"Camp High Hill, we get our fill. The dirt and trees, the bugs and bees! Animals with every turn! Going up with so much to learn! Camp High Hill, here we come!"
"Oh god," I groaned against the seat in front of me. An hour already on the bus and I was about ready to stab myself in the face with a pencil. Then again, the more I thought about it, the more going to this camp was making me uneasy. Something about the whole thought of being trapped at a camp for a two weeks with another school that we didn't know.
Then again, maybe I was the only person in the entire group that was remotely bummed about this entire camp experience.
Well, that wasn't necessarily true.
To my right, Nisha was frowning and staring out the window as the bus shook and dipped, it's long body turning a corner and sending us all to lean, influentially to the left as it went.
She was just as unexcited about this camp thing as I was - but for different reason. While I had no idea just why I was so very not excited about going, Nisha had reason - she was dreading the thought of having to share a vast bunk with roughly several other girls that we've never spoken to in our entire lives.
We'd have to shower, dress, eat, and sleep with these people.
Great, now I had something new I wasn't looking forward to.
Not to mention the incessant singing of the Camp High Hill theme song was definitely starting to bug the hell out of me.
But oh well, I thought as I gazed into the seat beside me. There are at least four good reasons to go to camp.
Kevin turned to me, offering me a smile as he sat in the seat behind his two brothers. Nick and Joe were having a debate on whether or not we'd be able to go swimming - it was the mountains, after all. Whilst Nick was calmly and patiently trying to convince his older brother that no, we would not be going swimming, Joe seemed to not want to hear it and instead chose to replace Nick's calm reply of, 'It's much too cold to go swimming, Joe.' into 'I'm only fifteen, so naturally I don't know what I'm talking about. Feel free to argue until I admit defeat.'
Lexie sat beside Kevin, clearly a little put out at the whole seating arrangement thing the high school teachers had come up with. I observed as she stared, longingly, at the back of Nick's curly head as he finally managed to calm Joe down with, "We'll ask the camp counselors when we get there,"
Joe seemed to find this reply sufficient - as, while it was neither granting him access to the lake, it wasn't denying him either - and was back to doodling something in the notebook he'd extracted from his backpack.
Lexie's mahogany colored eyes seemed distant for a moment as she turned her gaze away from the back of Nick's skull and toward me. I offered a smile to our youngest companion. A junior, by the time this summer was over, and a sophomore for now - Lexie was turning sixteen in October, nearly a whole month after Nick was. I was already sixteen - but I was still very much in the same grade as Nick and Lexie.
Before the summer, it was Nisha and Joe's last year of High School. The two only had to take this camping experience because they'd both barely failed Chemistry. Why? Because they had chemistry - the class as well as with each other.
The two had obviously liked each other all our lives of living next door to each other and just barely had they begun dating a couple of months before Summer vacation. Not to mention, being so into each other drove them to completely forget about chemistry class - the only class they had together.
They needed this couple of weeks to graduate.
I had every class with Nick, including science, which we also had with Lexie.
Nick had nearly aced virtually everything, and was merely taking this camp so he could count it as a science class next year and hopefully get another music class. Lexie and I failed science miserably. Why? Because Lexie was usually busy watching Nick and admiring everything he did OR she was busy passing notes to me, either talking about what we'd do with Nisha this weekend or how much she adored Nick and how much - to my annoyance that it was brought up constantly - how much Kevin adored me.
That's right.
Kevin Jonas - the oldest and out of school brother.
He was coming to camp as a chaperone. The school had been in desperate need and Joe had signed him up without Kevin's knowledge. However, he seemed to eagerly accept his fate when Joe had commented that I'd be going to science camp as well.
Don't get me wrong, Kevin was one of the most amazing guys I'd ever met and I did like him back - but I didn't have the guts to tell him so. He'd asked me out a few times before, but I'd denied him. Why? Because I didn't want him to see that being with me wasn't all it was cracked up to be. If I was going to be with him, I didn't want to depend on him being the perfect guy. I was afraid - though I never wanted to be that girl - I would expect him to willingly trade his life for me if it came down to it.
