Freshly out and still working on the pride aspect, Felix signs up for Camp Luna, a summer camp labelled as LGBTQIA+ centric. Still skeptical of the whole pride thing, he agrees to attend, but writes himself a rule list.
Felix's 12 step plan for a pr...
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HERE IN THE DARK, I STAND BEFORE YOU, KNOWING THIS IS MY CHANCE TO SHOW YOU MY HEART.
The bumping of the bus over the uneven road made me want to hurl. It had been three and a half hours in a greyhound coach, filled with unruly teenagers but we were finally almost there. Camp Luna, the place I'd dreamed about practically since coming out. I'd caught a fair bit of slack. Not from my friends or my family, thank god, they'd been supportive enough. But I lived in a small town, and you know how people can be.
Strangely, it hadn't bothered me as much as I thought it would. I thought I'd be devastated, but I was much more relieved to be able to live as my true self that I found I didn't really care what people thought of me. They could call me all the slurs they liked, because I was happy with myself.
That wasn't to say that I didn't get those intense waves of imposter syndrome too. I often found myself wondering if I'd made a terrible mistake. Maybe I hadn't tried hard enough. Maybe I didn't know who I really was and therefore shouldn't make any big decisions.
The bus finally rolled to a stop outside a nondescript summer camp. There was a large wooden sign out the front with the cutout of a moon and stars and CAMP LUNA written in a blocky script. Beyond that I could see a building that might double as a camp hall or a dining room, and the roofs of a line of cabins. Camp Luna wasn't a huge camp by any means, but it was big enough for me to make friends and enjoy myself.
I grabbed my suitcase and my duffel bag and dragged them out of the bus. I was moving at record speed, and when I felt the fresh air hit my face, I temporarily forgot all my worries. It was nice to feel fresh air, as opposed to the pollution of the city. It was colder here too, a slight chill creeping over me as we approached the gates.
A woman stood by the camp luna sign, curls braided around her head. She wore a pair of tight fit jeans, and a bright orange T-shirt, the logo of the camp embroidered on the shoulder. "Hey guys!" She greeted us at the gates, before ushering us further inside. "You're the last group to arrive. We'll have a small meeting at the mess hall first, before you get settled in"
The mess hall was large, and had a connection door to the camp hall building beside it. It housed a row of long dining tables, and buffet style food stands. Most of the space was taken up by other campers and their luggage, so my group crowded in the doorway.
The woman who had greeted us moved to the front of the room, clapping her hands loudly to get our attention. "Welcome to Camp Luna, guys!" There were a few hoots, I suppose, from the people who'd been here before. "This camp stretches throughout the entire summer! We end one week before the beginning of the school season, in order for you guys to get back home and get settled"
