Chapter Twenty-Four

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dressed in our teal camp shirts, comfortable shorts, and sneakers, Hannah and I led our girls to the dining hall Saturday morning. Everyone was so serious, so focused, that it was almost comical. When one of the girls started humming “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift, I burst out laughing.

The dining hall was tense. People were dressed similarly and Cabins Seven and Eight had both applied black paint under their eyes. The boys stopped by our table to smirk and wish us luck but our girls ignored them in favor of their food that they were eating.

Drew dropped a kiss to the top of my head, still amazingly good-natured about the competition. That blue, Los Angeles Dodgers cap was sitting on his head, turned backwards and making him look entirely too sexy. He straightened up and smiled out at our girls. “Good luck today, everyone.”

“God,” Hannah muttered as he walked away. “I hate how absolutely swoony that man is.”

I chuckled and stuck a piece of fruit in my mouth. “He is annoyingly perfect, isn’t he?”

“Very much so.”

We all ate hearty meals and headed towards the fields where the games would take place. Different stations were already set up and a large board with the rotation schedule was displayed near the front. It would take us more than five hours to rotate through all of the events, with lunch in between, and then the awards ceremony would be before dinner. It was all pretty exciting.

We met up with Cabin Sixteen and all four of us counselors went over the rotation schedule and confirmed which events we’d be participating in. The winners of the event would earn three points, two points for second place, one for third, and fourth received nothing. The points for the cabin teams would be added together at the end and prizes awarded to the winners. We also had Cabin Wars points attached to points for individual cabin points. It was going to be interesting.

“Looks like we have the three-legged race first. I think we’re going to go with Alexandra and Jenny,” I said, looking out at the girls. “You two seemed to have the best coordination.”

They both nodded but before they could speak, May’s voice boomed through a loudspeaker. We all turned our heads to see her standing on top of the stage that had been erected in the middle of the field, a smile on her face.

“Welcome to the to the twenty-fourth annual Holcomb Camp Challenge!” She paused while cheers rang out all around us. “The event schedule is posted on the board and we’ll do rotations every thirty minutes with a break for lunch at noon. Remember that this is supposed to be fun!”

“Have fun,” Hannah agreed in a low voice. “But wipe the floor with them while we’re at it, okay?”

Everyone tittered in agreement and we walked with Cabin Sixteen over to our spot on the field. Cabins Seven and Eight were already there, all of them smiling cockily, and I offered my own self-assured smile right back.

The employees running the three-legged-race were two I recognized from the dining hall staff and they went over the rules while I tied Jenny and Alexandra together.

“Count together, guys. One is your outside leg, two is your inside,” I murmured, making sure they were tight. “Start with one.”

Five minutes later, four duos were running across the designated space with forty onlookers screaming at them. I was running along the side, waving my arms like a crazy person while yelling “ONE, TWO! ONE, TWO!”

I swear, I’m not normally an overly-competitive person… And I definitely didn’t laugh maniacally when Cabin Seven’s boys tripped halfway through…

Alexandra and Jenny crossed the finish just seconds behind Cabin Eight and shortly before Cabin Sixteen. Cabin Seven crossed the line last, grumbling under their breath.

Our smirks didn’t last long because the boys killed us at tug-of-war next. And when I say killed, I mean that September, Maria, Robbie, and a few Cabin Sixteen girls ended up wet and muddy from being pulled into the pit in the middle.

“It’s okay,” Hannah said as she helped September wipe the mud off of her legs. “We’ll get them in the next one.”

And we would. The next rotation led us to the one-hundred meter dash. That event was the one I knew I’d excel in.

I was the only counselor participating in the race. Everyone else had sent in campers, which made sense because they were lighter than the counselors. The boy from Cabin Eight was supposedly a member of his high school’s track and field team and I probably had five or ten pounds on him but I wasn’t worried.

“I’ve seen you jog, babe, but can you sprint?”

I turned my head and smiled at Drew while holding my calf in a stork stretch. “You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?”

