Family + Camp (working title)

Chapter 10: Unpacking

Nell was on the payroll, and yes, nepotism was involved because she did not have to interview for the job. Last summer at Fields Creek, she'd worked as a counselor-in-training, or CIT, but it had not really been her cup of tea. Little children were okay, but having to take care of them and tell them what to do? No. Furthermore, Nell was not fond of being bossed around by a teenager only a couple of years older than she was. It was ridiculous. So, during winter break, she had worked hard and gotten her lifeguarding certificate through the Guardians. Had her parents paid the fee? Of course they hadn't. It was a perk of her dad being an employee of the organization. And the requirements to be a Guardian lifeguard, they were actually a lot tougher than the American Red Cross, or at least, had their own rules on top of whatever the Red Cross required. Whatever. Her skills were good enough for Camp Morgan, and she'd been hired no fuss, no muss.
When the moving van arrived the next day, Nell was ready, full of fire. She couldn't wait to unpack and turn her room into an exact replica of her old room. If anything could be said about Nell, it was that she was a creature if habit and did not relish playing games. She would not be reinventing herself as the cool girl. She knew who she was—a tomboy who had boobs and liked boys. Or probably would if anyone caught her actual fancy. Well, anyone worthy. There's only been one so far. And it was not Len.

The boy she'd crushed on at Collins High had been a year older than her, Corey White. When he hooked up with Jenny at Homecoming last year, Nell lost all interest. It was that easy. His sex appeal shriveled up like old carrots left out in the sun. When, after said hook-up, he and Jenny did not become a couple—just an awkward footnote in each others young lives—Nell's feelings for him did not return. She didn't think about it too hard, and she didn't blame Jenny for having moved in on Corey, since Nell had never voiced her interest in him. It had been purely physical—almost all the girls and maybe some boys found him to be nummy.

As for the tomboy part...Sure, Nell could appreciate fine things like pretty clothes and makeup and John Stamos. She just felt more comfortable in jeans and t-shirts with nothing pancaked to her face. This worked out well for being a lifeguard—easy to get into her gear, easy to clean up after a shift.

Unpacking took focus. Nell would have blown through lunchtime unpacking and breaking down cardboard boxes, but her mom and dad insisted she take a break. They had made ham and cheese sandwiches. The Camp Morgan staff took weekends off from lunch on Saturday through lunch on Sunday, and it was a Saturday. Her dad had come into the house from doing some office work after the moving van had left. The weird thing about her dad's life was that he never really took a break from work, not unless they traveled. His was not a 9-to-5 job.