Chapter Thirteen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A clap of thunder rattled the cabin and woke me up suddenly. I looked over at the clock and was surprised to see it was almost seven because the room was still pitch black.

“Are we under attack?” Hannah mumbled sleepily and I yawned as I shook my head.

“Thunder.” I swung my feet over the side of the bed and went into the bathroom. My dark brown hair was sticking up in every direction from going to bed with it wet. I brushed my teeth, only after confirming it was toothpaste and not mayo, and attempted to tame my hair by pulling it into a ponytail.

I walked back out into the bedroom as the wake-up tone sounded over the speakers and Hannah groaned when she stood from her bed. As she went into the bathroom, I walked out to the bunks to make sure all of the girls were getting up. I trudged to the main door of the cabin and pushed it open so I could look at the weather. The sky was an angry grey color and it smelled like rain.

“Dress for a storm, ladies,” I said, pulling the door shut. “It looks like we’re in for more than a drizzle.”

I pulled on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and my sweatshirt before slipping into my sneakers. After everyone had clothes on twenty minutes later, we walked across the campus to the dining hall. We all got in the buffet line and grabbed trays as we waited for our turn to dish up. I loaded some eggs, hash browns, and bacon onto my plate before grabbing a cup of coffee and some orange juice.

I sat at our table and immediately took a sip of my coffee in a desperate attempt to get caffeine into my veins. I’d just reached for the ketchup when lips grazed my ear.

“Good morning.”

Turning my head, I smiled up at Drew. “Good morning.”

His hand squeezed my shoulder and he hurried to join where his campers were lined up for breakfast.

“What was that?” Hannah asked quietly and I gave her a look that said we’d talk about it later.

“So, what do we do if it rains?” Maria asked from across the table. I swallowed the bite I’d just taken before responding.

“Well, if it’s pouring down rain, we’ll go to a modified schedule and do mainly indoor activities. Things like arts and crafts, dance, media center, rec hall… If it’s only sprinkling, we’ll stick to our schedule as much as possible. The lightning is going to be the wild card. We should get used to it, though. This won’t be the only storm while we’re here.”

As if we’d planned it, Howard’s voice chimed over the PA, causing a hush to fall over the dining hall.

“Good morning, campers. This announcement is for the counselors. Due to lightning in the area and the likelihood of sudden downpours, please proceed to follow schedule C for the day. Thank you for your flexibility.”

Hannah chuckled and looked at Maria. “I think he heard you.” She turned and grabbed the clipboard that we carried with us everywhere and flipped the pages until she found schedule C.

“We have gymnastics, arts and crafts, and activities in the rec hall this morning.”

“Sounds lame,” Jenny said as she ate the special breakfast that was prepared for her daily. “We should be able to choose on days like today.”

“We’ll be rotating with you all day, though. That means Shaylee and I get out of manning the driving range today.” Hannah held up her hand and I immediately leaned over so I could high-five her.

“Ladies,” Jordan said as he approached with Cabin Seven’s clipboard. He stopped to drop a kiss the top of Hannah’s head. “What does your schedule C look like?”

Hannah and Jordan compared it for a moment before a loud clap of thunder caused people to cry out in surprise. The lights flickered for a moment before staying on, as if nothing had happened. I just picked up my orange juice and drank the rest of it as Jordan straightened up.

“Guess we’ll see you girls in the rec hall a bit later.”

He grinned at Hannah before waving to the rest of us and heading back to his table. We all finished eating before cleaning up and heading outside. Rain was drizzling slightly and we detoured by the cabin so a few girls could grab jackets and sweatshirts or change clothes on our way to gymnastics.

The building was full of girls from the seventh through tenth grade cabins and I grinned when I saw Aubrey. She, Hannah, and I spotted those on the balance beam while other counselors helped different girls on the uneven bar and floor mat.

“Keep your toes pointed,” I said to an eighth grader as she crossed the beam slowly and nodded when she immediately took my advice. “Great job.”

Aubrey helped the girl down while Hannah helped a new one up on the other side.

“Okay, Shay. Dish.” Hannah looked at me expectantly and I chuckled before quietly giving her and Aubrey cliff notes of what had happened with Drew the night before. I made sure to keep my voice as low as possible since I was well aware that Christy was on the floor mat fifty feet away, helping girls with their handstands.

“Wow,” Aubrey whispered with a smile. “That’s so sweet. And it also explains Christy’s foul mood this morning.”

I held my hands up as the girl on the beam wobbled but she caught herself rather than falling. When she hopped down, Hannah turned to me with her hands on her hips.

