Camp for the Emotionally (Un)Stable || Lams

Chapter Ten: Go For It

Laurens|First Person

Much to my dismay, the night hike was rescheduled two days after the storm. Alexander didn't seem too thrilled by the event either. The night hike was a annual event though, and everyone was expected to participate. Even the staff of the camp were gathered in the field with everyone else.

The campers are split into groups, each with a supervisor. Conveniently, Angelica was chaperoning my group, which was composed mostly of kids I didn't know, plus Eliza and Maria. I stick to the back as we walk though, wishing I could've been in the group Alexander and Peggy were in, just so I'd have someone to talk to.

Angelica is a little further up, walking in the middle of the group. She's been smiling like an idiot since we started the hike today- in fact she'd been incredibly happy for the past couple of days. She's even been eating more, much to my enjoyment. I do find her mood change a bit suspicious, the way she walks with a bounce in her step seems almost like overkill if she were just happy. No, she's excited about something. 

"Hey, Ang." I say to her as she starts to fall back in the group. She smiles at me, her fingers hooked in the straps of her backpack. In the dim light I can just barely make out a shine in her eyes, a glint of excitement. 

"Hi, John. What's up?" 

"Nothin' much. What about you?" She blushes and looks down at her shoes. 

"What'd do you mean?" She glances at me momentarily, giving me a half smile. 

"That," I say vaguely. "What's got you so happy?" She grins, looking at me excitedly. 

"D'you know Aaron? The guy who works in the kitchen." I hum, conjuring up the image of a guy with close cropped hair and a charming smile who serves fruit in the mornings. 

"What about him? Is he your boyfriend?" She laughs a little, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Her cheeks tint pink slightly still. 

"Kind of..." She giggles to herself, biting her lip. 

"Is that why you've been all giddy lately?" She nods, shrugging a little. 

"What about you? You've been weird too." I look at her, surprised she had noticed anything at all. I thought I had been pretty good at hiding my emotions. Angelica has a way of seeing what you don't want to be seen though, so I guess it was only a matter of time before she called me out on one thing or another. "What's on your mind, Laurens?" 

"I'm... I'm, uh, conflicted to say the least." I chuckle awkwardly and flash her a sheepish smile. 

"What's up?" She glances over at me, looking intrigued. 

"I've got a crush, Angie. A big, fat, crush that's consuming all of my waking hours." I sigh, looking up to see the first star of the night pop into the sky. Somehow, the clouds all blend into a face that looks remarkably like Alexander's. His big brown eyes come into focus and I have a hard time tuning back into Angelica's words as she begins to talk again. 

"...head over heels, John." I hum,  looking at her for only a moment before turning back to the path ahead of me. I can see the top of the hill where we stay every year. "I say go for it. It worked for Aaron." She shrugs, patting me on the shoulder before picking up her pace to direct the group towards the camp that's currently being set up, calling out a good luck in my direction before she disappears from my line of sight completely. 

I rub my eyes, pausing beside a tree. The rest of my group follows after Angelica, fading away into the shadows of the night. The sky is losing light quickly now, making it hard to even see my own hand in front of my face. The top of the hill glows slightly though. Most likely with lanterns that the kids put up earlier. Angelica's group was probably one of the last ones to leave, meaning most of the camp is already up there. Waiting for the sky to darken enough to start the lesson on constellations that Mr. and Mrs. Washington put on each year. I sigh a little, knowing I'll have to face the night eventually. I'll have to see Alexander, and I'll have to make a decisions. 

With this terrifying thought in mind, I trudge up the hill the rest of the way. A flat expanse of grass ringed with trees and covered in blankets and kids comes into view. Angelica is over to my left on a blanket with Eliza, Hercules and Lafayette next to them. Across the makeshift camp is Alexander, sitting on his own blanket next to Peggy and Maria's. I bite back a smile at his face. He looks like a child, grinning at the girls next to him, his hair falling loose on his back. He sits criss-cross on the blanket, his hands tucked into his lap. I shift my backpack on my shoulders, and start to wind my way through the other kids on the grass towards them.

"Hey, John." Peggy grins up at me, waving with the hand that isn't clasped with Maria's. 

"Hi, guys." I smile, directing my attention to Alexander who smiles softly at me. 

"Do you want to sit?" He asks, patting the space on the blanket next to him. "We can share tonight." I feel a twinge of excitement at that, the thought of sleeping with Alex again. I may not be able to hold him in the privacy of our cabin this time, but I'll still be able to be next to him all night. 

"Sure," I shrug, taking my place on the blanket next to him. Our legs touch just barely and I find myself wanting to sit closer to him. To hold his hand and have him lean his head on my chest again. I like you, I want to whisper. 

I hold my tongue though, and distract myself with digging my own blanket from my bag. Not yet.

It's gonna get saucy real soon kids, stay tuned.
<3