Every Summer Has A Story

Ch. 53 - Jack

Eve's 'I can do this' bravado quickly faded as she watched the interactions between her cabin and Maverick's Mohawk boys.

"This is not good," she told him out the side of her mouth at dinner, picking listlessly at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich on her plate.

Fish sticks were a firm hell no for Eve, leaving her with only one option: PB&J.

Maverick followed her gaze to the table where Alivia, Brooklyn, and Hannah were fighting for the attention of who could only be Zack, one of Maverick's oldest campers.

He sighed in a big rush.

"Ah yes, back where we were last season I see."

Maverick had the oldest boys on camp in his cabin. He had won out and gotten the smaller number of campers ranging in age from 16 to 18, leaving a pissed off Charlie with the 12 to 15 year old boys in Fox cabin. All eight of the Mohawk boys had managed to cram into seats at her girls' table, to Eve's chagrin.

"Men are the root of all evil," she snarled.

Even iron-willed Allison seemed to be melting under the charms of a tall boy with unruly curls peeking out from under a navy beanie.

"Oh, okay sure," Maverick laughed harshly, "my sweet innocent gentlemen are being lead astray as we speak by these feminine wiles on parade!"

"Oh, gag me with a spoon!" Eve bellowed dramatically, slapping Maverick on the forearm with her spoon.

Maverick leaned in close to her ear, his gravely voice sending delicious shivers down her spine,

"I could gag you with something else..."

Eve tilted her chin up to meet his eyes in a coy way.

"My mama always warned me about choking on small objects," she shot back sweetly, "so I'll have to pass."

Maverick's face fell and he pulled back to pout, sending Eve in a peel of laughter.

"Oh Mav, you know I love you."

His cerulean eyes regarded her with a mock coldness,

"False, untrue claims!"

Eve chuckled and turned her attention back to her cabin just as Alivia bumped Zack's shoulder with her own, giving him a wide smile.

"We've gotta deal with this Mav," she said, growing sober.

Maverick shoveled a fish stick into his mouth and nodded in agreement.

"I have a plan," he said between chews, "let's scare the shit out of them."

Now that had Eve's attention,

"I'm listening..."

Maverick swallowed his lump of fish and smiled an evil, calculating smile.

"We're going to have a bonfire tonight for our cabins, and I'm going to tell them Jack. They won't be wandering out into the woods after that, no matter how badly they want to meet up after dark."

"What's Jack?" Eve asked, poking her spoon into her pudding.

"You'll find out, Goose." Maverick said with a wicked wink.

A few hours later, Eve certainly found out.

Apparently Jack was a scary ass story that Maverick loved terrifying kids and adults alike with. At that moment, he was expertly using the story of his favorite homicidal convict to ensure none of their kids would go wandering off for a romantic tryst after sunset. He was reaching the culmination and all 14 of their kids looked 100% convinced that an escaped maniac named Jack was out wandering the Camp Wabanaki woods ready to snatch them up at any moment. Brooklyn and Hannah were clutching each other for dear life, huddled together on the log near the firelight. Brooke sat at their feet with one of Maverick's boys next to her, looking downright terrified, and the rest were all sitting at rapt attention on the various blankets and tree stumps used for seating.