Summer by the Lake

by Kay Gordon

  “Keaton? Jesus, I’m not the only one who grew up.”

  He laughed and nodded his head before shrugging his shoulders. “Puberty is killer.”

  Keaton Holcomb was Howard and May’s only son. He was two years older than me and had been a fixture in my life and at camp. Although he’d lived in the house with his parents, they kicked him out during the summer and made him live like a camper. Keaton had been fairly obnoxious during the years, almost like I imagined a cousin would be, but he’d endeared himself to me in the end. Even though I saw his parents often, I hadn’t actually set my eyes on him since the last time I’d been at camp.

  He had grown up, though. Instead of the tall, skinny boy I’d known during my childhood, he was now a taller, muscular man. His shaggy, dark brown hair covered his ears in way that showed he didn’t care and his brown eyes matched his mother’s.

  “Are you working here during the summers?”

  He shook his head. “Nope, just visiting. Mom mentioned your name so I wanted to say hey. So… Hey.”

  “Hey,” I replied with a grin. “I was actually going to go grab some lunch. Want to join me?”

  “Yeah, that sounds great.”

  I nodded and gestured towards my stuff. “Give me a second.”

  Using the towel I’d brought, I did my best to dry off before pulling my shorts, shirt, and shoes back on. I shouldered my bag and scrubbed my hair with my towel as I walked outside the fence.

  “Let’s go.”

  We made small talk about what we’d been doing for the past five years and Keaton told me he’d decided against going to college and pursued honing in on a trade. He owned a garage in Savannah and was apparently doing pretty well for himself.

  “A hot, college woman like yourself,” Keaton said with a grin as he held open the door to the dining hall. “Are you dating anyone?”

  I rolled my eyes at the question and shook my head. “No. I’m one of those nerdy girls who prefers to put school before boys.”

  Keaton laughed and dished up his plate behind me at the serving line. Once we’d found a table off to the side, he sat across from me and smiled.

  “You have tonight off, right? Let me take you out.”

  His invitation was kind surprising. Keaton had been the first one to say how annoying I was in my childhood and the last one I expected to ever show any interest in me.

  “Keaton Holcomb,” someone said to the right of me and I watched as Drew dropped his tray next to mine with a grin on his face. Keaton stood and the two did a bro-shake or a bro-hug or whatever it was called across the table before they sat down. Christy, obviously still attached to Drew’s side, dropped her tray next to Keaton’s and squealed.

  “Keaton!”

  He chuckled and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Hey, Chris. It’s good to see you guys.”

  “What are you doing here?” Drew asked as he took a bite of his lunch.

  I ate my own pasta as I listened to Keaton rehash the things we’d already talked about.

  “You never answered me, Shaylee,” he said, jolting me out of my own little bubble.

  “I’m sorry. What?” I gave Keaton an apologetic smile and put my fork down. “What was the question?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Can I take you out tonight?”

  I looked away from his brown eyes to find Christy staring at Keaton with her mouth open in disbelief. I wasn’t sure if she was jealous or if she just didn’t understand why he’d be asking me. To my right, Drew was stabbing his pasta with unnecessary force and his left hand was clenched into a fist. After a second, I realized I still hadn’t given Keaton an answer and shook my head slightly with the same smile on my face.

  “I have so much to do before tomorrow morning and I’m pretty sure my roommate isn’t going to be able to help too much. I’m honestly not even sure she’s still alive.”

  Keaton let out a long sigh before pointing his fork at me. “Fine. I understand how hectic the night before opening is. How about, if I’m still here, you let me take you out on your first night off?”

  “We’ll tentatively plan on it,” I replied, making him laugh again.

  Christy tugged Keaton’s sleeve, demanding his attention, and I finished off my food before standing from the table.

  “I’m actually going to go make sure my roommate really is alive,” I interjected quickly when Christy took a breath. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

  Keaton nodded and reached over so he could squeeze my hand once. “I’ll find you in a bit.”

  I stood from my spot at the table and grabbed my tray. As I turned to walk away, my eyes met Drew’s bluish ones for a moment. His face was passive as he studied my own and I raised my brows once before breaking our stare down and moving by him.

  I grabbed two bottles of water and two hot coffees from the beverage area and headed back to my cabin. Both girls were still in bed and I gently shook Hannah awake first.

  “Shaylee,” she whined as she cracked open an eye to look at me. “Why do you hate me?”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “I am doing this because I love you, Han. You need to get up, hydrate, and put food in your stomach. The dining hall is only open for another thirty minutes and you’ll have to wait until dinner if you miss it.”

  She whined again and sat up slowly.

  “Attagirl. Let me work on Joanne and I’ll go with you guys. We’ll stop by the health center to get something for your head.”

  I repeated the same steps to get Joanne out of bed and soon they were both sucking down water and coffee as they stumbled through the campus with me. Joanne had stolen my sunglasses before we’d left the cabin and Hannah had hissed when we stepped outside as if she was a vampire who was being burned by the sun.

  One of the medical assistants gave them ibuprofen at the health center and they both scarfed down two grilled cheese sandwiches quickly. Aubrey joined us a short while later and laughed at their misery. We told them how fun it’d been getting them out of the bar and both apologized profusely.

