Camp It Up!

Chapter 8

Maxine exhales loudly, and puts her hand on my back.

"I knew it."

She hugs me, and sighs.

I can't believe I told her. I can't believe she didn't freak out. This is Maxine we're talking about. I'm surprised I still have a head, much less my job.

"Well, what are you gonna do?"

"What do you mean 'what am I gonna do?'"

"About Eli," she says, as if stating an obvious fact.

"What is there to do? They're madly in love."

"That's bullshit, and you of all people should know that. Of course-"

"Of course what?"

Maxine's eyes widen, and she covers her mouth, as if she's given away the answers to tonight's Jeopardy show.

"Just remember that's a load of hoo-hah, and I'm rooting for ya."

She stands there for a while in under shock of God knows what.

It finally passes, and she pats me on the back reassuringly, before walking back to the meal.

After the meal, both Penny and Maxine meet up with me.

"You've gotta tell her," Penny says, Maxine nodding.

Jesus, they've teamed up.

"Tell her what? There's nothing to tell. Camp is only halfway done. If I tell her anything that she doesn't like, I'll have to deal with the pain of seeing her everyday, knowing that she's not mine."

"You're already dealing with that pain, Al. You won't even try! You've never been to nervous to ask someone else out, how is this different?" Maxine asks. She's trying to set us up, and Penny her little helper.

She does have a point though. I'm already suffering.... But there's more.

"But Elise isn't like everybody else. She's special. She's the most important person in my life. The reason I'm nervous is because if I mess this up, I've screwed up the greatest relationship in my life. If I mess this up, there's no 10-second-rule where you get to pick up as many pieces as you can to fix what's broken. It's done. Not even a millisecond is given.

If I mess this up, game over. No extra lives, no mushrooms, no high scores.

It's like I'm hanging from a cliff, and I'm dangling from Elise's hand. If I had told her before, or in the analogy's case, before I tripped, I would've had a good grip, and she'd be able to pull me back up because she's small but mighty, I mean have you SEEN those biceps? Anyways... If I tell her now it'll make her sweat, and I'll slip and fall."

I use my hands to show me taking a tumble off the cliff.

"And right now, I'm holding on... Dangling by the thread that is her hand, and it's killing me to not tell her, but I'll probably fall if I tell her."

Penny smiles with that bright smile of hers.

"You'd fall for her, though. Wouldn't you?"

And that makes me think. Think about all the things that I like about Elise. Would I be able to live without them?

"You bet your tater totes I would. I'd risk it all for her. There's no point in living without her."

Maxine frowns, and I quickly add, "....and Max... Psh, duh."

"Nice save."

We huddle and Penny says, "Aight, Al, it's settled Operation Fall From a Cliff is a go!"

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This is sooooooo short and I am soooo sorry. My apologies, bros and loves. It'll be longer next time, I swear.

Xoxoxo

-ninja.