Chapter Four

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The entire staff, around one hundred people, was sitting on the logs near the huge fire pit. As I searched their faces in the falling sunlight, Hannah’s hand went up near the front and I walked to where she was.

“There you are. We were wondering what happened to you.” She gestured to the spot next to her. “I saved you a seat.”

“Thanks, Han.” I sat on the log between her and Joanne and we watched as Howard raised his hands in the air. The buzz of conversation went silent immediately and he grinned.

“Welcome to another year at Camp Holcomb. We are so excited to see so many new and returning faces. I know it’s been a long week while we prepared everything but you’ve all been amazing so far. May and I began this camp together and it’s improved every year because of people like yourself.”

May stepped forward and cleared her throat. “I want to remind you of the rules. There’s to be no inappropriate contact between staff and campers at any time. If anything is suspected, please report it immediately. I know that many of you have or will establish relationships with one another. While we don’t discourage this, I urge you to be careful when you are in view of campers. Anything deemed inappropriate or over the top will be dealt with immediately.”

At the term ‘inappropriate’, I couldn’t help but look at Drew and Christy. Christy was cuddled up to his neck as her lips roamed his skin, but Drew kept pushing her back as he paid attention to every word that was spoken up front.

“Alcohol is not to be brought into or consumed on campus at any time. Any violation of this will result in immediate disciplinary action. Alcohol, if you’re of age, can be consumed on your days off in the city but you will need to be ready to resume your shifts when it’s time. We are completely drug free, which means drug use is not tolerated on or off campus. Cell phones will need to be turned in at the main house by noon on Sunday. The phones can be picked up when your night off begins but must be turned in at the end.”

“All staff will be given one day off every other week starting during week two. Days off will begin at nine in the evening and end at seven the following evening. If you’re a cabin counselor, floating counselors will be sent to the cabins to ensure our campers are looked after at all times. During your days off, you can head into the city, which is about five miles away. Our shuttle will be happy to pick you up and drop you off. You can choose to stay there overnight or in the staff bunks if you wish.”

May and Howard went over a few more rules and procedures before announcing assignments. When my name wasn’t called for any of the head counselor or floating counselors, I knew I’d received a cabin position, which had been what I wanted. As they went through the boys first, I heard them say that Jordan and Drew would be together in Cabin Seven with the ninth grade boys.

They began the assignments for the girls and Christy groaned when she was paired with the seventh graders. It was well known that campers of the same grade level did the most activities together. The counselors of the same grade level also had the same days off. Christy in seventh and Drew with ninth meant they wouldn’t see each other as often.

“And in Cabin Fifteen, the ninth grade girls, we have Shaylee Butler and Hannah Thompson.”

It was an excellent assignment. Ninth grade girls would be fairly independent and easy to talk to. I’d been wondering who I would be paired with for the summer and was extremely happy it was Hannah. She had become a good friend over the past week.

Hannah squealed excitedly and grasped my hand in hers. I laughed and let my head drop to her shoulder as we listened to May announce the final cabin assignment.

“Okay,” Howard said loudly as he put his hands on his hips. “Counselors, we’ve already moved your stuff into your cabins. New staff that arrived today, we also moved your items into your rooms within the staff bunks. You officially have the rest of the night off and all day tomorrow. Dinner will be served in the dining hall at six tonight, and we’ll be on the regular camp schedule for meals tomorrow. Please feel free to partake in any activities on campus that you’d like and you’re more than welcome to go to town, too.” He paused and gave everyone a serious look. “You are on shift as of seven in the morning Sunday. I do not recommend drinking Saturday night for that reason. Make smart choices.”

Everyone moved to their feet and Hannah looked at me happily. “Want to go into town?”

Not really, but I didn’t want to disappoint her so I plastered a smile to my face and nodded.

“Sure.”

Hannah and I walked with Joanne and another counselor, Aubrey, towards the cabins and I was quiet as they chattered excitedly around me. We all split off to go into our separate bunks but arranged to meet at the dining hall at six.

