The Last July: A New Adult Romance

by Breanna Mounce

  Dora smacks the palm of her hand against her forehead. “Okay, whatever, just please stay out of trouble.”

  “CPR time?” asks Casanova, jumping up out of his chair and popping his knuckles in preparation.

  Dora sighs and tosses her clipboard down on her backpack. “Yeah sure. Put on your bathing suits and head to the pool for CPR and water safety. I’ll see everyone there in thirty minutes. If you haven’t had any lifeguard training prior to camp, you’re meeting Sid in the dining hall for some games you may want to play with your campers.”

  While everyone files out, I wait around for Dora.

  “Do you need any help?” I ask, swinging my backpack over my shoulder.

  “No, I’m fine,” she tells me as she does the same. “How are you hanging in there? I heard about the rest of your evening.”

  I cover my face with my hand. “Jesus, does everyone but me know what happened?”

  “First time you’ve been blackout drunk?”

  “First time I’ve been drunk,” I correct her.

  She smiles. “Happens to the best of us.”

  “Or the dumbest. It won’t happen again.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself, no one should hold drunken words against someone.”

  I shrug. “I thought the saying was, ‘Drunk words, sober thoughts.’ I just wish I knew what happened or what I said.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. Usually you end up piecing together the evening and if you don’t, it’s for the best,” she says.

  “I hope you’re right,” I tell her, heading off to get ready for the pool.

  Thankfully, the cabin is empty when I get back. I don’t walk in on Viv with whoever she’s screwing around with, and I don’t have to deal with any of her snarky remarks. I can finally be alone, at least for ten minutes, while I try to cram my pudgy body into my one-piece swimsuit.

  I show up with only a minute to spare, but surprisingly, I’m the first to arrive. Everyone else in my group trails in shortly after me. We all gather under the shelter, everyone except the ditzy girl who grabs a lawn chair and spreads her towel out on it. She puts on a little show of taking her shorts and shirt off, presenting an American flag in the form of two pieces of fabric that some might consider a bikini.

  “Get it, girl,” hollers Casanova, of course.

  “Pig,” I say under my breath. How in the world have these two had lifeguard training and certification? I wouldn’t trust them with my backpack, much less my life.

  He hears me, which was kind of my plan.

  “Well show us what you’ve got if you’re so jealous,” he teases.

  I cross my arms over my chest. “Eww, no thanks.”

  “Suit yourself,” he says and then also proceeds to do a little strip tease down to his board shorts.

  Are you kidding me? Who thought it would be a good idea to put these people in charge of children?

  I almost vomit when he struts around the pool, his hairy torso matted down with sweat and his pasty white skin showing where his farmer tan begins. He heads down to the deep end and cannonballs into its depths, which is actually only ten feet deep.

  “And Josh has just demonstrated the first pool violation,” says Sampson as he strolls in wearing red swim trunks and a whistle around his neck. “Can anyone tell us what rule that is?”

  I glance around and nobody's paying attention, they’re all laughing as Josh aka Casanova resurfaces with a loud whooping noise coming from his mouth.

  I raise my hand but don’t wait to be called on. “Everyone must shower before entering the pool.”

  “Shower?” ditzy girl asks. “I can’t shower, I just did my hair!”

  Why are you even at camp?

  “Everyone must shower,” agrees Sampson. “Also, no running or horseplay around the pool. Jumping in is acceptable, but campers are not allowed to dive. Feet first, always. Most of the rules are posted on the wall behind me. If a camper has to be told three times that they’ve broken a rule, they have to sit out for the remainder of pool time.”

  Casanova gets out of the pool pulls his swim trunks up where they slipped down his torso. I gag again, but it seems ditzy girl gets a kick out of him. They would probably be good together - both seem to want a ton of attention.

  “Alright, who wants to be my test dummy?” Sampson asks, dropping his backpack down on a plastic chair.

  Ditzy raises her hand. Dora and I just roll our eyes.

  Sampson sighs. “You have to get in the pool and get your hair wet.”

  Her face falls, along with her raised hand. “Nevermind.”

