The Player Next Door ✓

12 | Honey

Hilarious poster by @j.rhianna.j... the raccoon, the baby in a corner... the cabin guide... it's all too much! Thank you! 

Chapter 12: Honey

Today was the day. I covered myself with bug spray. I put extra sunscreen on my nose and ate oatmeal for breakfast.

I was ready.

My water bottle was full of ice coffee and fanny pack had flashlight, compass and lip balm in it.

"Howdie," I greeted Luke with extra enthusiasm.

Unlike me, he'd just woken up.

He was making breakfast in a zip up hoodie and gray sweatpants. He turned around, rubbing his eye, "Hey."

I tried hard not to stare.  His hoodie was unzipped and the movement shifted the shadow over the hard lines of his muscular chest.

His hand dropped, and blue eyes widened. He stared at me. I was dressed in head-to-toe camo.

"It's too early for this."

I ignored him, and proudly adjusted the strap around my green safari hat. Nothing he could say would ruin my mood.

He muttered something about Crocodile Dundee in his kitchen and then, suddenly, the campers started screaming. I ran over to their room and found them racing in circles, jumping on the beds.

"MOUSE! MOUSE!"

"Guys, please, it's ok, we can handle this..." I tried to calm them down but none of them were listening. The kids continued to scream at the top of their lungs and it was impossible to catch any of them as they ran away from some mouse that was more terrified than they were. 

 "It's just a small mouse. Please, everyone, no, can we all just-"

The screaming was deafening. Malik almost knocked me over as he whizzed past, performing parcour on every piece of furniture we had.  I had totally lost control of the group.  

"Please-" I begged them, "Everyone please calm down."

And for the first time since we got here, Luke stepped into the camper's room.

He called out, "Next one to squeal will sleep on the floor with the mice tonight."

There was immediate silence.

His threat worked. 

Coming from him, they all believed it.

**

Luke got the kids to file single line out of the cabin, with their little backpacks on. He called them by number, from 1 to 10, since he didn't know any of their names. For whatever crazy reason, they enjoyed it.

It was like a game to them.

And Luke knew how to play games ;)

So, I guess this was just another thing he was better than me at doing. He'd spent all week ignoring them and now, with only one minute of his attention, they listened to him more than me. I don't get the world sometimes.

I sighed and looked around our cabin. It felt empty with all the kids gone. There was a stillness, a calmness, that made me miss the crazy atmosphere we'd created here. Who would ever have thought that Luke and I could take care of ten little humans? 

I turned the lights off and picked up my backpack.

Sort of.  I struggled.

It weighed a ton.