Camp YouTent

Boxes and Introductions

Kurtis suddenly bolted up, shouting "Holy shit! The Box!"

"The Box!" Danny shouted before they all congregated to the center of the room. Drew started to stomp on the ground, already anticipating Danny's question of "Which floor board is it? Which floor board is it?"

Squeak

"Yes!" They all shouted in unison before diving to the floor. Drew slammed his fist on the top of the loose floorboard causing the other side to flip up. He caught it, allowing Danny to grab at the box underneath as Kurtis giggled in anticipation. He ripped the top of the old converse shoe box off as oohs and aahs filled the room.

"Oh my god, that's where I left my freaking glasses! I thought I dropped them on the bus last year!" Drew shouted as he grabbed the old pair to admire them.

Danny and Kurtis both reached in at once, one pulling out a small nutcracker and the other a cheap plastic razor. "That thing creeps me out, man," Drew said in reference to the small figurine. Danny gasped, his hand grasping at his chest, before bringing the opposite forearm to his forehead in false distress. "How dare you! Greg is my best friend, and now only friend, apparently. I thought you were cooler than that!" Danny said as Drew and Kurtis laughed at his dramatic act.

Kurtis then held up the razor and jokingly said, "Guys should I shave again? Or should I keep the stache?" He rubbed his mustache down with his thumb and pointer finger as he bit his lower lip and squinted his eyes.

"Noo you can't shave!" Drew shouted as Danny said, "No! Shaving was the worst thing you've ever done! We were so wrong when we said you'd look better without it!"

They all laughed before silence took over. They continued to dig through the box, the flooding of memories taking priority over idle conversation. Time passed as they sat, sometimes talking and sometimes basking in the familiar sights and smells of their home away from home, until the light pouring in from the outside started to turn a deep golden hue.

Suddenly a bell rang out across the camp. "Oh man. Sounds like it's time for the all camp meeting," Danny said. "I'm excited to see who's in each cabin this year," Drew added as they put the box back into its hiding place. The boys got up and left the cabin before heading towards the cafeteria, muscle memory carrying them down the familiar path.

They turned a corner and just down the sandy walkway they spotted a lone figure walking at a snail's pace and looking around as if he didn't trust the labeled signs that pointed to his destination. "Oh there's Nick. You guys don't mind if he sits with us, right?" Kurtis asked. "Of course not," Danny said. Drew hummed in agreement.

"Nick!" Kurtis shouted, causing Nick to whip his head back in surprise. They quickened their pace to catch up with Nick who was nervously messing with a red lanyard that hung around his neck. "You're in the red cabin? That's not too far from ours," Kurtis said as they reached him. "Uh, yea it's pretty close," he replied as the group approached the cafeteria.

"Let's get our seats," Drew said heading for the cafeteria doors. "The faster we get through this meeting the faster we get to eat dinner."

"And the faster we get to make s'mores," Danny said. He then turned to Drew and they high fived.

"Same spot?" Kurtis asked, pointing to their table in the back left corner. "Where else?" Danny replied. They started walking toward the table when one of the camp counselors, NigaHiga, stopped them and said, "Sorry, Nick. All campers have to sit with their cabins the first night just so we can make sure everyone is in the right place." Nick slowly said "Oh, okay," as his shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Just then another camper who the three boys had become friends with over the years walked over. "You must be Nick! You can sit with me. I'm Jarvis by the way. We're in the same cabin." "Jarvis! It's so good to see you!" Danny said, going in for a hug. "Where's Jordan?" Kurtis asked, noticing the missing half of the iconic duo right away. Jarvis retracted from Danny, his expression somber. "Oh, something on his registration for camp this summer got contested so he's not allowed back at camp," he replied. "Oh wow I'm sorry to hear that," Danny responded. Drew was a little disappointed because, while Jarvis was funny on his own, he and Jordan were hilarious. Jarvis shook his head, then said, "That just means we have a spot waiting for Nick." Jarvis slung his arm around Nick's shoulder and said, "Well anyways, we better sit down so we can get introductions out of the way," and the two walked off as Jarvis guided him to their table.