  “You’re my hero, Shay,” Joanne said as she finished off her second sandwich. “I remember you holding my hair back.”

  “You guys would do it for me.” I shrugged my shoulders and stole one of her fries. “I’m not sure I could have walked you out to the van without Drew’s help, though. You were down for the count.”

  “Speaking of Drew,” Aubrey murmured as she leaned in. “Christy came back to the cabin late last night all huffy. I guess that hotel room didn’t happen and she was pissed off.”

  For some reason, that made me happy. I couldn’t help the small smirk that hit my lips as Aubrey told us about Christy’s temper tantrum. I was also really glad that I wasn’t the only one annoyed by her.

  After the girls had food in them, they both went and showered off the night before. We spent the afternoon lounging by the lake and playing volleyball in the sand. Well, Aubrey and I played with a group of people. Hannah and Joanne watched.

  We ate dinner that night and received our roster of campers that would arrive the next day, along with our weekly schedules. I read through it and winkled my nose.

  “We’re working the golf range on Monday mornings.”

  “That’s going to be nice and boring,” Hannah replied as she read through the schedule. “Look, though- we get a Friday night off during week two. That’s nice.”

  I looked up from my sheet and narrowed my eyes at her. “Maybe we can see a movie rather than getting hammered, huh?”

  Everyone at the table laughed, even Hannah, and she nodded in agreement. The two of us said our goodbyes and headed back to the cabin. It was barely dusk but Hannah immediately changed into her pajamas so she could go to bed. I pulled on my running clothes and told her goodnight before walking outside.

  A few people still littered around the campus and some waved as I jogged by. I followed the path around the lake, like I’d done since I’d arrived, and when I made i
t to the furthest point from campus, I came to a stop.

  Drew was sitting with his bare feet in the sand as he stared out at the still water. Although I couldn’t see his face, his posture seemed sad. I told myself to keep running, to leave him alone, but I didn’t listen to my own subconscious and instead walked down the beach to where he was.

  “Hey,” I said softly when I was a few feet away. Drew twisted his neck until our eyes met and he nodded once as he put something in his pocket.

  “Hey.”

  I gestured to the spot next to him. “Can I sit?”

  “Yeah, of course.” Drew looked back to the lake as I fell into the sand.

  We sat in silence for a few minutes and I turned to study his profile. The facial hair on his chin was a bit more pronounced than when I’d met him at the airport and he was wearing his cap again.

  “Are you okay?”

  The sigh that he released was so big and so heartbreaking that I wanted to comfort him. I didn’t, though. Instead, I just watched him rub his eyes with his fist.

  “I’m okay. Thanks for asking, Shay.” He reached out and squeezed my hand with his gently. The feeling of his warm palm against mine caused a shudder to roll through my body.

  After a few moments, he let out another long breath and released his grip on my hand. “Come on. If you don’t keep running, it will be pitch black before you get back to the cabin.”

  Drew pulled on his shoes and socks as I stood back up and gave him a small smile.

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  He shook his head as he moved to his feet. “I’ll run with you.”

  “What?” I asked in confusion. “You want to run with me?”

  Drew didn’t respond. He just started jogging in the direction I had been running. I watched him for a moment, unsure of what just happened, and ended up sprinting so I could catch up. We jogged next to each other in silence as we rounded the lake, eventually passed the Holcomb house, and did the final half-mile back to campus.

  We both slowed to a walk as we neared the cabins, and Drew looked at me with a smile.

  “Been awhile since I ran just for the hell of it,” he puffed as he reached up and pulled his shirt over his head. “That would take some getting used to again. This humidity seriously sucks.”

  I glanced at his bare chest for just a moment before meeting his eyes. “I do it every night. You’re welcome to join if you want to get back into it.” I paused and shrugged my shoulders when he looked surprised at the invitation. “It’s hard for you to be a douche when you’re trying not to pass out.”

  “You’re funny, Butler.” Drew started veering towards the boy’s cabins. “Goodnight.”

  I gave him a small wave and returned the sentiment as I continued on to my bunk.

  Maybe Drew wasn’t such a jerk after all.

  Chapter Six

  Hannah and I were up at six Sunday morning, which I pointed out to Hannah was actually three in the morning my time. Our cabin had been assigned a teal color for our shirts and we both pulled on ones that read ‘Counselor’ on the back. The girls assigned to our cabin would have matching teal shirts to wear during sporting events and other times when we needed a way to easily distinguish them from the others.

  “You nervous?” Hannah asked as we walked towards the dining hall.

  I nodded and offered her a small smile. “More nervous than I should be, I think.”

  The dining hall was open an hour earlier than normal so all of the staff could eat before campers began to arrive. Hannah and I took the opportunity to eat with our friends one last time since we’d all have campers to look after for the next eight weeks.

  “So, I think we should all plan to go out our last night here. After the campers leave,” Joanne said as she sat down. Since Joanne was a floating counselor and Aubrey was the seventh grade counselor, none of our days off would ever fall together.

  I nodded in agreement as I swallowed the last of my coffee. “I think that’s an excellent plan.”

