Military Freak

Inn Trouble

"We're almost done with our brush-up on counselor duties. Noah, can you tell me the motto for cleaning the kitchen?" Lou asked.

"Sloppy Sundays cause Moldy Mondays," Noah said with a small sigh.

"Yes. So, to recap, scrubbing the canoes? Counselor problem. Bathroom duty? Counselor problem." Lou turned, then looked back at us. "The other kind of bathroom doodies? Also a counselor problem."

"Lou, you might want to watch out for the..."

"I know, I know. Language," Lou mocked.

"No, I mean-"

Lou yelped as she fell backward. There was a hole in the lawn big enough for Lou to fit in it like a beanbag chair. I then looked around in disbelief. Who decided to pull this? The grass was hard enough to maintain. Especially after Gladys painted the grass green most of the time. It was so hard to get the green off and get it healthy again.

"Who dug a hole in the middle of the lawn?" Lou questioned.

"That sounds like a co-director problem," Noah said.

~~~

Lou walked up to us, hiding something behind her back. "Woodchucks, Weasels, you know why I'm here."

"Ooh, you're in trouble," Noah mocked.

"Actually, they're getting honored," Lou explained.

"Ooh, you're getting honored." Noah shook his head. "Not as fun."

"Ladies, now that you're all showered and fed after your big night, I can officially induct you into the sacred Order of the Muskrat," Lou explained.

"They get a medal for that? Anybody can go online and order a muskrat. I've got a weasel coming next Tuesday," Finn protested.

"She means we completed the Muskrat Challenge," I corrected him. "You spend a night in the woods with no supplies except a newspaper, and a raw, unpeeled potato."

"Very off-brand for me, but I did it," Destiny said.

"I'm so proud. We Woodchucks have a tradition of being tough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I napped weird and need the nurse to rub out my ouchie." Lou left.

"This medal is so cool," Ava gushed. "Ugh, old me would not be friends with new me."

"Same," Millie agreed. "I love camp thanks to (Y/n), and old me would have just wanted to go home."

"Aw." Millie hugged me. "Thanks, Mills. You make camp enjoyable for me too."

"You guys jealous?" Destiny taunted the boys.

Noah rolled his eyes. "So you were in the woods all night with only a potato. Big deal."

"Well, you guys couldn't do it," Amber reasoned.

"You won't even sit on the grass without a blanket," Millie snorted.

"It's pokey," Matteo whined.

"You know what? We Grizzlies are way tougher than you," Griff said, standing up to face us. "We can do that challenge."

"We can," Matteo said confidently. "We can? We can!"

"That's right. He got there," Finn added.

"No way you Grizzlies can handle it out in the woods," Ava challenged.

"You wouldn't even last a minute," Millie agreed.

"Unless you really applied yourself, because I think you're pretty capable people," Gwen said.

~~~

I was cleaning our cabin upstairs, the door open to let in the fresh air.

"What brings you here, sweetheart?" I asked, feeling the looming presence of my boyfriend.

"Do you believe in me?" Griff asked.

"I support you in anything and everything you do. As long as it's reasonable," I assured him, turning to kiss his cheek.

"So you think I could do this overnight?" Griff questioned.

I smiled. "Oh, no."

"Why not?" Griff questioned.

"Griff, you have never camped out in your life. And you've barely done wilderness survival," I reasoned.

"Watch me," Griff said, getting closer to my face.

I smiled, cupping his cheeks. I placed a long kiss on his lips, loving the determination in his eyes. "I will make it the whole night, and I will prove you wrong, and cuddle you for the whole day after that."

"Of course you will."

"Wow. Whoever redid this place sure did a good job."

Griff and I froze. "Don't worry. If we don't move, she won't know."

"(Y/n), I know you and Griff are up there."

I climbed down the ladder slowly. Hazel was standing there, smiling. She looked proud. "Hey, (Y/n)."

"Hi, Hazel. What's up?" I asked.

"Just checking out the camp," Hazel admitted. "I'm proud of what you've done to this camp. Co-director."

"Hazel, why are you being so nice?" I asked.

Hazel looked around. "I really missed out on watching you grow, and I'm really happy you're the counselor here." She took a deep breath. "How's Griff? And Xander?"

"I'm fine." Griff slid down the ladder. "Xander's, you know, Xander."

"Thanks for asking, Hazel," I said, a small smile gracing my face.

Hazel held out her arms. I accepted her hug, despite our weird past. She was finally being nice. And she was proud of me.

~~~

"Welcome back to camp, Grizzly Cabin," Gwen greeted the boys. "You did it. You're now members of the Order of the Muskrat."

"We were so impressed, we asked Lou if we could give you your medals," Ava admitted. "And she very generously said, whatever, then it's off my plate."

I placed Griff's medal around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I'm very proud of you, and I stand corrected."

"I've got to hand it to you. I never thought you could rough it like that," Destiny admitted.

"Yeah, I thought you'd get mauled by a bear, and we'd be there now picking up bloody scraps."

"Then why would you let us go?" Matteo questioned, horrified.

"Seriously, we never should have doubted you, guys. Great job," I said.

"Thanks," Noah replied. "Okey-dokey, we're gonna go wash up. As you see, we are dirty."

"Not yet. You have to tell us all about your night."

"Where did you sleep? What did you use the newspaper for?" Gwen paused. "Finn, are you licking dirt off of your arm?"

"Yes, I am. Because-"

"Because we were roughing it so hard, we had to eat dirt," Noah lied.

"The wilderness changes a man."

"Griff, go shower," I said.

"Why does he get to shower?" Finn questioned.

"Because I know you guys just spilled chocolate over yourselves to make it look like dirt, and that blood is jam. I'll see you guys later."

Just as he promised, he jumped onto my bed a few minutes after I sat down. I combed my fingers through his soft hair, still damp from his shower. He fell asleep with his head in my lap, letting hours go by as we sat there in peace.