CHAPTER TEN
The rest of the week passes by quickly.
By the time Saturday rolls around, we’ve done trust walks, some exercise where one person is blindfolded and another person has to give the blindfolded person directions on how to build things, and some memory exercises which my partner and I always ace. That completes five of our six mandatory tasks for the week. We’ve also spent our free time down at the lake so I can learn to swim.
Overall, it’s been great. I didn’t run into Jenny or Mindy. Hopefully, my speech will keep them away, but I think it has more to do with Kelly and how the rest of the camp is starting to treat them.
A few teams picked up bonus tasks to receive extra points this week, and Parker wants us to stay on par with them. Since our extra time was spent helping me, none of the bonus tasks have been completed. I push the guilt aside; otherwise, I’ll end up agreeing to something that makes me uncomfortable. Our final task for the week is to write an autobiography that includes our strengths and weaknesses. This last one makes me nervous. At breakfast, I plan to discuss this with the team because revealing all my secrets—at least on paper—makes me nervous.
I linger in the bathroom to waste time until I hear the others leave before I walk into the bunk area to finish dressing. I need the time to think before I talk to the boys. I want to be honest about this but keep their wishes in mind, too. This whole team thing will be the death of me. I work better alone.
A knock on the door pulls me from my turmoil. Panic spikes through me, my heart rate spiking. I look around and locate my only escape route, one of the high windows that can only be reached from the top bunks. Another knock comes and escalates my panic. How will I get out of this?
I rub my sweaty hands together as I decide on my next action when Jay yells, “Cassie!” through the door.
Near hyperventilating, I work to control my erratic breathing before I open the door, or Jay will storm in here to search for whatever upset me.
“Hold on!” I call back.
I run into the bathroom and quickly splash water on my face, washing away the sweat shining on my forehead. With a deep breath, I open the door and smile at Jay. He smiles back as he steps aside to allow me to step out and close up the cabin.
“We thought maybe you were skipping breakfast today. Are you alright?” he asks as we walk down the stairs.
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”—Ugh, don’t lie—“I’m nervous about what we have to write, but nothing is really wrong.” There, that’s better.
“You’re going to be by yourself for most of the morning and possibly afternoon. That doesn’t worry you?” Worry fills Jay’s voice.
“I’m used to being alone. I actually prefer it most of the time.” I elbow him in the side, and he clutches the spot. “You’ve probably picked up by now I’m not much of a people person. I have a filter that comes and goes as it pleases sometimes.”
“You’re also mean. Don’t forget that. You could have knocked a lung loose or something,” he deadpans.
“We need to give you an anatomy lesson or two,” I say without thinking, then hunch my shoulders with embarrassment. I can’t believe I just said that.
He smirks at me. “Anytime you want.”
I elbow him again. “I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it.”
“Didn’t mean what?” His pitch raises a decibel.
I stick my tongue out at him to stop the hole being dug from this conversation. As we walk into the Corral, I search for Parker to save me.
“We’re using tongues for this class?” Jay’s face contorts as he works to suppress his laughter.
“What type of class is she teaching with tongues? I want to sign up,” says some guy standing by the door as he reaches for my mouth.
Jay crushes the guy’s hand in his and steps between us before I can react. “If you ever think of touching her again, I will break every bone in your body.” Jay’s electric eyes shoot lightning bolts at this guy. “If you ever talk to her like that again, I will pummel your ass all the way to the lake.”
“Get the fuck off me.” The guy tries to jerk away from Jay without success. “What makes it okay for you to say it and not me? Your team is the harem after all. Maybe she wants a real man to join with her.”
I have no idea who this guy is, but he doesn’t seem as afraid of Jay as I would be.
“Jameson, remove your hand from Kevin immediately.” I turn and see Mr. Smyth and Ms. Carlton walking toward us.
I place my hand on Jay’s arm, and he tenses. He glances down at me, releases Kevin’s hand, and steps back. He keeps himself between Kevin and me, though.
“What is going on here?” Ms. Carlton asks as she looks at each of us.
I speak up first, not trusting either of these two to answer. “Jay and I were joking around, but Kevin turned it into something vulgar. Kevin went to touch me, so Jay grabbed his hand before Kevin could finish. You walked up after that.”
“She’s a slut just like Mindy said. How much did she pay you to join their team?” Kevin adds, and I shrink farther behind Jay.
