That North Carolina Summer

Dark Waves

After devotional, the camp feels different. It's a good difference. I find myself looking into the eyes of other kids, and seeing a light there that I feel in myself.

I grab a slice of cake and two scoops of ice cream before following Rylie up the wooden weathered staircase of one of the teal cabins. We walk up to the third deck and set our plates on the railing. The view in front of us is perfect. Our right and left are other cabins, with other kids walking, standing and talking on the stairs and decks. Each kid is dressed casually in shorts and t-shirts, some wearing the camp shirts. Girls wear cute sundresses, and the warm evening air brushes across bare legs.

Kids on the lawn talk and laugh, some sitting on the picnic tables eating their dessert. The ocean straight in front of us moves quietly, the soft sound of waves crashing reaches our ears and with it, the salty ocean breeze. The leftover color from the sunset leaves a pink glow over the ocean and the camp.

Music still plays over the speakers, upbeat Christian pop that I find myself enjoying more than I thought I would. I savor my cake and ice cream with a small smile on my face as I watch the people. Rylie's arm presses against mine as we stare out over the camp and my smile grows.

"I never thought that a Christian summer camp could be like this." I say to Rylie, gesturing to the scene. "I really thought it would be all..."

"Christian-y?" She finishes for me, and I laugh.

"Yeah. I thought it would be devotionals every day, and more bible study than surfing."

"People tend to think that. But they really do a good job of making it spiritual and fun. That's why I love it here." Rylie responds.

"What was it like for you last year?"

"It was... normal. Nothing like this year. My parents were going through their divorce, so I obviously had that on my mind. Sam and Jeremy were awesome and took me right in. They were the reason I had any fun. I am so grateful to them. But last year, I didn't have this." She says, brushing her fingers against my wrist. "I didn't have you. So I'm sure you can guess which year is my favorite." She turns her head to look at me, the smile on her face mirroring mine.

"Hey!" someone yells from below. My head snaps forward and I feel Rylie's arm move away from mine. "Are you guys coming or what?" Jeremy yells at us.

I totally forgot about boogie boarding!

"We'll be right down!" Rylie calls back. I glance down at my watch and see that it's already 9:35. Rylie pulls me up the stairs to our room and I toss my trash in the garbage can on the way. We quickly change before hurrying down to the garage, careful not to draw notice from others.

"It's a good thing it's not quite dark enough yet." Jeremy says with a teasing smile. "We almost left you."

"I'm sure you did." I say with a laugh, rolling my eyes. We wait a few more minutes before Jeremy declares it dark enough, and he leads us outside and under the cabin to grab boogie boards.

I choose what I think is a green one, and follow the others across the street to the beach. The moon casts some light across the water and sand, but not much. Little pinpricks of light dance across the sand as people use flashlights to crab hunt up and down the beach. I make a mental note to do some crab hunting with Rylie soon.

We stop at the waters edge as Jeremy begins talking. "There's not really a game here, it really is just boogie boarding at night. It's too dark to play any games, but the water will play games with you!" He says with a laugh.

I walk out into the water first, not scared all that much of the inky black spreading out in front of me. I sense someone beside me and know it's Ry.

"You ready?" I ask.