  “I’ll help you,” I tell Sampson as I get up and head over to the shower to rinse off. I try to ignore Casanova and the two other guys who are snickering about me taking off my shirt and shorts to reveal my one-piece, the one-piece that camp recommends you bring instead of a bikini.

  “Okay, go jump in the deep end and back. We’re going to demonstrate a drowning body,” he announces.

  I slide into the pool and suck in a gulp of air because it’s so cold, then wait for him to begin his rescue before I actually play the victim role. He gives a small talk on drowning victims and then has Dora start the stopwatch to see how long he takes to pull me out of the water.

  Sampson starts at the lifeguard stand, grabs his yellow life preserver, and dives in. I flinch away from his splash, then float on my belly with my head in and he comes over to me within seconds. He pulls my head out of the water and then props my body up on the life preserve before quickly pulling me to the side of the pool.

  “Be dead wait,” he tells me when we get to the side and I wonder exactly how he will get me out. Sure enough, two strong arms are pulling me out by my torso. To my dismay, I realize Casanova owns the second arm.

  Dora stops the watch and declares that it took 30 seconds.

  “Alright, let’s review,” Sampson says, laying a towel down on the ground for me. “Once you hear a lifeguard blow the whistle, be on alert. It’s either a warning or to tell that someone’s in serious trouble. He or she will dive in with the rescue preserver, and then once we get to the side, another lifeguard should be there to help retrieve the person. Next we assess the situation…”

  I lay there playing victim, zoning in and out of what he’s telling me. I know all the normal training; active victim rescue, passive victim, spinal rescue, CPR and so on. I took a refresher course a month ago knowing I wanted to become a lifeguard here or at least make myself known so everyone knows I can help if we’re short on staff.

  “Penelope?” Sampson asks, and I realize he’s been trying to get my attention.

  “Yes?” I ask, looking up from where I’m laying down on the cement.

  He smiles, and I watch as some water falls from his hair. “I was asking if I have permission to give an example of CPR on you. Didn’t want to scare you when I do fake chest compressions.”

  “Oh yeah, sure,” I say, going back to pretending to be an unconscious victim.

  Sampson demonstrates pinching my nose, tilting my head back and blowing in my mouth. I tense when he’s an inch from my mouth, but he doesn’t actually do the mouth breathing, of course. He then shows the chest compressions with his hands just above my breastbone.

  “Um, Sampson?” says the ditzy girl and I open one eye to look up at her. “I think it would be beneficial if you actually show us how to breath in the victim's mouth.”

  Someone in the group snickers and Sampson just rolls his eyes. It’s not a kiss, I tell myself, it’s just CPR training.

  “I’m sure you get the point,” says Sampson. “Besides, I’m sure Penelope doesn’t feel comfortable with that.”

  I shake my head a bit too eagerly. “No, it’s fine. You can do that, it’s just training. Who knows, it might save a camper's life this summer.”

  Sampson leans down next to me again, “Are you sure? You don’t have to do this. I have a feeling the group is just trying to get a rise out of us.”

  I nod and close my eyes. �
��I’m sure, now if you don’t mind me, I need to go back to pretending like I’m unconscious.”

  Sampson places his hand over my nose and tilts my head back. Even though my eyes are closed, all my other senses are on high alert. I can smell the chlorine in the air, I can hear ditzy blonde popping her bubble gum, and I can feel the hair on my arms standing at attention.

  When his lips meet mine, I hear Dora explaining the actions that Sampson is doing. I try so hard to act like this isn’t happening, to keep my tongue at the back of my mouth, but a small sigh slips from my mouth and into Sampson’s. I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping no one else heard it, but I know Sampson has because I feel him hesitate when he pulls away from me quickly to start some fake chest compressions. Thank God I brushed my teeth after breakfast this morning. I’m mortified, I just want to keep pretending I’m dead.

  “And look at that, our victim is rescued by Sampson the Hero!” I sit up and look to see Viv standing right there, slow clapping with her own group of training counselors. Surely, almost the whole camp staff is now watching us.

