Family + Camp (working title)

Chapter 29 Part 1: Grown Up Pizza

Today's lunch was pizza that smelled a little funny, like the cafeteria pizza at Nell's old high school, but appeared pretty gourmet with fresh tomatoes, grilled onions, olives, mushrooms...and not a pepperoni in sight. Nell decided she would be brave and mature and not sulk about the pizza being fancy and grown up with all of its vegetables on it. This was part of being seventeen, part of getting older, part of being more grown up.

Taking a look around the room for an open table, Nell noticed for the first time that there were many, many more people today. She still didn't know every person's face or name, but now there were even more of them, some of them looking the same as others. Strangers, young folks from teens her age to young adults who could be in their late twenties. Maybe even early thirties. Nell didn't shy away from the slight scorn and judgment she felt about the ones who seemed older. What were they doing here? Shouldn't they have grown up by now? Gotten real jobs? At least they should be working something year-round instead of seasonal like the maintenance crew and the kitchen staff.

Nell followed Izzy, who put her full tray down at a table in the center of the room. She had a huge smile on her face. "Stacey!" she squealed, and a girl stood up from the her chair and threw herself into Izzy's open arms.

There were more squeals and more hugs with many of the new arrivals, which just pushed to the forefront how much of an outsider Nell was. These people had been campers here or worked here before. She would have to catch up. She and Seth. And her dad. They would have to make themselves worth knowing. It was an odd sensation, one she did not like. She'd always been on the inside, always been comfortable. Belonged. Everything had changed with her dad's colossal screw-up.

Cash appeared at Izzy's side, shaking hands with some of the newly arrived guys in a "bro" way and giving girls quick hugs. He was not as exuberant as Izzy, but his smile was genuine and warm.

Nell set her tray next to Izzy's and sat down. She started in on her pizza pizza. It tasted grown up all right. Ugh, so much undercooked onion! But the mozzarella cheese was okay, the funny institutional smell not affecting it too much.

That sensation from yesterday floated over her skin, that feeling of something invisible dancing lightly across her surface, and she tested it by swallowing her food before looking up. Yup, just as she'd suspected and hoped: Cash.

He wasn't staring at her, but he was noticing her, seeing that she was eating alone. And maybe that was okay for some people, to be surrounded by others who were laughing and chatting and catching up while said loner shoveled food into her mouth as if at the center of a maelstrom of unshared happiness. Cash had noticed this, and Nell could feel him pulling away and coming towards her. He circled her table and stood next to her.

"Hey." And he waited.

"Howdy," Nell said.

"Come meet these guys."

She set down her pizza and primly wiped her fingers before standing up.