Camp Redwood
sebastian.
I woke up at nine so I wouldn't be late to supervise volleyball. I took a look at the list of people who signed up to play the night before, after I finished the day's announcements. Forrest, Kalliope, Keegan, Lupe, and Aubrey were the only names I recognized, and I was glad I didn't have to be alone.
I showered and headed out.
The camp was spaced out, at least five by five miles long and wide. It took me about ten minutes to walk to the volleyball court, even though I bummed a ride on the golf cart from one of the other counselors.
I saw it in the distance and was instantly reminded how the court was one of my favorite places in the camp. It was a large patch of sand in the middle of grass covered ground only twenty feet from the lake. Back when I was a camper, it was one of the only places I enjoyed.
When I got there, everyone seemed to be already split up into teams. The girls were in their swimsuits and shorts, and the guys were all in swim trunks. Everyone planned on going swimming right after.
Keegan was the only odd one out. I hadn't known what I expected.
"I'm not playing fucking volleyball," Keegan said, loudly, his arms crossed. "It's for chicks."
I shrugged, if he didn't want to do it, that was okay. I've learned not to force things. And besides, I didn't want him to hate me anymore then he already did.
"But then our teams will be uneven!" Aubrey exclaimed, her arms flying over her head. Keegan was on their team before he dropped out. She put a hand on his shoulder. Everyone blinked, in disbelief that he actually let her touch him. Keegan had boundaries, and we all knew it. "Please, Keegan. We need you."
For a split second, I thought he was going to give in. But I was proven wrong when he said, "Whatever." She pouted, dropping her hand. He walked to the dock at the edge of the lake, sitting alone.
She chased after him, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach. I sighed, looking at the group of people standing behind me.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Kalliope whispered so only I could hear. "They're just friends."
I looked at her, wondering how she could've known. "I - I wasn't-"
She just chuckled, walking to her side of the net.
After volleyball was over, it was nearly time for lunch. I was walking back to my cabin to grab a bite to eat there, but was stopped by Aubrey's shouting voice.
"Hey, Sebastian!" She called, running up to me, her sneakers in hand. She was still panting when she reached me. "You did awesome!"
"Thanks," I smiled, recalling the game. We had won against Forrest's team 8-0, and since Keegan dropped out, I was obligated to join Aubrey's team. "You did great too."
"Wanna sit at lunch with Keegan and I?" She asked, sweetly.
"As fun as that sounds," I said sarcastically, looking back to see if Keegan says around, "I have to go back to my cabin."
"Oh, okay," she said, deflated.
"We can hang out later tonight though," I offered, hoping that she'd agree. "Only if you want."
She laughed. "I'd love that!" We made plans to meet in the courtyard at nine.
She skipped towards Kalliope and Forrest, leaving me in the dust. I wasn't walking by myself for too long, however, because Keegan soon fell into step with me.
"Look," he said, glaring a hole into the side of my head. "I don't know what you're trying to pull off, but Aubrey isn't stupid, okay?"
My eyebrows climbed. "What-" I tried to say, choking. "I know, I didn't think she was. I would never-"
"You're trying to get with Aubrey." He said, as if he knew for sure. "But don't get any ideas."
"What?" I repeated myself stepping a foot farther from him just in case. "I'm not trying anything with anyone..."
"Just don't hurt her," he said, gently. A giant change relative to his usual mood. "She's..." He searched for the right word.
"Fragile?" I tried.
He nodded. "Yes, fragile," he said, "And she's my friend. I know you're twenty or something, dude. But I can still kick your ass."
I just nodded as he walked off.
It wasn't long until Aubrey and I were hanging out in my cabin, bonding over Hershey bars and vanilla ice cream. Unlike the campers, I had a kitchen in my cabin, including a mini fridge where I kept all of my guilty pleasures. Chocolate bars, chocolate syrup, and chocolate milk.
That's 70's Show was playing on my TV, and we lied down once we got in, sprawling across the floor. We laughed and talked and laughed some more for at least two hours past curfew, asking each other questions about life and family.