“I guess so.” He grinned, lifting his hat off of his head momentarily before readjusting it. “I just love watching you stretch. I think you need to do some toe touches.”

“Shut up and go back to your boys,” I said, playfully shoving him away. Drew laughed and winked at me before heading to where Cabin Seven was.

The nerves started to hit me when I moved to the starting line with three other teenagers. I knew I’d never live it down if I lost this silly race. I closed my eyes, inhaling a few deep breaths while shaking my shoulders out. I lowered myself to one knee and kept my eyes closed until the person running the event started calling out set signals. I lifted slightly, putting myself in ready position with one leg extended and my fingertips touching the grass in front of me.

On ‘Go’, I pushed off on my left foot and my right hit the ground almost immediately. I tuned everything else out and pretended like I was back on the track in high school. I made sure each step counted and felt the wind rushing against my cheeks. My ponytail bounced behind my head and my arms moved in time with my strides. As if I was in a real race, I threw my shoulders back when I crossed the finish line and it took me a few more seconds to come to a complete stop.

When several of my campers slammed into me, cheering so loudly that my ears hurt, I knew that I’d won. It was confirmed when one of the event runners told me that I’d crossed the finish line in less than thirteen seconds and that it was another three seconds before anyone else followed.

It was like I’d won the Olympics, not a simple camp race, with how we were celebrating. We jumped up and down happily and I finally had a chance to catch my breath when they stepped away. I caught Drew’s eye and sent him a cocky grin that he returned easily.

Our high carried us through the next event, the water hauling, before we eventually came in last during the canoe race. It didn’t help that the canoe carrying our four girls capsized when it almost collided with Cabin Seven’s. I might have thought the boys had done it on purpose if it hadn’t earned them third place.

“That sucked,” Cate complained as she wrung the water out of her t-shirt. Nicole, Robbie, and Thalia all grumbled in agreement and I just handed them all towels with a smile.

“It’s okay, guys. We’ll refuel and then get them back after lunch.”

The twelve of us joined the masses that were heading back to the dining hall and it took about ten minutes in line before we were sitting down with our food.

“We have the basketball shoot out, cartwheel contest, and trivia left in our solo events. Our final one will be the water balloon toss with Sixteen,” Hannah informed us as she looked at the schedule. “We’re trailing Cabin Sixteen by three points, tied with Seven, and ahead of Eight by one point.”

I chewed my hamburger slowly while doing the math in my head. “If we can keep a male cabin in last place for each event and win at least two more, the girls will win. We’ve got this.”

Lunch lasted for forty-five minutes and then we headed back over to the field, refreshed and ready to take on the boys.

And take them on we did. Thalia and I shot basketballs, earning us second place and Hannah and September took first in the cartwheel race. When we got to Trivia, we enlisted Cate, Lizzy, and Emma to represent out team.

They did really well, better than I would have. The three of them seemed to have all five categories locked down pretty tight when the only one I would have been comfortable with was geography. I couldn’t answer even half of the music and movie category.

Our cabin had pulled ahead but with the way Sixteen and the guys had placed, the girls and boys were dead even going into the water balloon toss. This event was different in that everyone participated. One member of each cabin had to partner with another member of cabin they were teamed up with. Starting at three feet apart, we’d toss the balloons back and forth once each and then step back. This continued until the balloon was dropped and then you were out. The gender with the last couple standing won.

We had already decided who’d pair with who when we worked with Cabin Sixteen the night before and I stood across from one of their counselors when the whistle blew. We tossed the balloon back and forth easily at first, but each step back made it harder.

I could run. I could shoot. I could jump. I could block. But I absolutely sucked at catching.

It wasn’t until we were a little more than ten feet apart that I missed the balloon and it burst at my feet, soaking the socks inside my shoes. I groaned and glanced up at my partner.

“Sorry.”

She just smiled and shrugged slightly. “You lasted longer than we thought you would.”

