The Summer When Everything Changed

"Let's Make This a Summer to Remember"

"Sorry girls, but this activity is for the important girls. Go for a hike in the forest or something while everyone else has fun." The camp director, Mackenzie Anthony, smirked at us.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, knowing that will only make it worse. Mackenzie is always pulling stuff like this. And by stuff, I mean favoring the girls with rich daddies so she can get in the good leagues with the parents that donate money.

But my best friends and I are not part of the rich group. We live in a nice, comfortable homes, have our own car (junky ones that work fine), and wear nice clothes. The only difference is that the rich girls have everything to the extreme.

I picked up my drawstring bag from the ground and slipped it onto my shoulders. "Let's go girls," I said, walking away. "We find something better to do than a stupid scavenger hunt." My best friends started to follow as we headed for the woods.

"Oh, and girls," the sickly sweet voice of Mackenzie sounded, "you can't do anything on camp grounds, so a hike is really your only option."

I rolled my eyes this time, but still turned and headed for the woods. Mackenzie doesn't know this, but I have hiked these woods a lot and I know what stretches not far beyond the trees. This is what happens when every year that I come here, I end up getting secluded from activities and go for hikes.

Once we reached the trees, we started to talk. Bobbi spoke first by calling our camp director a word that starts with 'b' and ends with 'itch'. Emily, Taylor, and Kaley all joined in with Bobbi's trash talking while following me.

I sighed after a while and stopped. They paused to look at me with questioning stares. "Guys, come on. Trash talking will only take us down to their level."

"You have a good point, Brooke," Emily muttered. "But what are we going to do for the rest of the day?"

I grinned. "You all have your swimsuits under your clothes, correct?" All the girls nodded. "Well, we are going swimming."

Taylor raised her eyebrow and looked at me like I was stupid. "Brooke, you heard Mackenzie. We can't do anything on camp grounds," she told me dryly.

I smirked. "Who said we were swimming in the camp lake?" When my four friends gave each other confused glances, I tried not to laugh. "I have found a small lake hidden way back in these woods. Since we are often kicked out of camp activities, I usually explore this forest. One day I found a beautiful and clear lake. So girls, let's go swimming."

Bobbi and Kaley cheered,  while Emily and Taylor just grinned at me. "Well, what are we waiting for then?" Kaley stated. "Lead us to our secret swimming hole!" I laughed and started walking, with my friends following close behind.

Our long hike was filled with my loud laugh that I hate, Taylor cracking jokes, Bobbi making fun of people, Emily chasing some wild animals, and Kaley taking pictures with her new camera of the rest of us messing around.

Times like these make me grateful for Mackenzie separating us from the rich girls. My best friends and I could never act like this around the spoiled brats without being judged.

We finally reached the small lake, and I took it in with a deep breath and a smile. I could hear birds chirping as they flew around, and the sun's warmth was settling on my light skin. Every once and a while, I heard the faint splash of a fish coming from the water.

The lake was so clear, which is surprising because no one takes care of it. An old, torn-apart dock stretches out a short distance on the side closest to us. The land around the lake was sandy, and it was calling me to walk through it and sink into the ground.

I stripped out of my clothes quickly and saw the other girls do the same. We got ready to jump into the water, but Kaley yelled "Stop!"

"What?" Bobbi yelled back, hand on her hip like her usual sassy self. "We just want to go swimming."

Kaley grinned. "This is a perfect photo opportunity. Let's make this the start of our rebellion against the rich girls of summer camp." We grouped together for a picture and our photographer shook her head. "No, make this fun."

Right away, Taylor shouted out an idea. "We can do a jump picture." I grinned and caught Taylor's eyes, making her smile back at me. We have had a lot of jumping pictures in the past that have either failed or looked really good.

Emily and Bobbi both loved that idea so me and my three friends got in a line. Kaley shouted out, "Okay girls, one... two... three... jump!"

We jumped high as we all could, huge grins radiating happiness, then landed. "Got it girls. You all look great!" Kaley cheered. "Now, let's make this a summer to remember!"

"The summer that everything changes," I murmured to myself as I watched my friends splash each other. A big splash soaking me completely shook me out of my thoughts, and I saw Emily grinning at me. "You better get a head start, Emily. Revenge will be sweet," I threatened with a coy smile appearing on my face."

As Emily took off, splashing more water in the process, I followed her laughing without any care in the world.

Author's Note: so here is the very first chapter of a new book idea we are working on :) I had this idea and my writing buddy really liked it! The plot line should stay the same, so this will be more of a "fun time with best friend" book than a romance book, so I hope it will turn out good!!
Dedication for Whispered Lullaby for making a great cover :)-Cailin

Cailin, you had a really bad run-on sentence in your A/N, btw :) -Carrington
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