Hidden Valley (D. SWING)

VII. Dive In

I'm still not eleven yet. My birthday isn't until August. I was born August 29, 1971. Mommy says that I was born early, exactly a month early. I wouldn't want to be born in September anyway. Who wants to have to go to school on their birthday? I couldn't do it. That is the reason why I am still ten. That is the reason I cannot go to the youth camping trip to the lake.

Or so I thought.

The reverend gave me a pass and I know it's only because me and Dalvin are the bestest buddies you'd see cross your path. I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't at least a little cool to be getting this kind of treatment. Everybody's going on the trip. Don, Javon, Derek, Kenneth, Antoine, Johnny, Ezekiel, everybody! Me and Dalvin are going to be bunkmates too! We just got lucky because the boy, girl ratio is uneven on the amount of junior and senior counselors. We're by ourselves in a room with Lucille, she's a senior counselor.

Dalvin says, "And then, I said, Don... what was that? He said, I don't know! I thought it was you! I looked at him, he looked at me... and then we tracked it!" I burst out into giggles at Dalvin's story. This guy is too funny. "I never ran that fast in my life. We found out that it was Derek later though."

"Cynthia and Dalvin, sitting in the tree," A voice laughs at us. I shake my head without looking up and an angry Dalvin starts to turn red. "K-I-S-S– "

Javon stands up on his knees in his seat next to Don. "Doing nothing!" He says and the laughter immediately stops at his command. "Not doing a dang thang' so don't try it."

Dalvin and I look at each other before we quietly giggle. "You know what's cool? We're friends so now Javon sticks up for you like he does me and Don sticks up for me like he does you," I say to Dalvin while we quietly play tic-tac-toe on the ash he carries on his right arm. "I think it's outta' sight, don't you?"

"Well, Don sticks up for you more than me."

Duh, because he likes me is what I would've said to him if I was bold enough. Except, I'm not and it's kind of mean. I don't have a doubt that Dalvin knows his brother likes me. I think he's known this whole time. Is that why he came to sit with us on the pews the day Don made me a sandwich? He was all smiles. I bet he was super excited to help Don keep my attention. I know I'd help him if I were Dalvin. You know what, I would help Javon right now. I think we owe it to them since they take care of us and stick up for us all of the time.

"Nuh uhn!"

Dalvin looks at me, I look back at him. He gets ready to say something to me when the bus stops.

My friend and I sit up to see Talia instruct everybody to get off of the bus. We climb down and Kenneth cracks open the emergency exit to get out of waiting in line, all of the boys follow him out except Javon and Don. They're laughing at walking right behind Dalvin, who's right behind me. The large cabins have all the doors open and the fresh smell of forrest floating all around each and every single one.

The first code of order was to run down and change so that we can jump into the lake. All thirty of us run down to fill the lake up with people. Most of the girls were on the left side of the lake, being too good to get into the water. Lucille promised me that if my hair got messed up, she'd redo it so I'm ready to jump in. The boys, except Dalvin, are all jumping off of the deck doing funny style flips. I'm trying my best not to look over there. I know Don's over there and I know he's not wearing a shirt. I've never seen a boy I like without a shirt and I don't know what my reaction would be. I could faint right here in this spot. That means I would drown... who'll save me? What makes it all worse is that he would probably run over to me with Javon. The moment I wake up, I'm out again! I can't see him like that. I'm staying over here.