"SO SHE CAME over to your house," said Hyun, stepping forcefully on twigs, dead leaves, the forest ground. "She came over to your house, all wet and soaking—"

"Hyun, no," Ayah warned, from behind us.

"—she wore your sweater, and she stayed in your room, and all you did was talk?"

I glanced at the ground. Already I was regretting ever having said any of this to Hyun—it felt like sacrilege, in a way. No one but I and my parents knew that Juliet had come over, and it was, for a while a secret. More than that. I felt like a beggar handed a jewel. But I had to tell someone.

"Yeah."

"Not everyone's as horny as you, Hyun," said Ayah. "And besides, who even knows if Ro swings that way."

"Gee, thanks for not assuming my sexuality," I said.

"Who the fuck even cares if Ro's straight or bi or gay or whatever." Hyun yanked me by the elbow and looked deep, deep into my eyes. "Juliet's a hot girl and you just gotta—" he thrust his hips towards me, Ayah shrieked with laughter— "gotta give her some of that old third world charm. Show her how it's done back in the homeland. Get what I mean?"

I yanked my elbow away from his grip. "She has a boyfriend."

"Was he in the room with you? Have a threesome or something. I mean, he's gotta be a looker too if he ended up with a broad like Juliet."

"Jesus, Hyun," said Ayah. "What's the matter with you today?"

"It's the summer heat," I said. "Hyun's going to go crazy if he doesn't pork something."

"God, you're right, you're so right," Hyun moaned, and wrapped his arms around me. "Let me pork you, Ro."

"Sorry, pork's haram for me."

Ayah let out a breathless little laugh.

We spent about five more minutes, trudging towards the lake.

"Are we there yet?" Ayah asked. "I'm sweating buckets. I'm going to die."

"Take off that hijab if it's so hot," said Hyun. "I'm joking. Don't call me islamophobic."

"Too late, you bigot. I'm going to kill you."

"Then who's going to carry the tent? You? Ro? Both of you weaklings?"

"Can you all just shut the fuck up?" I said. "We're nearly there. Honor the lady of the lake by not engaging in petty squabbles."

The only reason we were headed to the lake was because of the lady of the lake—a figure of myth, no one was sure whether she existed or not. We came here, on a full moon, to make a wish. It didn't matter if it was granted or not—sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't, the lady of the lake was fickle—we just needed an excuse, I suppose, to spend the night by the lake. Hiking would've worked, but none of us—with the possible exception of Hyun—were the outdoorsy type, and to say that we wanted to camp by the lake just for the hell of it seemed disingenuous. The lake drew us, like it drew other campers before us, and others before them. All three of us, in one way or another, believed in the lady of the lake.

It's hard to explain why we did what we did. We started it when I was thirteen. And four years later, we were still at it. Three to six times a year, we'd camp out next to the lake, stay up all night. Not doing anything of particular importance, just staring at the moon and its reflection in the lake.

"We're here! At fucking last!" Hyun slung off the bag from his shoulders, and almost immediately, started stripping.

"Are you just going to stand there and watch?" I asked Ayah. "Are you going to condone his shameful behavior?"

"No, let him act like an idiot, if he wants," said Ayah. "Besides, I don't mind the show."

I must've made a face or something, because Ayah said, "Don't look at me like that. Come on. Isn't he a little easy on the eyes?"

Hyun was in his boxers now, flapping around in the water. He was neck deep, and he caught a mouthful of lake water and spit it right out. Real sexy.

"No," I said. "Ayah, there isn't a thing remotely attractive about him."

"You just have shitty taste," said Ayah. She lifted her hand, shielded her eyes from the sun. "What's he trying to do, swim to the opposite side?"

I squinted at the distance, but all I saw were blurred dots—which were probably people or umbrellas, I couldn't tell since I'd neglected to bring my glasses—moving across the actual lake beach, the safe and clean one, with toilets and benches and designated campsites. The side of the lake that the lady of the lake had abandoned. No wish-granting magic there. Only sand castles and beach balls.

