he next few days are spent working on the scavenger hunt. Lexi works on the finer details, like tickets and service, Dad cooks up his very best menu, and Lina and I work on turning Mom's secret beach into a magical fairyland.

It helps, in a way, to have something to focus on. With college fast approaching and everything up in the air, it's nice to spend all my time at Mom's beach. Sometimes, it even feels like she's here.

Lina is busy helping me coil fairy lights around palm trees. In the distance, waves curl along the shore, and I get this strange sense of melancholy being here with Lina, like this is the last time we'll be like this. There will never be another moment where we are stood here, opposite Mom's ocean, as the same people we are now. If we do somehow defeat the odds and stay friends, everything will be different. We'll be different.

I try not to focus on impending change and focus on the positive, instead. We've already raised thousands from the tickets alone, which means soon Jordan will have enough money to at least rent an apartment while he works on fixing up the cafe. I can come home every weekend to help, and this island won't succumb to the piranhas from the mainland who want to take all we've got. Everything will work itself out, somehow. I'm sure of it.

"This place looks incredible," Lexi says from behind us, and she's right.

The three of us have spent days fixing up the secret beach. Fairy lights coil around each palm tree – charged up by the generators Dad let us borrow – casting a soft yellow glow over the beach. Several makeshift tables are dotted around, borrowed from various neighbors, and on them are candles and lanterns that create a pathway to where the buffet will be. There will also be a table filled with several glass bottles filled with secret messages similar to the one Mom and I found, where guests can pick one to take home as a souvenir. Along with a little music and some good company, this place will feel like a secret island paradise.

"I should hope so," Lina says. "My fingers are practically numb from unraveling these lights."

Lexi laughs. "Well, it'll all be worth it. Everyone is so desperate to find out what the secret location is. People think we're making it up or something. I can't wait until they see it like this."

I glance at the ocean, watching the waves crash against the rocks. There's still a part of me that's reluctant to give up our secret place, but I know deep down, this is what Mom would have wanted. This beach belongs to this island, and this island belongs to the people; it's time I share it with them.

"I just hope we'll raise enough to save the cafe," I say because if not, all of this will have been for nothing.

"We will," Lexi says, squeezing my arm, "but if we don't, you did everything you could, Evvy. You can't let it get you down."

I nod, but it'll be hard not to feel like a failure if this plan doesn't work. We've put so much time and effort into it, and I'm holding onto success so tightly, holding onto the idea that Jordan and I could possibly be something, that just the thought of this not working is terrifying.

"I hope Jordan appreciates all this effort," Lina says, and she gives me a knowing look. "Speaking of lover boy, where is he, anyway?"

"He's still working on the cafe," I say. "I think his constant hammering is driving Kali insane."

Lina raises an eyebrow at my smile. "What's going on with you two?" she asks. "Every time I ask about him, you smile. Are you dating? In love? On your way to marriage and kids?"

I frown and say, "Hard no," before looking at the lights in my hands like they are the most fascinating thing in the world. "I don't really know what's going on. It's like we like each other, but we know deep down it's not going to work, so we're kind of just...I don't know. Floating along. And I guess I'm so focused on saving the cafe, I haven't really talked to him about it."

"There is such a thing as long-distance, you know," Lexi says like this hasn't occurred to me, but how often do long-distance flings even last? I thought I was going to end up with Ryan and look how that turned out. "But I guess that isn't the issue with you two."

I look up. "What do you mean?"

She hesitates like she isn't sure whether or not to explain. "Well, if he sells the cafe, your relationship isn't going to survive. Deep down you'll resent him for it, even if you don't mean to. It'll completely ruin what you have, and I think you need to prepare for that. I mean, if by some chance we don't make enough, everything between you is going to change. I just want you to be ready for that, Evvy. I don't want to see you get hurt."

I swallow hard, because she's right. I've been living in this fairytale, riding on hope, but life isn't like that. Hoping and wishing isn't going to make things better, and I need to prepare myself for the fact that after this scavenger hunt, I just might lose everything.

"Okay, I officially give up," Lina says, throwing her tangled fairy lights to the ground. "I'm going for a swim." She strips off her dress until she's standing in her bikini, then runs across the beach like she's in Baywatch before wading into the water. Lexi and I share a look; even though we've still got tons to do here, we both strip down and run after her.

As soon as I sink into the water, it feels like I'm home. I love that about this place, love that the water is always clear and warm, allowing me to see the clear fish on the seabed. But most of all, I love the feeling, which is always blurred and out of focus, but warm, somehow. Safe.

"God, I'm going to miss this so much when I go to college," Lina says, swirling her hand in the water. "I keep wondering if I'm making a big mistake by leaving."

"Everyone feels like that before they make a big change," Lexi says. "I felt like that before leaving for the mainland, and it's not as if it's that far away. It's the idea of change; it's terrifying."

You can say that again, I think.

"How do you get over it?" Lina asks, and for the first time, I notice she's genuinely worried. It surprises me because Lina has always been the fierce one, the one who could make a change or take that leap and not think twice – the complete opposite of me. "Like, when does it go away?"

Lexi shrugs before tilting her head back to look at the sky. "I guess it's different for everyone. For me, it was the moment I stepped into my new dorm room, and I just looked around at the single bed, the blank walls, the empty closet, and I didn't feel lonely and scared like I'd expected to, I felt liberated. It felt like I'd stepped into a blank canvas filled with endless possibilities, or like a chance at making new memories."

My eyes remain on the seabed as I listen to them. Maybe that's what makes Lexi and me so different. She looks to the future, to the new memories to be made, whereas I like to focus on the ones I've got. My head is already so filled with childhood memories of Mom, of us exploring this island and being happy, that I'm terrified of making any more. The old memories are already starting to fade before my eyes, and what if the new ones take over? What if, one day I look back, and I realize I can't remember her?

"I like that," Lina says, smiling. "I mean, college has always felt like an adventure to me, but sometimes you start to doubt yourself and wonder if you're making the wrong decision, you know?" She leans her head back, soaking in the sun. "I'm really going to miss this, though. It feels like an end of an era."

Hearing this brings a burn to my eyes. It's exactly how I've been feeling lately, and a big reason as to why I'm not looking forward to college. I don't want this to be the end of an era, just another fond memory that I look back on; I want this forever.

"We should get back to work," I say, wading back to shore, "we have a lot to do."

The pair follow after me, and we spend the rest of the afternoon finishing off the last remaining touches to the beach, including a few canopies in case it starts to rain. Though the forecast for the next few days is said to be clear, island weather is always unpredictable.

When we're finished, the three of us step back and marvel at all our hard work. "I've finished off writing the questions for the hunt," Lexi says, "which means everything is pretty much set up and ready." She turns to me now, pushing a curl behind my ear. "Lina and I have decided you and Jordan should go on the hunt. We'll handle everything here at the beach."

Lina grins wickedly and wiggles her eyebrows. "No arguing," she says. "It'll give you and lover boy a chance to spend some quality time without you moaning about the cafe."

I frown, but not because of her comment. I'm frowning because now the thought of Jordan makes me feel anxious. All I can think about is what Lexi said, and how much it's going to hurt if this implodes. "I don't moan."

"Yes," Lexi says, "you do," and she kisses me on the cheek.

I smile back, but it doesn't reach my eyes. After this scavenger hunt, one way or another, there is no going back.

I'm terrified.