Camp Crazy

2: New Kids

The words pride camp rang in my head. 10 minutes ago I was sure my life was over, I would be brainwashed into believing my parents and their pointless views, but now Im about to have the best summer of my life. 

Coral and Ocean took the seats behind me, I turned my head around to see them talking to an African American girl. They wore a large black hoodie that read Thrasher and a pair of washed jeans. Their hair was a short pixie cut but if she grew it out she would have an afro. Next to her was a skateboard with grip tape colored rainbow.

I overheard some of what they were talking about and learned that this person's name is AJ. 

I was now facing the girls, "Hey." I beamed, "If you don't mind me asking, why did you get sent here." She sighed, looking down at her feet, "You don't have to tell me." She seemed ashamed of herself.

"No no, it's okay, it's just most people don't understand." They bit their lip. "Im pangender, I know it's not a real identity, just something I made up for attention." 

"Um, do you mind explaining what it is?" It was now my turn to be embarrassed. Their face was now beaming with excitement.

"Of, course. So you know what gender fluid is right?" I bobbed my head up and down. "Well, genderfluid people shift between what gender they feel were as I am all the genders at once." 

"You learn something new every day." I joked, making some of the tension in the room lessened. Before I could bring up another topic, Dylan came to our little group with another camper. "Oh, I'm Noelle by the way."

"AJ, it feels nice not to be called by my dead name. At home it was always Sarah do this, Sarah could you get this for me. The worst one was 'no I'm not calling you AJ your name is Sarah, you're a girl." 

"Dead names suck, I'm thinking about changing mine, but I don't know what to change it to. Nothings clicked ya know." I was pretty sure they would understand as they had been in my shoes before.

"Hello campers, I have someone who I'd like to introduce," whoever they were I couldn't see them since they were cowing behind Dylan. 

"Hi, I'm Izzie." They appeared. "My pronouns are she/her, oh and I'm a lesbian." Coral sprang out of her seat.

"YES MORE LESBIANS." She screeched. 

"SHHHH, you're bursting my eardrums." Her sister, Ocean, spoke. 

The bus pulled up to a camp with a sign in big black and white letters CAMP CRAZY. Underneath it read 'we fix your child's mental illness.' So much for 'fixing' I thought. We were ushered out of our bus and placed in a line based on the last name. Behind me was a girl with silky long light brown hair, she wore a pair of jean shorts and a black cropped top. One side was a plain horse and above it read 'you', on the other was a unicorn, above the unicorn read 'me'." She had bright hazel eyes with light freckles littered around her face. 

"JJ." She placed her hand out to shake. 

"Noelle," I grasped her hand, my hair falling in front of my face. 

"Nice hair, my parents would never let me die my hair blue. They think it looks strange." her shoulders sunk like the titanic. 

"Hey, I'm pretty sure Coral mentioned something about a salon, maybe you can die your hair there," I suggested. 

It was only a couple more minutes before I was at the front, standing in front of a silver-haired woman, she looked to be in her early 20's. Her shirt read You Can't Fix My Asexuelty Just Like I Can't Fix Your Stupidity. Based on that I could assume she's asexual. "Hello, what's your name." Her tone was soft and calming but at the same time peppy and excited. 

"Noelle." 

"Gender?"

"Non-Binary:

"Pronouns?"

"They/Them"

"Sexuality?"

"Lesbian."

"Perfect, your all set please go inside the auditorium."  I caught up to AJ on the way in. They were bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm. She grabbed my hand, yanking me over to a row of seats with Coral, Ocean, and Izze already sitting there. We took the last few seats in the row just in enough time for a counselor to come up on stage. They looked upset and worried. 

"Could I please have Ocen and Coral Windscope, JJ Binwood, and Noelle Greenland please come with me."