Chapter Twenty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The moratorium wasn’t only good for the relationships between our cabins, but it was good for my sanity. It was nice to come back for our rest period or at night and not have to worry about tampering. I was still weary of the toothpaste, though. That damn mayonnaise had scarred me for life.

Our schedules changed on the first day of week five to give us some variety. We would still have free days on Sundays but the different activities the campers went to and the activities the counselors oversaw had been rotated.

The shake-up was a nice change of pace, especially since we no longer had archery duty at all. Golf was still on our schedule unfortunately, but I would take it.

As we approached Friday, the entire camp was buzzing with excitement from the upcoming activities. It didn’t matter if they were going to the ball or the field movies, the campers were excited. That excitement was on overdrive with our girls. The hairstyles were planned out, the dresses were showed off, and everyone giggled about the dates that had been planned at that point.

The day of the ball, activities were dismissed at five so the entire camp could eat earlier. I had to force a few of the girls to actually put food in their stomachs when they were too nervous to eat full meals. There would be snacks and refreshments at the ball but I doubted any of them would stop to eat once they started dancing.

After dinner was over, we headed back to the cabin and everyone started showering. I took a quick one myself and headed out to the main part of the cabin in shorts, a t-shirt, and wet hair to help the girls.

“Okay, all done.” I set the curling iron down and sprayed Jenny’s hair one last time. “Go look in the mirror and tell me what you think.”

Hannah and I had been doing hair for over an hour and Jenny was the last one. Han was in our room getting herself ready and I waited to make sure Jenny was satisfied before I stood to go do the same.

“What do you think?” Hannah asked when I closed our door behind me. She was wearing sleeveless sky-blue dress that had a repeating gold chevron pattern across it. The skirt of it fell almost to her knees and it hugged her in all of the right places. It was modest yet sexy and perfect for an event with the kids. She’d left her hair straight and braided some of it into a half-updo, somehow causing the pink strands to stand out more.

“You look amazing,” I said with a slight shake of my head. “That dress is perfect for tonight.”

She twirled once, still in her bare feet, and gestured to the bathroom. “Come on. I’ll curl your hair.”

Once my brown hair was curled, she pulled it into a low updo on the back of my head and I hurried to apply a light layer of make-up. As soon as I was done in the bathroom, I slipped into the coral pink lace dress I’d brought just for the formal. With the halter tie, it ensured that I didn’t show any cleavage but my shoulders were completely on display. It dropped to my knees and I was pairing it with the same shoes I’d worn the last time I’d gone to town with Drew.

“Perfect, Shay.” Hannah grinned and strapped on her sandals. “Are you ready?”

I nodded and stood from the bed with my own shoes on. “Let’s do it.”

We moved back out to the main area and the girls were buzzing with excitement. All of them were in dresses, with the exception of Jenny and Emma, who were both wearing leggings instead. Hannah clapped her hands twice and beamed at our campers.

“Let’s go, ladies.”

The group of us followed the path towards the rec hall and I could hear music playing the closer we got. When it finally came into view, campers from different cabins were joining up and heading inside. Drew and Jordan were outside waiting with a small group of their boys and they both smiled when they saw us.

Boys from Cabin Seven, along with a few from other cabins, came and met up with our girls. Of the ten, six of them had dates and the other four were perfectly happy going in with each other. Hannah and I watched the couples pair up and we stayed outside until all of our girls had gone in.

Drew walked towards me wearing a pair of black slacks, cream-colored dress shirt, and a navy blue tie around his neck. He’d trimmed his beard but his brown hair was just as disheveled, as if he’d just taken off his hat, and I loved it that way.

“Hey,” he murmured, one of his hands moving to rest at my waist while the other tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. A soft smile was on his lips as he looked at me. “You look beautiful.”

I shiver ran down my spine when the tips of his fingers grazed my cheek. “Thank you. You clean up well, Moore. If I’d know this is what you looked like in a tie, I might have been nicer to you on the first day.”

“I don’t know. I kind of preferred our rivalry.” He grinned and held out his arm for me. “It was sort of like foreplay.”

“Right,” I replied with a laugh, taking his arm and letting him lead us into the rec center. The muffled music blasted us as we walked through the door and I felt like I’d been transported back in time.

The first dance I’d ever been to at Camp Holcomb had been Kira’s last year. It was just a few months after we found out the tumors had come back and we were living it up to the fullest. Weeks before summer started, she had helped me pick out the dress I’d take for the ball and given me her best advice.

