buddy system •kyle simmons•

welcome

"welcome to camp amitiè!"

i kept my head low as the directors and such herded us teens out of the bus. the ride was hell, i was finding it claustrophobic. plus the roads were twisty, making me feel ill.

nobody had tried to talk to me, which was good. i was also able to listen to my music, which i had been blasting no matter how bad my head began to hurt.

"right this way! find a seat on one of the logs, don't be shy. fill in, make sure there is enough room for everyone" one of the adults administered, waving their hand to what seemed like a gathering area. rows of logs faced a podium type thing, where a far too cheerful woman stood. her blonde hair almost as white as her pearly teeth that were set in a smile.

by the time we all settled in, people were brushing shoulder to shoulder, making us all feel uncomfortable and stiff. the air was thick, with both tension and humidity.

"i am sure you are all very excited to be here!" the cheerful woman exclaimed, in a way that made my face twist into a grimace. "as you may know the buddy system you have become a part of is a rather special opportunity for you to make a friend and also better yourselves one step at a time! oh, dear, my name is miss grace, the head counselor of this program!"

miss grace then went over some of what was to be expected of us during our stay, and i kept zoning out but there were a few things i picked up on

-we are to take part in two group counseling sessions a week

-we will have group activities with our buddies as often as possible

-we are to share a cabin with our buddies as well as another pair

-we are required to attend a one on one counseling session a minimum on three times total

-no drinking

-no smoking

-along with some other shit i wasn't bothered enough to hear

after the introduction, we were to go to tables with our cabin assignments. it took me a while to find mine, partly because i was too nervous to say my last name loud enough. when i finally did give the patient lady my name,she handed me the sheet and pointed in the direction with a smile. i gave a small smile back

the cabin was rather large, fitted with two sets of bunk beds, a desk, a small bathroom (without a shower), and a small lounging area fit with four beanbag chairs. it was nicer than i thought.

my things were placed at the foot of one of the beds, and i made my way over to that spot and sat down. taking in the silence before the other people came in. oh god. the other people. what if they don't like me?  what if they pick on me? what about if they give me attention at all? can i put up with that? i mean people aren't really my-

my thoughts were cut short when a knock was made at the door. along with a tall body coming in after.

the body stood awkwardly in front of me, before turning around and shyly sitting on the edge of the bed across from me. i looked up and examined them, seeing whether they were of any harm. of course not you idiot, the  probably think your the harm. they had large dark hair, as well as dark circles under their blue eyes. those blue eyes that examined me as i did them.

"s-so are you k-kate?" the boy asked.

i shook my head, "whose kate?"

he lifted up the paper in his hand that resembled the one i was given, "m-my b-b-buddy."

"oh, um, i am tyne. what's your name?"

"d-daniel, but y-you can call m-me dan." he said softly. he gave a shy smile before falling back onto the bed with a sigh. as he did that, i took a look down at my own paper, skimming over the words trying to find the one of whoever was to be my 'buddy'.

i skimmed through the words, until my eyes landed on the words "buddy assigned: kyle j. simmons".

well, kyle, i'm sorry in advance for the terrible person you have become stuck to.