Camp Crazy

1. Basic Besties

Long Chapter Title: the average and everday conversations of basic teenaged best friends

"To have fun," Erika read, mockingly. "To have fun!" She threw her hands up. "You've gotta be fucking with me."
"Yeah, I probably should have written something else," I agree, rereading my penned-in words. "Can't erase it, though."
My friend stopped pacing aroud and took a closer look at the Mad Night Camp application form. I watched her eyes gaze deeply into it. "But you can make something out of it."
I quirk an eyebrow, signaling for her to continue.
"The secret behind the application form is that the camp's workers over look the reason why you want in, yeah?"
"Yeah."
She continued. "And they want a long-ass interesting paragraph that shows you're unique and shit. That's what they expect."
Catching on, I finish for her. "Do something unexpected. Like, a picture drawing? One pic equals one K words."
"Kinda... no, not really." Erika gets up. "Similar to a black out poem, except you'll cross out the letters you don't want in. Make a word out of those penned-in letters from left to right to start something out." She adds, "make sure you can easily read the original text."
Oh, I get her. I over think the words in my mind. What starting words are hidden in there from left to right?
To have fun. It has to make sense.
To have fun. It has to hook them in.
To have fun.
"I give up." I sigh, not allowing my brain to work during the summer. This is something I'd do in school, in English.
Not in summer, applying for a fricking camp.
"You're an idiot," Erika retorted, scotting me out of my chair and taking my place. She looked over it again.
"...nee expiriences," she mumbled. Erika turned to look at me. "To have funny expiriences, wait no, moments and joyous experiences. From whatever there is planned to mud fights during stormy days. Co-ed waterballoon fights on the Mad Nights we'll share, and-"
"Where did this sappy crap come from?" I interrupt, rolling my eyes. "This is a fun camp for open minds, not for the creative writing geeks and pencils."
Erika made a face. "Well then I guess I'm not getting in."
I sighed. "Yeah you are. Even if you did write junk it'll be the best, most persuading junk they'll read on these app forms... as long as you gave them an unexpecting twist."
Erika's face lit up again, like she just rembered something. "You betchya butts I did. At the end, I threw in a little chocolate to that vanilla."
"Are you saying that Vanilla is bland?"
"You would only take it that way if you thought my writing as boring." She huffed and did a sharp turnaround.
I rolled my eyes, brushing it off and knowing that she isn't actually offended. "I'll just write a little comic strip."
Erika gave me a weird look, but shrugged. "Whatever floats your goat, Missy."
I began to sketch a little character with pigtails- that's me- and a happy expression without even knowing what it'll be about. Maybe I can do a comedy that somehow connects to Mad Night Camp.
Or, I can write visuals of the scene that had just taken place? Erika and I will be charactors, and she can kind of explain things for me.
Yeah, that's what I'll do.
***
"Erika!" I ran over to my friend and waved the application form in her face. In response, she spat on me. "Fucking hell, you knat!" I wiped it off with my free hand after she took the paper from me, quickly realizing my bad choice.
I gagged in reflex and shot to wipe off the goey-ew on Erika's shoulder. She shrugged and read over the comic.
After a moment, she threw it back to me. "Well?" I ask desparately. "How is it?"
She plops down on my red Style chair. "It's shit... compared to Jackwell Dinell." I shoot up in excitement and pose in the air. J.D. is the ugliest character on TV, way worse than shit.
"We're going to Mad Nights, kid!"
We stood there, screaming like the fourteen year olds we were, over a piece of paper we weren't even sure would be good enough.
***

Two weeks later.
"Alrighty girls, here we-"
"We're here!" Erika and I said in unision, interrupting her mother.
We faced towards each other and gave a look that resembled connecting to free wifi. But not just free wifi, the best fucking connection you can get on the planet, and right in time to beastmode a COD tournament.
"Remember to e-mail me when you get to the-"
"Bye, Mom!"
Erika and I grabbed our luggage, each one small suitcase and a zip bag, and made our way to the building entrance.
There was a triangle-ish shelter over the entree way with glass double doors, and glass walls covering the first portion of the hallway,
"Fancy place. I'd be just fine staying here for the three weeks," Erika snickered, playfully nudging me in the side. "Seriously though, why haven't I've ever heard of this place?"
"Yeah, it isn't even the building on the website," I pointed out, realizing the fact as I said it. It seemed a bit fishy, but Mad Nights was a fishy program.
And I'm not talking about the smiling salmon with blue sunglasses as the logo.
ba dum tss.
"Why the fuck did you just ba dum tss?"
I left my thoughts. "Huh?"
"You literally just said ba dum tss and did a little motion with it. What the fuck? No one said anything funny."
I shrugged and we continued to pass through the oncoming 13-to-15 year olds.
Erika stopped suddently, right before the entree way of the main room where the kids are supposed to meet up. She side glanced at me and opened her mouth, "Ya'll ready for this?"
I jumped in response, "Ludachris!"
We walked in together with the feeling like we were the only ones in sight, verses the reality of no one gave a shit we just came in.
Our natural teenage girl instincts came in and we scowered the area for the fine boys in view, and punching eachother when we see one.
"Hey ladies! Welcome to Mad Nights Summer camp, take a flyer and head on down the blue carpet and sin on in."
Thanks, we said in unision, walkong down where he directed us and hearing the exact same thing from behind as another group of girls walked in.
A kid, messy brunette hair, walked up to us and looked at Erika. He began to talk, but I only paid attention to the group of guys and girls watching him from across the room, as if this was a dare. Finally, his words came back into sense. "...which bus you were riding in."
"A3, you?"
"C4."
"Really? I heard that bus was the bomb," I snickered, not able to resist myself.
Kid laughed and Erika sent me a bang gun hand signal, which I fired back. "That's good. I'm using that. Anyways, my friend Lex, he's an asian. You're an asian. He wanted to talk to someone asian-to-asian, yeah?"
I sent my best friend a what the fuck look, and she replied with a maybe his friend is cute look.
I dont have a good feeling about this, Erika.
Just find someone to talk to, I'll be right back.
But what if-
"Hell are you guys doing? Is this a who can make the dumbest face  comtest?" Kid said, totally confused.
Erika took a deep breath and said, "Sure."
"Sure to what?"
I face palmed.
"The asian to asian thing. As long as he's Ryan Higa status," she replied, giving me a quick wink.
"Dunno what yo mean, but I'm'a guess he's an MMA fighter and no, he's not ripped." He added, almost to himself, "To come to think about it, I've never seen an asian body builder."
I muffled a laugh at the thought of it, and stole a quick glance from him.
"Then let's go?" My friend said, turning to follow the kid.

And at those few moments, I felt totally and completely alone as I walked up to the sign-in table and texting Erika to meet me by Bus C2.