“Mr. Russell, come with me.” Ms. Carlton eyes harden, and her hands clasp together like she’s willing to drag him out of here without his agreement. “The rest of you, finish your breakfast!” she yells as she walks out the door.
“What were you two talking about?” Mr. Smyth asks as he turns to us.
“I elbowed Jay, and he said something about his lungs. I told him I needed to give him an anatomy lesson since I was nowhere near his lungs. He agreed, and I stuck my tongue out at him. That’s when we ran into Kevin,” I explain without making eye contact.
“I would never do anything to hurt her, Mr. Smyth,” Jay adds.
“I see.” Mr. Smyth puts his hands on his chin while he tries to determine our fate. “You five are going to have to be careful. People will take everything you say and do the wrong way.”
“I’m sorry, Cassie. I won’t let that happen again,” Jay says softly.
“I’m not sorry. We were just playing around. I’m not going to be bullied and stop having fun just because people are going to read too much into it. If they have an issue with it, they can deal with it. If they get into my face, I’ll tell them off. I thought this was a camp for smart kids to build lifelong skills, but you’re asking me to hide. If that’s what you want from me, you can send me home now.” My voice rises with anger. I was embarrassed, but only because I’m not used to being flirty. That Jay played along with it surprised me.
“Cassie, no one is asking you to not be yourself. You just may want to watch what you say around others.” Mr. Smyth’s words irritate me more.
“Why? I’ve seen people make out in front of cabins, behind cabins, and during meals. Where’s their lecture? Because I happen to be on the only mixed team, my morals are going to be scrutinized. I’ll do what’s best for Jay, Parker, Noah, and Lucca, but I’ll not pretend to be someone I’m not. They have been nothing but considerate of me since I met them. If anyone thinks otherwise, they can go fuck themselves!” I scream the last line, my face hot with rage as I glare at Mr. Smyth and dare him to say anything else.
When he stays silent, I turn around and storm outside.
The door closes behind me. I glance back, expecting Jay, but find Mr. Smyth instead. “That was quite a speech you gave.”
“I meant every word of it. I’ve been bullied my entire life, but I’ve actually been happy while I’ve been here.” My anger subsides some, but I’m still irritated. “You made it look like I was the bad guy when all we were doing was a little flirting. It’s not like we had sex in my cabin before we walked down here.”
“You’re right, and I apologize.” Mr. Smyth’s tone is contrite. “I don’t want to see you fall victim to anyone, but you’re strong. I don’t think anyone would physically harm you, but you may want Jay to teach you some of his fighting techniques. I don’t know how many martial arts he’s mastered, but he’s not someone I would want to mess with.”
“I’ll talk to him about it.” I wonder if I should walk back in and find him. He’s probably pretty upset.
“You may not believe this, but I think you’ll do great here. Your ability to stand up to people, especially with a crowd, is commendable. Don’t do that to me again, though,” he says as he walks off.
I don’t understand how he went from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. At least, I’m not in trouble with him. But I need to make this up to Jay.
The idea of going back into the Corral and being stared at, regardless of the speech I gave. doesn’t appeal to me, though. I decide to sit on the porch swing and wait for the boys to come out. I didn’t get a chance to talk to the boys about the homework or our sixth task.
I only spend few minutes rocking back and forth on the swing before all the boys walk out of the Corral. They scan the area until they notice me.
“Did you get in trouble?” Parker asks as Noah asks, “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t get in trouble. Mr. Smyth just told me not to do it again. Are you guys mad at me? I don’t want any of you to look bad because we’re on the same…team.” I wanted to say friends, but I don’t know if I can claim that yet.
“Come on. Let’s go for a walk so we can talk alone.” Parker offers me his hand, then drops it immediately as he peers around.
Tears sting my eyes. They’re mad at me, Parker doesn’t want to be seen touching me, and they just don’t want to make a scene while they tell me I need to change my behavior. I walk a step behind them with my head down. An arm settles around my shoulders, and I peek up into Lucca’s concerned face. I didn’t mean to blink, but I do, causing the tears fall.
He pulls me to a stop and tugs me to him. “I told you, you’re not alone. There’s no need to cry.”
He hugs me for another second before Parker pulls me into his arms. He whispers into my ear, “Why are you crying? I thought you said you weren’t in trouble.”
“I was worried you guys hated me, and you were just being polite to tell me away from everyone else,” I mumble into his chest as my chest constricts slightly with the admission.
