Cabin 304

2. Unmistakably pathetic indeed they were

Third Person Point of View

Joanna placed her neatly folded clothes, that her mother promised to help her pack (which she didn’t), into the top drawer that she got. The welcoming ceremony was supposed to be in roughly 45 minutes, but she wasn’t in any hurry. Her eyelids hung over like thick blankets, and were screaming to close.

A counselor stood watching them all. "Okay girls; now make sure not to mix up any of your clothes in other drawers. Top drawer is for clean clothes, bottom is for dirty ones. We check the bottom one at the end of every week and wash those." Joanna sighed. They had repeated that for the fifth time. All of the girls were fourteen to sixteen; it wouldn't be that hard to remember.

"Are you using this?" Joanna looked up to see a blonde girl pointing to the drawer above hers. Her perfectly done eyeliner and mascara framed pretty blue eyes. She shook her head, bringing a smile to the girl’s face.

“Thanks!” She beamed. “I’m Ally.”

Joanna smiled unenthusiastically, not because she didn’t want to, but because she was so exhausted from the long drive. “Joanna.” She replied.

Ally began taking her clothes out of her suitcase and setting things on top of the dresser. It was a wide variety of different clothes. Shorts, skirts, sweatpants, tank tops, swim suits, bras… It was a spectacular difference compared to Joanna’s collection of flare jeans (because ‘Skinny jeans are just too tight’!) and sweaters. She constantly felt like a toad standing next to a line of beautiful women. 

Joanna's eyes scanned over a couple of unfamiliar items. A skinny metal can with a spray nozzle sat along with a clear bag containing make up, and two plug-in devises. One had a long metal piece attached to what looked like a handle. The other was long as well and had the same looking type of metal, only in between two clamps.

What in the name of God?

"What is that?" She asked, pointing to the first tool she saw. She had read the entire Harry Potter series and reminded her ofa magic wand. Don’t laugh.

Allison looked up from a pair of jeans she was folding in half. Her eyebrows rose. "What? That?" She asked, pointing to the same thing.

Well obviously.

Joanna nodded, hesitantly. She was going to look like a freak, and on the first day at camp!

The girl’s facial expression relaxed from the puzzled one, thankfully. "Oh, that's a curling iron. You don't have one?" She asked nonchalantly.

"No, my parents won't let me use anything on my hair," Joanna replied sheepishly. It was true. If they caught her frying her hair, she’d be dead. It was like they wanted her sex appeal to be a negative seven on the one to ten scale. 

"Tough. At least your hair isn't as damaged as mine." She picked up the bottle she'd been wondering about and shook it a bit. "Unless you use heat protectant, of course."

Her eyes were wide. How had her mother managed to keep her from all these wonderful things? She knew that people had curly hair one day and the next not, but she never cared enough to ask.

"And that's a straightening iron." She said, without even having to be questioned, while tapping the other tool.

"This is unbelievable," Joanna mumbled, looking at it. "Your mom actually lets you use all this?"

She nodded. "How come your mom doesn't?" she asked, sitting on the bunk across from hers.

Joanna copied her actions, shrugging. "I don't really know. But I’m sure that they're worried I'll look like a harlot and start fornicating which is really untrustworthy of them, considering I've never even demonstrated the slightest sign of being sexually active."