The Best Of Both: Camp Cretaceous OC

The Last Stand

The silence was heavy over us as we processed who was standing in front of us. I had never expected him to show up now of all times. In fact, if I'm being totally honest, I thought I'd never see him again. But now, here he was. I didn't know what to think. 

"You guys have every right to be mad at me," he said sadly.

And just like that, I knew exactly what to feel. Anger. "You think?" Yasmina hissed angrily.

"Thanks for the permission," Brooklynn spat.

Ben stopped patting Bumpy's head and stood next to Kenji. "Trust me, I get it," he said. "He messed up".

"Oh, is that what we're calling it?" Yasmina said again.

Ben nodded in understanding and raised the bar a bit. "He betrayed us. He disappointed us. He practically left us for dead". Kenji cleared his throat, shaking his head at Ben as he realised he wasn't exactly selling it. 

Ben stepped back and put a hand on Kenji's shoulder. "But he knows it was a mistake. He helped save Bumpy. And in my eyes, that's enough for a second chance, plus, considering who and what we're up against, we'll need all the help we can get".

Darius silently scoffed and walked off. I watched him leave, then turned back to Kenji, who was looking at each of us one by one.

"I know there's not some magical thing I can say that will make everything right again," he said. "I am so, so sorry". Sammy looked down in thought. But Yasmina's expression remained angry, Kenji looked at her and continued. "I had this idea of who my dad was, or who I wanted him to be. I kept telling myself he's not a bad guy," he laughed to himself, sounding ashamed. "Turns out, I was wrong". Yasmina's face relaxed, smirking at him. "Me, wrong. Shocking, I know".

Then he turned to me and saw my still mad expression. "I tried to fix a problem that I couldn't even begin to understand. You were right all along, Max".

I sighed, clenching my hands into fists as I tried to remain angry. "I saw you're message, I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but anyone could have seen your father was lying. No one can fix me, no one but myself".

"I know, and I'll do everything I can to make it easier," Kenji nodded. I let my anger die down as I stepped back.

Finally, he turned to Brooklynn, but before he could even get a word out, she spoke first. "I had this big speech ready in case I ever saw you again. But now, I...I just...," she sighed in disappointment. "I thought I knew who you were".

Kenji put his hand on her shoulder and smiled. "I'm still the same me. I'll prove it to you. No matter how long it takes".

Brooklynn looked him up and down, clearly still deep in thought. "We'll see," she said, punching him in the shoulder.

Sammy ran forward and hugged Kenji with a relieved sigh. "Okay, there's so much to catch you up on," she said, still as bubbly as ever. "First, I have a new catchphrase and it is controversial. Next, I've changed my favourite day of the week, it's Tuesday". Then her face brightened even more as she grabbed both of Kenji's shoulders and shook him. "Oh, also, we've got a new couple now!"

"Wait. What!?" Kenji cried, taken aback.

Sammy strolled over to between Yasmina and I and shoved us closer together. "While you were gone, these two were just the cutest, being all shy and such around each other, then suddenly, they were together".

Kenji smiled grew as he laughed in excitement. "Oh, wow". He unexpectedly hugged us. "Finally, Max and Yaz. Oh, we should call you...".

"Too late," Brooklynn said. "I already gave them a cute couple name".