Boot Camp

29

"Oh God, I'm really gonna miss you."

I pull Martina into a hug in the middle of our now empty room. She squeezes me back with equal force, and I try not to think about the fact we'll never live together again. If she was going to the same college as I was, I would have already had my own built-in roommate.

"How far away is your town from mine again?" I ask. "Twenty minutes?"

She frowns. "No, Wilton is half-an-hour away." She confirms the distance with the map on her phone and sighs. "You have my number, right?"

"Of course," I reply and pull her into a hug again. We stay like that for another minute, until Martina's phone vibrates with a text. "Do you have to go already?"

"I want to say another goodbye to Aspen, and then I really do have to head out," she says and pulls her suitcase closer to her body. "Adriana's already waiting for me in her car."

I expect Martina to hurry out of the room, but a figure looming in our doorway catches her eye. Aspen waits with a small, solemn smile, appearing like a different person in a pair of flowy pants and a pink blouse. Martina closes their distance and pulls Aspen into a tight hug, but to my surprise, she drags me into the embrace.

"You guys are the only reason I survived this hellhole," she grumbles and then releases a laughing Aspen. "I swear this place was full of more drama than my Catholic high school." No words echo my thoughts more than her own, giving me at least one reason to celebrate my departure from this camp.

"Speaking of school," Aspen says, turning to me. "Martina told me you're also going to college in New York, and I was wondering if I could get your number, in case making friends turns out to be a lot harder than I think."

"Oh gosh, yes, of course," I reply and pull out my phone.

After taking turns inserting each other's numbers, we have a brief conversation about our respective majors and dream jobs, and I discover that she also wants a career in the health field. Martina mumbles some wry remark about having zero life plans before being interrupted by a phone call from her sister.

Another solemn goodbye, and I'm left alone in our lifeless room. I sigh and text my mom, even though I don't expect a reply while she's still on the road. I could head outside and join the other groups of girls bidding each other farewell, but then I remember the only person left that I'll miss from this camp is Axel.

We parted ways after coming back here late last evening, and I spent almost the whole night mulling over what he told me and the very real possibility of returning to this camp next summer. Bob already gave me his contact information and a large informational packet earlier this morning, seeming hopeful I would accept his offer.

As I step outside, leaving my bags in my room for the moment, a familiar hand lands on my shoulder. I turn around and find Axel standing by the back of the building, one hand stuffed into his pocket and the other holding a small piece of paper.

"What is that?" I ask as he pushes it towards me.

"My number," he replies and drops the note into my palm. "You know, in case you need to discuss Bob's offer."

"Well, that's a little old school of you," I joke, having expected him to just ask for my number and text me his. "But of course. I'll be sure to text you if I have any questions about the job."

"Right," he says, even though we both know the job is the least of our concerns. He places a hand on my shoulder and leans forward. "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, right?"

"Who says it's goodbye? I still need lots of workout tips from you. I have to figure out how the hell I'm going to do this on my own, remember?"

A big goofy smile overtakes his lips, and he pulls me towards him. When he notices the way I hesitate to hug him back, his expression falls. "You're still upset over what I told you yesterday."