"I think we should set up camp," I said. "Sun's going to set soon."

Ayah and Hyun set up the tent, since I was no good with tools or building things, while I wandered around the woods, picking up what I hoped was firewood. Even after four years, I was a shitty camper.

By the time I got back, the sun was low on the horizon. The lake reflected the dusky pink sunset. Hyun and Ayah were squabbling over something. The tent was up. There were still a few people on the opposite shore, but most of them had cleared out. Nearby, a bunch of tents.

Most people camped out near the beach, or back in the woods, along the hiking trail, if you were into the rugged outdoor life. That's what we used to do, but this year, Hyun wanted something different. He wanted to camp right next to the lake. The closer to the beach, he said, the greater the chance of your wish being granted. Not that I believed in any of that.

"Ro, you bitch," Ayah said, when she saw me approaching. "What took you so long?"

"Don't call me a bitch, that's derogatory," I said. I offered up the pile of wood in my arms. "Firewood."

"We don't need a fire, knucklehead," said Ayah. She held up a bag of chips. "We have dry and preserved snacks."

"I thought we were going to make s'mores."

"Ha, no we're not," said Ayah.

I pouted.

"Stop looking at me like that. Seriously, stop. You look ugly." She sighed. "Fine. Ask Hyun. He's the one hoarding the marshmallows and chocolate."

"Where is he?"

"Skipping stones like a brooding antagonist," said Ayah. "Tell him that he can't jack off the in the tent, like last time. Last thing I need to see is his crusty semen lining the walls of the tent."

"We're all sharing? Are you going to sleep with your hijab on?"

"No, you dolt. I'm going to zip myself up in my bag and pray that I don't hear you two have a go at each other."

"I'm not depraved enough to let Hyun fuck me," I said. "And I hate you."

She blew a kiss towards me. "Love you too."

Hyun actually was skipping stones. He did with a sort of grace you wouldn't associate with someone like Hyun. A breeze blew by; the wind tousled his hair.

"Hey, Ro," he said, not turning to look at me. "What's up?"

"Nothing," I said, trudging towards him. "What're you thinking about?"

He picked up two stones. One he gave to me, the other he kept in his right hand. "I don't know. I don't like thinking. I'm thinking about us."

"What's there to think about?"

"A lot." He threw back his arm, and threw the stone across the lake. The stone made it quite far. "Ayah's probably going to end up at Harvard or MIT or something. You'll scrape by, get into a decent college, get that engineering degree your dad wants you to get. What about me?"

Hyun had these moods, sometimes, where he despaired for his future and the world's future and how he'd end up in a ditch at the age of twenty-five. But lately, these moods had been growing more frequent, and more serious.

"You'll manage, too. Like you always do." I skipped the stone Hyun had given me. It didn't even make it half as far as Hyun's.

"God, you're shit at this." He picked up two more stones and gave one to me. "You don't understand. My mom and dad are disappointed with me. Failure and disappointment to the family and all crap. I got cousins going on scholarships and I might be the first person in my family to go to community college."

Hyun skipped the stone. It went much farther than it did before.

"You can come live with me," I said. "We'll figure it out. And even if you go to community college, so what? You can transfer later. Hyun—" he wasn't looking at me and I needed him to— "Hyun, look at me. Listen. It doesn't matter. We'll figure something out. What the hell do you want to do anyway?"

"I don't know. That's the thing. I can't keep failing for the rest of my life."

"I'm failing too, remember?"

He made a noise of frustration. "Ro, I got a C in junior year."

"And I got a B minus! Hyun, the only one who's going to make it out of this without anything to be afraid is Ayah."

It occurred to me that the whole reason we camped so close to the lake was maybe because Hyun really wanted his wish to be granted. He didn't wholly believe in the lady of the lake, but luck, magic—he needed something to believe in. We all have a superstitious streak, our own talismans. Hyun had the lady of the lake. I have a bunch of shirts stolen from someone who's never going to come back.

"Okay," Hyun said, and let out a breath. "You're right. I'm still young. I got the whole world waiting for me."