  “Oh hey, Viv. Glad you showed up for your Pool Safety refresher. Better late than never,” Dora says, crossing her arms across her chest.

  Viv glares at her, and then smiles at Sampson. “I was just coming over to swap groups with you. Looks like things got a little out of hand here.”

  “Viv, it was just--” Sampson starts to explain.

  “Alright, nothing to see here,” Dora says, shooing everyone off. “Go to the mess hall and get something to eat and then we’ll finish this after lunch.”

  I stand up and gather my towel and clothes, sliding my sandals on. I don’t even glance up at Sampson because I’m afraid of what I’ll see in his eyes. Everyone has cleared out and I’m almost out of Viv’s firing range when I hear her and Sampson arguing.

  “Viv, just let her go. She didn’t do anything,” I hear him say.

  “Hey, new girl,” she calls. My stomach jerks. “Not so fast.”

  I turn around, but don’t look up at her. I just concentrate on not letting the tears fall from embarrassment. I haven’t cried at camp since I was ten, and I won’t cry now.

  “Don’t you ever think about doing that again,” she says through her teeth.

  “I didn’t do anything,” I say, and I didn’t. Sampson chose me to be the helper for CPR training.

  “He’s mine, he’ll never fall for you. You’re a kid. Find your place and stay there,” she commands.

  I finally get the nerve to look her in the eye. “I’m not a kid, and maybe if you didn’t want someone else to take him from you, you shouldn’t be hooking up with other guys behind his back,” I retort.

  I make sure not to say the last part too loudly no matter how much I want to out her in front of the entire staff. I will not be the one to get in the middle of their lovers’ quarrel. All I want is a peaceful summer at camp - a guy is the last thing I need on my mind.

  She stares me down, fire in her eyes. “If you ever tell him, I’ll get you kicked out of this camp quicker than you could even imagine. Mind your own business.”

  I chuckle and shake my head, turning to walk away. “Whatever, you’re not going to scare me. The only thing you can hold over my head is the fact that you’re my mentor for the next three months.”

  I turn back around one more time. “And you’re kind of doing a crappy job at that, so if anyone has a job to worry about, it’s you.”

  She doesn’t say a word, but I can see her whole body tighten in what appears to be hatred. If anything, I’ll learn how to not behave as a counselor, so this pairing won’t be such a waste of time. Sampson joins her by her side, pulling his backpack on and smiling over at me.

  “Pool’s all clear. We can head out,” he says. “Want to walk with us?”

  I smile and shake my head. “Nah, I’ll give you two some alone time. I’m going to take the long way back to the cabin. See ya later,” I say, heading off toward the woods.

  Viv says nothing, but I can feel her eyes trying to burn a hole in the back of my head. What does he even see in her? Guys don’t enjoy being in hostile relationships, right?

  The woods behind all the cabins is creepier than I remember. Or maybe they’re just creepy because this is the first time I’ve ever walked them by myself. Campers are usually never allowed on the trails unless they’re headed to one of the amphitheaters, but it hasn’t been used in years. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was on this trail. It seems they don’t maintain it as much as they used to. The grass is breaking through the dirt in most places and there are a ton of tree limbs down.

  Why did they let me take this trail if it was this bad?

  Well, I know why Viv allowed it.

  I kick off what branches I can, trying my best to restore the trail since no one else has. I pick up an old, ripped grocery bag that’s stuck to the thorns on a bush and carefully bundle it up to fit in the side pocket of my backpack.

  “Cleaning up after some litter bugs?” a voice asks, stopping me in my trail.

  “Oh my gosh!” I scream, my hand pressed against my chest. Kenny is walking toward me on the trail. “Why would you do that? You can’t just sneak up on someone!”

  He puts his hands up and laughs. “Sorry, I thought you heard me coming this way.”

  “No! What are you doing out here anyway? No one walks this way,” I tell him.

  “Except you, apparently. I could ask you the same thing,” he shoots back.

  I pull my water bottle out and take a sip before responding. “I needed an excuse not to walk with Viv. She’s a… firecracker.”

