We were waiting for Hunter to arrive, stalling as long as possible, but it was hot and the air conditioning was broken.
Hunter rolled up, on his skateboard, just as my mom had started the van. He ran up and grabbed the door and jumped in as we started rolling. He flipped his hair and smiled at Lili, and bowed to the rest of us. Lili was blushing furiously, her face bright red.
The ride to the campsite was long and boring, especially since we were so cramped. It was only 5 a.m. and most of us haven’t had our morning coffee yet. I was half asleep and drooling. Taylor was the only one who did not look as if she had been dragged through a bush backwards. Well, her and Hunter.
There were ten people in the van, and since I’m the smallest, I had to sit on the floor. To take a small revenge for this wrong, I sat on people’s feet.
I ended up falling asleep, and as per usual, they were having a competition to see who could touch my face the longest without waking me up. I woke up and glared at Taylor, who quickly retracted her hand, while looking playfully frightened. I made everyone shift around until I could sit on the seat-like a semi civilized person-too. The pain one goes through to uphold society views is baffling.
When we arrived-farther inland and upstate-I jumped out of the car, eager for my first look at the camping site. I was astounded at the difference between city air and the fresh, crisp air of the country.
“Man, its hot!” Hunter said, emerging out of the back of the car in his beach shorts. I don’t want to know how or when he changed.
He was right, of course. Ten minutes out of the car and Taylor’s makeup was already smudged. There is a first time for everything.
“You look like a melting Barbie.” I told Taylor gleefully. She shot me a withering look and adjusted her two piece swimsuit.
“Where are we going to set up the tents this year?” I asked my mom, while surveying the area for a clear, level spot to raise the tents.
There was a small clearing with enough room for two tents, a fire, and our humongous vehicle…if we were to cut down a few trees, that is. Lili and Elizabeth noticed this too, and they set their jaws in determination. Elizabeth pulled some rope out of the van and set forth, looking as if she were going to tie herself to an old maple tree that would have been the perfect place for a fire.
“Honey, we’ll be using that cabin over there to hold all of our stuff, and there’s a perfect parking place behind it.” My mom said, reaching out and holding onto Elizabeth as she pointed out the cabin.
It was a moderate sized cabin with some small trees encircling it. A few pine trees and leaning, decaying oaks bent heavily over the roof. The air smelled pungently of dry leaves, new grass, and the sweet nectar of blooming flowers.
“Well, we won’t be sleeping in it, but that’s where all of the extra stuff will go. Don’t start complaining about the heat, because it gets really cold at night. There’s another clearing behind it that is surrounded by aspens. It’s gorgeous.” She said easily diverting our attention.
And she was right. The aspens were huge, towering over us. The leafy limbs shielded us from the suns harshest rays. They crisscrossed over us, showing little strips of blue between the limbs. Green light filtered through the leaves, making everything glow pristinely. You could hear a billion, individually shaped leaves brushing against one another in a playful dance, the wind serenading the leaves with a beautiful melody.
Past the trees, was a sparkling blue green lake, with the sunlight refracting off of the gently cresting waves, sending golden sunlight into the silver-blue sky. Mountains rose sharply along the distant shore.
