Camp Pinewood ~Book 2~

3

Jesse's POV
I was sitting in the Cabin 7 section, waiting for all of my campers to come. Already there were two boys, texting whoever on their phones. I had two more to wait for.
Sydney was sitting at Cabin 8. Her campers were already there and I could hear them talking. As each girl went around and told what their problem was, I couldn't help but smile as I watched Sydney's face for her reactions.
"I enjoy setting small animals on fire. It's my thing." One girl said. I glanced over at her to see if she was kidding, but her face said that she was not.
"Hey, are you going to introduce yourself or what?" one boy said from beside me. I glanced over to see that the other two had joined us, and they were all looking at me expectantly. Well, except one. He had a suspicious and confused look on his face, as if he knew me somehow. But I didn't recognize him.
"Um... I'm Jesse. I'm your camp counselor."
"Really? I thought you were here to give us refreshments." One of them said, not even glancing up from his phone.
Faking a laugh, I reached over and took the phone from his hand. "Oh, I'm glad to see we have the porn addict here in our group. I'm going to assume that's why you were sent here?"
"Why I was sent here is my business." He retorted, reaching for the phone.
"Look, whatever your reason is, you're stuck here and you're actually going to go back to your poor parents with some mental healing, which you so desperately need. Now, drop the attitude and maybe in a few days you can get the source of your addiction back, alright dude?"
He just stared at me, his hands clenched into fists. I could tell he was contemplating whether or not to hit me, but decided against it.
Good for him. I thought, sticking the phone into my pocket. "So then, what are your names?" I asked them.
"Brandon." Said the one who just lost his phone.
"Great Brandon. Want to tell us the real reason you're here, or did I guess right?" He remained silent, so I figured I had guessed right. I knew he was going to be a hard one to help. "Okay what about the rest of you?"
"I'm Evan. I was sent here because my parents think I'm mentally screwed up because I went through a sex change. Oh and I sent my dad's car into the river."
I didn't know how to respond to that. I was starting to understand how Sydney felt after hearing about that girl setting animals on fire. And I was sure my face was conveying the same exact reaction too.
"Great! Anyone else?" I asked, not sure what else to say to him.
There were two boys here that looked exactly alike. Twins... I get twins... great... I thought, bracing myself for whatever weirdness that they have as a reason for being here.
"We're both twins." One of them said.
"Obviously. Why are you here?" Brandon asked.
The other one spoke. "We're here because we beat up our mother and put her in the hospital."
"But it was an accident." The other said.
Kill me now... I thought as Evan started to speak.
"Okay then thing one and thing two, what are your names?"
"John."
"Ron." They both said at the same time.

A few hours later, I was making my way towards Cabin 13 after making sure all of the freaks were asleep. It was the first night here and already two fights had erupted. The first being that Brandon had referred to Evan as a she, which I knew was just to annoy him. And the second being that Ron and John wanted to sleep in the same bed. Though, as they say, "not in that way."

I shook my head as I crossed the grassy courtyard and headed into the very back of the camp, near the woods. The light was already on inside and for a moment I wondered if the cabin had been made into an actual cabin for campers. Then the door opened.
"You're slow as a freaking turtle. Hurry up." Sydney hissed.
I skipped the stairs two at a time and followed her inside. Instantly a rush of memories hit me as I remembered our first time coming here. Our first kiss. Our first...

"So, you wanted to talk?" Sydney asked me.
"Just to catch up." I told her. It had been forever since I'd seen her last, and she still looked the same. Well, she looked more grown up, but still just as beautiful.
We were both quiet for a minute, locked in a staredown. Neither of us knew how to start.
"So... why are you here?" she asked me, looking away. I was almost certain she could hear my heart beating hard in my chest.
"My parole requires me to be here as a counselor. So I'm stuck here for at least this summer."
"Oh, I didn't know you'd been on parole."
"Because of you." I said. My tone wasn't an accusation, just an explanation.
"Right..."
We were both quiet again, and now it was more awkward than anything.
"So you and Ethan then?"
"Yeah... pretty much."
"How long?" I asked her, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
"Ever since we left that one summer... He was there for me, after everything that happened."
After she turned me in and I was sent to prison. He took my place with her.My thoughts were bitter and I started to feel some of that old anger rise again. But I took a deep breath.
"Well I'm glad. You guys seem happy."
She seemed surprised by this. She met my eyes and I stared back, taking in every detail of those grey eyes that I'd missed out on for two years. They were the same. They were the same stormy grey eyes that sent shivers through me whenever I looked into them.
God I've missed her. I thought. I wanted nothing more than to just pull her into me and kiss her, to lay her down on the bed- despite the dust that was caked on it- and to-
"Well... I've gotta get back Jesse." She said, cutting off my train of thought.
I felt disappointment course through me and I nodded. "Right, me too."
We both stood up and headed for the door. Just as we were about to part ways, I grabbed her wrist to turn her towards me. "Hey, Syd?" I said, bringing back the old nickname I had for her.
She tensed slightly and I knew she remembered it but she still glanced back at me. "Yeah?"
"I've missed you." I told her before letting her go and heading back to cabin seven.