  Kenny smiles. “She’s kind of bitchy, isn’t she? From what I’ve heard, everyone feels bad that you have her as a mentor for the whole summer.”

  “Why does she even have a job here?” I ask, throwing my arms up. “She doesn’t seem to like anyone, and she probably isn’t good with children either. Who knows, maybe she’s just snotty toward females. She seems to love the guys.”

  “I heard she only got the job because of Sampson. Since his parents are the new owners, she scored the summer job. She probably didn’t like the idea of him working so closely all summer with the other female counselors, so she pretended like she wanted the job. She seems pretty clingy to me,” he explains.

  “And we haven’t even been here for a week yet,” I say. “So, Sampson’s parents own camp now?”

  All of Viv’s threats seem to fall into place at once. She has connections. Would she actually be able to get me fired without a reason though? I think not. Still, the prospect is a little frightening.

  A loud clap of thunder jolts me from my thoughts, and I practically jump out of my skin. Kenny and I both look up at the sky through the greenery. Sure enough, the sun has been replaced with a dark grey sky.

  “I should go before it starts raining,” I say, looking back at Kenny.

  “Let me walk you,” he says sweetly, but then switches to a friendly smile when I hesitate. “Wouldn’t want you getting hit by lightning and no one know you’re out here.”

  “Well, since you mentioned it. I am terribly afraid of thunderstorms.”

  He smiles and gestures in the direction I was walking, the direction he had come from. “Shall we?”

  “We shall,” I say smiling. “And you can’t make fun of me if I jump from the thunder again. I’m allowed to be afraid of loud things.”

  He puts his hands up in a surrender. “Fair enough.”

  By the time we make it back to my cabin, it’s pouring and our clothes are soaked. I don’t even think about it, I just pull Kenny inside with me. Not wanting him to have to walk all the way back across camp to his cabin.

  “Let me grab some towels,” I say, ruffling through my duffle bag. “You can stay here until the rain calms down.”

  “Thanks,” he says, and I hand him one of my towels. He ruffles his hair dry with one and then wraps it around his shoulders.

  I kneel down and go through my bag again in sea
rch of some dry clothes and pull out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. “I’ll be back, I’m going to go change real quick. I hate wet clothes more than anything in the world.”

  Kenny chuckles and sits down on an empty bunk as I scamper off to the bathroom. I place my clothes on the sink and look at myself in the mirror.

  It’s been a long while since I’ve looked at my reflection. I’ve never been the type of girl to spend hours doing her makeup and hair, perfecting her image. My cheeks are flushed and my hair is dripping wet, my eyes look wild. I’m almost afraid of the girl standing in front of me because of those wild eyes. I look away, close the bathroom door and change quickly, eager to be dry once more.

  When I come back out, Kenny is standing by my bunk holding onto my teddy bear I brought from home. He must have slipped out of my duffle when I was looking for clothes as I hadn’t found time to fully unpack yet.

  “Who’s this?” Kenny asks with a teasing smile, holding my teddy bear in one hand.

  I calmly walk over to him and take the bear back, gently sitting him on my bunk. “Mister Moose. He’s a gentleman that doesn’t like to be mocked,” I tell him.

  “Moose? But he’s a bear,” Kenny says, confused. He gives me one of those looks that makes me think I’ve gone insane.

  “You don’t know how he identifies!” I say, pretending to be appalled.

  “Note taken,” he laughs. “So, does this Mr. Moose have an origin? What’s his story?”

  I sit down on my bunk and pick my teddy bear back up, touching his soft white fur. “An ex-boyfriend got him for me. He’s just one of those items you can’t let go of because of the memories. I know it sounds silly, but it was one of the first things I got from a guy, and I just like it. Don’t judge me.”

  “I’m not judging,” he says with sincerity in his voice. “So what happened between you and the boyfriend?”

  I put the bear back down. “We decided it would be best to break up. He started college last year. I didn’t want to be the high school girlfriend he left behind. I think it was for the best. All of my friends had boyfriends going off to college and they were miserable. They waited for calls and texts and always got upset when their boyfriends couldn’t come home for homecoming or football games.”