I looked away from my window the moment I felt Lexie tugging the sleeve of my jacket. Turning toward her, the shorter girl offered me a wide smile.
We met Lexie - Nisha and I - when I was still a freshman in school. We'd had a music appreciation class together and Lexie had wandered in, clearly oblivious to her surroundings other than the fact that the band room had various posters of living - and dead - legends on the walls.
Mr. Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Audrey Hepburn, The Ramones, Iggy and the Stooges, The Clash.
I'd been just as mesmerized, except I hadn't crashed into the piano on the way in, sending papers flying, her books out of her arms, and the piano keys to thunder out loud. Nisha and I had stared, unsure of whether she had accidentally killed herself or whether or not she'd walked in, suddenly decided life was no longer worth living and had purposely thrown herself into the piano with the purpose of ending it all.
But low and behold, she was alive.
So while the rest of the room snorted into laughter, Nisha and I had exchanged a look of silent agreement and had pulled ourselves from the benches, made our way over to the lovely and awkward young thing and had busied ourselves with picking up her books and introducing ourselves as the last clique you will ever join.
When we'd all stood, I'd stared, unable to block out the fact that Lexie was shorter than our WNBA qualified companion, Nisha, who was roughly 5'1". It had been a blur, but Nisha had the girl in a hug and clung to her, declaring how she was officially our new best friend because she made Nisha look taller.
Like a good pair of boots did.
While most people would have shrieked and demanded I get my clingy midget friend off of them, Lexie had surprisingly clung back to Nisha and had declared that she made ants look tall. I made a comment about my height being at least seven inches taller than Nisha's and Lexie had commented that we could do Cingular: Raising the Bar commercials.
It was the start of a beautiful friendship.
Regardless that it had begun with Nisha wanting her because she was shorter than both of us, it had progressed and grown into a trio because of the undeniable way we complimented each other's good traits, bad traits, and our heights.
Like really cool plaid pajama pants.
Shaking out of my thoughts, I noticed our shortest companion looking at me in an expectant tone. I grinned sheepishly.
"Wha…?"
"You weirdo," Lexie muttered to me as she lifted a sleeved arm and brushed her black hair from her eyes in a pointed manner. "I said we're almost there. We just passed a sign."
"Fan-freaking-tastic," I sighed as I rested my chin in my hand. "Do you think this camp is going to suck?"
"Maybe," Lexie frowned. "At least it's the six of us, right?"
"Right!"
Jumping, Lexie and I turned and found that Nisha, Nick, Joe and Kevin had been listening to the miniature conversation we'd had. Sighing, I calmed myself and glanced toward Nick - whom Lexie was staring at in adoration yet again.
I knew being this close to him broke her heart.
I don't think he knew she'd practically loved him since she laid eyes on his baby face, but Nisha and I were the first and only to find out at a sleepover a few months later.
Upon going to Nick in science class - I wasn't suspicious, I'd promised Lexie - and had subtly hinted that he needed a girlfriend, Nick had replied he didn't really like anyone at the moment. So I'd offered to set him up and had listed a couple of imaginary girls [hey, if he never heard of them, I could pretend I thought he did] and threw in Lexie's name.
"I don't like Lexie. A least not like that." Nick has commented. Needless to say, I'd left his table in a moody fit and he hadn't known why.
I had to tell Lexie the truth but had watered it down with the fact that Nick was extremely shy, but she'd claimed to have given up on him a few months later. But now, already into the summer, and she was still watching him with that longing expression.
It had developed into a little more than a crush.
Turning from them in a slightly moody manner, I turned toward the front of the bus as we passed under an arch that welcomed us to Camp High Hill.
Poop. There went our freedom.