One of the boys from the seventh grade cabin had asked me to go with him and it was the first ‘date’ I’d ever been on. He and I didn’t really spend too much time together once we got to the ball, but we’d shared a few awkward dances. I’d ended up hanging out with Kira and AJ instead and felt like the coolest person ever to be spending time with the older tenth graders.

Like it had been all of the years before, the games and furniture had been removed, leaving the rec center completely open. Silver and Green decorations were hung everywhere and strings of lights in the same colors cast a glow around the area. A DJ was set up in the corner, opposite of where the refreshments were, and a photographer was set up near the entryway. A few kids were already dancing but most of them were in small clusters, just talking.

“Let’s get a picture taken,” Drew said, his lips at my ear so I could hear him, and I let him lead me to where the small line to get photos done was. We waited our turn to stand in front of the white backdrop and I felt like I was sixteen years old all over again.

“Good, now put your hands on the lady’s waist,” the photographer said and Drew obliged before pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

We took several pictures and moved to where Hannah and Jordan were standing off to the side. Jordan was dressed similarly to Drew, although I didn’t think he looked quite as handsome. I’m sure Hannah would have disagreed.

“Do the kids stay clumped together like that all night?” she asked, swaying slightly to the music and it was Drew who answered first.

“Nah. They’ll migrate to the dance floor soon enough.”

The song changed to “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake and I grinned up at my boyfriend. “I know a way to encourage that.”

With Drew following behind me, I moved to the dance floor and turned to face him once we were in the middle. My hips moved on their own and Drew grinned at me before doing the same. The last time we’d danced together, both of us had been drinking and our moves had been sloppy. We were much more coordinated without the alcohol and a few other counselors joined us on the floor almost immediately.

By the time the song changed to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”, the dance floor was packed. The smile felt stuck to my face as I looked around and found many of my own campers letting loose. Drew kept one of his hands on my waist and I turned in his hold so I could loop my arms around his neck.

We stayed on the dance floor for two more songs, including some slow Miley Cyrus song where Drew held me close and swayed our bodies slowly. After that was over, we moved towards the refreshment table to get some water.

He twisted the cap off of my water before handing it to me. “Having fun?”

“I am.” I took a long drink and smiled at him. “Are you?”

“I can honestly say this is the best ball I’ve been to in all of my years coming to Camp Holcomb.”

We stood at the table for a few minutes, interacting with campers and counselors as they dropped by to get drinks, too. May was among the staff chaperoning the dance and she came over to hug both Drew and I before giving us knowing looks as she walked away.

“Walk with me?” Drew asked a few minutes later, holding out his hand. I nodded and placed my palm against his, letting him lead me towards the exit. I caught Hannah’s eye and jerked my head towards the door. She smiled in understanding and nodded once.

We stepped outside and the music became muffled the moment the door shut behind us, cutting off the Katy Perry song that had been playing. The night air was cool and humid but welcoming after being stuck inside the rec center for almost two hours.

“Where are we going?”

Drew smiled and shrugged his shoulders, keeping his hand tightened around my own as we walked. “I just need a moment to admire my beautiful girlfriend without that terrible music. Let’s walk to the treehouse.”

The two of us strolled across the campus towards the treehouse, opposite of where the students who didn’t attend the dance were watching movies. Thousands of stars were viewable in the dark night and fireflies glowed all around us. Despite being in the middle of a busy camp, it was quiet. Peaceful. I couldn’t have envisioned a more romantic setting if I’d tried.

“Have I told you amazing you look?” he asked, bringing our conjoined hands up so he could kiss the top of mine. “Because I seriously can’t take my eyes off of you.”

I shrugged and let my head drop to one of his shoulders. “You are good for my ego Drew Moore.”

“I’m only being honest.” He paused for a moment, and I could almost feel the hesitation rolling off of him. “In the spirit of honestly, I want to tell you something.”

We both stopped walking at the same time, pretty close to the treehouse at that point, and turned to face each other. I inhaled deeply, feeling more ready for what he was about to say than I had been the week before. When he told me he loved me, I could honestly tell Drew that I was falling for him, too. I had no idea if I was there yet, but I felt things for him I’d never felt for anyone before. It was both scary and exhilarating.

“Okay. Tell me.”

He blew out a long breath and used his free hand to stroke my cheek slightly. The nervousness was obvious on his face and I had to bite back a small smile. Nervous Drew was pretty cute.

