(pic- did you know thERE ARE NO SEMI-RECENT PICS OF WET TSHIRT HARRY BC THERE ISNT)
Riding Poseidon.
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f o u r :
When I arrived at my cabin, I woke Stevie up, still in shock, when she told me that showers were in the morning. I told the girls to go f.uck themselves for telling me the wrong time, and ended up sleeping in the same bed with Stevie. She didn't feel well, and I was sad, so we hardcore cuddled.
I was, at first, excited to discover we were kayaking today, which I'd never done before, but then found myself disappointed when Mr. Davids refused to let Stevie kayak. He said that he did not want her to injury her ankle any further, because of liability, and something about a girl trying to sue him a couple years ago.
So, due to these circumstances, I was standing on the river bank while girls loaded into kayaks, two by two, like Noah's ark. I stood with a disappointed grimace. Elle and Alex. Taylor and Joey. I was left without a partner. I was suddenly emotional, and very upset that wouldn't have a partner.
Whatever, Stevie and I could play cards or something.
I bit the inside of my cheek and began up the bank, until Mr. Davids stopped me. "Woah, Jesse, where are you going; without permission?" He chuckled in a way, that could only sound like an algebra teacher.
"I don't have a partner. I assume you want me in my cabin, and not roaming about." His brow furrowed.
"Did no one tell you?" I looked at him expectantly, while he remained shocked. "We got you a partner."
And about at the time, a lanky boy came tumbling down the steep bank with three life jackets on, and a large smile. He almost lost his footing, rushing too fast. "Harry is your partner," Mr. Davids gestured, with his hand on Harry's shoulder. A goofy grin was on Harry's face.
While he was attractive, charismatic, and adorable, I grimaced at him. "Why is he wearing three life jackets?"
"Safety first!" Harry piped up, with a cheesy grin. This must be a commercial or something. "You always need to be prepared. Gotta have protection at all times." I almost choked on my own saliva.
Yeah, buddy, all of cabin three knows how big you are on protection.
Mr. Davids nodded in agreement, pushing Harry forward, closer to me. "You two get in the red kayak." I sighed, walked to the shore.
"So, err.. You don't have a life jacket," Harry pointed out as I kicked the rocks that were not just yet incrested into the dark, thick mud. I looked blankly at him, showing no emotion. I looked him up and down, not bothering enough to be discrete with my observing.
My eyes fell upon the tightness of his hair around his face and a slight crescent of a ball. "Turn your head," I directed, as he looked at me with wide, forest eyes. He turned his head to his left a bit, revealing a little, round glob of hair. I tucked my lips between my teeth to suppress my laugh. "Your hair, is, err.. In a bun." I commented, clearing my throat. He stuttered, searching the ground, seeming to hope the words he needed had fallen onto the mud that was engulfing his black flip flops.
"Well, your hair's in a bun."
"Well, I'm a girl."
"Well, that's not sexist at all."
"What?"
"Just because I'm a man I can't have a bun?"
"First of all, I couldn't care less. Second of all, you're hardly a man," I smirked, walking past him, bumping into his shoulder, approaching the kayak.
I heard the man-bunned boy mutter, "I guess I'll have to prove that to you then," but I decided not to merit that comment with a response, because I wasn't sure how to take that. "I'm so excited," I heard him giggle from behind me. I looked over my shoulder at the boy who was clapping his hands together.
Yeah, way to prove your masculinity, big guy.
"I'm so good at kayaking," he exclaimed, looking at me with shimmering eyes. I raised my eyebrows, expecting a long story on how "amazing" he was. "Well, I've actually never kayaked, but.."
"What?" I shrieked, looking at him in awe. Great. Neither of us had any idea what to do.
"Well, I know I'm going to be great because I read like three WikiHow links on how to kayak. But I mean, why else would I wear three life jackets?"
I'm f.ucked.
***
I wish I could have said I was literally f.ucked, unfortunately, that was not the case.
We had an unsteady, but essentially successful "take-off," as the one and only Harry Styles called it. I wasn't sure if his odd humour was annoying me, or charming me. I'd admit neither.
We'd gotten down the river a bit, with difficulty, and Harry's giggles and squeals. The olive, muddy water that could only be river water splashed into the kayak, spraying my bare legs and wetting my tee shirt. I cursed myself for wearing a light coloured shirt, but in my defense, if I would have expected to kayak, I would have worn a dark blue. But I pushed it to the back of my mind, because the little drops of aqua wouldn't drench my shirt, and I had a sports bra on under my shirt, so you wouldn't see too much.
Those girls that wear standard bras at camp are idiots. I'm not going to put up with boobs everywhere as I scale a tree or something.
"This is so much fun," Harry laughed, as the sound of the oar repeatedly slapping against the water echoed. You could vaguely hear the girls in front of us laughing, because the glorious ring of chirping and birds calling out filled the air.
I breathed in the scent of the outdoors, calming my senses. This is what peace was. I mindlessly paddled through the water, smiling carelessly.
My peace was interrupted by a squeal, and the feeling of the boat shaking. "Harry," I scolded, beginning to turn around. "What are you-"
"SPIDER! THERE'S A F.UCKING SPIDER!"
