He’s wearing a pair of orange and garnet sweatpants with the Maryville mascot on them and his grey shirt stretches across his chest. I want to reach out and hug him so I can feel the soft cotton on my cheek, but I keep the five feet distance.
“I do, but you’re being super weird.”
“No, I’m not,” I protest. “I’m…”
I hear a giggle coming from inside the boys’ restroom, but it’s not a boy's giggle, it’s a girl’s voice. When Sampson starts to argue with the fact that I’m being weird, I instantly shush him.
“Did you hear that?” I ask, pointing to the boys’ bathroom.
“These kids, seriously. You turn your head for one minute and they go frolicking behind your back,” he says, pushing the door open. I come behind him to see the culprits.
“Are you kidding me?” Sampson yells. I can’t see who he’s looking at because he’s so tall. When he suddenly turns to leave, I finally get a good look.
Casanova and Viv, caught in the act.
Her tank top is on the floor, his hands are on her bare stomach. Viv stares at me with vengeance in her eyes and then slides off the sink, pushing by Casanova.
“Sampson, wait,” she says as she shoves me to the side. “It meant nothing.”
“It sure as hell looked like it meant something,” he hisses through his teeth, trying not to make a scene. “How long has this been going on?”
When Viv doesn’t say anything, Sampson squeezes his fist.
“How long, Viv?” He says.
“Does it matter how long?” she asks. I think that was the worst response she could have given. She could have said anything else - awhile, a few months, anything, but she didn’t.
“I thought you loved me,” Sampson says and my heart breaks for him.
Casanova just grins as he adjusts his sweat pants and heads back into the sleepover What an asshole.
“Come on, we’re young. We don’t know what love is,” Viv answers.
Sampson just shakes his head. Viv takes that as her cue to go back into the slumber party too. There’s no way to fix the damage. Sampson stands there not saying a word, not making a move to go punch Casanova in the face or to storm out.
“Sampson,” I start to say.
“Don’t,” he bites off. “You knew about this?”
I nod my head, afraid to say the wrong words.
“And you didn’t tell me? This is the secret you wouldn’t tell me? How long have you known about this?”
I swallow. “Since the first day I got here. I caught them in the cabin. She threatened me, and I didn’t know she was cheating at the time.”
“You didn’t think it would be a good idea to tell me?”
“She threatened me, Sampson,” I say, throwing up my defenses. “She threatened to get me fired. This has been my dream job, I couldn’t…”
“I thought we were friends,” Sampson says, shaking his head. “You know, the only thing worse than a cheater is a liar.”
He walks away and I chuckle. “I’m not going to feel bad, Sampson. What if I told you? Would you have believed me? No, because in your eyes, Viv could do no wrong. Don’t act like you’re innocent too…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks.
“Nothing, whatever. I need to get back to my campers.”
As I start to walk back in, Sampson pulls on my arm. “Tell me what you mean by that.”
My lower lip quivers and I back up against the wall. “How stupid can you be? Were we ever just friends?”
“I thought we were… I’m sorry if you misread any of my actions…”
I’m not going to cry in front of him. I will not cry in front of him.
“Let me go, Sampson,” I growl, not looking him in the eyes.
“Geez,” says Kenny from the door. “Does no one watch the campers anymore? Everything okay out here?”
“It’s fine, Kenny,” I say, pushing Sampson aside. “I just needed some air. So many kids in one room smells gross after a while.”
“I’ll make sure all the guys wear deodorant next time,” he teases. “Sampson, the movie just ended, do we have any more?”
“Yeah,” Sampson says. “I’ll grab some more from my dad’s office.”
Sampson heads off to the office and I walk toward Kenny. He holds the door open for me and grabs my hand.
“You okay?” he asks, his voice low. “He didn’t hurt you or anything?”
“No, yes, I’m okay. No he didn’t hurt me,” I say. “Thanks for checking on me, Kenny.”
“No problem, I do believe you have a Go Fish game to get back to. I think I saw Daisy peeking at your cards.”
I smile at Kenny and head back to my game, but it looks like a few of the girls have ventured over to their sleeping bags to go to bed. Kelsey is up talking to Lain, but when she sees me she stands up and we meet at our sleeping bags. I sit down and pull my pillow into my lap.
“That didn’t look pleasant,” she says, pulling her bee pillow pet into her lap. “Viv has been fuming in the corner over there.”
“You know, I thought people got more mature when they go to college,” I say. “But I’ve experienced more drama this summer than I feel like I’ve had through my four years in high school.”
“Preach girl,” Kelsey says, trying to calm my mood. “I’m sure everyone will get over it soon.”
I nod and breathe in deeply. “Now that the truth is out there. I’m sure now it will blow over quickly.”
“Now,” Kelsey says smiling. “Onto more important matters, let’s talk about the dance tomorrow.”
We both giggle and Kelsey lies down in her sleeping bag, calling it a night. I check in one more time with the rest of my campers and set my alarm to go off around six in the morning, that way some of the girls can get their morning showers before breakfast. Before I close my eyes, I glance around the room once more and see Sampson sitting with a few of the boys, playing cards. He’s looking at me when I spot him, but quickly looks away.
