t understand myself. 

nanafark

People mistake me being quiet for being shy, but I’m not shy. I don’t think I’m even that quiet, it just looks that way because of how loud everyone else is. I prefer to sit and listen than be the focus of everything, unlike my teammates. There’s too much pressure with being the center of attention, too many opportunities to fuck everything up. I’m much happier being an observer, watching from the outside.

The only person who knows you’re not confident is you.

When faced with two people so well suited, I find it impossible not to wonder what my own version of that might look like. But then I remember how fun being traumatized by my parents’ relationship was, and the desire for my own evaporates as quickly as it arrived.

For all the romance books I’ve read and all the happy endings I’ve enjoyed, I can’t imagine my own. I’d like to hope I’ll have one, but hope can be dangerous.

Someone much smarter than me once said something poetic and clever about 

love being when you give someone the power to hurt you but trust them not to

, but I can’t imagine ever trusting someone that much. If I want my feelings hurt, I am more than capable of doing it to myself. It’s a skill I’ve honed over many years, and arguably my best one. I’d like to trust someone one day, though, maybe.

I hate that I’ve let my life become one shaped by kneejerk reactions to feeling forgotten.

For once I want to make a decision because it will make me happy, not because something has triggered me into acting out.

The feeling scaries is what Emilia calls the moment of clarity you get after you’ve left a situation you were wrapped up in. It’s the sinking feeling in your gut when the anxiety sets in and you consider whether you did the right thing.

The feeling scaries isn’t necessarily regret, it’s reflection, and I prefer to be distracted rather than reflective.

“He’s not going to answer; it’s fine.” It is fine, because you can’t be disappointed by someone you have zero faith in.

“Being a ballerina has not stopped my sandals from shredding my feet because I was wearing the wrong shoes on a freaking hike.”

“Typical city girl,” I tease. “Should have read more small-town romances to prepare yourself for the country.”

WHY IS SAYING YOU’RE GOING to work on yourself easier than working on yourself?

“I’ve decided I don’t care,” I announce to Emilia.

“What are you talking about exactly?”

“That feels healthy and definitely not like it’ll backfire on you in the future.”

Wildfire quotes

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