I've Loved You Forever

Chapter One

Well, I'm back again. As I look out the window of my car, I spot him in an instant. Liam Sellar. The boy I've been in love with for all my sixteen years of living. The main reason I keep coming back to Camp Wildfire. 

When I was just a baby, my mom brought me to this camp. She loved it. It was her whole life. Her soul. My dad hated it, and never once came, but every year, my mom would bring me right back. It was her second home. 

So yeah. I came here every summer. I still come here every summer. Even though I didn't want to come this year, Mom wanted me too. She basically begged me to do it while she was in the hospital as she was dying. 

That's the main reason I don't want to come here. Mom died two months ago. And this place is filled with way to many memories for me to handle. But she begged me to go, and how could I not? It was her last wish for me. To find love at this camp like she did so long ago. 

She left me her old notebook she wrote when she was my age; sixteen. I haven't read it yet. I don't know if I will. It's still too soon. 

I wish I found love at Camp Wildlife. I already know who the love of my life is. But obviously he doesn't feel the same. Even though I've been around him for sixteen years. 

Another reason I don't want to come; Liam Sellar. Each year I tell myself it will be different; he will notice me. He will notice I got my braces off. He will notice I changed my hairstyle and color. He will notice my skin cleared up. He will notice how fit I've become from gymnastics. But just like every year of every summer, he hasn't. And each year I go back, I watch him fall in love with another beautiful girl, more pretty than I will ever be. And each year, I get my heartbroken once again, just to hope that next summer will be different. 

He's the most handsome man I've ever seen. As I stare out the window, I watch his muscular arms and perfectly tanned skin gleam in the sunlight. I watch as he shakes his head with laughter, watching as his perfect golden hair moves with the breeze so nicely. I watch as he smiles his perfect smile, all teeth perfectly straight and perfectly white. I watch as his perfectly blue eyes that match the color of the lake brighten each time he sees a new girl check in for camp. God, he is just perfect. Which is why he will never be mine, no matter how much I want him to be. 

As I get out of the car, I breathe deeply, allowing the scent of lake water and pine trees to flood my nose and air out my brain from all the stress of the year. As much as I hate to say it, Mom was right. This place is my second home too. I open the trunk and shriek as my bags start tumbling out, one by one, and landing on my feet and legs, leaving behind marks that will soon dot my legs bright purple. 

"Ugh!" I scream, exasperated. I've already had to drive six hours in complete silence, now that my mother isn't here, spilled coffee all over my new dress, (which I had bought to try to impress Liam), and had a bird poop on me while walking to a gas station bathroom. Classic. Nothing ever goes right in my life. 

"Luna!" Liam yells. My face immediately brightens, then warms, remembering the bird poop I still have stuck in my hair, (even though I tried so hard to wash it out in the gas station sink) and the coffee stain that sticks right in the middle of my chest. 

"Hey Liam," I say back. 

"Welcome back to camp! Where's your mom?" 

"Um," I start. "She couldn't make it this year. Too busy planning for parties." I don't tell him the real reason; that she's dead. The last thing I need right now is more pity, especially from Liam. The amount of "I'm sorries" and "Is there anything you need" has gotten to the point where if I ripped a hair out of my head each time I heard it, I'd be bald twenty years ago. 

"Oh, that's too bad. I don't think she's ever missed a year of this camp. Must be really busy." While he spoke, I physically had to tear my eyes away from his, because I'm not kidding, the color blue of his eyes is mesmerizing. If I could, I would stare at them all day. Who am I kidding, I would stare at them for the rest of my life. 

"Yeah, she is," I reply. 

"Well anyway, nice seeing you, and I guess I'll see you around?" Liam asks. He doesn't even let me reply before he walks away, walking over to another girl my age who has the most gorgeous face I have ever seen. Classic me, falling for Liam all over again. 

After checking in, I drag my two suitcases and four tote bags, plus a water bottle, phone, hat, and sunglasses, to my tiny cabin on the small rolling hill just a few feet away from the lake. As I open the creaking door, so many splinters enter my fingertips that I don't think I could ever get them all out. Shoving all of my baggage inside, I flicker on the lamp, and after realizing it doesn't work, I open the window to let some light in. Instead of light, about one million mosquitoes fly in, feasting on my skin and blood like it's Thanksgiving and they've been waiting a thousand years for this exact moment. Great. 

After swatting all the bugs I can and changing the lightbulb after begging a lone camp counselor for twenty minutes, I lay in bed, too exhausted to change or go to the foods building to eat dinner. Instead, I wrap myself in my blanket, and after realizing it was way too hot and there was no way I was going to sleep tonight, I head down to the lake. It's a peaceful night, with a soft breeze and the lulling sigh of grasshoppers and frogs. When I get to the lake, I see Liam. What I don't see, is the girl with the gorgeous face. 

"Liam!" I shout. As I walk further down, I see as he unhooks his lips with hers and looks up to me, a hard stare pasted on his face. Out of sheer embarrassment for ruining this special moment he has with this girl, I yell, "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize. I'm so sorry go back to what you were doing, and forget I was ever here."

I walk out of there faster than I've ever walked before.