Faith Bridge
Growing up, I was always an early riser. Waking up and getting out of bed was exciting. It was a promise of a new day and I loved getting a fresh start. Dad was an early riser too and was always sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of hot coffee and reading the paper. As soon as I came down and joined him, he would hand me the comic section and get up to make me breakfast. That was our morning routine until I got into my teenage years. At first our routine shifted and we started going on morning runs together, waking up earlier to run, shower, and then still have breakfast together. Two years ago, when I started high school, I started waking up later and later. Eventually it became a celebration if I was able to roll out of bed before noon.
Being at camp was quickly starting to revert my sleeping pattern back to the old days. If Peyton didn’t wake me up in one-way or another, then it was a frustratingly patient Kelsey who came knocking to make sure I made it to breakfast on time. I had been at camp for two weeks now and each day seemed to get better and better. I was slowly starting to get into the groove of camp life and had even made friends with a few of the other campers.
I still wasn’t getting up on my own yet, but I was far less annoyed to be woken up now than I had been on the first day, which is why my first instinct wasn’t to punch Peyton in the face when she roughly shook me awake the next morning. I did swear, but who wouldn’t in that situation? No one in their right mind would blame me for that.
“Rise and shine, Abby,” Peyton chirped, her singsong morning voice sounding more nasally and scratchier than usual.
I rolled over on my bunk, stretching my arms over my head and yawning loudly. I opened my eyes to a significantly darker room than I was used to. There wasn’t any sunlight filtering through the windows above our bunks like usual. I squinted up at Peyton who was standing in the narrow aisle between our beds, tugging her nightgown over her head.
“What time is it?” I asked, my voice groggy.
“A little after 4:30,” she replied, purposefully trying not to make eye contact with me as my jaw dropped.
“As in 4:30 in the morning? Are you insane?” If my tone wasn’t strong enough for her to realize her wrongdoing in waking me up so early, I also threw my hands into the air for extra effect. “I’m going back to sleep,” I murmured, flopping back onto my mattress and closing my eyes before she could protest.
“No! Come on Abby! I really want you to see the sunrise with me.” In seconds, her freckled hands were on me, pulling me up and out of bed. “It’s a once and a lifetime experience.”
“Watching the sunrise is what you call a once and a lifetime experience?” I repeated, scoffing. I placed my hands on my hips and frowned.
“You have to see it to understand why I like it so much. Just come. You won’t be disappointed.”
My frown didn’t falter even the slightest.
Peyton clasped her hands together in front of her and poked out her bottom lip as she started begging. “Please, please. Pretty please with whipped cream, hot fudge, and cherries on top.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her puppy dog face wasn’t as effective as she thought it was. “I’m more of a caramel kind of girl.”
Peyton rolled her eyes dramatically. “Come on, Abby. It’ll be fun. I even have a way of getting us out of having to go to breakfast.” She waggled her eyebrow at me tantalizingly.
“What’s the point in skipping breakfast if you’re awake already anyway?” I countered, not budging.
She must have given up on asking me to go, because all of a sudden she was pushing me towards my dresser. “Get dressed. You’re going.”
“And what if I refuse?” I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly.
Peyton looked caught off guard for a second, and then her face lit up. She smirked as she said, “Then, who knows, maybe you’ll wake up with a snake in your bed one morning.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
We stared each other down for a few moments, where I was trying to size her up and see if she was actually capable of owning up to her threat. She was a little strange. I’m sure she was the kind of person who thought snakes were cute and cuddly. I practically shivered at the thought alone. Finally, I groaned, and did as she said.
I tugged on a pair of khaki Bermuda shorts and pulled a t-shirt over my head before I slipped on my running shoes. I brushed my teeth quickly and washed my face in the sink before I brushed my hair up into a ponytail, letting the lose curls hang against my neck. By the time I was ready, Peyton was pulling her greasy, red hair back into a braid. Then she checked her watch and shot off of her bed like a bullet.
“Let’s go, or we’ll miss it,” she said, grabbing her backpack and heading toward the door. I followed along like a loyal golden retriever.
“Does this mean we still get to skip breakfast?” I asked, giving Peyton a sideways glance.
She giggled at my question. “Sure, but that means we have to make another stop.”
I shrugged and continued following her. We walked through the main area of camp, then took a right turn and came out into an open, grassy area that led to the water’s edge. It was a short walk to Faith Bridge, and when we got there we walked out to the center of the old wooden bridge and sat down with our legs dangling over the water, facing east.
We didn’t have to wait long for the sun to rise above the water, coloring the sky and the lake different shades of orange, red, and pink. The lake looked like an artist had spilled their paints in the water and the color was swirling around together. The morning air was chilly, but the sun’s rays warmed my skin. My tan legs glowed orange in the sunlight.
We watched until the sun was sitting amongst the clouds in the sky, welcoming us into a new day. Then Peyton leaned over and nudged me in the side with her elbow, saying, “Told ya it was worth it.”
I nudged her back. “Yeah, yeah. No one likes a bragger.” Despite my words, there was still a smirk painted on her lips. “What time is it now?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
Peyton glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Almost six.” She swung her legs some more. “We can sit here a little longer though if you want. There’s no rush to get to where I’m taking you next.”
“I don’t mind sitting here a while longer,” I responded honestly. I was actually enjoying myself. I held my head back, looking up at the sky and closing my eyes. The fresh air was nice. I liked enjoying the sounds of the world waking up and pretending like I was the only person on earth. Sometimes it’s funny to think that there’s a whole world that goes on while you’re asleep. If it weren’t for Peyton, I would’ve missed the sunrise, but I’m glad I hadn’t.
