~~ Kailee~~
I step off the bus as I arrive at the christian kids camp, Lake Monticello, in Virginia. The camp counselor orientation was starting in five minutes, so I was right on time. Perfect. I send a quick text to Blaire, Darcy and my dad saying I made it and that the area is beautiful.
"Counselors, lets get going inside. Two minutes." Shouts a girl, maybe in her twenties, wearing a red shirt, that says monticello in white script.
I follow the crowd inside the main hall. Theres rows of cushioned black chairs, after I get my welcome folder, I take a seat in the third row.
"Good after noon guys. Were going to go over the basics. Campers arrive on wednesday, thats in two days. So we'll start by going over everything you need to know about running a group, then tonight we'll have some team building activities because here, were family." The camp director starts "So each cabin has, ten to twelve kids. They'll be arranged by gender and group. Two counslers per cabin. Heres your cabins." I listen to the guy, whose also wearing a Monticello shirt read off assignments. I quickly do the math. Theres about forty counselors then. The cabins are organized by age. Starting at ten and goes to fifteen. "Kailee Cauvery, and Reah Walsh, Cabin 6."
I stand up and head to the the guys Assistant, whose giving out the rosters and cabin information.
"Kailee?" Another girl, whom I'm assuming is Reah asks
"Ya. Nice to meet you." She plucks both our folders from the girls hands and leads me out to our cabin. "You've been here before?" I ask since she seems to know what shes doing. She has black curly hair and light milky ebony skin.
"Ya. This is my second year. Its so fun. This is our cabin." She opens the creaky door in one corner are two single beds. Our I assume. Then theres six sets of bunk beds spaced through out the cabin. In the back theres a long mirror that covers the wall, smart. Theres cubbies style closets on either side of the mirror, one for each girl. Then theres a door that leads to the bathroom where theres three showers and toliets. Inside theres also cubby holes for each girl. Theres also a two desks in the cabin.
And me and Reah also each have a two drawer dresser. "Were supposed to assign the closets and cubbies ahead of time." Reah hands me a pack of white labels and a black sharpie
"Why?"
"Suprisingly, they fight over them. All the girls want either the closet closest to the bathroom or farthest away for more privacy." She takes out the roster of kids we will have. Eleven kids. Age thirteen. This could be interesting. Ah Jr. High. That was a rough year.
"How come some girls names are highlighted?"
"Uh. Hardship. That means they have a story, and we'll need to watch them a little more carefully." She says as she sticks the plastic labels in the cubbys. "So tell me about you"
"Oh. I'm Kailee. I'm from Georgia. I'm seventeen. My dads a writer for the Georgia state paper. I'm an only child. I will start my Senior year this year. Thats about it."
"What about your mom?"
"Oh... She passed away about six years ago." I say quietly.
"Oh" Reah looks up from her current task. "Sorry to hear that."
"Its okay. What about you?"
"Well. I live here in Virginia. A couple hours away. My Moms a teacher at a christian school and my dads a child psychologist. So I guess I get my heart for all this from them. I have a younger brother and a older sister. I graduated last week. So I'll start college in the fall. I'm eighteen."
"Do you know what you want to major in?"
"Well honestly I would love to do this for the rest of my life. But my parents want me to purse some type of degree in case I change my mind later." She rises from her spot and then starts to unpack her clothes. She must be very organized because he clothes are seperated by colors. Thats good. We'll get along well then. I don't like messiness. Darcy's very messy. She doesn't pick up after her self or anything.
"Well this is my first time doing anything like this, so I'm glad they paired me with someone who enjoys it."
"Its gonna be a great summer. You'll enjoy it. Just wait."
~~ Darcy ~~
"Daddy" I squeal as I see my dad. I've always been a daddys girl. We have a great bond. It broke my heart when my parents divorced. I have always adored my dad. So him moving away was a hard adjustment. I tried to act like I didn't care and all that. Blaire says I adapted my nonchalant attitude from the divorce. She likes to analyze people and things. She said that I covered my pain with a careless attitude. Why would I care if my parents divorced if I didn't care at all. Something like that. Blaire's never explained Kailee to me. She said thats a hole none of us should dig? I don't know. I try to avoid listening to Blaire's philosophical talks.
"Hey Darce. I've missed you." He side hugs me as we walk to luggage claim.
"I've missed you so much. I'm so excited to be here! To be this close to the beach is great and you said the church was great to right?"
