Boot Camp

Epilogue: Old Version

A lot can happen in a year.

You can start off broken, unmotivated, and weak, and twelve months later find yourself in the complete opposite situation. When I look back at the beginning of last summer, I laugh. Maybe because every year I think my problems are huge. They seem insurmountable.

And then those defining twelve months pass by, and I wonder why I was ever so worried. Because here I am at the beginning of June with a wide smile on my face and a title I definitely didn't have last year: certified personal trainer.

"It's your first day on the job, right?" my mother asks when I step into the kitchen. I join her for breakfast, sliding onto the bar stool next to her.

"Yeah it is," I answer with a smile. "I'm kind of nervous."

"You've been training for this all year, don't worry," she answers, picking up her cup of coffee. "And anyway, if you aren't as good as you think you are, I'm sure there's been worse before you."

I take a handful of berries from the bowl on the table and shove them into my mouth. "Thanks, Mom," I answer wryly. I cut into a pancake doused in syrup, taking a larger than normal bite. Some things never change apparently.

I hear loud footsteps behind me and then feel arms around my back. "Whitney!" Poppy exclaims, squeezing me so hard I almost spit out my bite. "This feels just like last year when we sent you off."

I turn around and give her a quick hug. "You'll see me again, don't worry," I laugh and look over at the clock on the stove, realizing it's later than I thought. Shoveling in the rest of my breakfast, I stand up from my seat. "I gotta be out of here in five minutes or else Bob is going to kill me."

As I head to my room, I see my father walk across the hallway. He stops when he sees me and smiles. "Hey, you leaving already?" he asks, adjusting the collar of his white shirt. I nod.

"Yeah, I don't want to be late on the first day, of course." We look at each other for a moment, and then I throw my arms around him. I stay like that with my head buried in his shoulder until he lets go.

"I'm proud of you," he says, holding me in front of him. "I know you're going to kill it at the job this year."

"Thank you, Dad," I say before giving him another hug and hurrying to my room.

If one thing has also improved within the last year, it's my relationship with him. Admittedly, it started off rocky, but now I can say that I truly feel comfortable being around him again. At times, I find myself wishing we had got along from far before, but late is better than never.

I grab my two massive suitcases and look through my room once more to make sure I have everything. When I'm sure I do, I head outside to my driveway and climb into my car. I didn't know how things would work out between me and Axel this year. After all, we would be much busier than we were in the summer.

Only Axel wasn't just a summer fling. On the contrary, he's been everything to me this past year.

As I drive closer to the camp, I realize how much I miss him. I haven't seen him in two weeks, and while that may not seem like a while, it is when the loving part of your heart is purely invested into one person.

I park my car in the employee parking lot and get out, taking my bags with me. I walk through the doors of the Central Building, and an overwhelming sense of déjà vu comes over me. I follow the instructions sent to me and walk down the hallway all the way to the room at the end. I'm looking at the numbers on the doors to make sure I'm at the right one, when I feel a hand touch my shoulder.

"Hey," Axel says into my ear, and I turn around, a smile spreading onto my lips. He opens his arms for me like he always does, and I wrap mine around his torso. He holds me tightly and rests his hand on the nape of my neck.

"I missed you," I say, letting go. He grew out the stubble on his face, and I like it even better.

"I missed you too, Whit," he says, squeezing me a little harder before letting go. "Let's go outside before we're late for Bob's annual statement."

"Alright," I say, and we walk outside onto the grass. Bob and Cindy are standing up at the front of the small crowd of trainers, who are all mumbling and talking to each other. I feel dwarfed between everyone.

"Alright, everyone!" Bob calls out, clapping his hands together. He scans the crowd, and then his eyes fall on me. He gives me a smile, and I smile back.

"Welcome to another summer of Bob Campbell's Intense Boot Camp. In two weeks, you will be meeting a fresh batch of trainees that I hope you're as excited to work with for the next five weeks as I am. To start off, I'm very excited to have such a good group working for me this year, and I want you to use this training times to its fullest; don't be afraid to ask me questions anytime, though I can't guarantee nice answers on my part." The group breaks out into laughter, and Axel sighs from next to me, clearly tired of having to deal with his antics every year. "Alright, go get settled in your rooms, and we'll meet again in the afternoon!"

"Are you ready for this summer?" Axel asks when Bob is finished, looking over at me. He locks his hand with mine. I look up at him with a confident smile.

"More than you could ever imagine."