“Yeah.” Why else would I be here? I want to add, but I’m pretty sure I’m still just a little upset from my experience with the camp receptionist. She makes the saying, misery loves company, a real thing.
“Cool, so I’ll see you later then?” he asks, coming to a stop and turning to head back to where he came from. A slight breeze ruffles his hair and he pushes it out of his eyes.
I smile at him. “Yeah, totally,” I reply. I’m glad he doesn’t question me further. My frustration from the annoyed receptionist is wearing off as I encounter more of camp life from a non-camper perspective.
The boy walks back up the steep, dirt trail but turns around and my stomach does somersaults from the huge smile he gives me. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t get your name,” he says.
“Penelope,” I tell him quietly. He doesn’t hear so I try again a little louder and with more courage. “I’m Penelope.”
Something in his eyes brightens up, like I’ve told him the secret to living. “Penelope,” he repeats. “Nice to meet you! Glad to have you at Camp Arthur. I’m Sampson.”
I finally find the cabin I’ll be assigned to for the rest of the summer some time later. To my surprise, it matches the other cabins in the original part of camp, but it looks brand new. The grass hasn’t even grown around it yet. That means many muddy footprints will be tracked through the cabin. When I open the door, it’s quiet. One of the bottom bunks is made up with a pink and green comforter and sheet set, so I know the counselor who’s training me is already settled in.
“Hello?” I ask into the empty cabin, dropping my bags off on another bunk. “Anyone here?”
“Shh,” I hear faintly from another room followed by a chuckle.
I creep toward the voice and glance in another room with an extra bunk covered in clothes, extra toiletries, and other items spread out around the room and…
“Holy crap, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m early.” I say, covering my eyes when I see a guy and girl quickly pulling their clothes on in the corner of the small room. The girl fumbles with the buttons on her polo, blushing while the guy looks smugly pleased. He doesn’t bother speeding up his dressing routine.
“I’ll just… go wait outside.” I say, practically running out of the cabin. I hear the guy laugh followed by the sound of skin slapping skin hard, the girl scolding the guy I assume.
Five minutes later, the guy exits the cabin, a huge grin on his face. Even I want to smack that smug look off. “Welcome to camp, newbie,” he laughs.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
Once he’s out of sight, I hop off the picnic table and head back into the cabin, bracing myself for an even more awkward introduction. This time though, I knock hard on the main door before actually going in.
“Hey,” I say. “My name’s Penelope, I’m your junior counselor.”
She doesn’t look up at me, just keeps digging through her duffle bag. “You’re early,” the girl says coldly.
“Yeah, so I’ve been told,” I say. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting to find that… whatever it was.”
“And I wasn’t expecting you, so we’re even,” she tells me, finally looking up. “My name’s Viv. Welcome to camp. Let me give you a tour of our humble abode.
“This is my bunk, you can have the one over there. That way we can each have a side of campers to concentrate on. I let them pick their bunks, first come, first serve. As long as they keep their stuff under the bunks and out of the walkway, we’re fine. Windows stay closed, I don’t want any bugs in here,” she explains.
I follow her up the small ramp and into the next room. “This is obviously the bathroom. I try to break up shower times, half volunteer for morning showers, the other half get night and they can swap the next week, ten-minute showers per girl.
“And this room,” she continues, turning me around and gently pushing me into the room where I found her and Mr. Shirtless. “Is the privacy room. You can keep extra items in here, extra clothes, that sort of thing. If you need a moment to yourself, you can come in this room to escape the campers, or if you have a guest…”
“Guest?” I ask. “I thought we couldn’t have outside guests stay or visit.”
Viv smiles a wicked smile and winks at me. “I didn’t say outside visitors. There’s always a lonely co-worker to hang out with. It’s going to be one long summer away from civilization and you’ll be surprised by how sexy a sweaty frat boy in a camp shirt can be.”
“I’m only seventeen, I…”
“Sweetie, no one cares. You’re almost a college girl, right? All the guys want is a piece of ass. You’ll have to grow up in a few months anyway. Just think of this as college but with boot camp and babysitting as your full-time job,” she says.
Before my jaw has the chance to drop, I walk away from my new least favorite person to organize my bunk. Is this what camp is always like for the employees? Am I just finally seeing the behind-the-scenes drama? I unroll my sleeping bag on top of the fitted sheet I put over the small dingy mattress, I hear the main door swing open and closed. I head over to see where Viv is going and she rolls her eyes when she looks at me.
“I’m going to go for a trail run. When I get back we’ll head over for dinner,” she says, and before I can object, she’s gone, leaving me alone in the cabin.
I sit on my bunk, looking around at all the empty bunks that will be filled up with campers in a couple days. Campers that I’ll be in charge of. Campers that will be under my watch twenty-four hours a day, for the next three months. Maybe I’m in a bit over my head...
After waiting an hour for Viv to get back, I’m already bored. I’ve read thirty pages of a book I brought that’s supposed to last me two weeks, and I’ve finished organizing all of my things. Out of boredom, I decide I want to walk around camp. I head for the lake, halfway across camp, one of my favorite spots in the whole camp. As I head there, other co-workers are making their way around camp. A few are playing a game of 2 on 2 soccer, while I see some are soaking up the sun at the pool.
