Summer Camp Sweethearts

Chapter 9

I come into the cabin soaked and muddy from the rain. The dress I decided to wear for my date is now clinging to my body. I search for the light switch on the wall and finally locate it near the refrigerator. I flick the light on and tiptoe over the wooden floors to my room to find my bed. I found out the first night that the wooden floors of the cabins are not the best. They are probably more than 50 years old, if I can assume from the information on the flyer my mom shoved into my face. I look around and see the rest of the cabin is quiet. The doors to the rooms are closed shut, a sign that they are already asleep. I flick my eyes to the wall clock, surprised when I see that I made the 10 o'clock curfew.

"Did you need to put the lights on?" Sandra asks, opening the door to her bedroom. One thing that this cabin is lacking is more than one light switch. When you put the light on, it illuminates the entire cabin, regardless of where you sleep.

"Sorry, but I needed to see where I am walking," I reply.

"I am so tired," she says.

"Can you turn the lights off?" Sofia asks as she rolls around in her bed, looking in my direction.

"Ah!" she screams as soon as she sees my state.

"What on earth happened to you?" she wants to know.

"I was in the rain," I reply. "And Blake decided it was a good idea to walk into the lake," I answer, taking my Pajamas out of my closet and heading to the bathroom to change into them.

"I can't believe you walked into the lake," Sandra says as I walk back into the room.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"You know what I mean."

"I was trying to get out of the rain"

"And you did that by walking into the lake?" she asks, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Yes," I reply as I walk over to my bed and crawl into it.

"That's just crazy."

"What?"

"You're a very smart girl."

"You know, you are cold and wet."

"It was raining," I say as my eyes start to feel heavy and my eyelids are slowly forced to close. I toss and turn for a while. "I can't sleep," I say, propping my head up and looking at Sandra in the darkroom. I hear Sandra click the light on and walk over, sitting at the foot of the bed.

"What's wrong?" she asks as she looks at me with concern. She grabs my hand and holds it tightly in hers, looking into my eyes as if trying to see what is happening inside them. She smiles when she sees that I am okay and pulls me close to her body so we are both lying down.

"I think I like him, but I am scared it is all happening too fast," I admit.

"It's okay to be scared," she says. She kisses my forehead and pulls me close to her body, hugging me tightly. It's not long after that we both fall asleep.

***

I wake up quite confused. I look around the room when I feel something around my waist. I look over and see Sandra holding me as if I am a baby. I quietly wiggle out of her hold, making sure not to disturb her sleeping, and make my way to the bathroom. I study myself in the mirror and pull a face when I see myself. My hair looks like a bird's nest and is still damp, and my makeup is smudged all over my face. I practically look like a clown in the circus.

"Do you know what happened last night?" Sandra asks when I walk back into the bedroom.

"Well, it looks like someone here had a great night. I mean, who comes back from a date soaked?" Abby mentions.

"Probably just she," Sofia says, the girls laughing at her comment. I roll my eyes and walk to the drawer next to my bed to make myself look presentable.

I hear the knock on the door echo throughout the cabin. These walls are not soundproof.

"I'll get it!" I hear Sandra scream, still laughing.

"Hey, girls," Blake's voice enters the cabin. What on earth is he doing here. I freeze. I panic and scramble through my draw, pulling out a pair of pants and a t-shirt to wear for the day.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, stepping into the living area of the cabin.

"I came to walk you to the Mess Hall," he says simply. "I thought it would be a nice way for us to spend some time together."

"Oh, okay," I say. "I guess that's fine." We walk to the Mess Hall in silence. We just met yesterday morning. Even though last night's date was ruined by the pouring rain, it was still fun. And he even almost kissed me. Those green eyes were staring right into my eyes when the drops fell. I didn't even know if I wanted him to kiss me. Is it not too fast?

"Hey, Blake," I say. "I'm sorry about last night."

"It's fine," he says. "You were just caught off guard by the rain." We walk silently for a few minutes before arriving at the Mess Hall. Blake orders us both some breakfast and sits down next to me on one of the benches that line the wall near our table. The food smells delicious, and my stomach growls loudly as we enter the room.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" He asks after taking a bite of his pancakes with syrup.

"I don't know," I say. "We've only known each other for a few days."

"True, but we have already had some fun together," he says with a smile.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" He asks again after taking another bite of his pancakes. He looks at me and then backs down to his plate of food. He doesn't seem to be paying attention anymore. I wonder if this is how it feels when you are trying to talk about something you want to do, but your mind keeps wandering off somewhere else?

"Blake?" I say, trying to get his attention back to our conversation.

"Hmm?"

"I think we should talk about what happened last night."

"You know, the almost kiss." He looks down at his plate again and then back to my face. His eyes seem to glow in the light of the Mess Hall's ceiling lamps. It is hard for me not to stare into them all day long. He takes a bite of his pancakes and chews slowly before speaking again:

"There is nothing to talk about."

"I don't think so," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "You're right; there is nothing to talk about." He looks back down at his plate and takes another bite of pancakes before he continues:

"It was a mistake." He puts his fork down on the table and leans back in his chair. He thinks almost kissing me was a mistake after he asked me on a date. I don't understand how it is possible. I hope he does not regret asking me out. His eyes are still focused on me, as if he is waiting for something from me now that we have finished eating breakfast together. I feel this moment will be critical, but I am unsure what it means. As I am about to speak up again, the intercom of the mess hall dings alive; some scratching can be heard on the other side just before a female voice speaks up.

"Could Melissa Anderson please report to the reception? Thank you." The intercom dies down, and the hall is dead silent. All eyes immediately fall on me as I look around the room.

"Well, I guess that's my cue," I say as I stand up from the table.

"Wait a minute," Blake says. "I want to talk to you about something." He stands up and walks over towards me.

"It was just a mistake, right?" he asks again. I couldn't reply. I nod my head yes in response.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it," he says. "Of course I am, Blake," I say as I smile at him. He looks relieved and smiles back at me.