Lolita's Perception

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

"Let me get this straight...summer's just begun, and you're already shipping me away!?" my voice echoed out, across the crowded restaurant.

I guess I should've known Mother had something awful up her sleeve when she brought me here. She's never nice unless there's some sort of reason behind it.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic—I'm sure you'll have fun." she replied, before glancing over at Mrs. Chatfield: desperately hoping that she'd convince me otherwise. She was wrong.

"No I won't!" I exclaimed, turning my shoulder away. "It'll be awful: full of rats, and snakes, and mean old counselors!"

"Now, that isn't necessarily true..." said Mrs. Chatfield, with a honeyed smile. "Phyllis, dear, why don't you tell Dolly what a wonderful time you had at Camp Q." she remarked, before turning to her daughter, Phyllis (everyone at school calls her Lissie). She's two whole years older than me, and the biggest suck up in the world.

"It really was terrific!" Lissie exclaimed, with a disgustingly insincere smile; I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "We had real log cabins, and the biggest campfire I've ever seen. Plus, we got to swim almost everyday!"

"Are there any cute boys?" I wondered, filled with curiously.

"Boys? No way!" she replied, with an obnoxious laugh. "Except for Mrs. Holmes son, and he isn't very cute."

Great. Just great. No boys, murky lakes, and the constant smell of campfire—this summer's gonna be terrific...

                            ~~*~~

By Thursday morning, I was all packed and ready to leave to that dreaded Camp Q. No matter how hard I begged Mother not to take me to that awful place, she wouldn't budge; there was no getting out of it.

There I sat: hopelessly sprawled out on the faded, paint-chipped steps of our front porch, nervously tossing pebbles against the sidewalk as I watched Louise load up the car, and mother idly sit behind the wheel. It was already eight o'clock, and Humbert was still fast asleep. At this point, I wasn't even sure I'd get to say goodbye...

"Come on!" Mother shouted, from the front seat of the faded, navy blue sedan. "You can't be late."

"Okay..." I said with a sigh, straightening out the skirt of my sundress as I stood up, and began walking down the pavement, stopping only once I'd reached Louise.

She glanced down to meet my gaze for a moment, before taking me into a close hug. "Don't get into too much trouble at that camp of yours—I won't be there to save you." she said, with a soft, playful laugh.

"I can't make any promises." I replied, smiling mischievously.

Louise laughed again, this time louder, before leaning down to give me a light peck of a kiss on the forehead.

"Will you make apple pie when I get back?" I wondered, with a soft smile.

"Of course I will..." she tussled my hair with her fingertips, before adding: "I can make ten, if you'd like!"

I couldn't help but smile, before giving her one last hug.

"Hurry up!" Mother shouted, impatiently.