camp sunshine

Day 1: One Direction, Misdirection, and Chocolate

Day 1: One Direction, Misdirection, and Chocolate

"Maybe it's the way she walked!" I whipped my head around to face my best friend, Carol, and snap-pointed at her.

"Straight into my heart and stole it!" She continued. Grinning, we continued taking turns singing each line until the chorus came. My mother decided to join us at this point.

"AND WE DANCED ALL NIGHT TO THE BEST SONG EVER!" The three of us howled, out of tune and super pitchy.

The song ended and we collapsed in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, including my mom, who probably should have kept her eyes on the road.

"Girls, I just want to say that I am so excited for you! I remember coming to this camp when I was your age. A summer camp for recently graduated seniors in high school, who are all old enough to be camp counselors, but don't find themselves responsible enough! This is where I met your father, you know," my mom droned on and I made faces at Carol from the front seat.

A few minutes later, we pulled into the small parking lot of a woodsy looking cabin that had the words "Check-in --->" written on a sign in front of it. "Look! Here we are! Camp Sunshine! My, that is some nasty graffiti! I hope you won't do anything like that here, both of you. You know the warning system: strict rules, strict guards, and one warning before they throw you out. Uncle Mike got thrown out, and-"

"Mom! We won't! Scout's honor! Now, in all those incredible memories of yours, do you happen to have instructions for where to go now?" I asked her, eagerly stepping out of her van.

"We have to go check in, May," Carol said, getting out after me. I yawned, stretching my arms, then went to the trunk to get out our luggage.

We gathered our belongings and walked to the cabin. I slowly set my things on the floor next to the front desk and adjusted my white top and blue shorts.

"Is this where we check in?" I asked the middle-aged woman sitting at the desk.

"You betcha! Can I have your names, please?" she asked, pulling her glasses down from the top of her head.

"May Adams and Carol Schauffer," I answered, cheerily.

"Hm, let's see. Aha! Here we are! Your rooming assignments are posted on the bulletin, and you can take your stuff to the girl's cabins, which are the next few cabins to my right. If you have any trouble with anything, you can come find me, and I can send you a counselor to help you out. And, that's about it! Hope y'all have a great time! Camp Sunshine's the funnest camp a young lady your age would ever find!"

I smiled brightly and thanked her, before grabbing my luggage and walking over to the bulletin.

The cabins were pretty roomy, so we'd have eight girls in each cabin, except my cabin would have seven. As soon as I found my name, I looked for Carol's. There was nowhere on the online registration where it said that we could request a roommate, so Carol and I had hoped and prayed.

Unfortunately, it didn't pay off. I would be rooming with six complete strangers. I sighed. Oh well, I guess it wouldn't be that bad. We'd still see each other, and we'd get the opportunity to make new friends.

And, as the website had said, you'll make memories that will last a lifetime and beyond!

I turned around to tell Carol she was in Cabin 3 and I was in Cabin 6, but she was already by my side. "Damnit," she muttered. "We aren't in the same cabin."

"While I'm away, promise me one thing: Never let go, Care. Never let go!" I said dramatically, and immediately started singing "My Heart Will Go On" by Celene Dione. Carol shook her head at my antics, scowling.