“I’m happy for you, Shay. I’m surprised it took you two this long, honestly.”

Aubrey chuckled and I narrowed my eyes at my roommate. The head counselor for the facilities blew the whistle and we all gathered in the middle. We listened as new rotations were assigned and I walked over to the foam pit at the end of the trampoline run. Christy stood on the other side of the high mount and we watched as girls ran, jumped up, and then fell into the foam. I offered up my hand to those who were stuck in the pit and yelled words of encouragement to others.

“I couldn’t do the gymnastic rotation full time,” I said to Christy with a smile. She met my eyes but didn’t smile or give me any sign of acknowledgment before turning back to the next camper. The next twenty minutes were spent in awkward silence as she ignored me.

When the whistle was finally blown, I immediately walked back over to Hannah and Aubrey and shivered.

“It’s cold over there.”

Aubrey just laughed and shook her head. “She’s suspected that Drew’s liked you for a while so you’re not her favorite person. Are you guys rotating to arts and crafts now, too?”

Hannah and I both nodded and Aubrey said she’d see us over there as she went to meet Christy and her campers. Our own gathered up around us and we headed over to arts facility. The rain was still coming down lightly so we power walked until we were inside the next building.

Still with same group of cabins, our girls groaned when the arts and crafts counselor announced they’d be making their own soaps.

“How lame,” Robbie mumbled while three others murmured their agreement. I released an exaggerated gasp and took a seat at the table.

“Such pessimism. Open those narrow minds, girls. This could be fun.”

Even though they didn’t want to admit it, the girls ended up loving the art of soap making. They could pick their colors, scents, and even shapes thanks to the abundance of molds we had. I popped some heart shaped, peach scented, pink soaps out of the mold and shoved one in Hannah’s face.

“Smell this.”

Hannah sniffed the soap and gave me an approving nod. “Oh, wow. I’m going to do some peach next.”

We spent the hour completely engrossed in our soap making to the point that no one even noticed the loud thunder that continued to shake the building. Soon, each girl had a gallon plastic bag full of different shaped soaps. Aubrey held up her last batch and frowned at the flower shapes in her hand.

“I don’t know if vanilla and rose scents go together. I’m really torn on this.”

I reached my hand out for one and brought it to my nose. It took me a moment to really absorb the scent but I nodded. “That smells fantastic.”

The lead counselor called for us to clean up and we said goodbye to Aubrey since she was going to the media center with her campers for the next activity. Hannah and I led the girls to our cabin so they could drop off their soaps before heading to the rec hall. The skies opened up on us about one hundred feet from the building and everyone shrieked as they ran for the doorway. By the time we were walking inside, we were all soaked.

“That sucks,” I complained as I pulled my dripping sweatshirt off. I used it to wipe down my wet face and pushed my damp hair off of my forehead. Hannah took the sweatshirt from me and used it to towel off her arms as she nodded.

“I feel like I just jumped in the lake fully clothed.”

The rec hall had indoor activities set up for the kids to do, including corn hole, ping pong, foosball, air hockey, darts, board games, and other things to keep them occupied. We’d squeezed eighth, ninth, and tenth grade cabins of both genders inside. Hannah and I stood back as the kids went to activities and I caught Drew’s eye from across the room. He and Jordan were doing the same thing as their campers settled in to play games with each other. He said something to Jordan, who nodded and pushed off the wall.

“Hey, Shaylee,” Jordan said with a smile as he approached us. “Drew and I were thinking that it might be nice if we split up since the kids are mingling. I can take this side with Hannah…”

“So smooth, Jordan.” I winked at him and meandered over to the other side of the rec hall, stopping to answer questions or help campers as I did. When I finally made it to where Drew was standing with his arms crossed, he stared at me as the corners of his lips twitched.

I stood next to him and mimicked his stance as we watched the campers play, some of them jumping when the thunder sounded again. Neither of us moved but the urge to reach out to him was strong.

“Can I touch you?” he asked quietly, shifting his body so he was facing me.

I raised my brows in surprise and nodded my head as I let my arms drop to my sides. “I wish you would.”

Drew’s hand immediately found mine and I let out a content sigh at the contact. We stayed up against the wall, our fingers entwined, and just watched the campers.

“You have Wednesday off, right?” I turned my head to look at him and he regarded me with a smile.

“Yeah.”

I squeezed his hand once, holding his more-green eyes with my own. “Want to go out? Like on a date… with me.” I realized how stupid I sounded but Drew’s smile transformed into a grin. He ran his free hand across his damp hat and nodded.

“I’d love to.”

