As a White Knight on His Steed (CrissColfer)

"I Won't Bite"

Chapter 8 – “I won’t bite”

Sunday, June 8 – Saturday, June 14, 2008

Chris found the week of staff training to be somewhat surreal.  Everything seemed both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.  And he couldn’t quite shake the feeling of being an imposter.  He kept half-expecting someone to point to him and demand, “Hey, how’d one of the campers get in here with the grown-ups?”

Chris remembered most of the other staff members from previous summers.  His old Horsemanship instructors, Robert and Zach, were still there, as were the cooks, Brad and Ian.  His old counselor, Matthew, was now working as a Horse Sense instructor, along with Harry, of whom Chris still felt slightly and irrationally jealous. 

The counselors – Cory, Mark, Kevin, Chord, Blake, and Jacob – had all attended Ride ‘Em Cowboy Ranch Camp as kids.  Most of them were a couple of years older than Chris, but he vaguely remembered them all.

The first evening, after introducing everyone, David and Ryan sat back and allowed them to have free time to get acquainted (or reacquainted).  Chris had never really enjoyed “mingling,” but Darren was in his element.  He greeted everyone like a long-lost friend, with a huge grin and a hug.  Chris was more reserved, shaking hands and smiling tentatively.

When Harry approached, Darren was, as always, effusive in his greeting.  “Hey, man, it’s great to see you!  How’ve you been?” he cried, pulling the older boy into a big hug.

Turning toward Chris, Darren then surprised him by grabbing his left hand and pulling him forward.  “You remember my best friend, Chris, right?” he asked, giving Chris’s hand a squeeze.  Chris could feel his face heating up, and wished for the thousandth time that he didn’t blush so easily.  He stammered out a greeting and shook Harry’s hand.

As Harry moved away, Chris realized that he was still holding Darren’s hand.  He tried to let go, but Darren just gave his hand a little squeeze, pulled him forward, and said, “C’mon.  Let’s go say ‘hi’ to everyone else.  They’re more likely to remember who we are if they see us together.”

For the rest of the evening, Chris let Darren lead him around, chatting with one person after another.  Although Chris felt awkward at first, he soon realized that no one seemed to mind Darren’s touchy-feely friendliness, and he began to relax and actually enjoy himself.

Eventually, Ryan announced that they’d be meeting the next morning at 7:30 for breakfast, and sent them all off – the counselors to the centrally located cabins, the rest of the staff to the far-flung bunkhouses.  Chris and Darren walked together through the twilight, still laughing over one of Chord’s impressions.

Back in their bunkhouse, Darren said, “Guess what I brought?”

“A guitar,” said Chris, noticing the case leaning against the wall.

“Well, yeah,” said Darren, “but that’s not what I was thinking of.  Guess what I brought to read?”

“Harry Potter?”

“The complete series!  Last time we were together, we’d just finished The Prisoner of Azkaban.  Do you want to start with Goblet of Fire?  Or should we go back to the beginning?”