Chapter 6

Rhett–Friday

 

As I lay in bed, preparing myself to get up for the very last day at Camp Woodtree, my mind was all over the place.

The sports and activities had gone so well–much better than predicted–and my and Danica’s team was a shoo-in for the overall first prize. We already knew that we’d won when we’d done so well every single day, but it would be nice to have that confirmed. I knew the kids were so excited to go and receive their medals at any rate.

However, the last day wasn’t only going to be about that main prize. The children would also be rewarded for individual performances throughout the week, which the parents would be there to see them receive. That was as much of a huge event as anything else.

After the awards ceremony, the counsellors were to take the kids and their parents around Camp Woodtree, to let the moms and dads know what their children had spent the week doing. I wasn't sure if that was just a chance to show off the camp’s facilities or if it was more of a reassurance thing, but I wasn't particularly looking forward to it. The children I could cope with–I had a bond with them–but who knew what the parents would be like. When I thought about my own parents, it made me despair even more.

In all honesty, I was a complete mixture of emotions. On the one hand, there was an elation that we’d done so well all week, that I’d managed to have such a positive impact on the kids. It had given me pause for thought about my own life and the direction that I wanted it to take.

But on the other hand, I was incredibly sad that it was all coming to an end, that the experience of a lifetime was practically over. I didn’t have any plans for the rest of the summer, and after being around such awesome people in such close proximity, the endless weeks with nothing to do and no one to see felt a little bleak.

Plus, the thought of not seeing Danica again was awful. Utterly unbearable. I had no idea how I was going to cope.

Sure, I’d agreed to go and visit her at college, but that was ages away–after the summer ended. It would be weeks until I could do that, and that felt far too long away. I had Danica’s phone number, and I could keep in touch with her that way, but it wasn't the same. It wouldn’t be like waking up knowing that I was going to get to see her beautiful face every day, knowing that I could talk to her and even kiss her if I wanted to. I was going to miss holding her in my arms, feeling her pressed up against me.

I didn’t know how the hell I was going to go on without that.

Last night, as we sat under the stars, I snapped a picture on my phone, which I took a quick look at before the day began. She was only half aware when I took it, so in the image she’s half smiling and half talking, which somehow makes her look even cuter. Her bright, sparkly eyes shine with excitement, which is just how I’ll remember her: as a shining light who made absolutely everything brighter.

Then my eyes drifted over to my packed suitcase, and my heart sunk all over again. The dream was coming to an end. Tonight, I would be back in my own home, in my own bed, far away from Camp Woodtree.

I didn’t want things between myself and Danica to be just a fling. I was already in far too deep for that. I really liked her a whole lot, and it seemed like she felt the same way about me. I just hoped that we could make things work when we weren’t living in one another’s pockets.

Before I could allow myself to get too wound up and upset over something that I currently couldn't do anything about, I pushed the door open and stepped out into the cool, fresh air all over again.

“Rhett!” I heard a familiar voice call out the second my feet hit the grass. “Look what we made for you.” Ricky rushed to my side handing me a giant card that the boys had obviously spent some time making in secret. To say I was touched by their effort would be a huge understatement. I was overwhelmed they’d taken the time and effort to do that, when they really didn’t have to.

I read the words inside the card aloud. “To Rhett, Thank you for the best week of our entire lives. You rock! From Ben, Ricky, Gary, Mark, Timmy, and Frank. “Aw, guys, that’s so great!” I smiled widely to cover up the emotion currently circling me.

“The girls did one, too, for Danica.” They were all standing next to me by this point, bouncing around like excited little monkeys. “To say thanks to you both. None of us want to go home–we don’t know what we’re going to do for the rest of the summer without this place.” You and me both, I almost said. “And, we live too far from each other to meet up easily.”

“Well, you’ll just have to come again next year!” I grinned, throwing my arms around each of them in turn. “Do it all again. Meet up then.”

“Will you be here?” Gary asked, staring up at me with his puppy dog eyes, causing guilt to flow right through me. I had no particular plans to return, but maybe if these guys come back, I would feel compelled to. I’d grown a bit attached to them, and I couldn't imagine them doing what we’d done with someone else as their counsellor.

“Yeah, maybe. If you lot are here, I wouldn’t want to work with anyone else. Now come on, let’s go and meet your parents; it’s time to collect our prize.” I tried to ignore the way that my heart fluttered with nerves at that statement.

