Surviving Camp Cedar

Chapter Six

All through lunch, Elsa worked on getting Jack out of his shell. The more they laughed and got to know each other, the easier it became for her to let herself go. She could feel her walls coming down, brick by brick, as this snow haired boy made her see another side of herself. She saw the facade of the queen bee melting away as she let her book reading, sister loving, lonely self out. Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes on her that she knew meant something bad. Almost instinctually, she turned her head and her blue eyes met the bright green of Belle's. 

"Just friends?" Belle mouthed, laughing to herself as she walked out with the rest of Elsa's friends. No one else had seemed to notice her, but she knew that Belle would let them all in on the gossip whenever the chance arose. Belle wasn't a particularly mean girl, but she would love to have Elsa's spot at the top of Camp Cedar's food chain. Even though hanging out with Jack wasn't technically wrong, she knew her friends wouldn't like her ditching them for a boy who wasn't Flynn Rider...

As they wrapped up and prepared to leave the cafeteria, Elsa felt the electric crackle in the air between the two of them that she had felt when she touched his shoulder earlier. She knew what was coming even before Jack closed his eyes, and she let her own lids flutter shut as well. They leaned closer and closer, their mouths only centimeters away when she finally pressed her mouth to his. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head, kissing her with surprising skill for someone as shy as he seemed. She kissed him back, sparks popping behind her dark eyes and she let her lips part slightly. He knew what to do, slipping his tongue between her teeth; it was the scariest yet most satisfying moment of her life. Finally, they broke apart, cheeks flaming.

"So, uh, here's your book." She spoke awkwardly, handing the small paperback back to the boy. He nodded, clearing his throat as he accepted the object.

"Right. Uh, so. Yeah. See you around?" He asked, the electricity of a few moments ago being replaced by a fragile awkwardness.

"Yeah, see you." She replied, smiling slightly as she looked at her feet. Finally he walked away, and she headed toward the beach where her friends were undoubtedly clustered around in their bikinis, sunning themselves as they critiqued everyone else. Elsa suddenly felt like she wanted to be alone to bask in the inexplicable triumph she felt from the kiss.

Rapunzel sat with Flynn, learning things about him that she suspected he had never told anyone else. He had two younger brothers, and the gleam in his eye when he spoke about them showed her that he loved them more than he could ever admit. He liked romantic comedies, even though he was embarrassed to tell anyone. He secretly loved The Lion King and could watch it over and over without tiring. And, he finally admitted, his real name was Eugene Fitzherbert. She smiled as he talked, realizing that he wasn't as bad as she had first thought.

"So, what about you?" He asked when he'd finished, draining the last little bit of pop in his bottle.

"Uh, what about me?" She asked, hating the attention being on her. She was shy, but she mostly just didn't like answering questions about her mother. Which was her only family, of course. 

"Siblings? Pets? Lifelong dreams? Deep, dark secrets?" He asked, a smile playing on those incredibly soft lips.

"Well, no siblings. A pet chameleon named Pascal. Basically to come here. And nope, no dark secrets. Except the fact that I paint on my bedroom walls and hide it from my mother." She laughed, hoping that was all he would ask. 

"Hm. So, what about your mother?" He asked, obviously sensing her reluctance.

"Oh. Uh, she's pretty normal. I mean, the mother of a teenage girl. We fight sometimes, we get along most of the time. Typical." She chuckled.

"No dad in the picture?" He asked, genuinely curious. Rapunzel herself had always wondered about her father, but she never got any answers. 

"Nope." She simply stated, hoping he would get the hint.

Flynn did take the hint, coming from a neighborhood where a lot of kids only had one parent. He didn't want to press her and she didn't want to talk about it, so he left it alone. He took her tray up for her, returning to the table to see her talking to the girls from her cabin.

"Oh, you're here with Flynn?" asked the red-haired one, a glint of mischief in her grey eyes. Rapunzel pushed her long hair behind her ear, instantly reverting back to her shy self around these girls.

"Um, yeah. I mean, not like that. But yeah." She said, the way she said it seeming like it would be absurd for this to be a date. Which, Flynn thought bitterly, was what he had intended it to be. They had just spent over an hour getting to know each other. This was a first date, for all intents and purposes. Well, he had thought that's what it was.

"Yeah, anyway, I had a good time but I gotta go. Bye, Blondie." He told her, walking away without waiting for her reply. His ego was hurt and all he wanted to do was have a cigarette. He just needed to find a spot, since the counselor's here were good for three things; gossiping, drinking, and making sure no one under eighteen smoked or drank. He hated all of them. Taking his Harley out into the woods, he found a good spot. Slipping his half empty pack out of his pocket, he lit up a cigarette and took a long drag.

What was he doing wrong? Rapunzel seemed to be completely blowing him off, not even the slightest bit interested in him. Who was she, to think she could do that? Any other girl in this place would be all over him in an instant, and yet the only one he wanted didn't want him. It occurred to him that maybe he only wanted her because he couldn't have her, but deep down he knew that was untrue. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on her that she was different. The kiss had only proven that; she was The One and it burnt him up to think about it. He never saw himself as the type to settle down and get married or whatever, but with her in the picture he could maybe see it. His shook his head violently, shaking the image away as if it were written on an Etch-a-Sketch. Who was he? He barely recognized himself anymore.

Jack sat in the hot tub of the spa, mercifully alone, and thought of nothing more than the kiss with Elsa. It had been everything he could have hoped for and more, making him smile and get butterflies every time he thought of it. It wasn't the most manly thing, he knew, but he was so happy he didn't even care. His entire lunch date with Elsa had been magical, like a scene from a movie. He could tell she was a smart, funny girl. Everything about her was perfect, from her pretty face to the little snort she made when she laughed too hard. He saw a side of her that day that he was nearly certain no one else had seen before.  

Someone joined him in  the hot tub then, a girl and guy he had never seen before.

"Hi, I'm Kyle," The guy spoke, shaking Jack's hand, "And this is my girlfriend, Tara." She smiled at him. They were a cute couple, opposite in physical appearance. Tara was small, blonde and smiley while Kyle was muscular and had dark hair and a pretty serious demeanor. Jack introduced himself, feeling slightly awkward as the three of them spoke.

He found it a little ironic how he had thought he would make next to no friends this summer and yet he had already made a handful of friends without trying and had even gotten a crush on the most popular girl here. It struck him as slightly bittersweet, since he knew he;d return home only to be an invisible punching bag once more. He knew he would have to enjoy it while it lasted, but he wished he could bring some of the kindness and confidence he had received here home with him.

He talked with Kyle and Tara for a little longer before deciding to head home and get ready for the bonfire, where he and Elsa had agreed to hang out that night. He was pretty excited, since he'd had a lot of fun the night before with Myra and her friends and had realized thta the bonfire thing wasn't as scary as he had thought. He knew that he could make friends back home if he tried a little harder, the little bit of time he had spent here had shown him that, but he thought it was probably too late for him. After all, he was sixteen years old and barely had anyone to sit with at lunch, let alone anyone to hang out with on the weekends. Could all of that really change just because he made some acquaintances at summer camp?