We stepped back and watched. The girls had four pairs left while the boys had six, including Drew and Jordan’s pairings.

Jordan went out first when his partner completely missed the toss from around fifteen feet away. He groaned and stepped back to watch.

Five minutes later, it was down to two pairs of each. Drew was still in the game at about twenty-five feet from his partner and the other male pairing went out just a moment later. I felt a moment of elation until Hannah’s partner fumbled the balloon she had just caught and it ended up bursting when it hit the ground.

It was Thalia and her partner versus Drew and his. Both sets were nearing the thirty feet mark of distance and my heart leapt in my chest when Drew’s partner threw too short. My overachieving boyfriend wasn’t ready to go down without a fight, though, because he dove for the balloon and managed to catch it in his palms while on his stomach in the grass.

Even though I’d been hoping for the out, I had to admit that I was impressed. And a little turned on. Classy.

Thalia and her partner weren’t as lucky. When it came up too short, Thalia rushed towards the balloon but it grazed her finger tips before exploding on the grass. A loud cheer went up from the boys while the girls groaned sadly. We’d lost the camp challenge.

Hannah and I stepped forward with the other counselors to shake hands and congratulate them. I offered my hand to Drew last and he pulled me in until he could brush his lips across mine.

“You girls fought hard.”

I sighed and squeezed his hand once before stepping back. “You guys did, too. That catch was pretty impressive.”

He grinned and joined his boys while I did the same with my girls. We all walked back to the stage in the middle of the field and I tried my best to cheer them up.

A table with cupcakes was set up near where the awards would be presented as we all sat down on the grass with one in our hand. Even Jenny had a special vegan cupcake that had been made just for her.

We watched as Howard went through the winners and awarded them with their personal Camp Challenge trophies. I had three of my own already at home from different years my group had one the camp challenge while I’d been at Camp Holcomb. It would have been neat to earn one my first year as counselor but I decided I’d always exact my revenge the next summer.

I paused at my thoughts. That had been the first time I’d entertained the idea of coming back again.

Even though I love Camp Holcomb, I had never made coming back to be a counselor a priority. I blamed it on school and my heavy schedule but the truth was that I could have made it work if I wanted to. I wasn’t sure that I would even be standing in my current spot if I hadn’t made that promise to Kira. I might have just avoided coming back altogether.

And now, I wanted to come back for as long as I could. As long as you were in college, you could come back until the summer after you graduated. That meant I could come back as a counselor at least one more time, possibly more if I decided to pursue my graduate degree. That thought made me smile.

Cabins Seven and Eight were awarded their trophies and I elbowed my girls until they were applauding their success. I knew what they were thinking, though. Losing the camp challenge might have just cemented our loss for Cabin Wars, too. We were going to have a busy week ahead of us if we wanted a chance at winning.

Everyone was quiet throughout dinner. The defeat plus the exhaustion was hitting them hard. Luckily we didn’t have an evening activity and the girls all asked if we could head to the treehouse. I wasn’t going to object, of course, so Hannah and I followed them out of the dining hall when we were done eating.

I expected the boys to find and join us but they never did. I knew that Jordan and Drew were likely sparing our feelings and giving us a break from them. The high from them winning and the low from us losing definitely didn’t mix.

After such a long day, I decided against running later that night. My body was exhausted and my pillow sounded amazing at that moment.

We settled the girls into bed and I got comfortable in my own with my yarn and hook. I’d finished my other throw, which was folded at the foot of my bed, and I was working on a brand new one that was a rainbow of colors.

Hannah and I didn’t speak while she wrote in her journal and I moved my yarn therapeutically. Words weren’t necessary and the silence was companionable. About twenty minutes passed when a soft knock at the side door had me snapping my head up.

“Expecting anyone?” I asked Hannah, who shook her head. I put down my yarn and stood to answer the door. When I pulled it open, a smile hit my face almost instantly. “Drew.”