"Exactly," I said. I drew my arm back. "It'll work out."

"I hope you're right. And you don't skip stones like that. It's in the arm, not the wrist."

"What?"

"When you skip stones, you flick your wrist. You don't have to do that. You just use your arm. Don't throw like a pansy."

I did as he advised and this time, the stone covered a greater distance than my first one. Still couldn't beat Hyun, though.

"Maybe you should be a teacher," I said.

"Ha, that's a bad joke."

We were just standing, watching the sunset. It'd be dark soon.

I remembered why I came here in the first place. "Oh, I forgot to ask. Can we make s'mores?"

Hyun let out a huff. "Do you even have to ask?"

|||

AT TEN P.M., we made our wishes.

To maximize the chances of your wish being granted you had to wish under a full moon. Which we'd already done. The other thing to do, was to make an offering. Tit for tat. Yin for yang. The moon hung in the sky, seeming bigger than usual. The lake looked as dark as tar, the occasional wave catching the shaky quicksilver light of the moon.

Hyun went first. He brought a tin box, and when he showed it to me, I saw that it was full of colorful stamps. Even in the dark, I could see they were bright and bold. Like Hyun.

"You're giving this away?" I asked. Even for Hyun, this was a little too much.

"Lady of the lake granted a few of my wishes. Remember when I wished that I wasn't a virgin anymore?"

"And it was granted like a week, later, yeah. How could we forget," Ayah said. "You wouldn't shut up about it."

"Still," I said. "Your stamp collection? You've had that thing since twelve."

"The better the offering, the more likely your wish is going to be granted. Besides, I don't really need this anymore. It's mostly for sentimental value."

"Whatever rocks your boat," I said.

Hyun took off his shoes, rolled up his pants higher than was necessary, waded in shin deep into the lake, and threw the box into the lake. He murmured something, clasped his hands in prayer, and walked back to shore.

"Your turn," I said to Ayah. "What are you offering?"

"This thing," she answered. She held up some circular container, and before I could fully parse what I was seeing, she said, "Cup noodles."

"Cup noodles?"

"Cup noodles. They hold great value to me." She pressed it to her face. "I would've died without these things."

"Ayah. That's stupid."

"No, it's not."

She walked towards the lake. Hyun joined me, and watched Ayah fling her offering into the lake.

"What'd she give?" he asked.

"Cup noodles," I said.

"O great lady of the lake, I wish for academic success!" Ayah half-yelled, her words drifting over the dark water. "I offer to you a staple that has saved me through many a dark time!"

"What an ass," Hyun said, loud enough that Ayah noticed.

"I heard that!" Ayah yelled back.

"You're disturbing local wildlife!"

When she came back, I could tell she was smiling, even in the dark.

"Your turn," she said to me. "What do you have?"

I felt a little foolish after seeing Ayah's and Hyun's offerings. Out of my pocket, I fished out a paper boat and held it out for them to see.

"A boat," said Hyun, unimpressed.

"How quaint," said Ayah. "What was that about my cup noodles being stupid?"

"Shut up, the both of you," I said. "Wish me luck."

I took off my shoes. Slowly, I walked into the water, until I was ankle deep.

"Lady of the lake, I offer a poem by Sylvia Plath," I said, and lowered the paper boat onto the black and gleaming surface of the lake. "The poem's in the boat. I don't think you have much reading material out here. And, uh, I offer company, too. If you want. Must be lonely out here."

The water lapped around my feet. I didn't have a wish. What was I supposed to wish for? I had everything I could want. My entire existence was just me going and moving wherever the current took me. I let things happen to me, I was passive—wishing for something was far too active for my taste.

Then again, maybe I could use a change.

"I think I'm supposed to make my wish now," I said. "Lady of the lake, I wish for my life to change."