The lake dock is usually crawling with campers fishing or canoeing. I never told anyone, but once, when I couldn’t sleep, I snuck out to the lake at four in the morning before anyone else got up. That’s my favorite memory of camp, but when asked, I have to make something up, like the time I actually climbed to the top of the rock wall to ring the bell or the first time I passed my swim test. In my mind, nothing compares to sneaking off to the lake right before dawn.
Right now, I want to be alone for a little bit. Once dinner is served, my official training will begin. That’s when they make us do team games, exploring nature, and discussing anything the counselors deem fitting. Viv strikes me as a counselor that’s not too concerned about camper feelings. Sometimes I think the counselors use campers as test subjects for their college courses, especially the ones wanting to be shrinks one day. I’m all about loving nature and sharing my feelings, but I don’t want to be forced to do it at seven in the morning during the summer. I’m sure that’ll change now that I’m a CIT.
A twig breaks behind me and when I turn, I assume it’ll be a bear or another vicious animal coming to maul me. It’s actually Sampson, with his backpack and a water bottle in his hand, and that trademark friendly smile on his lips.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he says as he joins me on the dock, his forehead glistening with sweat. We both sit there with our feet hanging over the edge. Mine hover, but his are covered in water up to his ankles. I notice his flip-flops buckled to the back of his pack. Camp usually bans flip-flops, or at least they do for the campers. It’s apparently too dangerous for them to walk around in such wound-inducing footwear. Maybe that’s why they blacktopped most of the gravel areas. Everything is just too dangerous for campers.
“Were you following me?” I ask, trying to say it in a flirty way I think my prettier friends back home would use to lure a boy in. Janine is always good at that. When I try, my throat tightens, and the words come out all wonky.
His cheek
s blush, and it’s the cutest thing I have ever seen, well aside from newborn kittens learning to walk. “Yeah, that’s not weird, right? I just thought it would be cool to hang out before we have to start babysitting.”
Babysitting? Does he not realize how cool this job is?
I try my best to keep my tone under control because I’m annoyed that he thinks his job is babysitting. “Not all of them are kids, you know? Some of them are already preparing for college and working toward their dreams.”
“Sorry,” he says, his blush getting deeper. “I just meant the younger ones. They make me nervous. I’m always afraid they’ll get into poison ivy or go missing. Pool time is a very stressful situation for me. Too much can go wrong. I don’t care how much lifeguard training I’ve had, I don’t know what I’d do if I had a child’s life in my hands.”
Before I realize it, I’m playfully bumping my shoulder against his. “It’s okay,” I say. “I just really love this place, and not many people give the campers enough credit. Some of them are probably more responsible than the counselors.”
“I never thought of it that way, but it’s probably true, well aside from the boys,” he jokes.
A few minutes of silence pass between us. I swing my legs back and forth, watching our reflections shimmer in the water. I look at his reflection next to mine and wonder how it’s even possible for him to be this nice to me. Everyone else seems to have an attitude problem.
I wonder how old he is since I’ve never seen him before. I look like a child beside him, with my fat baby cheeks and braided pigtails.
“I’d like to spend some time with you,” Sampson says breaking the silence. “Maybe later after lights out, we could have a late-night snack. Me and some other people are having a bonfire. They just lifted the burn ban yesterday.”
I smile at his eagerness because I’ve never met a no-nonsense guy that will just speak up about what he wants. I don’t answer though, I’m not sure I can sneak away as easily as he can or if I’m ready to get close to a guy.
“We should get back,” I say, scooting away from the water and standing up. He reaches for my hand so I can pull him up, and I struggle because he’s so much taller than me, and our bodies collide. His hand rubs my back, and I feel like an electric current has gone right through my spine. I’ve actually never had the opportunity to be one-on-one with a guy. My parents have always been the no-boys-allowed-in-room type of parents, my dates have always been chaperoned.
“Yeah,” he agrees with a hint of sadness lacing his otherwise cheerful voice.
We walk back, and I have this odd urge to reach out and hold his hand, but I just fold my arms across my chest, not knowing what to do. He makes small talk with me until we cross the bridge. As soon as we’re by the dining hall, I see Viv with a pissed off look on her face.
“Where have you been?” she asks like some sort of stereotypical babysitter.
I start to speak, but Sampson does first. “Hanging out by the lake. Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all day.”
Her face drains, but then she’s back to the Viv I met two hours ago. “I wasn’t talking to you, Sam. I was talking to her,” she clarifies.
She says her like I’m not even here or worse, like I’m a dog that just urinated on a rug.
“I waited on you for an hour, Viv. When you didn’t come back to the cabin I figured you forgot about me, so I thought I’d explore before dinner,” I tell her.
Her hair is wet like she just took a shower. Her t-shirt has a turtle on it saying she’s a ‘Kappa Little’. Clearly, she wasn’t too worried about me if she had time to shower and change clothes.
“Whatever, let’s just go eat dinner,” she says.
She walks in first, me and Sampson following behind like puppies with our tails between our legs.