The bus seemed to slow to a halt as we neared a semi-moldy looking log building that read 'Mess Hall' over the door.
One of our teachers, Mr. Perch, rose to his feet and commented on doing the buddy system.
"Alright, kids!" he called over the singing. It immediately halted. "Grab a buddy and get off the bus. I don't wanna see you anywhere without your buddies - the more, the better, but don't leave anyone out!"
Immediately, the six of us seemed to lock eyes - who needed the buddy system when you had our system.
The people in front of us piled off the bus in twos, then Joe and Nick let Nisha and I stand first and proceed down the isle. Jumping the last step, my sneakered feet hit the dirt ground of the camp. Turning, Lexie came off, followed by Nick, Joe and Kevin.
The mountain air was surprisingly cold in the summer morning and Lexie, Nisha and I huddled together in our jackets and scarves - damnit, why did the three of us wear shorts? - whilst the males of our little group stuck together, trying to play it off while they held their jackets, tightly around them as everyone else piled off the bus.
"Howdy, campers!"
Turning with the rest of the my group, we spotted a tall and middle aged looking man. He wore round spectacles, jeans, and a Ramones t-shirt. He was bald, but it looked like he shaved his head to be that way.
"I'm James, your camp director." He grinned. I arched an eyebrow - he didn't look like a camp director. He actually looked…kinda…cool, dare I say it.
"Your experience at camp," he continued. "Should be fun, no matter whether you're learning or goofing off. So, as long as you abide by camp rules, you should have a great time. The camp rules are as follows - One, no electric devices are permitted in the classes. During lunch and free times in bunks and outside, however, feel free to gab on your phone or listen to your mp3 players. Two, we all know if you like someone you wanna show it - but please keep affection tasteful."
A few people laughed.
"Three, always stay in groups of no less than two and no more than six. We say six because eight is pushing it and seven is uneven, so if pairs get lost, you have a single camper that's by themselves. Four, whatever your teachers or camp directors tell you is what goes, got it? Five, classes are a requirement, and there are two classes a day for an hour and a half each. The first is an indoor textbook class in which you'll study with books and all supplies of a classroom. The second is an outdoor class, which you'll study up close to the outdoors. Both classes are required and all classes are held at the same time - however you can sign up for which class you'd prefer to take in the morning and which you'd rather take in the afternoon after lunch in the back of the mess hall, at the bulletin board. Got it?"
"Got it," we echoed as we lifted our knapsacks and duffel bags.
"One last thing," he stopped us. "Leave your bags outside and you must sign up for your class inside the mess hall by the time breakfast is over and everyone is filing out. Your class sign ups will determine where your bunk is, so if you don't sign up, we have to throw you in a random bunk and decide what you do and when, got it? Classes start tomorrow."
We all nodded.
Shifting in our group, Nisha, Lexie, Nick, Joe, Kevin and I stuck close and made our way into the mess hall along with the, at least, hundred other kids from school. Sliding in through the door, the six of us scanned the area, curiously - the school we'd be sharing the camp with was there, bustling around and talking like they were excited for what was up and coming.
But it seemed, however, that the moment we entered the room, a quietness seemed to drag over everyone as my school stood, awkwardly, just watching the rest of the room. Shifting, we finally seemed to pick up the just of it as a majority of kids moved to get food and a few moves to get seats.
Turning toward my group, I gave them an expectant look.
"We'll sign up ourselves and the guys," Nisha nodded. "You three can go get food for us."
Her expression was pointed at Kevin, Joe and Nick. Still, they shrugged, seeming to find it a good idea as they made their way for the lines at the end of the mess hall. Shrugging in unison, Nisha, Lexie and I made our way for the bulletin board sign ups after a few other members of our school that seemed to decide food could wait.
The line was short, and it didn't take long until we were up toward it. The three of us signed up for outdoor classes in the morning - when no one seemed to want to go. Finally jotting the names of our male counterparts on the list, the three of us moved on and let the line carry on, instead moving to find another table.