"What is your biggest fear?" she questioned, after asking me what my favorite color was, and I said green.
It didn't feel right, telling this girl I barely knew what scared me. But I couldn't ignore it, so I replied with the only answer that felt right.
"Probably losing my mom."
"Oh," she said, inhaling a quick breath. She tilted her head. "Is she sick?"
I shook my head. "Not at all," I replied, now regretting the fact that I said anything in the first place. "It's just that I lost my dad when I was twelve, and I don't ever want that for my mom."
"I'm sorry," she said, placing a hand on my knee, pulling away a split second after.
Aubrey's brown eyes deepened, and I felt like a horrible person for making her sad. She looked off to the side like I noticed she always did whenever she was upset or nervous. It made me laugh, and her eyes shot up towards me.
"Why're you laughing?"
I chuckled again, and pushed her shoulder back lightly before replying, "It's nothing."
She smiled, any trace of sadness now dissipated from her face. "Glad you think I'm funny!" she exclaimed, hitting me back.
A moment of quiet sat between us, and I couldn't help but realize how close we really were. So close, in fact, I could see a small, brown beauty mark placed perfectly on her left collarbone.
I just took this silent time as an opportunity to look at her. Really look at her, to see everything I hadn't thought about before. Things like the way her blonde hair was in a pleasant tangle every time I saw her, as if she just rolled out of bed, or how her eyes widened at least three times larger whenever she was happy, and her laugh made me feel like I was in a dream...
It was all so overwhelming.
Collectively, she was one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen.
"I think maybe you should go," I said, standing up awkwardly before things got too out of hand.
She looked at the ground, clearly not ready to go back to her own cabin. "But-"
"I don't think this is right," I finished, helping her up. I opened the door, crickets chirping in the forest only ten feet away.
I knew I shouldn't have let her walk back alone, but I had no other choice. If we were seen, I could be fired.
"Bye, Sebastian." She offered a smile, starting along the cobblestone path.
"Sweet dreams," I said, dejected. She turned around, looking over her shoulder once, before I shut the door.
I showered and headed out.
The camp was spaced out, at least five by five miles long and wide. It took me about ten minutes to walk to the volleyball court, even though I bummed a ride on the golf cart from one of the other counselors.
I saw it in the distance and was instantly reminded how the court was one of my favorite places in the camp. It was a large patch of sand in the middle of grass covered ground only twenty feet from the lake. Back when I was a camper, it was one of the only places I enjoyed.
When I got there, everyone seemed to be already split up into teams. The girls were in their swimsuits and shorts, and the guys were all in swim trunks. Everyone planned on going swimming right after.
Keegan was the only odd one out. I hadn't known what I expected.
"I'm not playing fucking volleyball," Keegan said, loudly, his arms crossed. "It's for chicks."
I shrugged, if he didn't want to do it, that was okay. I've learned not to force things. And besides, I didn't want him to hate me anymore then he already did.
"But then our teams will be uneven!" Aubrey exclaimed, her arms flying over her head. Keegan was on their team before he dropped out. She put a hand on his shoulder. Everyone blinked, in disbelief that he actually let her touch him. Keegan had boundaries, and we all knew it. "Please, Keegan. We need you."
For a split second, I thought he was going to give in. But I was proven wrong when he said, "Whatever." She pouted, dropping her hand. He walked to the dock at the edge of the lake, sitting alone.
She chased after him, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach. I sighed, looking at the group of people standing behind me.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Kalliope whispered so only I could hear. "They're just friends."
I looked at her, wondering how she could've known. "I - I wasn't-"
She just chuckled, walking to her side of the net.
+
After volleyball was over, it was nearly time for lunch. I was walking back to my cabin to grab a bite to eat there, but was stopped by Aubrey's shouting voice.
"Hey, Sebastian!" She called, running up to me, her sneakers in hand. She was still panting when she reached me. "You did awesome!"