“Welcome to Cabin Fifteen,” I said with a smile as I pushed open the door and gestured for Hannah to walk in first. She squealed as she took it all in and I couldn’t help but do the same as I caught sight of the beds.

The cabins were constantly being updated and they somehow felt rustic while being modern at the same time. There wasn’t central air conditioning inside since the temperatures around the lake stayed in the mid-eighties during the summer days. With the windows open at night, we’d have a nice breeze going to keep us all comfortable.

Ten twin beds lined two separate walls with cubbies in between each bed for clothes and personal items. A door in the back corner served as an emergency exit and would lead us out behind the cabin. Another door in the middle of the wall led to a bathroom that had four private toilets, four sinks, and three curtained off showers and changing areas.

We had electricity in the cabins, obviously, but it didn’t do much beyond powering the lights and the ceiling fans. There was a traditional wall clock hanging above the door, but that was the only thing hanging in the entire room. Any decoration in the cabin would have to come from our girls.

A third door in the other back corner led to the counselor room, an area I had only seen a handful of times since I was eight-years-old. I led Hannah back there and grinned when I saw the two double beds on opposite walls. We also had two full dressers, two desks, and our own bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower. A fourth door would lead us outside to the side of the cabin if we needed out.

My large duffel bag, even larger suitcase, and backpack were already on one of the beds, along with clean bedding, and I walked over so I could unpack. Hannah did the same with her things and we were both all moved in twenty minutes later.

She sat on her bed and looked at her phone with a sigh. “I’m struggling with giving this up.”

“I’m more okay with it than I thought I would be, honestly.” I powered on my phone and read the emails and text messages I had without replying to any of them. I turned it back off and tossed it into my backpack. “It’s kind of nice to unplug from it all.”

I watched as Hannah pulled several shirts out of her dresser and considered each one carefully. Finally, she looked over at me.

“What are you going to wear tonight?”

“What I’m wearing now,” I replied with a shrug. “Why?”

She released a very dramatic sigh before tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. She shook her head and fixed her hazel eyes on me. “Will you at least change your shirt?”

I looked down at the shirt I was wearing from a Muse concert I’d gone to. “What’s wrong with my shirt?”

“Shaylee.” Hannah’s voice was a whine so I held up my hands in mock surrender.

“Okay. I’ll change, but I’m just wearing my shorts and sandals.”

“That’s fine,” Hannah said triumphantly as she grabbed something from her dresser. “You have killer legs that look great in those shorts anyway.” She tossed me a white shirt. “Wear that.”

The shirt was basically all lace except for where the material was solid around the breasts. I stopped my eyes from rolling out of my head as I pulled off my concert t-shirt, confirmed my bra was white, and pulled the short-sleeved blouse on. Hannah nodded approvingly.

Two hours later, my brown hair was shiny and straight, thanks to whatever products Hannah had added to it, and I had more make-up on than I’d worn since my freshman year of college. We ate with Aubrey and Joanne before heading to the shuttle. I’d just climbed in the backseat next to Joanne when Christy, Jordan, and Drew showed up, too.

“Is there room for us in here?” Jordan asked as he stuck his head in the van.

Kurt, the shuttle driver, counted before nodding. “I can take seven of you so you just made it.”

“I can sit on Drew’s lap if you need me to,” Christy said with a giggle and Joanne made a noise that she quickly turned into a cough. I looked at her and had to mash my lips together to avoid laughing out loud.

Jordan climbed in the seat in front of me, next to Hannah, and I watched as Drew opened the front door and gestured to Christy.

“Take the front, Chris.”

She gave him a smile as she stepped up to get in. Drew closed her door and got in the back, shutting the door before taking the seat on my right. Christy turned around in her seat to say something when she realized that Drew was sitting next to me. Her smile immediately dropped as she shot me a dirty look. I was happy when Jordan leaned over to say something to Hannah and his head blocked out Christy’s obnoxious face.