Piling into an empty table, we slid our legs over the benches and seated ourselves as we awaited the return of the guys.
I'd just begun to peel the pain off the top of the already peeling table when the sound of a clearing throat interrupted my thoughts. Almost in unison, Lexie, Nisha and I turned our gaze upward and at the newly found company.
She was a somewhat tall, blonde thing. Maybe the same height as me, standing with a semi look of superiority on her features. Her mouth was turned upward in something like a smirk and her grey gaze was turned down and rested on the three of us. She wore a pink sweat suit outfit - one of those kind that cost roughly $300 in department stores and maybe $30 anywhere else. I was betting that she bought it in a department store - as she wore a pair of matching pink Uggz boots. The name Haden was stitched into the chest pocket of her suit.
"Hi," her voice was soft, in a somewhat raspy voice. She seemed to think she owned the entire room by her presence, and her voice held some kind of feeling of authority. "I'm Haden. This is Vanessa,"
Haden, the girl in pink, gestured toward her counterpart - a less attractive girl dressed in Uggz and a pant suit of the same as Haden's, but in baby blue. The name stitched on her pocket was the one she'd been called by. Vanessa.
Though she wasn't as pretty as her counterpart, she seemed to hold the same authoritativeattitude.
"Hi," I offered, breaking the tiny silence. "I'm Jess. This is Nisha and Lexie."
Haden greeted each one with a small smile. Turning toward me, she spoke to all three of us.
"We're from Washington," she said, referring to the school opposite of ours. "And you're Norwalk?"
"Yup." Nisha gave a half smile. "That'd be our school."
Before we could say much of anything else, Haden and Vanessa had seated themselves across from us. I half wondered if there was anything we could say to make them go leave - truth be told, I was a little bit uncomfortable.
She didn't exactly seem like the nicest person.
Lexie, who'd been studying our peeling table rather carefully, finally seemed to drift back to conversation.
"So are you two like the plastics at your school?"
"Lexie!" I hissed. She looked at me.
"What?! I was asking a question."
Haden and Vanessa just laughed, however.
"If by plastic," Haden smiled. "You mean flawless? Then yes."
"Like a Barbie Doll?" Nisha arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Haden smiled wider at the comparison.
"So you have your own big house and pink convertible?" I grinned. Lexie and Nisha laughed at my joke in a good hearted manner, but we all had to stop as we saw that neither Vanessa nor Haden was laughed.
"Yeah." Haden nodded, her eyes slightly wide like she was serious and curious. "How'd you know?"
"Uh." I blinked and exchanged a look with Nisha and Lexie. "Lucky guess."
The two nodded, seeming to understand and I half wondered how much money this girl had. However, my thoughts were interrupted as a loud banging sound came from the side of our table.
The five of us turned on unison and that's when I spotted her-
Maybe 5'6" with large glasses, frizzy and curly black hair in a bun on the back of her head, and braces - or so I could tell from when she bit her lip. She was rather skinny and looked like she had little to no muscle on her being. She wore flood jeans, thick tennis shoes, and a sweater over a plain white t-shirt.
Her eyes, moved down to the tray in front of her as a guy - who I assumed, knocked it out of her hand - laughed with a few friends and moved toward the food isle.
Several tables around her were laughing as she struggled to pick up her tray. I began to get up with Nisha and Lexie, but she'd already had everything on her tray and was throwing it into the garbage by the time we'd gotten to our seat.
Awkwardly, we sat down as Haden and Vanessa watched us in interest, like they were trying to predict what we'd do next.
"Who's that?" Nisha questioned as she gestured after the awkward young woman.
"That? Oh, that's Kendra." Haden sighed, seemingly bored with the thought of the subject, but we were too curious to let it go.
"Why's everyone being so mean?" I questioned. Haden shrugged like it was nothing new. I shuddered at the thought of her going through this for a whole school year.
