Painted Pretty ♡

seven ♡

The days went by fast at camp GCC, and today felt like stepping into a whole new world. As soon as I stepped outside, everything was an explosion of green, like nature had cranked up the color dial to the maximum. The grass had felt so fresh under my feet, and the sun wrapped me in its warm embrace like never before.

I found myself on this little hill that gave me the perfect view of a sprawling field. Lying there, a gentle breeze swept over me, making the whole moment feel magical. Surprisingly, my mind hadn't been occupied with thoughts of Bryan; instead, it had been all about Peter.

There was something about Peter that just clicked with me. If I needed to choose between him and Bryan, it would have been Peter, no doubt. With him, there wasn't a need for masks or hiding anything; he saw the real me, and it was liberating. But being with Bryan meant I had to put myself out there, and that had been a bit daunting. Today was a big day since we're doing this team-building thing at camp.

As I looked around, I spotted Nea and Xena, skipping and laughing together. They became fast friends, and you could feel their connection from miles away.

Nea possessed this natural charm that helped her bond with anyone, while I was more cautious when it came to making friends.

Don't get me wrong, I cherished the close-knit circle I had, but suddenly, I noticed Lindsay strutting through the crowd, with her crew, and guess who was with them? Yeah, Bryan.

From where I laid, Bryan seemed engrossed in their chat, but then Andre swooped in and pulled him away. I couldn't help but wonder if Andre had been back to his usual self after taking Nea's advice about needing some alone time.

Laura blew her whistle, calling everyone together for the exercise. "Hey guys! It's game time, let's do this!" she cheered with infectious energy. I couldn't help but chuckle as I decided to roll down the hill just for fun. Dusting myself off, I quickly rejoined my group, the same one I had been with earlier.

"Alright, listen up! The game's like a battle royale kind of thing. We've hidden three boxes in the forest," Laura explained, pointing towards the forest entrance where flags were marking the way. "And since it's scorching hot today, your weapons are right in the center of the field behind us." We all turned to find a pile of water guns and toy swords waiting for us. Nea caught my eye and playfully gave me a hip bump.

I loved playing games; back home, I was hooked on League of Legends, not so great at Fortnite, but this game gave me some serious Fortnite vibes, minus the storm, I guess. Laura continued, "The goal is simple: find the hidden chests in the forest, and we'll send you guys texts with hints to help you out."

Xena stepped up, her eyes scanning the group. "Is Bryan in on this too?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because if he's playing, that's not exactly fair considering he's part of the leadership."

Laura shook her head, setting the record straight. "Nah, Bryan wasn't involved in planning this game, so he's gonna play alongside you guys," she replied. Then, with a mischievous smile, she added, "The weapons are just for fun. If you get hit, you'll need to follow the flags in the forest back to the main field. Touch the main tree and then run back in. The game ends when you hear my blowhorn. Simple, right?"

Laura glanced over at the older leader, who was rocking his cap backward when I first got here. "Pastor Andrew, take it from here!" she said, passing the spotlight to him.

The pastor stepped forward, addressing us with a calm demeanor. "Alright, folks, this is all about teamwork. Finding those hidden chests is a group effort, so look out for one another, not just yourselves. You never know, working together as a team may help you in the long run."