camp || hemmings au

nine

I was sitting on the couch in the lodge, flipping through the channels on the television. The whole sitting area was completely deserted, as everyone was outside doing some type of activity. It was scorching hot out so I didn't see why there wasn't at least some people in the lodge.

I heard my name being called from behind me and quickly turned my head to see the source of the voice. Jess was standing there holding a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other.

"Your mother is on the phone." She informed me, "Booth 6." Jess turned away from me and walked down the hall, disappearing into the activities room.

I sighed and placed the remote control on the table before standing up and making my way over to the phones. They were located on the right side of the hall, each in a wooden booth with a huge number plastered on the side. I found the booth numbered 6 and sat down in the cushioned seat before picking up the phone.

"Hello?" I said into the reciever.

"Caroline?" My mother's voice chimed from the other end, "It's good to talk to you."

"You, too." This was the first time I had talked to my mother since she dropped me off at the camp. I made no effort to call her, and vice versa. I didn't really want to talk to her, but I had been wanting to speak with my siblings. I missed them, though I hated to admit it.

"Do you want to speak to your dad?" She asked, and before I could respond she said, "Grant, Caroline's on the phone. Come speak to her." I heard my father's muffled voice in the background, most likely refusing to speak to me. Nothing new.

"That's okay, Mom. He's probably busy." I didn't want her to push him into talking to me, it wasn't necessary.

"Yeah, you're right." She responded, "How are you? Do you like it there?"

"It's great, I'm great." I was trying to keep my answers short, anxious to get off the phone with her.

"Oh, here's your brother!" She exclaimed, "Kyle, say hi to Caroline." I heard him yell a hey into the phone and I smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Your sisters are taking a nap right now," Mom said quickly, making me wonder why she was so happy and chirpy today. She seemed so ecstatic to be talking to me. "Maybe you can talk to them next time."

"Maybe." I sighed, starting to get annoyed with her.

"Guess what, I was at the supermarket yesterday and I saw Lewis Harmon. Remember the guy that-"

"That's great, Mom." I cut her off, "But I have to go. My group is about to start their daily activity." I was lying through my teeth, today was our free day. Just like every other Wednesday.

"Oh, alright," She said, her voice still energetic. "I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you, too." I hung before she could say anything else. I let out a deep breath, relieved to be off the phone with her. My mom was a great person, really. I just had a very low tolerance for her. She treated me like a kid--though I was technically still one, just not the five year-old she treated me like--and I could only deal with her for a certain amount of time.

"Why did you lie to your mom?" Someone asked, causing me to jump a little in my seat. I turned my head to see Luke leaning against the booth, his hands tucked in his pockets. He was wearing a black tank top and a pair of black skinny jeans. The kid was seriously going to have a heat stroke if he kept wearing black.

"Why were you eavesdropping?" I retorted, standing up and brushing past him. I wasn't upset with Luke, I was just still annoyed with my mom.

Luke caught my arm and pulled me into him, catching me a little off guard. He wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled at me.