"Kendra is a little big of a freak," Vanessa said, matter of factly, but seemed to shut up when Haden gave her a look as if to say 'Stealing my lines'.
"Like Vanessa said, Kendra is a freak." Haden, continued as she glanced at the girl out of the corner of her eyes. "She dresses like that exactly every day, pretty much never combs her hair and she's not here because she's failing."
"Extra credit?" Lexie arched an eyebrow.
"No, she's got a hundred percent in her classes. She does this for fun." Haden hissed. "She even takes notes and everything, but she's been here every year since the sixth grade. She's a senior now."
I had to admit - that was a little bizarre, but nothing to completely make ruin her life about.
"Don't you think it's a little harsh what they-" I began, but was cut off as Haden gasped and began to fiddle with a section of her hair between her fingers.
"Who is that?"
Lexie, Nisha and I turned to see just who Haden was talking about, and almost immediately, my eyes fell of several possibilities of boys at our school. But it was with a few seconds of looking that my eyes fell on Kevin, Joe and Nick as they made their way back toward us, each carrying two trays, stacked.
"That's my boyfriend, Joe," Nisha said, immediately and in a somewhat protective and challenging tone - like she was daring Haden to flirt with him and see just what happened.
"Not him," Haden replied, immediately.
"Nick?" Lexie swallowed hard. She seemed to be thinking quickly. "He's…got a girlfriend."
"Not him either, the other one."
I turned my attention toward Kevin and felt my stomach shrivel at the thought of her liking him.
"That's Kevin." I replied, calmly.
"Does he have a girlfriend?" Haden didn't seem to be paying attention to me. Her demeanor just screamed that whether he had one or not, it didn't matter to her.
"Well, no-"
"Oh, that's definitely going to change."
I watched her, definitely not liking the way her gaze changed as she watched Kevin. Joe and Nick were making their way back to the table and Kevin seemed to stop to do something.
"Yeah," Vanessa grinned. "He's hot!"
Haden's expression seemed to change entirely.
"No," Haden turned her gaze on Vanessa. "I like him. Which means you can't have him-"
She turned her gaze away from her counterpart and back on Kevin and glared, a clear fire in her eyes. I turned and spotted Kevin holding a conversation with Kendra. He was smiling at her, gently, and she seemed to be stricken by him, like she was surprised anyone was being nice to her.
"…And neither can she!" Kendra scowled as she slammed her hands on the table and stood up. I watched her stand and make her way toward him, past Nick and Joe, and to Kendra's table where Kevin was.
I studied them as Kevin and Kendra looked up toward Haden as she invited herself and sat down. I exchanged a look with Lexie and Nisha as Joe and Nick stopped to grab silverware from a cart. Vanessa was silent as she watched Haden in an almost utmost jealous expression.
I assumed Vanessa was like the lesser known sidekick frequently.
She looked just like Haden, except with brown eyes and dirty blonde hair. Clearly not as attractive as her counterpart but she seemed to try hard to be.
Shaking out of my thoughts, I turned toward the table again and watched Haden's expression stiffen as she nodded, gave a tiny smile, and proceeded back to our table. Kevin grinned at her sheepishly and continued to speak to Kendra, who seemed dazed by him.
"Well?" I choked out to Haden as she proceeded back towards us. She stood, staring down at Vanessa, expectantly, like she was very clearly ready to go.
"He already likes someone." Haden's jaw tightened and I shrunk a little in my seat.
"Did he say who?" Lexie asked, immediately, but was very clearly worried about this girl finding out it was me that ruined her chances with Kevin.
"No," Haden sighed as Vanessa stood up, seemingly excited at the thought. "But when I find out, oh she is so going to regret stepping foot on camp."
I exchanged look with Lexie and Nisha as Vanessa followed Haden away from our table.
"Oh, she's just a big ol' bucket of sunshine, she is..."
