Pop Life

Chapter 25

When the party was officially over and all the guests were gone, Prince, Andre Morris and Jerome went into the music room to continue partying. Morris was on drums, Andre was on keyboard and Prince was on vocals and guitar. They played and made up songs about one another while I sat on the couch and watched. It felt like we were all kids back at camp. Sitting around the camp fire and singing songs. Another memory of our childhood days flooded my thoughts. It was the last day of camp and we were loading up on the bus to go back to Minneapolis at the pick up spot that was designated for the parents to get their campers from a long summer down at the lake. As the camp counselors were calling each of us by name Jerome and Morris managed to find away to sneak off. Andre and Prince hand followed behind them. I watched from the bus as the boys headed off into the trees. As my curious eyes watched them disappear I began to slide down slowly to the floor of the bus unnoticed. The last six seats behind me were empty so I crawled under the seats and out the back door while the bags were still down on the ground. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me into the wood to look for the mischievous troop. I wasn't afraid of getting caught. I was more afraid of not getting home. I kept going until I found them trying to break into the old cabin.

"Hey guys!" I said out of breath and very exhausted.

"Regan what are you doing here? This is a secret mission! No girls allowed!" Morris said to me.

The other boys told Morris to be quiet.

"You want us to get caught?" Andre said to Morris in a low whisper.

"Well Regan is gonna get us caught if she don't scram!" Morris said again obnoxiously loud.

"Put a lid on it will ya Morris!" A tiny Prince said.

"Sorry." I said to them as I dropped my head and traced a line in the dirt with my shoe.

"You better be sorry because if we get busted it will be all your fault!" Morris once again piped up.

"Morris! Shut up!" Andre said softly.

"And I thought I was the loud one." Jerome whispers to Prince.

Prince giggled covering his gapped toothed grin at Jerome.

"She can stay with us. Besides she the only one that's light enough to climb that rickety old ladder." Jerome said as he pointed to the shelf thought the window.

"What's up there?" I asked.

"A treasure trove of candy that was snatched my the sweet tooth bandit." Andre said as his eyes got big.

"That's not a real thing! Is it Prince?" I asked.

I was a little afraid of the tale that i was being told about this horrible creature that no one knew was a man or a monster that walked the camp grounds swiping children of their sweets.

"They say that he comes out looking for candy when it's really dark out. And if you don't have any candy he gobbles you up in your sleep!" Andre continued.

The more I listened the less afraid I became.

"I don't believe any of that junk and neither should you." I said placing my hands on my hips.

"Of course you don't believe it coz your a brainless girl." Morris said.

This time he was quiet. He was pretty tired of being known as the loud mouth of the group and was desperate to pass the torch to Jerome.

"Well I bet this brainless girl can go inside , get the candy, and come out and not see no stupid old candy swiper." I said.

"Sweet tooth bandit!" Prince said as he scowled at me.