Family + Camp (working title)

Chapter 23: The Sad Rule

"This is very relaxing," Cash said.

"Cutting logs relaxing," Nell murmured. And then she wondered if she smelled as pleasant as Cash did. She really wanted to give her pit a surreptitious sniff, but she also wanted to simply continue lying there.

"Well, well, well." A loud voice jolted her out of the moment. She had actually started to drift off. Had she snored?

Behind her sunglasses, Nell calmly opened her eyes. She looked straight up into a fairy ring of redwood trees. Nothing had changed.

"What do we have here?"

Nell lifted herself up to sitting. Cash continued to lie there.

It was Rob, his brother. The smile on his face could only be described as smarmy—that was no surprise in a way. Nell had sensed he might be kind of a two-face suck-up Eddie Haskell-oh-Mrs. Cleaver-you-make-the-best-cookies-on-the-block. The way he acted all cooperative with her dad...She knew Rob was older and that he had been hired in a professional capacity. But it didn't mean he was mature.

"What do you want, Rob?" Cash said without really moving. His voice was bored beyond measure.

Rob crossed his arms, a clipboard and pen in one hand. "Ms. Harte, what are your intentions with my brother?"

Nell leaned back on her hands. "Oh. Is this your brother? You hardly seem related."

Rob paused. He looked confused. Had she just insulted him? Nell gave him a small smile. He seemed to recover. "You didn't answer my question."

"You didn't answer mine."

Rob shook his head. "You know he's my brother. You met us at the same time. Not to mention the family resemblance?"

Nell frowned and made a rectangle with the fingers of both hands, as she'd seen movie directors and professional photographers do on TV. She held out her finger rectangle to each boy in turn. Cash still lay there. He had not even opened his eyes.

"No," Nell said, putting her hands down. "I don't see it."

She sensed Cashel smile next to here. Rob huffed.

"Whatever. Your turn to answer my question—actually, you know what? I don't even care. You know the Camp Morgan sad rule."

Nell shook her head. "The what rule?"

"The sad rule," Rob said, triumphant.

"No sex, alcohol, or drugs," Cash said in a sleepy monotone.

"Ah," Nell said. She did not, actually. Was this something her Morrie had instilled? The Guardians Guild had their own rules that he followed of course. Loosely. "The S-A-D rule."

"That's right!" Rob said. "The SAD rule is in effect."

"Should it be the N-sad rule?" Nell asked. "If it's just the SAD rule, that could mean yes to sex, alcohol and...what was the last one?"

"Drugs," Cash clarified.

"Right. Drugs."

"Don't be stupid," Rob said.

Nell felt herself growing pissed off. "I'm never stupid. I'm merely humorous. One might say I am a social commentator using my powers of observation to point out the things that do not make any sense."

Rob scowled.

"He doesn't get it," Cash said and rolled onto his side, twisting around and propping himself up onto an elbow on the table so he was next to Nell. "He doesn't get humor and he doesn't do social commentary."

"Shut up, Cash! I do get humor and I—I have no comment about social commentary."

Cash raised his eyebrows at Nell. "See what I mean?"

She laughed. "I do. I do indeed see what you mean."

Rob huffed. "Meeting's in five. Don't be late." He stalked off towards the hall.

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Wattpad fam: 2 questions: First, have you ever dozed under a fairy ring? It's pretty magical. Second, did your camp have a rule about fraternizing with others? Did it work? (That is 3 questions.)