Camp Pinewood ~Book 2~

25

After dinner ended, Jesse and I made our way to Cabin 13. To talk. Or well... that was the plan...
He grabbed my hand, pulling me slightly out of my thoughts. "You're quiet." He noted.
"Just thinking." I told him as we walked through the door of the cabin. It was a regular hang out for us.
"I kind of figured that out myself Sydney." He said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at him.
"Don't be a smart ass."
He laughed. "Right, cause you're so much better."
I laughed, but my heart still wasn't as into it as usual. I couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened in just a short time. Alysa's pills, the sabotage, Jesse and his mom... It was all happening so fast.
"Hey, come back to me." He said, serious now. He pulled me closer and hugged me, looking down and into my eyes. "What's bothering you? The games tomorrow?"
"Well... yeah, but mostly just... everything. It seems like so much has happened. Because so much has happened. And I don't know how to keep up anymore. And in one sense, I almost feel bad for Alyssa... I mean it's not her fault if she's on medication. But I also don't because of what she did with the whole sabotage thing and I'm just so confused-"
"Hey... She may be on medication but she's still done quite a few things that are uncalled for. Even a disorder can't be an excuse for some of the things she's done. Sure, feel bad for her. I'll admit, I do. But don't let it cloud your judgment. Okay?"
"Okay..." I said, still not completely convinced.
He was quiet for a minute, and I looked up at him. He was staring back at me, and right then all I wanted was for him to kiss me and to forget everything else. Thankfully he got that, cause I wasn't about to be one of "those girls" who asks him to kiss me.
He leaned forward and pressed me against him, while my hands went up to his hair, tangling themselves in it. I felt him pull me backwards to where the bed was and we fell backward onto it.

Needless to say, we didn't leave for a little while.

The next day I woke up in my cabin, recalling the events of last night. Once Jesse dropped me off, I talked to Elease before bed. The shoes were on the way.
And her parents certainly did deliver. On our porch was a big box filled with various sizes of the best athletic shoes made. We all got dressed and met Jesse's cabin outside of the mess hall. Normally he'd look at all of me and give me some sarcastic remark about how I looked good but today he was focused on my shoes.
"We get all get a pair of those right?" Jesse asked.
I handed him the box. "Merry Christmas."
"It's summer..." Brandon piped up.
"No dip Sherlock. Any other obvious statements you want to let out?" I asked him. Jesse smiled.
"And my amazing smart ass girlfriend is back."
"Yeah yeah shut up." I said, but I was smiling right back at him. He kissed me and we headed on our way to the game.

We were the last ones to arrive. Alyssa ran past us, smiling and waving at me. I noticed her gaze was focused on our shoes mostly, and that her smile faltered a bit but she got it together and glanced up at me.
"Good luck!" she yelled. I put on my best fake smile and waved back, remembering what Jesse had said last night. Don't let it cloud your judgment. "You too!" Once she was back with her team, and I happened to notice a slight raise in her voice as she was probably yelling at her teammates about our shoes, I turned to ours.
"Her face was pretty rewarding." Elease said, smirking.
"Good. Let that motivate you. Let's try and see her face when we win okay guys? But... I'm about to go all cheesy camp counselor here: Have fun too? Win or lose, I'm proud of you guys. You've come a long way. A really long way." I said. They all laughed.
"Okay, now we're gonna pair off. I don't care who you're partner is, you're not babies and I'm sure you can work it out on your own right?"
"No." Elease said, rolling her eyes.
"Great! So we'll split up and find everything on the list and meet back here okay?"
I heard mutters of agreement, but I knew they were just ready to start. I looked at Jesse.
"Clearly you're my partner." I said.
"I don't get a say?" he asked. I looked at him for a minute, one eyebrow raised. He held his hands up and laughed. "Don't bite my head off. I'm just messing."
Suddenly there was a noise and we all glanced to the front. Alyssa was standing there with a mic.
"Okay! Today's game, our final game, is a scavenger hunt! The rules are simple, the first team to collect everything on the list wins. Got it?" Everyone in the crowd agreed. "Great! On your marks... Get set... Go!" she yelled.
And then, we all took off running.