I snorted at Nisha's comment, but sighed. It was just a few seconds later when Joe and Nick joined us, Nick setting a tray in front of Lexie [who gave a dazed and adoring look toward him] and Joe setting a tray in front of Nisha, who smiled up at him with a great affection.
It was just when Joe and Nick sat across from us that Kevin was over and setting a plate of food in front of me. I smiled up at him and attempted to hide my excitement. That girl, literally, had no idea just who she was dealing with - and at the same time, I really hoped she'd never find out.
"So who was that?" I glanced up at Kevin, faking a mild curiosity as I spread some jelly on a piece of toast. Kevin had been chewing his waffles and had swallowed and opened his mouth to answer by the time I was attempting to open my orange juice carton.
"Some girl," Kevin spoke as though it barely interested him, but he wasn't about to bad mouth about her for no reason. "She wanted to flirt with me but I told her I already had feelings for someone else."
Nisha and Joe, who'd been talking, abruptly stopped altogether and Lexie, who'd been watching Nick in the sweetest and most adoring way, suddenly turned to look at us. The entire table seemed to stop and instead, turned to glance at us.
Nisha seemed stiff and Lexie made it a point to shove half of an entire waffle in her small mouth.
"Listen, Jess. I was thinking, the night we get back after camp, if you wanted to-"
"I can't." I coughed, pointedly. "I…have to help my mom that night."
"Oh. Maybe the following night?"
"I'm…not sure if this summer is a good idea."
Kevin halted.
"Oh. Okay." He murmured before stuffing his mouth with waffles. I stared down at my plate, thoroughly disgusted with myself. On the inside, part of my was shrieking, 'Reach across the table, you moron, and kiss him like the world is about to explode!' but another part of me was convinced dating me would only hurt him in the end.
"But, maybe I could go over and you could help me with a few chords on guitar? I'm having some trouble and I really need the help."
That immediately seemed to lighten the mood, and I swear it, I think Kevin's eyes lit up as I suggested going over.
"Sure," he grinned at me and I could feel my cheeks heating. "Maybe we-"
"CAMPERS!"
Jumping, I turned to look at James toward the entrance of the mess hall.
"It's time to saddle up and get your things to your bunk. Afterwards, you can feel free to come back out and participate in some activities camp has to offer but you must be back in your cabins by the time it's starting to get dark, which is eight o' clock, PM. Come on out and we'll assign your cabins."
James turned and left the hall. There was a flurry of curiosity that took the form of silence, but it was merely for a second. The second after, everyone began to climb off their benches and file for the exit.
I followed Lexie and Nisha, sliding an arm through Lexie's as Joe jumped from practically nowhere and thrusted his hand in Nisha's grip.
"Get a room!" Lexie demanded of the group in front of us as she flicked some of Nisha's hair. I could hear Nick and Kevin chuckling behind us.
"Oh hush!" Nisha laughed as she glanced behind us. Grinning, we climbed the steps down the porch of the mess hall and jumped in our own little group. Joe's arms encircled Nisha's torso with great ease, his chin resting atop her head. Lexie and Nick stood together, though I could tell by Lexie's expression that she was dying to pounce on him and run her hands through his curly hair at least a few dozen times.
Kevin took a seat on my bag - yes, one of those cool ones that's skeleton could hold at least 350 pounds - and gave me a grin. I shook my head, smiling at him as James moved toward the head of both of our schools. Kevin patted his lap, jokingly, but part of me knew he definitely wouldn't mind if I sat in his lap.
I was tempted to, until I saw Haden a few yards to the side of us, glancing at Kevin and eyeing me.
I had a feeling of what was coming the next time I spoke to that girl.
Instead, I stuck my tongue out at him, but in a playful manner/
Although I had a feeling he thought I was flirting, as he just smiled at me and turned his attention to James as he spoke.
"Alright, we have a girl's list and a boy's list. Girls to one side, boys to another, take your bags, please!"