It didn't occur to me until much, much later that I never specified whether the change was supposed to be for the better or for the worse.

|||

WE MADE S'MORES. Hyun put out the fire. We ate some cold turkey sandwiches Ayah's mother had packed for us. Ayah went to take a piss in the bushes, Hyun and I watched the tent. At eleven thirty, we all bundled inside the tent. Ayah curled up by herself in her sleeping bag, far away from Hyun and me. Hyun was closest to the exit flap of the tent. I was in the middle, separating Hyun and Ayah. After thirty minutes of bickering and ghost stories and more bickering, we all fell asleep.

At two am, I woke up because I needed to piss.

Hyun had his arm flung over my shoulders, and he was hugging me. I felt vaguely sticky and warm.

I needed to pee. I really needed to pee.

I threw Hyun's arm off of me, and I tried, as silently as I could, to leave the tent, which was a bit hard because we didn't bring a lamp and I had no idea of knowing where I was going.

I heard a noise. A laugh. For a moment, Hyun's ghost stories got the better of me. I thought the source of the noise was some specter, a spirit of one of those unfortunate people who drowned in the lake.

Another laugh, a different timbre. These weren't ghosts—they were people. I heard a splash.

"There are people here!" said someone, and I could barely make out the words. The voice came from somewhere near the tent. And it was a voice I would've recognized anywhere.

"So what?" said another voice. This one was unfamiliar. "They're probably asleep anyway."

I froze. It couldn't have been Juliet outside of the tent outside, right? That was too much of a coincidence. Even in the summer, when loads of teenagers that were stuck in town roamed around the lake, the chances of Juliet just being here, at this very instant, right when I woke up seemed slim.

I waited for half a minute. More laughter, more splashing. Hyun moaned something in his sleep. My bladder was screaming for release.

God, who cared if Juliet was out there or not? I wasn't going to piss myself just because there was a possibility that she was outside, with some other guy.

I crawled out of the tent, made sure to close it, slipped on my shoes. I found a pile of clothes a little distance ahead of me. A bra, a shirt, lacy underwear, boxers, another shirt, a skirt and a pair of pants, all discarded in a way that looked like the people who'd been wearing them got rid of their clothes in a hurry.

Another splash. I looked at the lake.

There, two figures waist deep in the water, barely illuminated by the moonlight. I couldn't see them properly, but I could tell that one was a girl and the other was a boy and they were both as naked as Adam and Eve. Skinny dipping teenagers. Figured. They were so engrossed with each other, they didn't see me. Their laughter echoed over the water, drifted back to shore.

I was just about to leave, when one of them—the boy—spotted me. He looked at me and stopped moving. The girl was going further into the lake, not looking back. I couldn't move either.

Slowly, he started wading back towards shore. Towards me. The closer he came, the more I could make out the shape of his body. Broad, confident shoulders. A lean, muscular body. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was looking at me. He was remarkably unconscious of his nakedness, like it didn't matter to him one bit that some stranger found him balls-and-ass-nude in the lake.

He was thigh-deep in the water, now. I raised my arm, waved at him. He laughed and waved back. This was absurd. I grinned in the dark. He might've been grinning back, I don't know. His entire body looked like it was carved from shadow, any of his physical details were lost in the dark.

"Royce?" yelled the girl, and now I knew for a fact that she was Juliet. I didn't find this revelation as earth-shaking as I thought I would. "Royce, where are you?"

Royce, I said to myself. Looking back at it now, I think this is as good as first meetings go. What better time to know someone than when they're completely in the nude? Get all of the bodily secrets out of the way. Get all the personal secrets later.

"I'm coming," he yelled back, not turning to look at her. He lifted his hand, and made a call-me motion.

I laughed—but not too hard, or I really was going to piss myself—and nodded. He saluted, turned around, and started heading towards Juliet.

I hadn't noticed all this time, but she was looking at me. But she wasn't moving towards me. I waved at her. She didn't wave back. She swam further into the lake.

"Right," I muttered. "You bitch."

When I got back from my piss break in the woods, they were gone.

//

a/n: right. this was originally going to be more dirtier but now its just shittier so excuse for any spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes because i dont have any time for that lol

also fun game to play with your friends: count how many times i use the word dark/moon/lake