Finding love

Part 2

I woke up with my heart pounding, my blankets wrapped so tightly around me that I felt like a mummy. Maybe I'd been dreaming about the camp, or about all the bugs waiting to feast on me the moment I stepped off the bus. I threw the covers off, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and lay there staring at the ceiling. It was finally here—the day I dreaded. I was going to the sleep-away camp.

Evan was banging on my door before I even had a chance to sit up.

"Time to go to jaaail!" he sang, banging his fists against the wood. "Mom says get up!"

I threw a pillow at the door, but it didn't shut him up. He kept knocking and making his annoying little noises. I groaned, rolled out of bed, and started getting ready.

By the time I was downstairs, my duffel bag was already waiting by the door, and Mom was at the kitchen counter, making me some scrambled eggs that I had absolutely no appetite for. Dad was sipping coffee, reading the newspaper as if it was any other day. Like they weren't sending me off to a nightmare.

"Eat something," Mom said when I sat down, sliding the plate in front of me. I poked at the eggs with my fork but couldn't bring myself to eat. "Ethan, please. I know you're nervous, but you'll feel better once you're there."

Yeah, right. I'm sure I'd feel real great when I was swatting away flies and trying not to humiliate myself during whatever sports they were going to force me to play.

Dad lowered the paper. "It'll be good for you, Ethan," he said, trying to sound reassuring. But he wasn't fooling anyone, least of all me. He'd always wanted me to be more like him, more into sports, more...masculine. But I wasn't like him, and I never would be.

As I sat there in silence, I thought about Julia. She was the only reason I could stomach the idea of going to this camp at all. At least I wouldn't be entirely alone. She'd already texted me that morning, full of excitement about seeing me at camp, telling me about how she'd packed her favorite sneakers for all the hikes she couldn't wait to go on.

I wished I could be like her. Brave. Confident. Athletic. But I was just...me.

The bus ride felt endless. I slumped into a seat near the back, pressing my forehead against the window and watching the city blur into trees and open fields. Julia sat next to me, bubbling with excitement.

"You're gonna love it," she said for the millionth time. "I know you're nervous, but once you get settled in, it won't be as bad as you think. The counselors are super chill, and the camp has this awesome lake where we can swim every day."

"I'm not a great swimmer," I mumbled.

"You'll learn," she said, nudging me playfully. "Besides, I'll be there to save you if you drown."

I gave a half-smile, but my stomach was still twisted into knots. I stared out the window and tried to imagine what the camp would be like. The bus rattled on, bumping over gravel roads, taking me farther away from the safety of my room and into the unknown.

When we finally pulled up to the camp, my heart sank. It looked just like I'd imagined it—log cabins surrounded by tall trees, fields stretching out into the distance, kids running around everywhere, already playing games or chasing each other. There was a lake glistening in the distance, but all I could think about was how out of place I felt.

As we climbed off the bus, Julia bounded ahead, already chatting with some of the other kids, while I dragged my feet, clutching my duffel bag as if it were a lifeline. The air smelled fresh, and I could hear birds chirping in the trees, but it didn't make me feel any better. It just reminded me how far I was from home.