Chapter Two: Memories
I stare out the small car window in silence, resting my chin in the palm of my hand. Blurs of greens and browns pass and I lift my gaze to the sky to watch the clouds. The sun is just beginning to set and streaks of oranges and pinks flow across the otherwise blue sky. The tops of the clouds are highlighted in white and I imagine myself up there. Just floating along with no cares in the world. I smile and close my eyes. The warmth of the sun coming in through the window spreads across my face and my smile grows bigger.
Ah, summer.
I open my eyes and sit back in my seat and then lean over to the left a little so I can see the dashboard. I glance at the time and then back out the window.
"How much longer until we get there?" I ask my dad. He shifts a little in his seat so his face is turned towards me more but his eyes remain on the road.
Glancing down at the clock he answers, "Oh, I'd say about ten more minutes."
I nod and sit back but his next words catch back my attention and I lean over a little again to hear him better.
"I got a surprise for you guys this week." He grins smugly and chances a look at Gabe and then me. Gabriel, sensing something exciting is about to be dropped on us, sits up a little straighter and turns to our dad with an eager face.
"What? What is it? Tell us tell us tell us!" He pleads. I laugh at him and turn my head to look back at my dad.
"Well...." My dad trails off and Gabriel and I both groan in protest.
"Just tell us!"
Laughing, he continues, "What I was going to say was that I got ahold of David and it looks like he's got Lucas for the next week too, and-"
His voice is drowned out by the sound of my brother and I celebrating. We cheer and I reach up front so Gabe can give me a high-five. Lucas is our cousin. He's fourteen and happens to be my most favorite person in the world. He is the definition of fun and whenever we're with him we end up having the time of our lives.
This one time, last summer, we went camping at this really awesome campground. The campground had this little lake that was lined on one side by a line of trees. The other side was bordered in sand and grass and up the hill a little ways was a small lot where you could park your car if you came from one of the other, smaller campsites in the campground to swim. At the beach part of the lake there was an area of water sectioned off by buoys so that you could swim safely.
Lucas, Gabe, and I were wandering around near the line of trees bordering the one side of the lake when we came across what we thought was a fallen log but turned out to be a full-on fallen tree extended over the lake. Excited about our discovery, we all walked closer, trying to get a better look at the tree. Lucas and Gabe were walking up ahead, pretending to be ninjas while I walked farther away, cautiously because of the uneven ground. By the time I'd managed to reach the tree and climb across the gap it made from the little cliff of grass and onto it's base, Lucas and Gabriel had already made their way out onto the trunk.
When I finally stood up on the tree, I smiled in triumph and Lucas turned around to see me. At the exact same time we both threw our hands in the air and cheered in victory. Out of no where, the tree started to shake and I screamed, dropping to lay flat against the trunk of the tree.
Then I heard the laughter.
I had looked up wide-eyed and then started laughing myself. Lucas and Gabe were just jumping on the trunk. I stood on shaky legs and made my way to them on the trunk of the tree and then sat down, taking off my flip-flops and dangling my legs into the sea green water.
"We so got you." Lucas had bragged to me, laughing again. I had just smiled and pulled out a small bag of Doritos from the drawstring bag I had brought with me.
"Hey, let me have one." Lucas had exclaimed, grabbing ahold of my bag of Doritos as I pulled them away.
"No! They're mine! You should've brought your own!" After I said that the whole thing turned into a full blown game of tug-of-war. All of the sudden I hear a creak and a pop and Doritos are flying everywhere while Lucas and I are being thrown into the cool lake water and Gabriel is just standing there laughing. I surfaced spluttering water and tugging twigs and algae from my hair as Lucas burst out of the water beside me.
"Ew ew ew ew ew ew, EW!" I yelled. We had all looked at each other and then started laughing because, I mean, we'd just fallen into a lake while fighting over Doritos.
Back in the car, I smile at the memory. Once my dad sees we've settled down he continues.
"Anyways, I figured it's been awhile-"
Yeah, like two weeks.
"-since you guys have seen him and I thought it would be fun if we all went camping!"
"YES. OH MY GOD, THANK THE LORDS." I look over the edge of the passenger seat to see Gabriel clasping his hands together and raising his face to the ceiling of the car before he continues, "Camping is my life. Yes."
I grin. This is going to be one interesting week.
.::-*-::.
995 words
A little insight on what's to come with Lucas.
Updated 4/17/16
Mitch Hewer/Maxxie Oliver as Lucas
YOU ARE READING
Just One Day
Roman pour Adolescents"You and I were probably never meant to be but I loved every single second that I spent with you." -Anon When Jade has the chance to go camping with her dad, brother, and cousin, she expects it to be like it always is. They find a campsite, they g...
