Camp HawkThorne

Chapter Two- One In One Million

     Birds are chirping and my eyes are crusty as I wake suddenly to Gracie Lou snoring in my face. I kiss her nose and suddenly my plugged in bedside alarm rings, scaring us both. I slam my hand on the numbers that read 7:00a.m. Today's the day! I jump out of bed and run to my bathroom, sliding and nearly slipping on the way. I brush my teeth, wash my face, and pack all of my bathroom necessities into a brown grocery bag. I gave myself large bouncy curls with rollers I stole from my mom. I open my bathroom window and the hot Georgia air kisses my cheeks. I close my eyes because just for a minute, it's almost like everything is as it should be. I gloss my lips and apply blush. I slip on a white tennis skirt with the built in shorts underneath with my Camp HawkThorne t- shirt from last year tied into a knot above my belly button. I slipped on my Converse and looked into the mirror. I know today will be an amazing day. Not even my mother could ruin today for me.

I wonder if I will make new friends this year and I wonder if my old ones will disappear with no notice. We are all just little girls until one day we wake up and we are not. One day, just the words, "little girl" will just piss us the hell off and no one knows why. It's one of life's greatest mysteries. My mother calls me downstairs and I grab my suitcase, my brown bag, and I wave for Gracie Lou to come down with me and she agrees reluctantly, not exactly eager to leave the bed. We walk down the chipped and fading staircase. My mother says one day this staircase was a beautiful mahogany brown, freshly painted, still stinking of fresh fumes. She says she hates how they look now and calls them 'busted'. What I never understood is what was so wrong with something looking used? Our stairs have met hundreds of feet, they are well loved and so human, why is that a problem? I shook my head to clear my thoughts. When you don't feel like you belong anywhere, you find yourself staying in your head.

My mother sets oatmeal in front of me and I really don't want it but I eat some anyway. When my mother looks away, I will feed it to Gracie. My mother says, "It's the big day! Mack and I are really going to miss you, kiddo!" I roll my eyes silently. Yeah right. My mother scratches intently on a few lotto tickets she bought. I wonder if she really thinks she's going to solve all of her problems with a piece of paper from a gas station. I am seventeen and even I know that the chances are One in One Million. I look at the baby my mom decided to bring home one day in disgust. He's covered in oatmeal and smashed banana. It's 7:45 now and mother rushes us all into her car so she can drop me off by 8. I look out the back window and smile as the sun hits my cheeks. After a twenty minute drive, I board a big yellow school bus parked in a Mcdonald's parking lot. My mother kisses my forehead as the little monster sits on her hip and babbles a bye-bye. I rub her kiss off my skin and tell her that I will see her soon. As I walk up the stairs of the bus she calls out to me and says I better behave! I ignore this and she calls out one more thing, "Jesus is always watching, baby!"

I sit in the third row on the right and I shake my head. After 20 minutes and 30 parents all waving with watery eyes and snotty noses, we finally pull off. The buses' engine revved and spat dirt behind it. You would think we were going off to war with all of these parents, pretending like they couldn't live without us. I slipped on my Walkman's headphones and drifted to sleep. The purr and sputter of the engine rocked me to sleep like a lullaby.

I peeled open my eyes to the screech of the brakes of the bus. We were not at camp yet, instead we were making a stop for more kids. I looked out the window as kids hug their parents and board the bus. Suddenly, a brown girl with golden curls catches my eye.

She was wearing khaki shorts with a CHT t-shirt similar to mine. She wore converse and a black-strapped bookbag. I parted my lips, watching her with her parents. I'm not quite sure what about her caught my eye but her ponytail was sleek with hundreds of perfect, honey blonde ringlets hanging out of the scrunchie. Her parents grab her hand and they bow their head. The girl looks around like she's embarrassed but she holds their hand back. They bow their heads and pray but her eyes are open and they're looking around.

I read their lips saying amen and she hastily turns to board the bus. I watch as kids my age or so board the bus. She walks down the isle slowly, surveying all of her potential seating options. I keep my bags on my seat until she is near, moving them in case I am chosen. She makes eye contact with me and her warm brown eyes seem to peer straight through me. "Anyone sitting here? Mind if I do?" She asked, revealing shiny silver braces on her teeth. I am speechless so I nod. She lets out a small laugh and asks, "So someone is sitting here?" I feel my cheeks heat up as I quickly shake my head. "I'm just messing with you, silly" She plops down next to me and the words flow out of her mouth with ease. I'm wondering if there's a script somewhere that I neglected to memorize. She pushed her bag between her legs and looks over at me. My headphones are hanging around my neck and they catch her eye. She asks if she can listen to what I'm listening to and I just nod silently. I offer her my head phones and I press play.

Because maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall

She sings along and nods her head to the beat. A smile spreads across my face before I can even stop it. I sing quietly but she sings loud, giving no consideration to who is around us. She was as bright as the sun and I am a piece of grass, just thankful that she decided to come around.

The bus is moving now and as the doors close and all the snotty-nosed parents wave goodbye to the bus, the girl beside me does not look for her parents, she looks at me. She asks me many questions about myself and what I like about Camp HawkThorne. I tell her this, "