I’ve always been a stubborn person. Despite all of the things that changed about me, mentally and physically, over the years, that never changed. I have always been and will always be stubborn. That’s why admitting I was wrong and apologizing for my actions had always been so hard for me. It’s also why it was such a huge deal for me to look over at Peyton, and say, “Thank you.”
She turned her head, gazing at me through her glasses. For a second it was as if she could read my mind. Like she knew how hard it was for me to thank her. Instead of making a big deal out of it, she just gave me a small smile and looked away again.
We sat on the bridge for another hour, just staring over the water in silence and swinging our legs back and forth. Then Peyton stood up and stretched.
“My butt is starting to go numb,” she explained, shaking her legs out.
My butt was too, but I hadn’t been ready to leave yet. I stood up anyway though. “Where to next?”
Peyton’s eyes lit up at my question. “I want you to meet my friend Mia.”
When Peyton had told me that she wanted me to meet her friend Mia, I expected her to lead me back to camp and introduce me to another camper or at least take me to meet someone our age. Instead, she took me to a wooden, two-story building called the Lakefront Wildlife Center, which sat on the edge of Crystal Lake. It was about a thirty-minute walk from Faith Bridge, and my legs were burning by the time we got there. It had been a while since I had been this active.
On our way there Peyton had tried to hold a conversation with me about my group therapy sessions. I had already been to two since camp started. I hadn’t wanted Peyton to know that I had to attend, but she found out when I went missing at the same time two Thursday’s in a row, which just so happens to be when one of the group therapy sessions is held. Both sessions hadn’t been as bad as I had expected them to be, but the last thing I wanted to do was talk about them with Peyton. I had the feeling that she was the judgmental type. Yes, I was starting to like her more and more each day, but that didn’t mean I was ready to spill my guts and bare my soul to her. Baby steps. Even India didn’t know all of my deepest darkest secrets.
Besides, if I was going to tell anyone at camp about my secrets it would probably be Becca. We had become fast friends and we had far more in common than Peyton and I did. Becca attended the group therapy meetings too, but I wasn’t sure why. She told me that it was an agreement with her parents that she would go to the camp’s group therapy if she didn’t have to meet with her therapist in town during the summer. I hadn’t asked her why she needed a therapist, although I was curious. Becca was the epitome of perfection. She’s skinny, gorgeous, rich, and has legs that go on for days. Her only problem, if you could call it that, was her braces, but even they gave her character. She even smells perfect for Christ’s sake.
Needless to say, when Peyton started asking me about how therapy was going, I shut her down quickly. I wasn’t going to talk to her about that. It was surprisingly easy to change the subject though, and before I knew it we were talking about her friend Mia.
“She moved here last year right before camp started. Sometimes she leads a few activities for the camp. That’s how I met her. She’s so great. You’ll love her. Everyone does,” Peyton said as she pulled the door open to the center for me.
Inside it was large and spacious. I followed Peyton, who was still blabbing about this Mia person, behind a desk and through a door. If I didn’t know any better I’d think she had a girl crush on her.
“It’s pretty early so she should be in the aquarium setting up,” she continued.
Sure enough, when we entered the aquarium there was a woman inside wiping smudges off of the tanks. If Peyton did in fact have a girl crush on her, I could see why. Standing in front of us was a leggy blonde. I couldn’t see much of her face considering how she was bent over scrubbing furiously at a tank, but she had a killer body. Her thin, but muscular shape reminded me of how I used to look when being thin was still effortless and easy. People must’ve hated me, just like I was beginning to hate this chick and I didn’t even know her.
“Mia!” Peyton spoke, startling the poor girl and making her jump. Jeez, she’s easily frightened.
Mia whipped around, her eyebrows furrowed at us for a second before her face brightened with a smile. Her wide blue eyes twinkled as she dropped her sponge into a bucket and pulled off her gloves. “Peyton, what brings you out here so early?” She stepped over the bucket and enveloped Peyton in a friendly hug.
Peyton was beaming. “I wanted to bring my friend Abby by to meet you and to check out the place.”
Mia looked toward me and held out her hand. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Abby.”
“Nice to meet you too,” I replied, squeezing her hand gently.
Mia turned her attention back to Peyton. “Can I tempt you two to stick around and help me get set up? I was running a little late today,” she admitted with an embarrassed laugh. “My bike got a flat tire so Gage had to drive me in.”
Peyton looked at me, raising an eyebrow in questioning.
I shrugged in response. I had nothing better to do.
“Sure,” Peyton answered. “But you have to let us eat breakfast with you.”
Mia pretended to think it over, and then she rolled her eyes playfully and agreed. “I’ll give Kelsey a call and let her know.”
“Thanks,” Peyton replied.
Mia waved her off. “Thank you. I would’ve never been ready in time. I’ll go grab another bucket.” With that, she turned and headed off through another door. When she returned she handed us both gloves and told us what to do. “If you girls can wipe down the outside of the tanks then I can start changing the filters.”
With that we got to work. I was scrubbing so hard my arm started to hurt, but I didn’t stop until I could see my reflection clear as day in the tanks. When we were finished we helped Mia prepare the food for something called the feeding frenzy and then we helped her set up scopes in the observation deck for bird watching. By the time 8am rolled around, we were finished and I was famished. Mia led us to a staff kitchen upstairs and told us to eat whatever we wanted.
“You girls chose a good day to stop by. David brought in donuts from Ellie’s Diner.”
We all sat, eating and talking and laughing occasionally. I was surprisingly thankful that Peyton had threatened me in order to get me to come out with her.
As if she could read my mind, she turned to me during a lull in conversation and said, “I’ll take you to see the snakes before we leave,” and winked.