Bastiana has a loving family, two amazing best friends, and a secret.
Over summer vacation, Bastiana and her besties do their best to focus on their bucket list in order to distract them from all the secrets they're keeping from one another. When a...
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Seven days.
Camp ends in seven days, and I still have no idea what I'm going to do when I get back to Talon Creek.
I've spent the last 21 days desperately trying to think and feel my way through this problem, as per my mom's suggestion, but I still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have, however, found every beautiful view point within a mile of this camp.
Any time I've had the chance, I've taken my thinking to the wilderness. I've spent my time hiking up the trails around the camp. Between classes and events with the campers, I grab my phone and a water bottle and just start walking. There are a few spots closer to camp that the other counselors hang out at sometimes, but if I walk a little longer I can usually find a secluded spot to stop and look out over the river as I think.
Today, I don't have very much time between camper classes, so I'm at one of the closer spots. Everyone is busy with lunch prep though, so I'm alone.
I'm sitting on a flat boulder near the edge of a bend in the river. The current here is faster, creating white crests along the surface as the water rushes by. The sound of the water rushing over the rocks is soothing, and I often get lost in the sound when I come here. I'm going to miss this when I leave on Saturday.
The early morning sun warms the rock where I sit and as I close my eyes and turn my face up to the sky, I feel it warm my skin as well. I take a deep breath in and smell the crisp scent of damp earth and campfire smoke on the breeze. It's so peaceful here. A small smile forms on my face as I sigh deeply.
"Every time I find you out here, you're doing that exact same thing." A voice calls out to me, making me jump as I whip my head around to find its source.
"Marigold!" I gasp. "You scared the crap out of me, girl!" I laugh and roll my eyes when I see her walking towards me.
Marigold isn't her real name, it's Marissa, but Marigold is her camp name and it fits her perfectly. She's tall with beautiful blonde hair and eyes that are a pretty shade of blue, like waves crashing on white sand beaches. She's got legs that would make a model jealous and perfect porcelain skin. She's gorgeous, and she's also really kind. She was the first friend I made when I got here.
Marissa is from Canyon City, so she's not too far from home here. Canyon City is a town even smaller than Talon Creek, so she finds my stories fascinating. When I told her about PVO and the punk show I went to last month, she nearly vibrated with excitement. She asked me about every detail and listened like it was the secret to life as we know it. I also told her about the guys, and Jaxon.
She's obsessed with the idea of me having 'two incredibly hot male specimens' as best friends. I showed her a picture of us from the day we went to the fair this summer and she couldn't believe that I'd never dated either of them. I told her all about them and showed her the framed picture of us I brought with me, explaining just how long we've been friends. Telling her about them led to me telling her about the strangeness of this summer, and that led to telling her about Jaxon.