It’s time to start concentrating more on making myself happy. I can’t try to be something he wants, and I can’t keep walking on eggshells around Viv. This may be my last summer here.
“Look,” Viv confronts me in our private room the next day. “I honestly can’t stand looking at your face. I want to punch you every time I see you because you pretend like you’re so innocent. I’m going to talk to Mr. Garreth today and get a new CIT.”
“What?” I ask, pulling out a clean pair of shorts and a t-shirt to wear for the day.
She rolls her eyes at me. “Clearly, you’re not cut out to work here.”
“What are you talking about ‘I’m not cut out to work here’? I’ve been around for these girls more than you have. While you’ve been out traipsing with who knows who, I’ve been working.”
“It’s my word against yours,” she says, reminding me where I stand.
“You know,” I say. “You’re not Sampson’s girlfriend anymore, you don’t get special treatment after the things you’ve done.”
“Oh, honey,” she smiles and places her hand on my shoulder gently. “You think we broke up? I’ll have you know we made up after you went to bed. He came crawling back to me, just like he always does. Like he always will.”
“I don’t believe you,” I say, grabbing my nametag and toiletry kit. “Sampson has more dignity than to go back to you after you cheated on him.”
She puts her hands up in the air, “Okay, you got me. We haven’t gotten back together yet, but we will. We always do.”
“I heard you’re going to the dance with Kenny,” Kelsey says, putting on some blush. She has her makeup all over the sink, some of it opened and leaving flecks of powder on the side of the porcelain.
“Everyone is going to the dance,” I clarify, flossing the remains of corn from dinner that are still stuck in my teeth. I can hardly see myself in the mirror because she’s taking up so much of it. “And I’m not sure where this Kenny thing came from.”
> She puts on her bright red lipstick looking like a Taylor Swift impersonator, treating the dance as if it’s a legitimate high school homecoming or the VMAs. “Daisy and Sophia seem to think Kenny is your prince charming. What do you think you-know-who will say?”
I shrug my shoulders, toss the floss in the trash, and tighten my braids. “I’m not sure what gave them that impression, and you-know-who isn’t talking to me now. But I shouldn’t be discussing any of this with you. You’re a camper.”
“I’m still your friend though, and you need to talk to someone. I feel like you’re not as happy as you have been previous summers. What’s going on with you?”
I close the bathroom door and lean my back against it. “It just feels like I had such high expectations for this summer and it’s just been a total disaster. I’ve gotten distracted from what I wanted, and now I have no idea what my future holds.”
“That’s a bit dramatic,” she says as she cleans up her makeup and stuffs it back into the bag. It barely zips shut. “You need to find a way to take your life back under control. Grab it by the balls.”
“Don’t say balls,” I say rolling my eyes. “There are little girls in the other room.”
She turns and places her hands on my shoulders. “It’s going to be okay. Screw Sampson for not seeing what a catch you are and letting Viv control him. Screw your parents for not seeing what a big mistake they’re making. Live your life and be the badass chick I know you can be.”
“I’ve never been a badass,” I say defeated.
“It’s never too late to figure out how to be.”
She turns me to look into the mirror and undoes my braids, running her fingers through my hair, trying to pull out the knots. I stare into my eyes reflected in the mirror.
“You can do this, you can be anyone you want to be. Don’t let them win, don’t let any of them make you feel inferior,” she says.
I nod and meet her gaze in the mirror. “Thanks for the pep talk, Kels. I needed that.”
“Hey, Kenny,” I say when I find him filling up his water bottle with ‘bug juice’. They call the red Kool-Aid that because of all the bugs it attracts if you don’t put it in a sealed container. “What’s up?”
“Oh hey,” he says, turning around with a surprised expression on his face. “I didn’t think you’d actually show up.”
“Kenny, it’s a camp event,” I say, rolling my eyes and grabbing myself a cup to fill with water. “We all have to show up.”
“You know what I meant. I didn’t think you would show up and want to hang out with me. You’ve been pretty distant lately.”
“About that,” I say, feeling ashamed. “I’m sorry. I should have told you what was going on.”
“Something still going on at home with your parents?” he asks.
“How’d you know?”
His face flushes. “I saw you calling Sampson that night, and he told me you were having some trouble back home. Is it getting better at all?”
We both go over to sit on one of the hay bales and watch the kids run around while the music is on full blast. This is probably the best idea, get all the energy out of them right before bedtime, no wonder schools give younger kids recess time.
“It’s okay I guess. I call home about once a week to check in with my parents. Things are still up in the air.”
He nods and takes a sip of his drink, the red staining his lips. “You doing okay yourself? With the whole Morgan situation?”
“Yeah, it’s so annoying,” I say shaking my head. “I told her not to run. I did everything possible and it still happened and I never left her side at the hospital. Yet, her parents are ticked.”
“Kids are fragile,” Kenny says. “She could have been walking in her own house and had that happen. It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but right now I feel like everything is my fault.”
“It’ll get better,” he says. “Trust me.”
“I’m kind of running low on trusting people,” I admit to him. “It’s hard for me to believe anything anymore.”
