Just cousins

Chapter 3: independence day

Franko stepped off the bus onto the dirt road, making sneaker imprints on the dusty ground. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, the syrupy scent of pine filling his nasal passages. The afternoon sun was high in the sky, its warmth was caressing his skin pleasantly. This was his first year at Camp Ikuwa and he did not quite know his way around yet. But he was looking forward to it none the less. Franko picked up his bag and headed off towards the cabins. It took him a full twenty minutes to find the right one and he spent most of that twenty lost in the female side of the camp. When he finally found the correct cabin he exhaled a sigh of relief. Walking in, he met with some of his buddies from back home. And boy was he glad to see them. They had been driven up by they're parents so Franko had been forced to sit all by his lonesome on the long bus ride to camp. But now that be was here, the fun could begin. You see, he and his buddies had been plotting a little bit of an introduction from themselves to the camp. They had been working out the details for three weeks but had only gotten so far due to lack of usable information regarding the camp geography. Well now that they were on the grounds they could work that out. Franko threw his bag down onto one of four beds in the cabin. He unzipped it slowly for effect, his friends eagerly waiting in anticipation for what he would retrieve. Franko pulled out a small vile of clear liquid, his own personal brew. The boys stared in awe. This substance would work as an amazingly strong Laxative that was to be placed within the camps BBQ sauce supply. During the independence day cook out in about-. Franko checked his phone clock. One hour, the whole camp would get a huge surprise. And for a camp with only ten bathroom's to choose from. Not all would be such "happy campers." Franko and his friends laughed at the very genius and evilness of the scheme. It was almost too perfect. Performing a hyped group high five, they split off in all directions for the perfect way to start the week.
Franko was assigned with the task of placing the laxitive obviously, while his buddies would keep people away at all costs. Faliure was not an option. He snuck through the twin oak doors leading into the mess hall and through the hall en route towards the kitchen. He couldn't help but feel as though he were on a secret mission or something cool like that. Reaching the kitchen counter, he parkoured his way over it, his ego boosting to unimaginable levels. Taking the vile from his pocket, he crossed the kitchen, approaching the large metal refrigerator. What he found inside was pure beauty. Gallons upon gallons of beautiful BBQ sauce. The golden brown liquid seemed to shimmer within the tubs were it rested, just waiting for the suprise ingredient to be added. Franko began to unscrew the cap but was halted by the sound of a throat clearing behing him. "Shit..." He thought in panic, he'd been caught. Turning slowly to look upon his captor he expected to see a camp counciler. Instead he was met with a gaze from one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. She had long hazel brown hair and eyes that seemed to glow a mesmerizing sea green color. She seemed to be in her teens, couldn't have been much older than Franko, seventeen maybe? She wore an apron over what appeared to be a camp staff T shirt and shorts. He'd arms were Crossed over her chest, a suspicious look upon her face. "And what? May I ask? Are you doing here?" Her voice was soft and melodious. Vocals that were truly fit for a thing of such beauty. Franko was stunned. He wanted to tell her the truth. It was almost as if she was casting some sort of charm on him, not that he would mind. Swallowing up the urge to tell, he regained his arrogant persona once more. "Taste testing this beautiful sauce is all. I mean, it would be horrible if someone had poisoned it, am I right?" He grinned mischievously. The girl examined him from top to bottom then smirked. "That works for me, go ahead." She said. "You may want to test the councilers batch first. What ever would we do if they were poisoned?" She said dramatically, holding her arm over her head for effect. "It's the tub with the blue label." She sat back on the counter top and watched him. Franko was dumbfounded by what she had just said. She was definitely not stupid enough to have believed his lie, which meant that she knew what he was up to. Would she tell the councilers? Something reassured Franko that her lips were sealed. He uncapped the vile and continued on with his mission, successfully splitting the liquid evenly between the tubs. He closed the metal refrigerator, turning back to the girl who was still smirking at him. He stared at her for a bit then grinned. He approached her and held out his hand. "I'm Franko, a new camper here. May I know your name miss?" He asked. The girl glanced down at his outstretched hand then back up at him. She hopped down from the counter and gave him her own hand, returning the introduction. "I'm jasmine. But everyone calls me JJ." She said, smiling cheerfully. Franko shook it then released. "JJ huh? Well then miss JJ, a word of advice. Don't use sauce on your meal today." With that, he grinned and turned towards the door. JJ watched him leave, her lips curved into a light smile. "Bye then Mr Franko." Was all she said. Franko glanced back one last time, then took off in the direction of the cabins. That short extange if words had told him everything that there was to know about the girl who called herself JJ. Only after the camp had erupted into a massive shit storm would he learn that she was actually a volunteer chef. And over the course of his years at Camp Ikuwa, he would always come back and visit her. Discussing his most recent updates in his quest to terrorize the campgrounds. She would always laugh at his stories and tell of her own pranks in return. On top of it all, her cooking was amazing. She would definitely make some lucky guy a real happy man one day.

"And that's my story." Said Franko as they sat atop the roof of the camp auditorium watching the introduction ceremony in the distance. The sun had just set, making way for the first stars to peek down at them. Momo stared in amazement. "She just let you pull your prank? That's amazing!" She said in disbelief. Franko grinned. "Yep, she's something alright. I'll introduce you to her sometime this week. That's a promise." He chuckled. Momo blushed and looked down at her feet that dangled over the edge of the rooftop. "I can't meet such an amazing person." She mumbled. "I wouldn't know what to say." She was as shy as ever. Franko laughed. "Hi would be a good start." He said teasingly. There had been no cook out this year (probably his fault). But he was still gonna celebrate the fourth no matter what. "Hey Momo!" He said, patting her back. "Don't worry about it! Just watch me work my magic!" A wide grin spread across his face. He pointed off towards the introduction ceremony that they were supposed to be attending at the moment. Momo looked up at him in confusion then out at the ceremony. Counciler dick waffle was just finishing up his speech on friendship and memories that last forever. The usual text book bullshit. "Three..." Franko began to count. "Two..." Momo did not remove her gaze from the ceremony, curious about what event would transpire. "One..." Franko neared the end of his count down. The sun had completely set now. The time could not have been more perfect. "And, action!" He shouted. Just as he did, a large explosive sound rang out as the bootleg candles he had planted went off. Counciler Dick waffle dove for cover in what seemed to be a reenactment from some action movie. The fireworks shot up, exploding into brilliant patterns of light above the ceremony. Momo stared in awe and amazement, a look of happiness upon her face. Franko smiled at his little cousin. She seemed mesmerized by the brilliant lights. Momo turned to him with tears in her eyes. "You... Did this for me?" She asked slowly, sniffling a bit. Franko stared for a bit then smiled warmly. "You deserve it. Happy 4th Momo." He said, her expression making him feel a little fuzzy inside. Suddenly she tackled him, sending him tumbling backwards in suprise. He lied back on the roof, Momo hugging him tightly, her face burried in his chest. "I love you." Was all she said. the sound was somewhat muffled by his shirt but he did not need to hear her to know what she had said. He had heard her say it many times since they were little. He sat back up, hugging her body gently. "I love you too." He said. No more words were spoken between them that night. The cousins sat on the roof, watching the fireworks. Momo leaning against him, her head against his chest and Franko acting as a pillow, his arm around her, holding her close. The fireworks took ten minutes to completely die down, followed by a peaceful silence. Franko looked down, noticing that Momo was fast asleep against his body. He smiled. "I'll wake her in a bit." He thought to himself. "But for now... This is nice."