Kevin stood up, but rather than moving away from me, he lifted it and nudged me forward. I followed Lexie and Nisha as Joe, Kevin and Nick carried our bags behind us and set them down once the groups had separated us.
Giving them a thanks, we turned toward our counselors.
A tall woman with red hair and freckles grinned at us.
"Alright, when your names are called, come forward, then moved to the counselor assigned, got me? Six of you to a cabin, plus your counselors, you'll all have separate cots. We have a brother cabin, which is a cabin beside ours that houses six male counterparts and a counselor to our group. Who it is depends on their classes, as they'll go to class with us. But don't get too excited - we don't have any windows facing theirs." she smiled as she picked up a clipboard and called six names. The was a flurry of laughter
A few girls smiled and moved together, seeming to greet and introduce themselves to each other as they were assigned a pretty, heavy-set counselor with black hair and brown eyes.
"Alright…Lexie Belle, Nisha Manzoor, Jessica Ward…and…Haden Ricky, Vanessa Allen and Kendra Carson." The red headed counselor looked at us over her clipboard. "You're with our youngest counselor, Alexis Corey."
I groaned softly and in unison with Nisha and Lexis. Great.
We got the big ol' bucket of sunshine's cabin.
Lifting our bags, we made our way to a grinning bleach blonde in pig tails.
"Hey. I'm Alexis." She shrugged as she pointed to herself. The seven of us seemed unimpressed. I was half tempted to say. '…And?' But refrained.
Somehow.
"Listen, I don't want any trouble out of any of you, you hear me? I'm trying to some college creds here and if you six make it hard on me, I'm gonna make your life hell, got it?"
I blinked.
Good people skills.
"Any questions?"
"One." Lexie raised her hand. "Do you bleach your hair or dye it?"
The other five of us snorted. Alexis stared in disbelief.
"I have one." I threw up a hand, not about to let one third of our group go out without us. I had a feeling Nisha felt the same way. "Do you always wake up on the nasty side of the bed?"
"Uno question over hizzle!" Nisha declared. "Did you have a bowl of bitch-flakes for breakfast this morning? And if so, did you have them without milk and sugar?"
"SHUSH!" she hissed to us as the six of us grinned back at her. She seemed angry. Shock me, shock me. "What are your names?"
"Candy." Lexie nodded.
"Sunshine." Nisha, smiled.
"I'm Madonna." I waved slightly.
Alexis glared and checked her clipboard.
"Jessica, Lexie, Nisha, you three are officially banned from camp activities for the day. How you like them apples?"
We waited until she moved to speak to the counselor that had finished calling names.
"It depends, are they candy? Candy apples give me dia-"
I threw my hand over Lexie's mouth.
"Finish that sentence and I'll upchuck my breakfast on you."
"…Gotcha." Lexie nodded as each group lifted their bags once more. Pulling my bag on my back, I nearly tipped from the weight but followed Alexis, allowing her way ahead of us. Haden and Vanessa stuck close behind, Kendra lagged a yard behind me, Nisha and Lexie.
I nearly tripped as I felt hands cover my eyes.
"Guess who just got the brother cabin next to yours?"
"Oh god, please tell me it's Gaspard Ulliel." I commented, sarcastically.
"Oh thanks," Kevin chuckled as he slid his hands away from my eyes. I grinned at him as I saw Joe and Nisha a little ahead now and Lexie and Nick talking, casually.
"You're welcome." I smiled at Kevin.
"Hi, Kevin!"
Glancing behind us, we spotted Kendra, suddenly a little closer than she'd started out. She was staring at Kevin with googley eyes again.
"Hi, Kendra." He offered her a gentle smile. She grinned slightly. I gave her a small smile and she returned it with a sheepish one.
I waited until the two of us had gotten farther ahead of her before I leaned to the side to whisper to Kevin.
"An admirer?"
"Shut up." He chuckled. I smiled.