“Where are you girls going?” Drew asked me as he grabbed his seatbelt. I pushed into Joanne so he could buckle it in between the two of us without touching me.

“We haven’t made a plan,” Joanne said as she turned around to give Drew a smile from her seat. “We were going to grab some drinks and maybe go dancing. Someplace that allows underage patrons, too. What about you guys?”

“We’re getting a room, right, Drew?” Christy asked from the front seat and Drew’s shoulder brushed mine when he shrugged.

“I don’t know. We’ll see.”

Kurt pulled the shuttle van up to the curb outside of a restaurant in downtown Harrelsburg. “Okay. Do you all have your cell phones?”

Everyone answered yes and he recited a phone number to us. “That’s for camp dispatch. When you’re ready to be picked up, call and I’ll come get you. Just let them know where you are and I’ll pick you up there. No need to meet here. I will come, day or night, but if you’re coming back to camp, I’d prefer to have all pickups done by midnight. Just know that if you need me at three in the morning, I will come. Maybe unhappily, but I will just the same.”

He grinned at us, told us to be careful, and pulled away once we were all out of the van. Hannah clapped her hands together and smiled at me.

“It’s early, so I think we should start at this sports bar I found online. There’s a basketball game on tonight, though, so it might be busy.”

“That works for me,” I replied as I double checked that my ID was in my back pocket. “You lead and I will follow.”

Aubrey and Joanne vocalized their agreement and Hannah looked to Jordan.

“You guys want to come?”

Jordan looked at Drew but he was occupied with Christy whispered exuberantly into his ear. When Jordan called Drew’s name, he finally pulled away from Christy with a grin.

“Sorry, what?”

“They’re going to that Lucky’s Sports Bar. Want to go?”

Drew shrugged his shoulders and dropped his arm around Christy’s shoulders. “Sure.”

We all started the walk to the place that Hannah had pointed out and she led the way with Jordan by her side. They spoke quietly, in their own little bubble, and I walked behind them with Joanne and Aubrey. Aubrey was telling us a story about the farm she lived on in Texas but her quiet voice was hard to hear over Christy’s giggling.

Christy and Drew had positioned themselves behind me, so close that one of them kept almost stepping on my heel, and I was far too sober to deal with them for the rest of the night.

When we finally walked into a sports bar with a sign full of shamrocks, I sighed in relief. Not only was it cool inside, but the buzz of all of the other patrons drowned out the twin idiots.

Aubrey and Christy were both branded with hand stamps that declared they were underage, being only nineteen and twenty respectively, and we found a large, round table that could seat us all.

When a waitress showed up, I ordered a beer and turned my eyes to the Stanley Cup Final game that was on the TV. Over the next two hours, I had three beers and conversed with our little group as we all compared stories from college. Everyone in our little group was working on their undergrad degree with the exception of Drew. I was surprised to learn that he was in grad school, getting ready to finish his final year in Counseling and Educational Psychology. When I gave him an impressed look, he just smirked.

“You assumed that I had my degree in surfing or something?”

I nodded and took a drink of my beer. “Basket weaving, actually, but I could see surfing, too.”

Drew chuckled and held up his beer in a mock toast. “Nice.”

I’d just finished my fourth beer when Joanne turned green across the table from me. She and Hannah had been doing shots and were both sloppy drunk. I stared at Joanne for a moment before jumping off of my stool and grabbing her hand. I pulled her into the bathroom as fast as I possibly could and pushed her into a stall. Seconds later, she lost all of the contents of her stomach as she kneeled over the toilet.

I stood behind her, holding her auburn curls away from her face, and rubbed her back for ten minutes until she was dry heaving. She collapsed on the floor of the stall with a groan and I bent down to wipe her face with some toilet paper.

“I’m going to get you some water, okay? Don’t move.”

I stepped out of the bathroom but refused to leave the doorway, not wanting anyone else to go in there while Joanne was like that. I glanced towards our table in hopes that someone was looking my way but they weren’t. I pulled out my phone but realized I didn’t have anyone’s number.

