Don't Go Out In The Woods Today

Chapter Fifteen

“You ready girls?” Mrs Hall asked enthusiastically.

“Yeah!” our team shouted, Mr Bates blew the whistle. Our tactic was to go slow and steady which the boys team obviously had a different idea because as soon as they pushed themselves off the bank their raft wobbled to the side sending two of them off the edge and into the water, everyone laughed. We had a girl sitting on each corner with a paddle and Kelly was sitting in the middle holding onto our life jackets if we needed her. We were in the lead and none of us had fallen off

“Go on girls keep going!” Mr Bates yelled encouragement from the bank ‘shut up’ I muttered to myself.

We reached the other side of the lake “Kelly would you like a go at rowing?” Charlotte offered

“Yeah go on then.” Kelly accepted, we stabbed our paddles in the sandy bank to keep the raft steady as they swapped positions. Looking back we saw the boys’ team had just made it halfway and the other team that had two girls and three boys were three quarters of the way nearly reaching the first lap.

“You ready?” I asked my team “After three you two paddle forwards and we’ll paddle backwards to turn the raft around,” I counted down and we gently started to rotate the boat. Once again we started out slowly and steadily made our way back.

“Come on girls nearly there!” Kayleigh encouraged us; Mrs Hall got hold of the front of our raft and pulled us onto the bank when we arrived. Our team got off and cheered, while hugging and high fiving each other.

“Great team effort there girls well done.”

Everyone burst out laughing as the boys raft capsized, they gave up and swam back with their raft in pieces getting a sarcastic round of applause when they made it.

“I think it’s fair to say the girls’ team won,” we cheered. Mr Bates clapped along with the teachers and the other group. The boys just stood complaining how it wasn’t fair, they’re obviously bad losers.

“The next game is…” Mrs Hall looked at a piece of paper “lake volleyball,” she announced the boys cheered a few girls in our group sounded pleased too. We’ve played it a few times in PE had I enjoyed it but that’s when it was just girls; everyone knows how competitive and violent boys become during sport. Mrs Connell appeared out of the trees carrying the net under one arm and the ball with the other, we were told we could remove our lifejackets if we promised not to drown- which isn’t really something you chose to do on purpose. Matt and Seb were given the next they walked into the lake until they were hip deep in water then stabbed the poles in the lake bed then the two groups that would be playing made their way in too.

Our group sat on the embankment watching as I expected the boys’ team were smashing the ball as hard as they could over the net leaving Catherine on the other team squeaking every time the ball approached her. The teachers were standing together under the shade of the trees

“Miss I don’t think I’ll be able to play.” Kelly turns towards them; she has something wrong with her wrist after she broke it when playing hockey.

“Well good luck girls it’s you four versus five boys.” She reminded us, you are kidding me? We’re going to get slaughtered.

“I’ll tell you what to make it fair I’ll take Kelly’s place.” Mr Bates announced. Oh for Christ’s sake this cannot get any worse. Kelly, Charlotte, Kayleigh and Ellie cheered, this is probably a dream come true for them. Our eyes locked for a second and he looked pretty pleased with himself as I sat at the back of the group wondering why I even agreed to come on this trip. Waiting for the game to finish Ellie turned to me-