Another Day In 7TH Grade

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The weather had finally gotten nice enough to where being outside, for long periods of time, wasn’t a cruel punishment. My winter jacket was stored away in the hallway closet, and the snow outside was long gone. Tommy began begging us to go camping with her again, and now that Lidia’s ballet lessons were finished; we had no excuses left. Or at least, no excuse a lie couldn’t fix.

It took a while, but I was finally able to convince my mom that Tommy’s brother was a good chaperon for our camping trip, even though he wasn’t really coming. I had never gone camping with my friends before, my mom worried too much to let me go without her, but eventually she caved.

I was packing up my sleeping bag and threw in a flashlight just in case. Tommy was bringing the tent and told me not to bring much, because it was pretty small. My mom was making my light packing rather difficult. She wanted me to bring along bug spray, suntan lotion, an extra pillow, her cell phone in case of an emergency, the mace in her purse, and the list went on and on. I told her not to worry, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Tommy told me to meet her and Lidia at Phillies; from there we would walk to the woods together. I said goodbye to my mom then headed to the diner.

I found my friends leaning against the side wall trying to shield their eyes from the sun.

“Sofya!” Lidia screamed. She ran up to me and gave me a hug. “I’m so excited! This is going to be so much fun!” She squealed as she jumped up and down. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail, and wore her new light-green hiking shorts and matching tank top she bought just for the occasion.

“I hope everything fits.” Tommy said with a sigh. She had the tent rolled up into a duffel bag that she had swung over her shoulder. “I told Lidia not to bring much, and she did the exact opposite.”

“I didn’t bring much,” Lidia argued, “I only brought three bags!”

Tommy shook her head and sighed again. “Whatever. Let’s just get going before it gets too dark.” Tommy said sounding slightly annoyed. She picked up her backpack, adjusted the bag with the tent inside, then led the way.

. . .

It was a long walk to the woods. I was used to only going this far on my bike. Along the way, Lidia asked if we would carry a few of her bags. She was having trouble keeping herself balanced. I carried one while Tommy ignored her. Soon the only thing I could hear were birds chirping and cows mooing in the distance.

“Did your mom believe you when you told her Ethan was going with us?” Tommy asked.

“Yes, but I have a feeling that just worried her more.” I answered. “I don’t think she trusts Ethan.”

“Who does?” Tommy laughed. “The good thing is she let you come.”

“I hope I don’t get a sunburn!” Lidia whined. She looked at the sky as if she were watching a horror movie. “Darrin would just die if I was all red and peeling!” Tommy and I both rolled our eyes and kept walking.

“After we set everything up, there's something really cool I want to show you guys.” Tommy said excitedly.

“Like what? A bush?” Lidia joked.

We didn't stop walking until the forest was in eyesight. I loved the smell of the woods; it smelt so clean with all the evergreen trees. It was beautiful this time of year; the flowers were starting to come out, and the buds on the trees were just beginning to open. I missed spring; I had almost forgotten how beautiful it was.

The birds were singing without many distractions. In town, they would sing for a moment then get scared and fly away, but here they sang to their heart's content. The sun was shining so bright we had to shield our eyes before we reached a patch of shady trees.