Before I could say anything else, the rec hall was plunged into darkness, causing some of the kids to let out scared yelps. Drew’s lips were suddenly pressed against mine in a brief, but promising, kiss. He pulled back and squeezed my hand once before dropping it.

“Campers. Stay where you are and calm down,” Drew yelled into the dark building. “Counselors, the emergency lights should be kicking on any moment. In the meantime, let’s pull back the curtains and try to let some light in.”

True to his statement, the emergency lights kicked on about thirty seconds later, causing a dim glow to spread through the building. The intercom in our building wasn’t working but one from the nearby media center chimed twice loudly and everyone quieted down as Howard began to speak.

“Attention Camp Holcomb. The area is currently experiencing a power outage which is impacting our little piece of paradise. Several buildings, including the dining hall, are connected to long-term power generators to ensure we have the ability keep you fed. You may notice that emergency lights are on in the area, those will not last long, however. Cabin Counselors, please send one person back to your cabin to ensure you have twelve working lanterns and spare batteries for each. You should find ponchos for every person in the preparedness kit as well. If you do not, please come to the amphitheater to pick up more. Lunch will begin in the dining hall in forty-five minutes as normal. Thank you all.”

“Come on,” Drew said as he grabbed my hand again. We walked over to where Hannah and Jordan were standing on the opposite side of the room. “I’ll run to the cabin and check our lanterns, Jord.”

Jordan nodded and Hannah gave me a pleading look that said she didn’t want to go out in the rain. I narrowed my eyes as I stared at her.

“Doesn’t it rain a lot in Florida? Shouldn’t you be used to this?”

She grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “Being used to it doesn’t make me hate it any less.”

“You owe me,” I replied as I grabbed my wet sweatshirt and pulled it back on over my head. Drew followed me to the door and we stood on the covered porch as we watched the rain pour down from the sky. I let out a long sigh and looked over at him. “Come with me?”

“I was planning on it,” he said with a nod as he reached over and pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my head. “Let’s run.”

The rain seeped through my sweatshirt almost immediately and we jogged through the wet grass. By the time Cabin Fifteen came into sight, we were both soaked. When Drew’s foot hit a slippery patch of grass, he tried to stay on his feet but fell to the ground, almost taking me with him. I managed to stay on my feet while he ended up on his ass.

I stared at him for a brief moment before I began laughing hysterically. Drew looked up at me with a grin on his face and reached out to grab my wrist. He tugged on me until I was sideways in his lap with his arms wrapped around me.

“You’re so beautiful. Especially when you smile.”

I pressed my lips to his as rain streamed down our faces. The raindrops mingled with our tongues and I wanted to stay like that all day, but Drew pulled back first.

“You’re shivering. Let’s go inside.” He stood from the grass and tugged me to my feet so we could walk up the stairs to the cabin.

“Go change into dry clothes, Shay. I’ll check your lanterns.”

I got him a towel before doing as he said. I quickly undressed in the bedroom and dried my body off before pulling on dry shorts and a fresh t-shirt. I stuck my feet into my water shoes and tried to towel dry my hair enough to get it back into a ponytail.

When I went back out to the main area, Drew was dropping a battery powered lantern on each bed. I grabbed the backpack of ponchos from the closet and counted the batteries quickly.

“Thanks for your help,” I said to him when he put the last two lanterns in the counselor bedroom. He just smiled and opened one of the ponchos.

“Of course. Put this on so you don’t get soaked out there.”

I did as he said and offered him one but he shook his head.

“I’m already wet so it’s no use. You ready to hit my cabin?” He grabbed the backpack of ponchos and offered me his hand.

I nodded and took it before following him out the back door. We dashed through the rain until we were walking in the side door of Cabin Seven. I unbuttoned my poncho and nodded towards the main area.

“I’ll get the lanterns.”

Drew’s grip on my shoulder stopped me and his lips met the back of my neck softly.

“Your mouth isn’t allowed on my neck, Moore,” I murmured as I titled my head to the side. Drew just chuckled and continued to kiss a path up to my ear.

“I don’t even know when I would have marked you like that. Even in high school, I never left hickeys on girls.” He used his hand to turn my head and our lips met for a gentle kiss. I pulled away that time and stepped out of his grip.

“We have fifteen minutes until lunch and you and I both know that’s not enough time to do what we need to do and… this.” I gave him a pointed look and Drew just laughed.

“Fine. I’ll change.”

I counted the lanterns and batteries before putting one on each camper’s bed. I handed the last two to Drew and grabbed their backpack. We both put our ponchos on over our dry clothes and began the soggy walk back towards the rec hall.