As we sat in the same hall where we had our orientation, where everything all began, I made sure that I had myself positioned as close to Danica as I could be in polite company. Once we started to show the parents around the camp, our groups would go their separate ways, I didn’t know if I’d be able to catch a glimpse of her again–a thought that terrified me.

“Ooh look,” she gasped, leaning in to me, seemingly sharing none of my fears. “Frank just won the Best Friend award.” We jumped up and yelled and cheered, happy for one of our children to have won. These awards were nothing to do with the actual sports, which made them even more important to the kids.

And then Danica’s girl Holly–the shy and quiet one–won the Most Improved award and all fourteen of us went mad. Some of the other parents glanced around at us in shock, but we didn’t care–she deserved it. She really was a great kid, and she’d transformed during this week. I just hoped that she could take that forward with her, to lead a more confident life.

Then the time came for us to collect the main award for winning the week of activities. As we stepped forward to collect our medals, the parents of our children cheered for us, but everyone else only gave a half-hearted clap, allowing their blatant jealousy to shine through.

None of us cared about any of them. We were our own little family, and that was all that mattered.

Once we were done, we were shipped out with our teams in a blur, and it wasn't until I was standing by the ropes course, regaling the tale of us winning the obstacle course day, that I realised I hadn’t even said goodbye to Danica.

 

***

 

I didn’t see Danica again until we were waving the kids cars off. Some of the other counsellors had already gone back to their cabins to gather up their belongings, but I was hanging around until the very last second, just in case. And thankfully, that patience paid off because it didn’t take long for Danica to make her way over to me.

“Well, that was a crazy day.” She smiled brightly at me, trying to disguise the tears that were already filling her eyes. “I can’t believe that we’ll be going home soon.” Her voice cracked with emotion, which brought everything to the forefront for me, too.

As I considered her words, a tight knot of stress began to form in my stomach. The reality of it all really hit, and that didn’t feel good at all. Sure, I’d been very aware of what was coming, but it didn’t reach its full impact until I could hear the sadness in her voice.

“Yeah, well...” I heard myself saying, in a tone that sounded angrier than I intended it to. I just had no idea how to say goodbye without completely and utterly falling apart. “We all knew it was only going to be a week.” I sort of wanted that to be a joke, but it definitely did not come off that way at all. I sounded like a dick, and I knew it. I just wasn't sure how to retract that.

“Right,” she nodded, a seriousness on her face. “Okay, well... I mean, it’s been fun, though?” There was a question in her tone, one that wanted an answer from me, but I knew that I couldn't give it without bursting into tears.

“Mhmmm,” I nodded, looking everywhere but her. I focused on the trees, the cars, the children...anything but those damn eyes. “Yeah.”

A loaded silence filled the air. I could tell Danica wanted me to say something, anything, to make things right between us again, but for some reason, I couldn't. The tension was absolutely rife between us, and I wondered if anyone else could see it. It felt so obvious to me that I would have been very shocked if others were oblivious. But as always, no one else was paying us any attention whatsoever.

“So do you have any plans for the rest of the summer?” she eventually asked politely, sounding like she’d only just met me. The last few days simply melted away, and we became strangers all over again.

I didn’t want to even think about the rest of the summer. It seemed so bleak and endless without her, so I gave her the most idiotic answer ever. “No, not really,” then I shrugged, as if her words meant nothing to me, but the reality was they cut deep. I wasn't sure why I was so desperate to hide my emotions; all I could focus on was holding it together. “Do you?” My tone was childish and petty, and she could sense that.

“This and that,” she replied evasively. I could sense that she was looking at me curiously, but I absolutely refused to return her gaze. “Right, well... I’m gonna go pack.” When I didn’t say anything back to her, I felt her slink away taking my last chance with her.

I stood there for a few moments, staring out into the emptying car park, wishing that I’d done absolutely everything different. It was unlikely that Danica would ever want to speak to me again after that act of rude stupidity, which ruled out any college visits, any possible future–the one thing that I’d been clinging on to keep myself going.

What an idiot I was!

I hung my head in shame, knowing that I’d lost her forever.

As a single tear began to fall down my cheek, I turned and made the long sad walk back to my own cabin, safe in the knowledge that I’d totally fucked everything up, and that after everything, we would be leaving on bad terms after all.