Bi the Way

Chapter 17: To

Parker stepped out of his taxi, the sun reflecting off the windshield as he squinted at the rustic wooden sign reading "Long Horne Range" in faded white letters. The lake air filled his nostrils, and he could hear the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore. He adjusted his glasses and ran a hand through his messy curls, preparing himself for a week of lifeguard duty at the camp.

"Hey there," called a friendly voice from behind him. Parker turned to see an older man with a salt-and-pepper beard and a sun-weathered face. "You must be Parker. I'm Gus, the head counselor. Welcome to Long Horne. You'll be joining the other lifeguards at the beach. Just follow the yellow trail; you can't miss it."

"Thanks, Gus," Parker replied, feeling a flutter of nervous excitement in his stomach. He picked up his bag and began making his way down the sandy path, his shoes crunching on the small shells scattered across the ground.

As he approached the beach, Parker's heart skipped a beat when he recognized a familiar figure among the small group of lifeguards. Madison stood there, her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, a whistle hanging around her neck. Their eyes met, and Parker could feel the tension between them immediately.

"Madison?" Parker said, trying to keep his voice steady. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I guess," she replied, crossing her arms defensively. "Lifeguarding for the week."

"Great," Parker muttered under his breath. "So we will be working together the whole week?" the thought made his stomach churn.

"Looks that way," Madison was clearly as unhappy as he was with this development.

Parker looked around at the other lifeguards, "Maybe we won't get the same shifts, you know since there are so many of us,"

"Let's just agree to keep things professional so we can both get through this." Madison returned to the group, but Parker kept a careful distance.

The lifeguard refresher course began, and despite their best efforts, Parker and Madison couldn't help but bicker throughout. They argued over the proper technique for rescuing a drowning swimmer, "Seriously, A fireman's carry, are you nuts!" Madison critiqued as Parker exited the water.

They fought when paired for the CPR training. "Madison you have to switch off with me at some point! They need to see my technique too," Parker pushed as Madison reached three minutes of consecutive compressions. Somehow, they managed to pass the course, though their already tense relationship was strained farther.

-----

Meanwhile, Rodney and his family had just arrived at their hotel room in Disney World, excitement bubbling up as they unpacked their bags. Rodney couldn't wait to check out the park with his sister Marcy.

"Come on, Rod!" Marcy called, her curly hair bouncing as she grabbed her brother's hand. "Let's go explore!"

As they weaved through the throngs of people, riding roller coasters and sharing laughs, Rodney couldn't shake the lingering thought of what it would be like if Parker were there. He knew Parker would appreciate the intricate details of each ride, and they'd quote their favorite movies while waiting in line.

Rodney spotted a guy with messy curls and glasses, so similar to Parker's, he almost walked into a lamp post while staring. He tried to shake the image of Parker out of his head, but it crept back in at every turn. As much fun as he was having with Marcy, he couldn't help but wonder how much more fun it would be with Parker.

"Rodney, you okay?" Marcy asked, noticing his distant expression. "You seem distracted."

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," he replied, forcing a smile. But deep down, he knew that he wanted to be more than friends with Parker, and if he was honest with himself, he had wanted it for a long time now.