The New Camp Counselor [n.h au] [EDITING]

Chapter Three

Niall

I wake up this morning to see the pictures I colored last night with Ashley hanging up on the cabin bulletin board.  My purple pony looks fairly nice hanging next to her pink one, if I do say so myself. She and I actually had quite a good time coloring together, and I swear she was just full of giggles because she would not stop. I thought it was cute though, so I didn't mind.

Just in time, my alarm goes off as I attempting to roll over to try and get back to sleep. I guess those plans have to change.

“All right kiddos! Time to wake up.”  Going to each bed, I pull on their covers. I remember when my brother would do the same thing to me when we were little, so I know from experience that it works when it comes to getting someone out of bed. 

There's only about six kids in my cabin this summer since I am a new counselor, and they didn’t want to overload me. This is only mean that as I go around the cabin, I hear six different moans and groans due to sleepiness. Obviously, these activities Megan has been planning out for everyone are really beginning to wear these kids out.

“Why do we have to get up?” I hear come a boy from the opposite side of the cabin.  I am not too sure who it came from, but I answer anyways.

“Well first you have to eat, and then I think we are all having a kickball tournament.” 

I remember having these types of tournaments when I came here years ago.  Morgan and I were always on the same team, and we kicked butt.  Not to brag or anything, but we were pretty much the two best players at this camp.  Everyone hated that we would constantly be on the same team, but we insisted that she and I were a package deal.  If you wanted one of us, you automatically get the other. That really only benefited the team that was lucky enough to get us.

“Kickball? All right!”  The kid hopes down off the top bunk, and I see that it's Adam I've been talking to. I can't help but to crack up at his Ninja Turtle sweat pants he wore to bed considering he's almost eleven years old.

___

“Enjoying your eggs?”  I sneak up behind Morgan, and she almost jumps off her chair.

“Dang it, Niall. Don't do that, and for your information, I am. Thank you for asking.  Did you enjoy yours?” 

“I actually did! They were delicious for camp food,”  Taking the open seat next to her, I allow for myself to sit down.  “I see you must have woken up late.” 

I point down at her pajamas, which are a pair of black athletic shorts and a shirt she got the last year she and I were at camp together. It's funny to me how she still wears stuff like that even though it was years ago.

“What?  You don’t like my pajamas?” She leans back in her chair and trys to show off her clothing. 

“I do! I am just surprised that shirt still fits you.” 

My shirt definitely did not fit after just a year of owning it. However, I still have it because those kinds of things mean a lot to me, and I always try to keep them around.  The best part of the shirst are that Morgan and I both drew pictures all over the back of each others on the last day of camp since we unfortunately both knew that we probably wouldn’t see each other any time soon.

“Well, I got a bigger size because I knew I would actually want to wear this one for awhile. Plus, I am only about five foot three, so isn't like I grew that much since I was about twelve or thirteen.”

“Okay, okay, that makes some sense.  Also, why would you not want to wear a shirt with a drawing by me on it?” I try to twist her around to see if the drawing of a dinosaur I did on the back is still there, and to my surprise, it is. "Dang, I am an excellent artist."

“Yeah, I'm sure that's what you like to think. Well I have to clean up my table and get the kids ready for the kickball game. I’ll see you on the field,”  Shooting me wink, I can already tell when she means by that. Morgan just better be prepared for what I have planned to bring to the feild.

“See ya later, Moe!”

Morgan

“Okay y'all, we’re blue, so they have given us blue team t-shirts to wear.  Everyone come up here to get your size,”  I set the huge box of t-shirts on my bed and wait for the kids to come up and get theirs. “Make sure you form a line! Please and thank you.” 

After all these years, I should have knonw better than to think they would actually form a single line for me. I couldn't get out my whole sentence before they all started running at me with their arms stretched out, reaching for any shirt they could get. I don't think I will understand how their brains work sometimes. 

“I need a small!” 

“I need a medium!”

“No, I need a medium!”

“A small for me! Hey, stop pushing!” 

The next few minutes were not what I would have expected fromt the kids I thought I trained so well in the past. Each one of them definitely need more practice, that's for sure. I wonder if Niall is having better luck than I am. Actually, I really hope he isn't because that would just be a whole lot funnier.

 ___

“Alright now line up shortest to tallest.  Shortest in the front!”  Time for round two, so let's see if they can at least do this one right.

Thankfully, it only takes a few minutes, but the kids finally do it correctly. In single file, we all walk through the gravel parking lot and make our way over to the field where everyone else already seems to be. Crap. I guess we are the last ones again, and even Niall beat us to it, which isn't a good start.

“Hey kids! Are you ready to play some kickball?”  Wearing the same shirt she always wears to theses kickball games that has the camp logo and a huge kickball on the front, Megan welcomes all of the cabins. While she starts explaining the rules, I just slide on over and stand next to Niall, who has his bright green team shirt on. Hmm green really does suit him.

“So are you ready to get your butt kicked?”  He whispers in my ear, and I can see a smile creep up on his lips.

“You really think that your team is going to beat mine?  Ha I’ve trained mine almost too well.” Okay, maybe not, but he doesn't have to know that.

“I can’t believe this used to be like the highlight of our summer. Everyone hated us when we played this because we just dominated every tim,.”  I almost didn’t even hear what he said because I got caught in his eyes again.  I definitely don’t remember them being this blue when we were little. “Morgan?”

He snaps his figures in front of my face, which brings me back to reality.

“Huh? Oh yeah...I know. Crazy,”  I try to cover up my stupidness, but I don't think it worked. Lately, I have just not been myself around him, and I really don't know why. He's just Niall.

“Let’s play ball!”  I hear from a few feet away, so that means I completely missed Megan’s pregame speech. Oops!

Going back over to my kids, I try to get them pumped up for the game.

“Okay hands in, Cabin Awesomeness.  Go team on three. 1, 2, 3! Go team!!”  We throw or hands up in the air and run to our places on the field. 

Being one of the counselors, I get to play pitcher, as do the other counselors, so I grab the big red ball before running over to the pitcher's mound. To be honest,  there really isn't anything I found wrong with playing pitcher because it makes me feel like the controller of the game, which is just the position I like to be in.

Now, let the games begin.