"Well were not that close to the beach. Its about an hour away. But yes the church is great. You'll like it."
"An hour is close enough for me. I hope I can make friends though."
"If I remember correctly. You've never had any issues making friends you always have great friends."
"Well its not that. But I've always had Kailee and Blaire on my side so making other friends wasn't a priority for me" I explain to him.
"Oh. Ya how are they?" We load into his car and start the drive home. Its a little over an hour.
"Well This is our first summer apart. Kailees got a job at a Christian childrens summer camp in Virginia and Blaire is interning at a church thats only a few hours from home. She's gonna stay with her brother. But their both great."
"Thats good. I'm sure you guys will all survive."
"Wheres Cora?" I ask referring to his new wife.
"Oh shes at home with the kids." I have a younger step sister whose fourteen, and two half brothers who are seven and eight. I have an okay relationship with my step mom. I mean... She defenitly does not treat me the same as the other kids. But I can tell that she trys hard to act like I'm one of hers.
"Oh. How are Cody and Jacob?"
"Fine. Uh their both playing soccer this summer so expect to be at a few games."
"Oh good. Maybe I'll make it to a few of their games."
"I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to and they'd love if you showed up. They like an audience.."
"I can't wait! I'm excited now! Oh. Hows Kelsey? Whats she doing this summer?" I ask referring to my step sister. She really doesn't like me. Actually she doesn't like me at all.But I decided to make that change this summer. My goal is to become her best friend. And we all know that once I have an Idea planted in my head. It sticks.
"She'll be helping at the church a lot the youth group like I said has a summer of activities planned.. So you can hang out with her. I know shes three years younger than you. But I'd like if you tried to influence her. She struggled this past year at school. Since she started high school. Shes been in with a bad group of friends and all that. Typical freshman year stuff you know?"
"Course. I'd like to spend time with her." I tell him. We now pull into the drive way of his cliche suburban house. Here goes the start of my summer.
~~ Blaire ~~
I pull into a parking space of my brothers apartment around noon on tuesday. I hop out grabbing my brown satchel and head up the stone stairs to the second floor. 33B. I knock on his door even though he sent a key. Thirty seconds or so later the familiar brown haired guy opens the door.
"Jordan!" I throw my arms around him.
"Hey blaire." He mumbles. Hes wearing a grey shirt and basketball shorts. "Is your stuff in the car?" He ask.
"Ya. Come help me bring it up. I'm so excited to stay here. To be away from mom and dad all summer. Oh the beauty in that! And we can have brother sister bonding. And be careless and stay up late and-"
"We'll be able to do everyhing you want to do. Promise. Just take a breath." He laughs at me as he pulls one of my suitcases out my trunk. I grab the second and my laptop bag and follow him back up the stairs clicking the automatic lock on my car on the way up. "Whats one thing you want to get out of this summer?"
"Honestly. I want to learn to loosen up. I want to be careless." I tell him.
"We can do that."
Inside his apartment its real nice. "Do you have a girlfriend?" I scrunch my noes at him.
"Where did that come from?"
"Your apartments to nice. You didn't do this yourself." I say referring to the fact that he has framed photos on the wall and a fruitbowl and the island counter. Sorry, no guy does this.
"I don't know what you mean." He shrugs nonchalantly sitting on the black couch in the center of his living room.
"No guy has a key ring hanging on the wall and no guy has cucumber melon air fresheners." I glare at him.
"Okay okay. Yes I do have a girlfriend. Her name is Lexi. I didn't want to disappoint you. I know we never get quality time. But ya. We've been together since I moved here."
"You didn't even tell mom and dad."
"Do you honestly think they'd care?"
"Is she a christian?"
"Yes."
"Then no they probably won't as long as shes saved and dress nice."
Hes right. My parents care. But they don't care. Their really big on image and everything. They want everything to be perfect in a broken world. They want us to be the model christian family, submerged in church, outside of church were involved in all these school activities, have perfect grades, dress nicely, and everything. My mother loves showing me and my brother off. But I need a break sometimes. I love them either way though..
"Well... She lives here. Thats really why I didn't tell them.'
"Jordan! Thats.... "
"Were abstinent so it doesn't matter." He clarifies before I can begin my argument.
"That doesn't make it right. Your not married."
"Its fine. We've been okay so far." He says flicking on the tv, insinuating that the conversation is over.
____________________________
I really love this book!
Photo of Darcy on the side---->
Anyone else? The chapters are longer than my other books have been!
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