  “I’m down,” Hannah chimed in as she pushed her plate away. “We’re supposed to meet where?”

  “The amphitheater,” Aubrey replied with a yawn. “We turn in our cell phones there, too.”

  Hannah pulled hers out of her pocket and looked at it longingly. “It’s going to be a hard two weeks without Google.”

  We all laughed and stood from the table to get rid of our dishes. When we made it to the stadium, we stood in line behind other staff to check in our phones. I gave it up easily when it was my turn. My parents knew how to get ahold of me if they really needed to and I knew my best friend, Briana, would have her boyfriend to entertain her for the summer.

  Hannah, on the other hand, looked devastated when her phone was locked up in its numbered bag. Howard gave her the key to the bag and just laughed at her expression before calling up the next person.

  The two of us found our cabin table on the field behind the amphitheater, which boasted a banner with our cabin number, the age group, and both our names as well. We sat down with the roster and waited for the first of the campers to arrive. While we waited, we played corn hole, horseshoes, cards, and other games with different counselors around the area.

  When campers would arrive, they would be shown to their corresponding table to check in. The counselors at the table would introduce themselves, give them their camp t-shirts, schedule, and map, explain different things you’d need to know on the map, and let a member of the staff and camper peer group show the camper to their cabin. After that, the campers were given tours of the facilities in groups and set free to try limited activities for the afternoon.

  We checked in our first camper a little after the camp had opened. One of the staff members pointed Hannah and me out to a set of parents who had a teenager girl between them. They came to where we were and introduced themselves before introducing their daughter, Jenny. They spent the next fifteen minutes going over every allergy and ailment she had. Jenny stood behind them the entire time and rolled her eyes.

  “Do you know how to use an EpiPen?” the father asked us seriously and both Hannah and I nodded immediately.

  “We do, sir,” I replied politely. “Jenny seems to be a pretty responsible young lady, too, so I think the three of us will be able to keep an eye on everything for the summer.” I smiled at Jenny and she returned it with a bright one of her own.

  “I’m excited.”

  Hannah and I both laughed and I nodded my head as I handed her two teal shirts that boasted the camp’s logo and the cabin’s number on the back.

  “It’s going to be fun, Jenny.” I winked at her as Hannah gathered the necessary papers. “I’m excited, too.”

  Hannah went over the map and the schedule and I told the parents what they could do with Jenny for the next few hours before they left. We promised Jenny we’d see her for dinner as they walked away.

  “Please tell me that not every parent will be like that,” Hannah murmured and I chuckled with a shrug.

  “I don’t know. I never came with my parents. We always flew solo and checked in alone.”

  Hannah turned to look at me with her brows raised. “We? Who did you come with?”

  “My sister, Kira,” I replied as I made sure the papers in front of me were stacked neatly. “She and I came together for five years before she aged out.”

  “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

  I just smiled and nodded as I mentally repeated that in my head. I had a sister. Past tense.

  Once the buses started arriving from the airport, the area was busy and buzzing with conversation. Hannah’s eight-year-old little sister, Chloe, arrived and she squealed when she spotted her big sister. Hannah wrapped her arms around her tight and they spoke quietly for a few minutes before Hannah took her to check-in. I sat at the table alone and looked at our list. We had six checked in and just needed four more.

  “Where’s your partner in crime?”

>   I turned my head just in time to see Drew take the seat Hannah had been in moments before. He was wearing a counselor shirt similar to mine except Cabin Seven’s were orange.

  “With her little sister, getting her checked in.”

  “Ah,” Drew replied as reached over and grabbed my clipboard. “So, what’s the wager this year?”

  “Wager?” I raised my brows and gave him a puzzled look.

  He chuckled and dropped the clipboard so he could lean in closer to me. I knew he wanted me to flinch away but I didn’t. Our faces were inches apart as our gazes locked, his eyes a bright blue in the sunlight with the exception of the small ring of green in the middle.

  “For Cabin Wars. What does loser have to do this year?”

  I’d forgotten about Cabin Wars. The grudge match was unofficial and sponsored completely by the counselors without Howard and May’s involvement, although I was sure they knew what went down. Only for the seventh graders and up, the male cabin of one age group would go up against the female cabin of the same age. You could earn points by having great inspection sign-offs weekly and perfect merit reports for the week, but also by successfully beating that same cabin at a sport or event.

  The biggest part of the games, though, was earning points through pranks. Each prank that was successfully pulled off without being caught earned points. The pranks had to be tasteful, they couldn’t get the cabin in trouble, and they had to follow certain parameters. The winning cabin received bragging rights and was waited on hand and foot by the losing cabin for the last full Saturday of the summer.

  The bigger prize, however, was within the counselors themselves. The counselors always wagered something at the beginning of the summer and the loser had to carry it out. I’d only learned of that part of Cabin Wars when I was in my last year and we watched from the shadows as our counselors had been forced to dive into the lake naked after we’d lost.

  “What are you proposing?” I asked quietly as I continued to hold his stare.

  Drew leaned in so close that our noses were almost touching and his lips stretched into a smile. “Personally, I prefer something with nudity.”