Last Hurrah
A few days later, I was packing all my stuff up, preparing to head back home. Earlier that morning I had gone on my final run, but this time Willow and Jess had joined me. We ran on the last trail I had to explore so I could say that I had been to all of the trails in the area. It had been fun running with people again. Willow was fast and Jess was competitive, which had us all racing to see who could get to the end of the trail first. I had been running every morning and my stamina had increased noticeably. I was ready to get home and surprise my dad by waking up early with him and finally beating him on a run. He was fast and a strong runner, but he had never run on a mountain trail. I hoped that that would give me an edge.
After my shower I had come back to my cabin to find Peyton packing her things. There had been a permanent frown curving the corners of her lips downwards ever since Kelsey said that there was a possibility that the camp wouldn’t be open again next year. We were all sad and angry, but Peyton was the worst of us all. When Kelsey had informed us two days ago that camp was closing two weeks early, Peyton actually cried. It made me wonder if there was a reason that she didn’t want to go home, but I didn’t want to ask. I had noticed how she had gone all summer without talking to either of her parents, and she had only mentioned them on one occasion.
I thought about asking her about it, but I didn’t. I just decided that I’d try and cheer her up by taking her to Faith Bridge one last time before we had to leave. We still had two days left until the busses came to pick everyone up, but many people had already started saying their goodbyes.
I finished packing up my things and left my duffle bags on the floor by my bed. I just wanted to have everything packed and ready for when it was time to leave so that I could focus on spending my last little bit of time with my friends and enjoying all that camp had to offer. While I was packing, I found my bathing suit shoved at the bottom of my dresser underneath all of my clothes. My mom had made me bring it with me, despite my protests. I had forgotten that I had even brought it with me.
Instead of burying it beneath all of the clothes in my duffle bag, I laid it out on my bed and stared at it for a moment. In a flash of inspiration, I stripped out of my shorts, which were now sagging on my butt, and pulled off my t-shirt. Then I stepped into my bikini bottoms and pulled on the top. I hadn’t worn a bikini in so long I forgot how it felt. I wrapped myself in a towel and slipped on my flip-flops before I left the cabin in search of Jess and Willow. I found them both in their cabin, packing their stuff just like I had been. Willow had all of her clothes sprawled out across her bed and Jess had taken over the floor.
“Come on, let’s go to paradise. It’s too hot to be cooped up in our cabins packing.”
Jess shrugged and stood up, grabbing her suit off of the floor as she did so. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Willow raised an eyebrow. “Are you just saying that because you already finished packing?”
I smirked. “What if I am?”
She shrugged and hopped off her bed. “Just wondering. I’m down. I just have to find my bathing suit first.”
Jess leaned over Willow’s bed and pulled on a piece of orange fabric that was peeking out from under a pile of underwear. “Here,” she said, tossing it at Willow who caught it easily.
“Alright, let’s go then!” Willow yelled. “I’m tired of being inside anyway.”
I waited as they put on their suits and then we were off to go swim. On our way out of camp I noticed Peyton, who was sitting on the steps in front of the arts and crafts cabin looked dejecting.
“Hold on,” I told the girls just before I ran off in Peyton’s direction. I came to a stop in front of her and smiled. She was wearing a cotton t-shirt that said, “Escape with us in Escape, Colorado”, flip flops, and exercise shorts, all of which could be worn swimming. “Hey, come on.”
Peyton looked up at me in confusion. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at me. “Where are you going?”
I grabbed her hand and tugged her off of the porch. I was tired of seeing her moping. Now she knew how I felt when we first got here. “We’re going to paradise,” I explained, pulling her over to Jess and Willow. They smiled in greeting and easily incorporated her into the conversation, just like I knew they would.
For the first time in a few days, Peyton actually smiled a genuine smile. She had never been to the waterfall before then and was excited to swim with us. We even held hands as we jumped from the top of the waterfall, kicking our feet and flailing our arms until we hit the water. The only thing that could’ve made our time in paradise more fun was if Becca had been there to experience it with us.
We wasted the day away at the waterfall, only coming out when it was time for dinner. As we walked away from the water, laughing and talking about nothing in particular, Peyton looped her arm in mine and leaned against me.
“Thanks,” she whispered, so that only I could hear her.
“You’re welcome, Pey.”
She glanced at me, her eyes sad as she said, “I’m going to miss you.”
I patted her arm gently. “I’m going to miss you too, but I’ll see you next summer. I have faith that everything will work out for the best.”
Peyton giggled at my words. “Wow, you really have changed, haven’t you?”
I laughed along with her. “I guess so.”
“What are you two laughing about?” Jess asked, turning to face us. “We want to laugh too.”
Willow nodded fervently in agreement.
“We’re just talking about how Abby was a pessimist at the start of the summer and now she’s not.”
Willow chuckled. “Escape has that effect on people.”
Jess pouted and looked between all of us. “Promise we’ll all keep in touch no matter what happens next year?”
“Promise,” we all said simultaneously.
Willow and Jess joined our huddle and we all proceeded to walk to dinner together. We only had two days left in Escape, but we were going to make the most of the end of our summer. No matter what happened, whether the camp was shut down or not, I knew I had found a second home in the mountains. Even if I couldn’t spend next summer at the Escape Reality Wellness camp, formerly and more affectionately referred to as Camp Fat Fuckers, I knew it wouldn’t be long until I found my way back to the idyllic little town. It was inevitable. I had learned so much, met so many amazing people, and was finally feeling more like myself than I had in ages. This town was more than the hellhole I had pictured it as; it was exactly what I needed. What better could anyone ask for than an escape from reality?