“She okay?” a voice asked behind me and I jumped slightly before turning to see Drew coming out of the men’s room. I nodded and looked back to the table.

“She needs to go back to camp. Can you ask Hannah or Aubrey to get her some water? Joanne’s pretty out of it and I don’t want to leave her alone.”

Drew nodded and disappeared towards the table. I went back in the bathroom and wet a paper towel before walking into the stall. Joanne was still sitting against the wall with her eyes closed and I used the towel to wipe down her face.

“I’m going to call Kurt and we’ll get you back to camp, okay?”

“I just called him,” Drew said as he appeared in the stall with a glass of water in his hand, completely uncaring of the fact that he was in the women’s restroom. “He’s on his way.”

I took the water when he handed it to me and gave him a small smile. “Thanks.” I held up the straw for Joanne but she had turned a lovely shade of green again so I moved her until she was back over the toilet.

“Can you hold this for a second?” I asked as I handed Drew the water. He took it immediately so I could grab Joanne’s hair. She heaved for a moment but didn’t vomit anymore so I helped her sit back down after a few minutes and took the water again.

“One small sip, just to wash out your mouth,” I whispered as I put the straw to her lips. She took a drink and gave me such a pathetic look.

“So sorry, Shaylee,” she slurred and I shook my head with a small smile.

“Don’t apologize. It’s really okay.”

“Kurt’s here, Shay,” Drew said quietly behind me. “I’ll get her.”

I stepped back so he could get Joanne to her feet and he wrapped his arm around her waist as she stumbled out of the bathroom. I grabbed her other arm to help him and put the glass of water on the first table as we left the bathroom.

“I just need to pay for our drinks and I’ll be right out,” I told Drew and he shook his head.

“I’ve got them.”

I didn’t listen to him, though, and let him shoulder all of Joanne’s weight. I walked back to the table and saw that Hannah was nearing the drunken state where Joanne was already. I met Aubrey’s gaze and she nodded at my silent question when I gestured to the exit.

I found the server and asked her to close the tabs the four of us had opened before I looked at Hannah.

“We’re going to go, Han. Hop on up.”

Jordan, who was pretty toasted himself, attempted to help but was useless. The server dropped off the tickets and debit cards for the four of us and I signed for Hannah and Joanne as well as myself before pocketing all three cards. Aubrey signed hers and looked at Jordan.

“You ready to go, too, Jordan?”

He nodded and smiled. “Just waiting for my check.”

“Where the hell is Drew?” Christy asked as she looked up from her phone.

“He took Joanne out to the shuttle,” I replied quietly as Hannah leaned into my shoulder. Christy gave me a look that said she wasn’t asking me but I just rolled my eyes. “Come on, Han.”

Aubrey and I walked out the shuttle with the second drunkard between us and Drew was just buckling Joanne into the backseat while Kurt watched, ready to help. He turned when he heard us coming and helped Hannah in but she was able to get her own belt on after three tries.

“Well, this is a party,” I said with a small laugh as Aubrey took the seat next to Hannah.

Drew nodded and grinned at me. “You girls sure know how to hang.”

“Oh, before you start on ‘us girls’ you might want to check out your boy.” I turned and gestured to Jordan as he stumbled out of the bar. Drew and I watched him climb into the seat next to Aubrey and immediately drop his head to the window with his eyes closed.

“I stand corrected.” Drew nudged me with his shoulder. “Are you going to be okay getting them to their cabins?”

“I’ll help her, Drew,” Kurt said as he clapped him on the shoulder. “Go have fun.”

I nodded in agreement. “Thanks for your help, Drew. Christy’s waiting for you inside, though. Be safe tonight.” I turned and climbed inside the van to sit next to Joanne. Drew stepped back so Kurt could shut the sliding door but his eyes didn’t leave mine. I offered him a small smile and a wave as Kurt took the driver’s seat. Drew stayed in place until we’d pulled away from the curb.