And it is. Not only have I lied to Sampson about Viv, but I’ve been lied to by Janine and my parents. What’s the point in letting another person in, if they’re just going to do the same? I just need to keep my eye on the prize: finish up camp, start college, begin the rest of my life. No distractions.
JULY
“Come on in, Penelope,” Mr. Garreth says when I knock on his door. He’s cleaning up his desk from some paperwork that looks very daunting.
“Sorry, I’m early,” I say awkwardly.
“You’re fine, have a seat,” he says, motioning to one of the giant leather chairs. I feel like I’m sitting in the principal's office. “I was just finishing up some paperwork for camp expansion.”
“Are you buying more property?” I ask.
“Trying to,” he says. “We’re wanting to get some more land in order to build some cabins for more employees and campers. I’d like to keep Camp Arthur growing.”
“That’s awesome, I’d love to see that too!”
Mr. Garreth smiles and pulls my file out of his desk drawer like he does every time we have a meeting, which is about once a week if possible. This meeting seems scarier than the others, especially after Morgan’s accident.
“How have you been, Penelope?” he starts, poising his pen over the file.
“I’ve been okay,” I answer with a shrug, trying not to think about what he might write down. “Been better, but doing alright.”
“I see you’ll be going to orientation soon,” he says. “Are you excited for a break from camp?”
I shake my head. “No and yes. I love it here, but I am excited to get my classes for the fall. I’m nervous though, it’ll be my first time on campus without my parents.”
“How are your mom and dad?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I start to dread this small talk. Can’t we just get down to business? “They’re okay. I’d rather hear how I’m doing according to your notes. I know I probably lost some points from what happened the other day with my camper…”
Mr. Garreth sits my file down and closes the folder. “We haven’t heard anything from the lawyers, but I just want you to know it wasn’t your fault. It was an accident, if anything, they’ll probably threaten to sue us and then we will blacktop a few trails as a compromise.”
“But the whole point of a trail is the dirt and the muck, the downed trees and stumps, right?”
He nods. “I know, but they are a safety concern. Camp isn’t like it used to be, parents just seem to send their kids here so they don’t have to find a babysitter in the summer.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Indeed it is,” he says. “I also have heard from some other counselors that you’re having a hard time with Viv. Is this true?”
I don’t want to admit it, but I can’t lie to my boss. “Yeah, she’s been kind of aggressive toward me since day one.”
“Yeah, I was afraid of that,” he says running a hand through his hair. “Don’t tell anyone this, but I probably shouldn’t have let Sampson talk me into hiring her. I knew it would be a bad idea.”
“Then why did you?” I ask, hoping not to sound too blunt with my question.
“Sampson knows how to twist my arm,” he sighs. “I’m going to have a talk with Viv, while you’re away this weekend of course. She can’t be scaring off one of my best CITs.”
“I’m one of the best?” I ask.
He nods. “I see how well you do with the younger girls. They’re crazy about you. I wish I could employ ten more versions of you. And from how well you work with your other co-workers, aside from Viv, I can see how hard you’re trying.”
“Thank you for noticing,” I say. “I’m loving my cabin. These girls have been pretty great.”
“Well, keep up the work. Only a few more weeks.”
“You sound like you can’t wait,” I say with a smile.
He returns the smile. “Oh, my job never end
s. I have to keep this place up and running even through the winter.”
“Really?” I ask. “You don’t have campers then.”
“Nope, but we have some companies that want to come in and do team building activities. We also rent out some of the smaller cabins for family getaways. That’s one of the ways we stay in business. We don’t charge day camper families, most of those campers come from broken homes, so that’s a big loss of money. We make it back in the winter and spring and with our full time campers.”
“Huh,” I say. “Who knew?”
“I’m not just the goofy guy that comes out occasionally to make sure you’re always singing or have a smile on your face,” he laughs. “I have to constantly be on my toes, year around.”
My watch alarm goes off, signaling that I need to meet my campers for their next activity. “Well, I have to go. I need to get over to the lake.”
“I’ll take ya,” he says pushing himself back from his desk and grabbing his golf cart keys. “Let’s go. I can’t keep myself out of the beautiful sun all day.”
“Let’s go,” I agree.
“Penelope!” Daisy squeals. “Will you paddle boat with me and Sophia?”
Mr. Garreth dropped me off at the lake and when I made it over to the dock, Daisy and Sophia were the only two sitting there in life jackets waiting patiently for their turn. Everyone else was either fishing or already out in a paddle boat or canoe.
“Why yes I can,” I say. “But we’re going to need another person to even things out.”
“I’ll find someone!” Sophia says, running off to where everyone is fishing. I grab a lifejacket in my size and check Daisy’s to make sure she has it on properly.
“Are you having a good day?” I ask her, pulling one of the straps a little tighter.
She nods and smiles. “Yup. I got to go on the big swing!”
The big swing is just what it sounds like, but inside one of our giant sheds where you’re pulled to the top and swing back and forth, strapped in like a zipline. It’s fairly new, most of the kids love it.
The Last July: A New Adult Romance Page 15