"I think it's cute. What'd you talk to her about earlier?"
"You saw? Oh, well I told her to ignore the bullies. In the end, they all get what's coming to them."
I smiled at Kevin, a bubble of affection rising in my chest for him. He really was the sweetest guy in the world.
"That was sweet of you," I admitted.
"Maybe so." He chuckled, but I could see a flush of red rising in his cheeks. "But hey, I dealt with bullies when I was younger."
"That's because you didn't wanna take me to school with you."
"Oh right, that would definitely have helped me gain popularity points. Bring my ten year old wife to fight my battles for me."
I smiled gently.
"You remember when I married you when I was little?"
He chuckled.
"Remember? You kidnapped my goldfish until I agreed to marry you!"
"Hey, I was ten and I wanted you to be my husband!" I scoffed.
"Why?" He chuckled.
"Because I loved you," I admitted, but quickly started to cover it up as he turned to look at me. "You were one of my absolute best friends. I thought you were supposed to marry your best friend."
Kevin shrugged slightly, a little put out, but nodded in understanding.
"I'll see you in a few?" Kevin smiled at me. I shook my head.
"I got in trouble."
"Already?" he laughed. "But somehow, I'm not surprised."
"Our counselor is a bitch. But I'll see you if we can hang out outside. If not, hide out by my window and I'll put my hair down to let you in."
Kevin rolled his eyes but smiled.
"Right. See you, Jess." He gave me a swift hug as he proceeded toward his cabin. I turned back to mine and followed Nisha and Lexie inside as they bid farewell to Nick and Joe. Stepping inside, Alexis was at the head and looked back to us.
"Pick a bed. Furnish it. Do whatever you want after. Except you three," she pointed to us. "You three have to stay within ten feet of the cabin."
"Cool," Nisha, Lexie and I spoke in unison as we threw our bags down on three separate beds to one side of the cabin. Kendra sat on one, as Haden and Vanessa conversed between two in the corner.
I plopped down on my bed roughly around the time Haden and Vanessa had wandered over. Nisha and Lexie were taking a seat on the end of my bed at that moment.
"So I saw you're friends with Kevin." Haden smiled at me. I coughed.
"Yeah. Childhood friends."
She smiled like she struck gold.
"Then maybe you could talk to him for me," she crossed her arms and gave me a tiny and friendly look. "Think he'd be willing to go get some seafood after camp?"
"Uh, no." I spoke, immediately. Haden blinked, almost challengingly.
"Why not?"
"He's afraid of fish." Nisha blurted out. Lexie snorted.
"Oh." Haden frowned slightly.
"I'm afraid of dogs," Vanessa smiled. "Well, ones bigger than pugs anyways."
I smiled slightly in amusement.
"I'm afraid of oompa loompas." Nisha shrugged. "They're weird. The ones in the old Charlie and the Chocolate Factory anyway."
Haden rolled her eyes slightly and moved back to her bed, but Vanessa seemed interested in the conversation and stayed with us.
"I'm afraid roaches." Lexie pitched in.
"So is virtually every girl." Nisha pointed out.
"For different reason," Lexie slit her eyes, her voice dropping slightly. "Those bitches are plotting."
I snorted.
"I'm afraid of spiders."
The four of us glanced up as Kendra stood at the edge of my bed, seeming nervous as we looked at her. Like speaking was a bad idea.
"Nice." I gave her a smile. "They're pretty creepy."
"What are you afraid of, Jess?"
I glanced around the room at Vanessa's question. Haden seemed a little interested from her side of the room.
"Drowning." I admitted. "Suffocating, sometimes Barbie dolls."
All of us laughed at myBarbiecomment. With exception of Haden, who kind of smiled in the corner like she wanted to laugh.
"Good to know," Kendra laughed as she sat down.
I grinned sheepishly.
I didn't know it yet, but this was going to begin the most dangerous and devastating two weeks of my life.