“God, I feel bad for her boyfriend,” I whisper to him. He says nothing, just fakes a smile. In that moment, I realize I’m no longer in the presence of the care-free and happy Sampson I encountered twice today.
“I’d like to take this time to give a warm Camp Arthur welcome to our new counselors in training!” A tall man in khakis and a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up says at the head of the dining hall. His armpits leaving two giant sweat stains, he’s not dressed for camp. “My name is Mr. Garreth and I’m the new owner of the camp. Please stand up if you’re a CIT.”
So, this is the schmuk that’s ruining my favorite place?
Me and the other trainee’s stand up while the head counselors give a bored clap. I quickly sit back down, bracing for them to haze us the second this business man goes back to wherever he lives while everyone else runs his camp for him.
“As you all know, we’ll be evaluating you over the next few months to see if you have what it takes to be a counselor here next summer. Every two weeks, me, you, and your trainer will sit down to discuss how you’re progressing. We only take the best here,” he continues. “Once camp is over, I’ll take a week or two to deliberate with the other counselors and employees to see if you’ll be hired on for next summer. You will have an answer before you leave here at the end of July. Any questions?”
No one raises their hand. I’m tempted to ask how in the world Viv still works here if they only take the best, because I’ve been around her for less than a day, and I’m already dreading spending every minute for the rest of summer with her.
“Alright, let’s get dinner going,” he says with a cheesy clap of his hands.
“You heard him, Penelope. Go grab some of the food,” Viv says, nudging my leg with hers. We’re sitting in the employee meeting room, so me and the other CIT’s have to walk into the empty mess hall and go to the kitchen. There’s about twelve plates already made up, and I can see the kitchen staff taking a smoke break outside.
“If I knew I was going to be a waiter this summer, I would have just worked at McDonald’s,” a guy says beside me.
I laugh, handing him two plates and then grabbing two for myself to take to the table. “This has to be better than working fast food, right?”
“Ask me again in a month and I’ll let you know,” he says. I recognize him from my previous years at camp. He was always kind of a hell raiser. It’s hard to imagine him working here.
“Kenny, right?” I ask. “You used to chase me around the lake with a worm in your hand.”
“Oh no, did I?” he asks, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I was kind of a prick when I was a kid. My parents were going through a divorce. I had some issues.”
“That’s fine,” I say. “It’s Penelope, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you, again,” he says, a little embarrassed. “Let’s try and help each other get through this summer in one piece. I’ve already goofed up once.”
“Just be glad you didn’t walk in on your trainer having sex,” I say.
Kenny almost drops his plates. “Really? That must have been... interesting,” he says with a smile.
I nod. “Pretty sure I’m now on her hit list.”
“It’s going to be an interesting summer, isn’t it?” he asks.
“Sure is, and it’s barely even started.”
“You two, go get some wood,” Viv says, pointing at Kenny and me. The twenty of us counselors and CIT’s are having a bonfire. We’re supposed to be learning how to start a fire, keep it going, and put it out safely. The sun is setting and lightning bugs are joining us in the field.
Kenny offers Viv a mock salute before we both head off in the direction she pointed.
“So, what brought you back to camp, Kenny?” I ask.
He stops to pick up the first log he finds. “My parents told me to get off my butt and find a job. This was the closest thing to home, that and the little ice cream store you pass to get here. I don’t have a car yet, so it needed to be close enough for me to ride my bike. Figured me being a camper here previously might help out. Besides, it is kind of fun.”
“So you’re local?” I never knew he actually lived close to camp.
I thought the whole part of sleep-away camp was to be away from home, not a couple blocks down the street.
“Yep, lived here all my life. What about you?” he asks.
I find two more logs and instead of me carrying them, Kenny offers to take them for me. I gladly hand them over. “I actually live about three hours away,” I reply. “I’ve always wanted to work here though. Free food and board while also getting paid to do something I’ve dreamed of, you know? I couldn’t pass the opportunity up.”
Spotting the perfect log under some green shrubs, I bend down to pull it out but just as I am, Kenny yells at me to leave it. I jump back, terrified that he saw a snake or spider that I didn’t.
“That’s poison ivy next to it, just leave that one,” he says.
I look at him confused. “How’d you know that’s poison ivy?” I ask.
He shrugs his shoulders. “I was a boy scout, I’ve been covered in that stuff too many times to not know what it is by now. Trust me, you do not want to touch the ones with three leaves,” he explains.
“It can’t be that bad,” I tease.
“It is, trust me. Not as bad as itching from chicken pox, but you would be miserable for the next two weeks,” he explains.
“Well,” I say. “Thanks for saving me.”
He smiles at me and points to a few more sticks and tree limbs to pick up before we head back.
“You know,” he starts to say, but then stops and shakes his head.
“What? Tell me,” I say, as we get closer to the fire’s location.
“I honestly thought this summer was going to suck, but you seem like a cool person to hang out with. Way better than that Viv girl. God, I feel bad for you. Living with her is going to suck,” he says. His voice sounds honest and oddly comforting.
“Gee thanks,” I say. “Promise not to chase me with snakes or any other creepy crawlers this year?”
The Last July: A New Adult Romance Page 2