“We could never hate you. That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen.” He hugs me tighter then pulls away to stare into my eyes so I see the truth in his words. “No one stands up to Mr. Smyth, especially not in a room full of people. You defended yourself and Jay. That’s what a team is supposed to do. It’s also what friends do.”
A kiss lands on top of my head, and I glance over to see Noah smiling at me.
Jay stands with his back to us. Maybe Parker thinks I’m brave, but Jay may not. Disentangling myself from Parker, I walk over to Jay and touch his arm gently just as I’d done in the Corral. He doesn’t turn, though, so I walk around to his front. He refuses to meet my eyes, and I stand there for a minute, giving him time to acknowledge me.
When he remains silent, I consider saying something sweet but opt for humor. “Here’s your first anatomy lesson.” I lightly punch him in the gut, and his head jerks up, eyes wide with surprise. “That’s your stomach. From walking into it once, it feels like a brick wall, so I’ll have to come up with a better name for it. I’ll let you know when I do. Lesson two could come at any time, so stay on your toes.”
When I wink at him, he smiles. I think we are fine, now. I link my arm through his and Noah’s, and we walk over to the picnic area where karaoke and the fire pit was set up.
“We’re going to get a lot of that over the next couple weeks. Either people will get bored, or they’ll try to make it impossible for us. How do we want to handle this?” I hold my breath as I wait for the others to respond. I don’t want to be the one to make this decision.
“I’m with Cassie. I don’t care what people say to me. I won’t let people hurt her, though,” Lucca offers as he opens and closes his hands into fists.
“I agree. I like our team.” Noah squeezes my hand. “I know I’ve done well on other teams, but this is the first one I actually feel close to. I don’t want to change. I won’t let them hurt Cassie, either.”
Jay, sitting at one of the tables, stares at his feet and doesn’t offer a suggestion.
I move to stand beside him. “I say we use it to our advantage. I want you guys to know I trust all of you. Even though I was goofing around with Jay, I have no doubt if I told him I was uncomfortable he would have stopped. We’ll have to be careful, though, because if guys think I’m easy they may try something when you’re not around—”
Before I finish, Jay jumps up. “They won’t try anything. I was serious when I said that I’d break Kevin. If I have to take out every mother fucker here, I will.”
“Jay! No one is going to try anything.” I hug Jay in hopes he will calm down since I misread how upset he was earlier. “I was going to suggest, actually it’s Mr. Smyth’s suggestion, that you teach me how to protect myself. I think I’ll be better at that than swimming.”
He stands there for a moment, but he finally wraps his arms around me. “You’re still going to learn to be a better swimmer, but we can add some defensive moves into your training schedule.”
“Training schedule? Will we have time for both? I think I can manage with the swimming,” I say. We have a lot to accomplish if we’re going to win.
“Both!” I hear from four different voices.
“Fine, but you guys have to do it with me.” I sigh. I can be amenable. “Later, though. Right now, we have other things to work, and we’re wasting time. I was going to head down to the hammocks by the lake to write my piece. Where’s everyone else going?”
“You can’t go there alone, at least not right now. We can all go down there.” Parker seems set on this so no one argues. “I have everything with me so we can head there, now.”
We walk in silence for the first half of the journey. The spot we want is about five miles away, and it will take us about an hour to get there. Now, is a good time to bring up my issue with what we’re writing. “Who sees this information? Do we want to be completely honest in what we’re writing?”
“It should only be the counselors, but I guess someone could break in and look at them. Why?” Noah asks, confusion clouding his blue eyes. “You want to go steal everyone else’s papers?”
“Ha! No, I don’t care what everyone else writes. I was thinking the opposite actually. What if someone took our information and used it against us? If I write down I can’t swim and I’m horrible at math, they could use the swim thing against me.” I don’t think anyone could use this stuff against us, but I don’t want people reading my personal stories.
“That’s a fair point. I don’t know of anyone that can break in except you, but anything is possible. What is your suggestion?” Lucca smirks at me.
“I was thinking we write what we want people to know even if it’s misleading. We then verbally talk through the pieces with each other so we all know the truth.” I hope they go for this. I’m not in any rush to tell them my life story, but I’m in even less of a hurry to let strangers know about it.
“I like that idea.” Parker and the rest agree.
Decision made, we spend the rest of the morning writing fake memoirs.