Before he could get his nerves together to make his declaration, a noise caught the attention of both of us. Our heads turned towards the treehouse at the same time and neither of us spoke. After a moment of listening, I looked to Drew with wide eyes.

“That sounds like…”

He nodded and when we spoke, his voice was a whisper, too. “Someone’s having sex over there.”

I had no idea who it could be but they were idiots. Having sex in the middle of the campus was a poor decision and set a terrible example for the campers. I was just about to suggest we go back to the dance when a male voice groaned quietly. It wasn’t the noise that got my attention but the name groaned.

“Oh, my god.” I covered my mouth with my hand. “Thalia? Is that Thalia and Kevin? I thought it was camp employees.”

Drew tugged on my hand, leading back towards the rec center. “It sounds like it’s our kids. Come on.”

“No, wait,” I protested as my feet followed behind him with a mind of their own. “I need to stop it.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s already happening, Shay. If you want to talk to her about it later when she’s alone, do it that way. Right now you’d just humiliate them. I’ll talk to Kevin and let him know that having sex under in the treehouse is inappropriate.”

“They’re so little.” I felt a pang in my stomach. Thalia was fifteen but only barely. Again, Drew chuckled.

“They’re only a year younger than I was when I lost my virginity. I bet you weren’t much older, either.”

I didn’t answer because he was right. I had been seventeen when I had sex with my high school boyfriend. That didn’t make me feel any better, though.

“Is this what being a parent feels like?” I grumbled as we approached the rec center and the music blaring inside could be heard. “If so, I don’t think I’m having kids.”

Drew pressed a kiss to my temple and held the door open for me. “Makes you want to call your parents and apologize, doesn’t it?”

“Definitely.” I grinned and grabbed his hand, forcing him to follow me back to the middle of the dance floor. The two of us danced with the campers, keeping an eye on them while having fun at the same time. When Thalia and Kevin appeared about fifteen minutes later, I somehow kept from hiding her behind me while I shook him repeatedly. I’d say that was a win.

The ball went for hours and my feet were killing me by the time midnight hit. I’d been to a lot of dances in my life but that ball was even more fun than my senior prom. Maybe it was because the stress of needing everything to be perfect was missing. Instead of worrying about getting the best pictures, hanging with the cool crowd, and wondering who would be Prom Queen, we just had fun. And it was perfect.

The kids grumbled and groaned when the last song was over and but the exhaustion on their faces was obvious when the lights came back on. I stood off to the side and watched as hugs were dished out in parting, along with a few chaste kisses, and I leaned in to brush my lips along Drew’s.

“Thanks for the dances, Moore.”

He grinned and trailed his fingertips down my jaw. “Anytime, Butler. See you at breakfast.”

Jenny leaned against me as we walked, her shoes in her hands, and Marie walked next to me a little off-kilter from being so tired. I dropped my arms across both of their shoulders and we stumbled back to the cabin with the rest of our group.

“Does wake-up still happen at seven tomorrow?” September asked as we walked inside the cabin and Hannah shook her head.

“We get to sleep in until nine and breakfast will be served until ten.”

Even though everyone had more make-up and hairspray in their hair than usual, no one wanted to stay up any later. We’d all showered earlier in the evening so we just washed our faces, brushed our teeth, and put pajamas on. The clock on the wall said it was thirty minutes after midnight when I switched off the light. Maria, Alexandra, and Cate were all already fast asleep at that point and the others wouldn’t take too long to follow behind.

“That was fun,” Hannah mumbled, crawling underneath the blankets on her bed. I switched off our light and made a noise of agreement as I did the same.

“It was great.” I dropped my voice to a quiet whisper. “We have to talk to Thalia tomorrow, though, because Drew and I caught her and Kevin having sex by the treehouse.”

Hannah gasped and I could see her shadowy figure sit up in her bed. “Shut up! Are you serious?”

“Seriously traumatized. I’m so glad we didn’t actually see them but I can never unhear what we heard.”

“What is that girl thinking?”

I sighed and snuggled deeper into my pillow. “I had a lot of cabin-mates do the same thing while I was here. I never thought about how much it sucked for the counselors, though.”

Hannah laughed quietly but it tapered off into silence before becoming a soft snore. To my knowledge, I was the only one in the cabin who was able to make it past midnight without becoming a zombie. Right then, though, I was feeling the fatigue of the night hit me and sleep claimed me shortly after I closed my eyes.