Love at Camp Sight

Part 6

Taylor

I wait 20 minutes after the whispering dies down, then I put on my black converse high-tops, and a hoodie and go out the door. It's almost 12:30. Cameron is already at the bridge. 

"Hey," I whisper. He smiles at me. I sit down next to him, but I dare not dangle my feet over the edge. Not yet. 

"That whole thing is so crazy." He says. I nod. "Today is technically Thursday, so tomorrow we have to go home. I won't see you again." 

The realization comes and smacks me in the face. I won't ever see him again. I'm terrible at making friends, and the one friend that I managed to make will be leaving tomorrow. 

"Well, let's not talk about sad things like that." I say. "Um." What's something we both have in common, even the slightest bit? "You said you're home schooled?"

"Uh... Yeah, I'm home schooled. Are you?"

I nod. "Yes. Me and all my siblings. I do school at the library because it's more peaceful."

He nods. "Makes sense. How many siblings do you have?" 

"Well. Um. I have 7 siblings all together. I have an older sister who's in college. A brother who's a senior. I have a brother and sister who are twins they are freshmen. I have a little brother in 6th grade. And a little sister in 4th, and another sister in 2nd grade. It's very loud. All together we're 8 people. And surprisingly I'm the only smart one who goes to the library to do school." 

"Wow." Is all he says. Oh no. I've scared him.

"What about you? What's your family like?" I say.

"Um. My dad left us about 5 years ago. So it's just me and my mom." He stares at the lake. "What about your parents?"

"My mom teaches the younger one's but I use my laptop at the library. And my dad is overly protective about his high school aged daughter's and he was the one who made me come here." I laugh a little. He looks at me. "It's funny. He's the one who made me come here, yet he's the one who will have a cow when he finds out that I met a boy."

I grip the edge of the bridge and dangle my feet over. We're wearing the same shoes. The exact same shoes! 

"We have the same shoes." I point out. 

He laughs a little. "Yes. Yes we do." We stare at our shoes for quite a long time. "Stand up."

"Why?" I say as I stand up. 

"Take off your socks and shoes, and your hoodie."

"Are we doing what I think we're doing?"

"Probably." I go stiff as the cold air touches my bare arms. 

"It's cold."

He gives me a hug to warm my arms.

"I know you hate deep water. But..." He picks me up and jumps in the water. I'm hanging on tight. Grabbing his shirt so I won't drown. Soon all the air is gone, and there's only water around. 

I gasp for air when our heads come up. "How dare you." I say still hanging on to him for support.

"There's nothing to be afraid of in the lake." he laughs a little.

Maybe I do like him that way. For all I know Dad's going to be mad at me no matter what I do. 

"Now, Taylor, tell me this one thing. What do you write in that notebook of yours?" He says.

"I write about you."

"Me?" He says is mock surprise. 

I nod. And in that moment with the moon shining on us in the lake, nothing about what's happened seemed to matter anymore. Nothing about the camp consular's. Nothing about us never seeing each other again mattered. None of it mattered. Because in that moment with me hanging onto him, him still lightly holding me up, he kissed me. And I kissed him back.