Into The Wild

F I V E

It's been almost two weeks now since we all started attending this camp. Every day was a new activity that always kept me anticipating. I'm always especially excited for the noon activities. Today the plan is that we are all going to have to play the game tug of war. Since the early morning, all the campers were busy digging up the ground for this game. We're digging up at least two feet for the placement of mud and in which the losers will end up falling into.

It may not seem fun, but it is quite appealing to see Maddie's reaction towards this. She's been busy the entire day finding some things to wear on top of her clothes so she doesn't get wet in case we lose. She's wearing a raincoat on top of her clothes and similar high rain boots. She's also wearing those cooking headwears—no idea how she even had access to that. She probably snuck back into the cafeteria and grabbed one without any of the cooks noticing. I could definitely see her doing that.

"Maddie, how can you still look so attractive wearing all that?" Jay asks, coming over to Madison looking at her lovingly. He removes the surgical mask from her face and leans in. Carly and I turn away when we know they're about to make out.

Amber comes in between them, whistling into their faces. "No making out at camp in front of all those children."

We snicker in the background.

Jennifer, the leader of the camp, divides the entire camp into two teams. Amber and Luke's cabins are on one team while Jennifer and Cameron's cabins are on the other. The short people are put in front of the lines while those who are tall are placed all the way in the back. And of course, I would be the first one in the line since I'm the shortest of our cabins.

I adjust my hat and look down into the pool of mud at my feet. If our team were to lose against Jennifer and Cameron, I would fall straight into the mud, face first. The lucky tall ones are probably not even going to fall into the mud.

"Okay, I placed a time bomb in the middle. Once the time bomb goes off, we all start. And by the way, yes, it is safe," Jennifer explains, looking pointedly towards Madison who hides behind her boyfriend, a little embarrassed. Carly nudges me a few people back when we see Aria walk into the line, standing right behind her. I shrug back since we haven't been talking to her despite us all being in the same cabin.

I guess its girl code when one girl in your friend group stops hanging out with one of the girls, the rest of the girls do the same. Kind of like the guy code when a guy has previously dated a girl, no one from his friends are allowed to date her or you're technically breaking the guy code.

It's very complicated, actually. I didn't know that was still how it was even after graduating from high school. I wonder if that's how it'll be in college, or if no one would care.

Who knows.

BAM!

The time bomb goes off. A rush of grabbing the rope from the ground and pulling begins. Everything goes so fast that I can't even understand what's going on. Thus, having a slow reaction as usual.

I still haven't mastered holding onto the rope properly, that I have to watch the girl across from the mud to figure it out. She's holding it tightly, pulling it with both her hands as hard as she can, which is exactly what I try to copy.

And is it just me or am I slowly getting closer to the mud pit that's directly in front of me?

I try my best to pull on the rope and not fall down into the mud, but it seems everyone else has already gotten tired of pulling so they kind of relax their grip on the rope.

I feel my palms burning as the rope slowly moves away from my hands, and I suddenly feel like I'm being pushed forward by everyone behind me. I lean back, resisting the pull with my legs. But before I know what's happening, I'm falling into the pit of mud.