The Start of Everything After

Camping

"You're good." I assure her. "Since I got here early and got us the infamous seats over the back wheel, I get the window."  I wait for her to protest but when she doesn't respond, I guess that there's more to it than she's letting on.

"We can talk about it, you know," I say wishing I could take back my rudeness and start the conversation over.  "Four hours is enough time to mull it over I think, how about you?"

"Mmm, yea, maybe. I don't know Lil, I kinda don't wanna talk about it because then I'll have to think about it and I definitely don't want to think about it, that'd be the worst possible  thing. Ugh" she moans dramatically  "parents; can't live with them can't live without them, am I right?"

"Come on ladies, get in, we actually do have somewhere we're supposed to, believe it or not" he claps his hands at us twice, which irks me.

"Ladies, we're ladies now? When did that happen?" I ask.

"Ladies, girls, mademoiselles, humans, whatever, you pick". I smile smugly, having already succeeded in annoying him this early in the morning, when we haven't even left yet.

We reach the back of the bus and Kacie lets me get my window seat.

"I think my dad is dating someone but I don't know who" Kacie says, dropping the bomb right as our derrieres touch the seat and the bus starts to pull out. I look at her, and to my surprise she doesn't seem fazed by this.

Three hours and forty eight minutes later we arrive at the campground adorably named Fox Trot Hollow. It's woody piney sent drifts through the open windows and I'm suddenly antsy to get off this stuffy bus and into nature.

The trees tall and looming, I suddenly feel small, and sometimes it's a good thing to feel small. It puts all your earthly problems into perspective. And perspective is just what I seem to need. Like what Kacie said earlier about in five years will she, I, all of us, remember this. In one year I'm off to college, and then I'll have new problems but for now I'm here, in the woods about to go camping and hopefully have some fun along the way.

"Damn my ass is sore." Complains Kacie and I'm shocked back into the present. Kacie has that charm about her that that one person we all know has, which is always forcing you to live in the present. It's refreshing, although sometimes tiring, but in the perfect way. "Like as if the boyfriend I don't have slapped my ass sore"

Talking. Three hours and forty nine minutes of it. If I have to listen to one more comment from Kacie I swear my head will explode, no I will explode. I wouldn't mind if we talked about her parents or real things, I'd invite it, welcome it with open arms, but she wanted to chit chat. Avoid. She went on about how cheese cake should be counted as a protein not a dessert due to its ingredients, and she told me that the next time she gets a cat she's going to name it Elizabeth or Patrick so she can say Patrick peed on the carpet again or Elizabeth jumped onto and threw up on the table . And I'm not saying it's petty, it was entertaining I'll give her that... but it's not exactly the meaningful conversation I not only expected, but actually wanted to have.

"Pay attention Lilah? Watch my fingers" she says as she snaps twice in front of my face "Earth to Lilah, earth to- could you be any more pathetic?"

"Yes. I could be you" I answer, jokingly.

"Oh so she is paying attention" But I'm not.

"Heloooo" now Kacie has resorted to waving her hands in front of me but one most steady glare. She gets the message and becomes silent.

"Hey, does anyone have to brush their teeth?"  I ask the girls who are still awake by the fire. Now I could've gone to brush my teeth when most girls did hours ago but there were marshmallows calling out to be toasted. I lost count how many gooey sticky mostly burnt sugary blobs I consumed. But who's counting? Not me. And who can blame me really, we're camping!