"No! You can't stand up, Harry! Harry!"
But before I could stop the toddling boy, the boat was shaking endlessly, and I felt it begin to tip.
This is it. This is how it ends.
My whole body plummeted into aqua, and I cursed Harry in my mind. Pushing my arms and kicking my feet, I struggled to tread water. I should have taken Harry up on his offer for a life jacket.
I could hear people shouting in the distance but ignored their screams, until one of them was in my ear. "Jessica!" I rolled my eyes.
"My name-" a wave slapped my face, "is not Jessica."
"Whatever, Jessica. Climb on my back."
"What? No."
"What? Yes."
"No."
"You'll float, now come along." I rolled my eyes, and wrapped my arms around his neck.
***
It was more than mortifying to have to ride up to shore like Poseidon on his pearly chariot, pulled by sea horses or something, but nonetheless, I enjoyed wrapping my legs around his waist. However, the three life jackets did get in my arms' way.
Once we reached the bank, he apologized as he struggled to make eye contact, due to my thin shirt sticking to my skin, but I was having the same problem, to be honest, when he took the life jackets off.
Damn, that white boy got some abs.
I returned to the cabin, a flustered mess, while the other girls enjoyed kayaking. Stevie enjoyed the story, laughing at me most of the time, when I tried to explain that it was his fault, and not mine. I was simply the victim in this, but Stevie believed I did it just to see his wet t-shirt.
The rest of the day went by in a boring, uneventful blur that would eventually be cast into oblivion, along with most of my homework assignments from the previous year. I was rather disappointed that it was not Harry that inspected my cabin. It was Laela.
When eleven-thirty came, my exhaustion was uncovered and I realised how much I needed to sleep. I forced myself into a shabby tank top and shorts, the temperature too feverish for me.
Pulling the covers around my body, I turned to my side, letting my mind quell it's own thoughts. As a young female, my cliché cogitation fell to the owner's son, whom I hadn't been able to organize my opinion of.
Let's see, I'd been at the camp for three days, and I had already been laughed at by him, wrapped my legs innocently around him twice, watched him fall twice, been given macaronis by him, seen him naked, and found a whole Trojan storage warehouse of c.ondoms in his cabin.
Most of my interesting events had happened with this boy. While I knew that he was not worth being sent back to Indiana, he was irrefutably a god. I would ride that pony to the station.
I mean, honestly, his hair was long enough to grab onto. Not even in a s.exual way.
But totally in a sexual way.
I tried to imagine the possible outcomes of this.
There was always the most likely scenario; leave camp with the story of having a cute camp counselor.
The less likely; shagged a cute camp counselor and got sent to Indiana.
The impossible but undeniably delicious; shagged hot counselor and never got caught.
I closed my eyes, allowing my mind to shut off and fall into my slumber, dreams entertained with visions of falling into the river once more.
***
I've never been a morning person. Even when I was a child, I never wanted to get up. The mornings sucked. I could stay up all night, but waking up, it doesn't matter if I had slept 4 hours or slept 14, I did not want to get up.
Camp was no different.
There was no, "I was so excited that I woke up early."
No.
Sunrise is a b.itch.
I forced myself to get out of bed, toddling to my clothes to slip on another tee shirt, this time it was a sunburst tie-dye, and high waisted jean shorts.
Now, I know you're probably thinking, "wow, why does she only wear shorts and tee shirts? How lazy is this girl? Slob."
But in fact, this is not true. I, myself, hated the clothes I wore to camp, but I needed the most comfy thing if I was about to run around everywhere.
Trust me, I'd much rather be wearing normal shirts.
I dabbed on concealer and highlighted my eyeshadow. After winged eyeliner and a bit of something to keep my lips soft, I slipped my shoes on, rushing out the door to head to breakfast, with Stevie on my arm.
We strolled into the mess hall with laughs leaving our mouths, as she tried to make me laugh with an impression of Cecil, one of the other boys that worked here. He was semi-tall, rude, blunt, and just of the slightest; perverted.
Or so I've heard.
But he really just gives off that vibe, while he looks you up and down with dark eyes and desperately licks his chapped lips.
I grabbed a yeast doughnut, the kind with the chocolate icing and sweet, little sprinkles that kind of look like pill tablets. I felt some one harshly poke my side, and I sucked in a gasp.
Not one of those girly, sweet gasps that everyone talks about. There was nothing soft about this. I sounded like one of the Addams.
None other than Harry was behind me with a soft smile painted delicately across his pink lips.
I swear he uses baby lips. Maybe EOS. Something, man.
"Hey." His voice was soft as I looked up at his green eyes. His eyes were a different green, not a simple green. They were complex, as if words of a secret, ancient language were carved into the irises. They also kind of looked like a mossy pond, but the old language thing sounds much more poetic.
"Hi," I responded. "Why are we whispering?"
"I'm sorry about yesterday." He genuinely looked disappointed in himself, until his eyes brightened up and looked back to the coffee black that mine were. "I promise you'll stay safe today," he chuckled. I furrowed my brow, very confused, looking up to him for explanation. He denied, however, shaking his head and walking away.
Should I be nervous?
***