All Too Well

The trip to Costa Rica was nothing but a long one. The campers were ecstatic to be finally returning home after these ten long months. As soon as they made it to the dock all of them jumped out of the boat and ran towards their loved ones that they missed dearly. The reunion was an emotional one and at least a few tears fell from everyone.

Finally with their parents, they pushed through crowds to get to the hotel they were staying in at for the time being. They wanted to give the kids time to adjust and say goodbye to their found family before taking them to their homes.

A week or so passed before all the adults decided it was finally time to return to their designated homes. The campers were devastated but they knew this was bound to happen sooner or later.

The ride to the airport had to have been one the longest rides of their lives. The car ride was silent and only the sound of other traffic could be heard. The campers sat in a comfortable silence, they were unsure of what to say but they enjoyed the presence of the others in the last few moments they would have together before leaving.

When they finally arrived they somberly stepped out of the car looking up towards the building and the sun setting behind it. They trudged behind their sympathetic parents and stopped when they realized this was actually happening. They were going to have to leave each other. Sammy was the first to say something, "I'm gonna miss y'all so much!" She spoke between sobs as she pulled the campers in for about the fifth group hug that day.

The others hugged back as tight as they could for what felt like a lifetime. Again, their parents decided to let the kids have their last moments together before having to travel home. After everything they went through together they deserved those that.

"We're going to call everyday and meet up at least once a month! Okay?," Sammy said as they all pulled away.

The others smiled and nodded at the optimistic girl while Darius responded, "Okay Sammy, deal." he said, wiping away a few stray tears.

Yaz has been afraid of this since the beginning and now that Sammy was her girlfriend it made it so much harder to say goodbye. Yaz latched on to her girlfriend fighting tears but failed. Sammy was taken aback but quickly reciprocated the hug letting a few more tears fall.

The remaining campers turned to say goodbye to each other, deciding to let the two girls share their moment. And not too long after that Kenji and Brooklynn were saying goodbye as well. Darius turned to Ben unsure of what to say.

"Guess this is it, huh?"

Ben turned to the younger boy and spoke in a sad voice, "I guess it is."
The two boys smiled at each other. This felt all too familiar.

"See you soon dino-nerd."

"See you soon island b- island man." he corrected himself and the two laughed.

Neither knew what to say but before Ben could say anything he was thrown into a hug by the other boy.

He hugged back, "I'm gonna miss you, bud."

Darius hugged him tighter and a few more tears fell, "I'll miss you too."

They held on for as long as they could before Kenji tapped Darius on the shoulder, signaling that it was time to head on their flight. The two boys let go from their hug and smiled sadly at each other.

The campers had one last group hug before Darius and Kenji left. Once their flight was called Darius and the rest of the Bowmans were on their way back home, and to Kenji's new home.

Before finally leaving, Darius threw himself into a final hug with Ben and whispered something incoherent to the other campers.

Ben's face grew wide with a smile as he hugged back. More and more tears fell. A moment that they wished would've lasted forever only lasted a few seconds.

"Yo! Dino-nerd, we have to go!," Kenji yelled with a teasing smile.

"Coming!," the younger yelled back. Darius looked at Ben again with a sappy smile and left.

"See ya soon, Ben," he said walking away.

"See ya soon, D," they both laughed. They waved goodbye before Darius finally disappeared behind the closing door.

"See ya soon, bud," he whispered under his breath before joining his mother and saying goodbye to the rest of the other campers.

As he left Costa Rica, he would hold onto Darius' last words to him until he saw the younger boy again.

I love you too, bud.

Both teens left the airport with tear-stained faces and a sappy smile.