Top Bunk

DAY 24

"Thanks, darlin'," Sky says, a touch of her southern twang leaking in as she smirks.

"Fashion emergency," Mari mutters. She tugs at the hem of the nondescript shirt El has on. "Understatement of the fucking year."

El can only shrug.

"Alright, we're fixing this, stat," Mari declares.

Suddenly, El is in front of the vanity at the corner of the cabin, facing away from the mirror and getting blown in the face by a hairdryer. Through the hot air, El examines the cabin. Much different from hers and Grace's, Cabin 4 is more simplistic, with only random pictures tacked to the walls serving as decoration. Three twin-sized beds are lined up against the longest wall, with trunks at the foot of each.

"Where's Louise?" El asks, referring to the owner of the third bed. She winces as Mari pins a section of her unruly hair back.

It may seem odd that three of them had to share the cabin, but it's the biggest one and no way would old-fashioned Lionel let a female counselor sleep within the same vicinity of a male. El almost rolls her eyes at the thought.

"Lou is finishing setting up for the party with Grace, I think." Mari's words are barely understandable with the amount of bobby pins between her teeth.

"With Grace?" El ignores the sinking feeling in her chest that really shouldn't be there.

"With Grace," Sky says slyly, approaching the two wielding a tube of cherry lipgloss.

As much as El would never admit out loud,she likes being pampered. She likes the feeling of sticky goop being painted on her lips. She likes having people fuss over which color matches her skin tone better - mint green or sea green. She likes having her hair out of her face but having the feeling of the curls against her neck. She likes feeling pretty, even if it's just temporary.

When Mari, with Sky's help of course, is done, she lets El survey herself in the mirror of the vanity.

"I don't even get why we need to wear swimsuits," El says under her breath.

"It's a lake party and you need to look hot," Mari says briskly.

"There's kids there."

"Exactly," Mari snaps. "But what do you think?"

El takes a good look and finally looks at the figure in the mirror squarely. The sea green swimsuit peeking from under the button down Sky loaned her does look better on her than the mint green bikini. The front of her hair is pinned back in an intricate braid that El would never dream of accomplishing. Much different from that time Grace did her up (much more simple, much less Grace).

She actually doesn't look like a mess. Not like the usual El. She favors the El in the mirror.

"It's great," El says, her lips quirking up despite themselves. "Thanks."

"For saving your life," Mari adds. "You're welcome."

⌚ 12:08 PM

The Annual Ashwood Lake Party Extravaganza is a nonspecific day that depends on when Lionel wants it, when everyone, campers and counselors alike, put aside their gender-related differences (that shouldn't even be a big deal anyway) for a tension-free day filled with music, food, swimming and lake-related shenanigans.

El is pretty sure she just saw Brittany and Zac heading into a shed. Gross.

She doesn't try to linger on it too much, instead focusing on how infuriatingly cute the two people beside her are being. El would be lying if she said she isn't the least bit jealous of what they've got between them. Maybe sprinkle in something about how she was stupid not to have seen it before, and there's the truth.