He was wearing a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt, his hat backwards on top of his head and a smile on his face. “Hey, babe. I’ve been waiting but I take it you’re not running?”

“Oh. No, I’m sorry.” I shook my head and felt guilty instantly. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Nah. I’m totally okay with not running, too. I’m beat. Any chance we can talk for a second, though?”

“Talk?” I raised my brows and he just flashed me another grin.

“About our plans for our final day off next week. All good, I swear.”

I nodded my head and beckoned him in. “Give me a second.”

“I’ll wait out here.” He stepped back and gestured behind him. “Take your time. Night, Hannah.”

She returned the sentiment and I moved back into the room to grab a sweatshirt. Once I had it on, along with my sandals, I moved to the door. Pausing at the last second, I spun around and grabbed the finished grey, white, and blue blanket I’d been working on the week before.

Drew was leaning against the cabin with his hands stuffed into the pocket of his shorts. He smiled the second he saw me and offered me one of those hands. I laced my fingers with his and we walked to the front of the cabin so we could sit on the porch steps.

“So, it’s our last day off here but I wanted to see if you’d be okay if we did something just you and me.” He paused and brushed a piece of my hair away from my face. “If you want to spend time with Hannah, I’ll understand, though.”

I shook my head and leaned in so my cheek was resting on his shoulder. “I think she and Jordan want some alone time and I wouldn’t be opposed to our own, either.”

“Okay, good. Then I propose you let me plan everything. I want this time to be different and I have a pretty neat idea.”

“Yeah?” I sat up and grinned at him. “Like what?”

He shook his head and placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. “It’s a surprise.”

“Ugh,” I groaned with a frown. “I hate surprises.”

Drew laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Get over it, Shay.”

His blue eyes were dark and the moonlight reflected in them, making me feel like we were the only two people in the world. Despite the fact that I’d touched this man in the most intimate way, butterflies fluttered in my stomach just being in his presence. Awareness settled in every part of my body and I just needed to touch him, to connect with him.

As if he could hear my thoughts, Drew leaned in and pressed his lips to mine softly. A calmness settled over me as we molded together effortlessly and when his tongue touched the seam of my lips, I opened without hesitation.

He tasted like perfection. That was the only way to explain it. He had a uniqueness to him that overloaded my senses and I hoped I never got tired of it. His hold tightened on my shoulders and his free hand dropped to my bare knee, where he squeezed lightly.

We kissed for seconds or maybe hours before we pulled back, both of us breathing heavier. Drew’s eyes stared into mine intensely, like he wanted to say something. My heart beat a bit quicker as I wondered if he felt it, too. There was so much love flowing between us that I was sure it couldn’t be one-sided.

A door slamming to a nearby cabin startled us both, causing me to jump slightly. The connection was broken, the moment gone, but Drew still smiled and leaned in to place one more soft kiss against my mouth.

“Go get some rest, Shaylee. You worked your ass off today.”

We both stood, our fingers entwined again like they couldn’t help it, and he walked me the twenty feet back to my door.

“Oh,” I said, realizing I still had the crocheted throw tucked under my arm. “I made this a week or so ago and I thought maybe you’d like it.”

I offered it to him but instead of taking it, Drew just stared at the blanket. A myriad of emotions flashed across his face- Confusion, wonder, happiness, awe, and some I couldn’t place. Slowly, he reached out and took the soft throw from me.

“You made this? For me?”

I shrugged my shoulders, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. “It’s not a big deal, Drew.”

“It is a big deal, Shaylee.” He suddenly pulled me to him, crushing my body against his chest. “No one has ever made me anything like this before. I love it. Thank you.”

I love you.

I wanted to say the words but didn’t. I held him closer instead, inhaling the scent of Drew before tipping my face up to receive another kiss. “You’re welcome. Now,” I said, stepping away from him. “Get out of here so I can go to bed.”

“Okay.” He grinned at me as I opened the side door. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

I smiled at him for a moment before heading inside. “Night, Drew.”