Suddenly Popular

Chapter 7

   The sun began to set when the four girls were excitedly searching for casual outfits. Brianna and Lei had been told that every night, there were games by the fire and since it was their first time at the camp, they could not spend the evening in their room by themselves. Their clothes mingled on the floor as they borrowed each other's tops, skirts, and shorts.

The warm air brushed Brianna's face, as she tried on a skirt. She turned around, peeking for their opinion and when they shook their heads for a definitive 'no', she threw it to the ground and rushed to find another possibility.

Never would she have guessed that her first night at the surfing camp she had dreaded for the past couple of weeks would have taken such a fantastic turn. After she had told her story, the girls had been extremely supportive and she felt safe around them.

"You are incredibly strong, Brianna! I will be there for you," Cassandra promised.

"You deserve the world. I swear we'll find you a perfect guy!" Lei winked.

"Bri, you are an absolute queen, you are a goddess! I love you with all my heart. You can always count on me," Jasmine took her hand.

"You girls! You're going to make me cry. I love you all so much!" Brianna thanked them, tears began to fog her vision.

The room had transformed from bare white walls with only two bunk beds and a large closet split into four distinct parts to a stunning, comfortable summer room with pictures and fairy lights on the walls.

"How do I look?" Cassandra asked.

Brianna recognized Jasmine's denim skirt and Lei's tie-dye cropped top with her denim jacket and a pair of white sneakers. She did a three-sixty turn and radiated with joy. Her smile lit up the room and there was no doubt.

"This is it. You look perfect," Brianna smiled.

"GIRL! You're beautiful and why do you look so good in my skirt?!" Jasmine yelled.

"I could not agree anymore, you look stunning!" Lei concluded.

Cassandra pretended that a tear was about to drop as she dramatically wiped her eyes, without really touching her face - otherwise, her make-up would be ruined. They all laughed and continued to search through the pile of clothes.

***

The common room - the building that also included the cafeteria and all the surfing material that was stored in a small, locked room - was crowded with teenagers. There were not actually that many people but the relatively tiny room with a couple of couches and bean bags and a dozen teenagers gave the impression of entering a pop star concert.

All the windows were wide open and the sound of chatter echoed. Brianna began to panic - she hated crowded places - and her freshly applied mascara threatened to be ruined by the tears that were starting to fill her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her hand and when she glanced up, her stress flew away as Cassandra reassuringly smiled at her.

"Are you okay?" she questioned.

"Umm - not really," Brianna honestly responded.

"Girls! We're going outside!" Cassandra told the other two girls.

Jasmine and Lei turned to Brianna who attempted to smile but visibly failed since they both rushed to her side and comforted her. They left the common room for a chill and relaxing fireplace where a couple of teenagers were sitting in the sand, in smaller groups spread across the open area.

On the side, there was a table with brochettes of meat and vegetables and some other goods. They rushed to the table and grabbed a couple of skewers and sat by the fire, where they began to cook the meat.