Camp Greenlake: A Tent's Story

Chapter Nine | Conflict Resolution

Chapter Nine
Conflict Resolution

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

  Not once during my whole stay at Camp Green Lake did I ever figure I would be trying to unearth information on the drama between Ohio and Iowa, but yet, even through all of what I had been through during the past bit of my stay, here I sat on my cot after a most vigorous digging day, trying to connect the dots of the information that Ohio had supplied me in my brain. No matter which way I put it, it just didn't make sense. As I was facing my self inflicted mental battle, Minnesota walked into the tent, presumably to take her place on her cot once more. I said a simple "Hey", fully expecting her to nod back and move on with her usual routine, but instead, she acknowledged my frustration.

"What's up with you?" She asked, unbuttoning her jumpsuit and fixing the top around her waist. I looked up in an aggravated manner (not directed at her by any means) and briefly explained my predicament.
"I'm trying to solve a problem."
Minnesota chuckled in slight confusion. "What, like a math problem? That's one way to save time I guess." I rolled my eyes and looked at her with a playfully annoyed expression. "Obviously not." I said. "This is more of a friendship problem." Minnesota's tired gaze quickly changed to one of intrigue, and she knelt down in front of my cot. "Really? With who...?"
I got up and looked around the tent flap to make sure none of A Tent were close by before crashing back down next to Minnesota.
"It's between Iowa... and Ohio." I whispered, watching unsurprised as Minnesota's eyes widened. "What? That's crazy." She said with more expression in her voice than I've ever heard before that very moment. I could tell she was taken aback, because it really was that shocking. Iowa and Ohio didn't seem close at all, I wouldn't have been able to have guessed that they were friends had Ohio not laid down the story for me herself.

"What could possibly be their problem? I mean.. they never talk. Like, ever." Minnesota questioned, I nodded along. "That was my thought, all Ohio told me was that out of nowhere, Iowa stopped talking to her, despite them both being life long friends and all." I explained, rubbing my temples in frustration. Minnesota looked at me with quite the analytical gaze, which I would come to realize is the exact expression she wears when she's mentally hatching a plan.
"What's up?" I asked, Minnesota's eyes squinted as she pursed her lips. "What if we do some interrogating?" She leaned in and raised her eyebrows, making her proposal all the more convincing. I leaned in to the point where all we needed to now was whisper to one another. "What do you mean by that?"
Minnesota exhaled sharply before looking out at the camp, at the many orange jumpsuits that walked across the line of sight of our tent. "What I mean... is that we could ask around. See who knows what, yknow?" I thought about it for a moment, before scrunching my face in confusion.
"Wait, how would anyone else besides A Tent know anything about Iowa and Ohio's past? Hell, I don't even think anyone in A Tent besides Iowa and Ohio even knows." I realized, and Minnesota cocked her head to the side, looking at me in such a way that told me she thought I obviously knew that wasn't what she was insinuating.
"Texas may be big... but still. There has to be a couple campers here that went to the same high school as the two." Minnesota explained. I nodded my head, and quickly shot up out of my seat, clearly taking Minnesota by surprise. "Well then, no time like the present to get started on this investigation!" I declared, looking down to Minnesota who was now smiling up at me, before getting up herself.

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

  The rest of that afternoon was spent on our feet, we asked every approachable looking camper we ran into about some intel on this whole Iowa-Ohio thing. We had to be careful about it though, one wrong move and Iowa would kick my teeth in. Rightfully so, she would be furious that I was "slinking around" ,as she would probably put it, trying to get information about her. Unfortunately, we didn't have very much help from the other campers. I was honestly surprised we got answers out of some, but it was always the usual "How the hell should I know" or "Are you tryna talk to me?".
  By the end of this search, I was sure Minnesota felt utterly defeated. Since we had initially split up across the camp to do our investigation, I wound up looking for the girl, as I was ready to throw in the towel myself.