"Thanks," I smiled, recalling the game. We had won against Forrest's team 8-0, and since Keegan dropped out, I was obligated to join Aubrey's team. "You did great too."
"Wanna sit at lunch with Keegan and I?" She asked, sweetly.
"As fun as that sounds," I said sarcastically, looking back to see if Keegan says around, "I have to go back to my cabin."
"Oh, okay," she said, deflated.
"We can hang out later tonight though," I offered, hoping that she'd agree. "Only if you want."
She laughed. "I'd love that!" We made plans to meet in the courtyard at nine.
She skipped towards Kalliope and Forrest, leaving me in the dust. I wasn't walking by myself for too long, however, because Keegan soon fell into step with me.
"Look," he said, glaring a hole into the side of my head. "I don't know what you're trying to pull off, but Aubrey isn't stupid, okay?"
My eyebrows climbed. "What-" I tried to say, choking. "I know, I didn't think she was. I would never-"
"You're trying to get with Aubrey." He said, as if he knew for sure. "But don't get any ideas."
"What?" I repeated myself stepping a foot farther from him just in case. "I'm not trying anything with anyone..."
"Just don't hurt her," he said, gently. A giant change relative to his usual mood. "She's..." He searched for the right word.
"Fragile?" I tried.
He nodded. "Yes, fragile," he said, "And she's my friend. I know you're twenty or something, dude. But I can still kick your ass."
I just nodded as he walked off.
+
It wasn't long until Aubrey and I were hanging out in my cabin, bonding over Hershey bars and vanilla ice cream. Unlike the campers, I had a kitchen in my cabin, including a mini fridge where I kept all of my guilty pleasures. Chocolate bars, chocolate syrup, and chocolate milk.
That's 70's Show was playing on my TV, and we lied down once we got in, sprawling across the floor. We laughed and talked and laughed some more for at least two hours past curfew, asking each other questions about life and family.
"What is your biggest fear?" she questioned, after asking me what my favorite color was, and I said green.
It didn't feel right, telling this girl I barely knew what scared me. But I couldn't ignore it, so I replied with the only answer that felt right.
"Probably losing my mom."
"Oh," she said, inhaling a quick breath. She tilted her head. "Is she sick?"
I shook my head. "Not at all," I replied, now regretting the fact that I said anything in the first place. "It's just that I lost my dad when I was twelve, and I don't ever want that for my mom."
"I'm sorry," she said, placing a hand on my knee, pulling away a split second after.
Aubrey's brown eyes deepened, and I felt like a horrible person for making her sad. She looked off to the side like I noticed she always did whenever she was upset or nervous. It made me laugh, and her eyes shot up towards me.
"Why're you laughing?"
I chuckled again, and pushed her shoulder back lightly before replying, "It's nothing."
She smiled, any trace of sadness now dissipated from her face. "Glad you think I'm funny!" she exclaimed, hitting me back.
A moment of quiet sat between us, and I couldn't help but realize how close we really were. So close, in fact, I could see a small, brown beauty mark placed perfectly on her left collarbone.
I just took this silent time as an opportunity to look at her. Really look at her, to see everything I hadn't thought about before. Things like the way her blonde hair was in a pleasant tangle every time I saw her, as if she just rolled out of bed, or how her eyes widened at least three times larger whenever she was happy, and her laugh made me feel like I was in a dream...
It was all so overwhelming.
Collectively, she was one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen.
"I think maybe you should go," I said, standing up awkwardly before things got too out of hand.
She looked at the ground, clearly not ready to go back to her own cabin. "But-"
"I don't think this is right," I finished, helping her up. I opened the door, crickets chirping in the forest only ten feet away.
I knew I shouldn't have let her walk back alone, but I had no other choice. If we were seen, I could be fired.
"Bye, Sebastian." She offered a smile, starting along the cobblestone path.
"Sweet dreams," I said, dejected. She turned around, looking over her shoulder once, before I shut the door.