2018 // Cassie
What the hell did Amber mean by "you won't believe who's here? Clearly she knew something I didn't. Ryan's face flashed through my mind once again, but I had decided shortly after sending in my counselor application that I would NOT get my hopes up under any circumstances.
Sure, I had stalked searched Ryan up on Facebook and Instagram just to see what he was up to from time to time. But he had made it clear long ago that he was not a fan of social media. So I ended up having to be satisfied with tagged pictures of him on other people's profiles. And there wasn't a single clue that he would be here.
The walk to the lodge was as beautiful as ever. The path from the parking lot wound down, deep into the woods until you felt as though you were in the middle of nowhere. If it wasn't for the constant signs marking your location, and the occasional golf cart parked on the side, you could easily get lost. It was so quiet and peaceful- the only sounds were the birds, the lake lapping the shore, and the buzzing of the cicadas.
I finally reached the last stretch of the path. It was a straight shot for about 150 feet, but I was distracted by two familiar faces. I giggled as I watched Sean and Jay attempt to blow up the circular floats we would use for the giant water slide on the lake.
"You know they have inflation machines for that, right?" I called over to them, bringing up my hand to shield my eyes from the sun.
Sean and Jay were two of the older guys that had been working at the camp since I was in about 7th grade. They were college students then, and clearly the Camp Cowabunga bug had reached them too. According to the camp's Facebook page, the two hadn't missed a summer since they started. Ever since I met them, the three of us, along with some other campers and counselors, had a yearly poker game- no money was involved (or jumping into the lake naked, in case you're thinking this sounds too much like The Parent Trap.), we just bet snacks and sodas, and the occasional lucky baseball cap. I demolished them both every single year.
"Cassie!" Jay said, then proceeded to jog over to me. They looked a bit older than they had my final year, but not much. Fine lines had settled on either side of Jay's mouth, and they deepened as he smiled at me. He wrapped his long, tanned arms around me, and I could smell the familiar scent of boy sweat and freshly mown grass on his shirt.
"How've you been?" Sean asked breathlessly as he put down the tube he was currently blowing up.
"Good! How about y'all? I thought you'd be too sad I left to come back another year." The two guys laughed, and Jay wiped some sweat from his forehead.
"Don't flatter yourself," he joked, rolling his eyes. "You clearly couldn't stay away either," he added.
"This is true," I said, putting my hands up in surrender.
"Alright, y'all, we're starting," I hear Amber call from the front of the lodge. I wave goodbye to Jay and Sean before heading in. I scan the room for Lottie and Hazel, but I see someone far more unexpected- Tucker. I swallowed a gasp as he ran a hand through his now shoulder-length flaxen hair. Our eyes met as he turned, and his reaction was not what I thought it would be. Instead of looking excited, as he did every time we reunited over the past decade, he looked surprised- and not in a good way.
Six years ago, his reaction would have caused me to flee to the bathroom and panic about why he wasn't happy to see me. But college and heartbreak had changed me, and I was not about to walk away. Instead, I strode over to him, pretending like I had no idea that his mouth was agape and perfectly round, and his eyebrows were raised high.
"Tucker, oh, my God! What are you doing here?" I asked, throwing my arms around his neck. He hugged back, thank God.
"Oh, Cassie... uh... I missed you!" He pulled away, then held me by my shoulders and shifted my slightly, turning my back to the door.
"What are you doing?" I inquired, quickly overcoming the novelty of pretending I wasn't aware he was acting really strange.
"The- uh- the sun- was- uh- in my eyes. Now you're blocking it for me."
So. There are two reasons I knew that was a lie: one, the sun was streaming in from the massive floor-to-ceiling windows... to my right. The sun was still very much in both of our eyes. And two, I'm a full foot and then some shorter than Tucker. I could barely get in his line of vision to block him at a concert, let alone from the sun.
"You're being weird. Let's talk later," I said, turning on my heel. I headed to the door, intending on finding Lottie and Hazel. Hazel came through the door, absolutely beaming. She turned to let the next person in the door.
Then, there he was.
2011 // Cassie
"Let's make a deal," Ryan said, leaning over in the hammock to face me. It was well past curfew, but since the upperclassmen didn't have to deal with counselors, it didn't really matter. We were spread out in a hammock, not far from our spot on the lake. The light from the moon and the cabins in the distance danced across the water, being disturbed every now and then by fish flicking the surface or ducks swimming across it.
"What kind of deal?" I inquired, half asleep.
"Let's go to Chapel Hill together after high school. You said you wanted to get out of Virginia, and I'm set on going to Chapel Hill... so let's go together." I turned to look at him, my face turning red. I couldn't believe he was that invested in us being together... "What do you say?"
"Of course," I replied, beaming at him. I craned my neck more, making it feel like it could snap in two at any moment, but the moment his lips touched mine, it was all worth it.
YOU ARE READING
Camp // RM
Fanfiction"I thought about Ryan often. I had spent the last six years replaying that final night in my head over and over. Even though I knew I wouldn't see him probably ever again, I still got goosebumps when I passed familiar landmarks on that trek to Tenne...
