Cabin Nine [Original]

7

Teen camp year two is pretty much exactly the same. Jack had me practice walking in heels all year just for my costume. The only big notable difference is that Jack is taller than me now. I'm still 5'2" but he's grown exactly one inch taller than me. And he's very proud of it. He keeps commending his ankles. I don't even know what to do with that.

School is definitely different. It's our last year of middle school. I mean, thank God, but I think I'll miss it. Soon we'll be right back at the bottom of the food chain as freshman.

At least I'll have Jack, though. He kind of makes everything better. I think it kind of doesn't even matter that every time I see him with someone else my chest hurts. It's not unnatural to be jealous of your best and only friend being friends with other people, is it? I don't think so.

Even so, I made some new friends to get back at him and ended up actually liking them. It's kind of amazing.

Julia, Dinah, and Dennis are all really average. Which is perfect for me. Because it annoys Jack that I have perfectly average friends who are just like me. Jack is not average. He's popular and I'm semi-popular by association. I don't even like most of the popular people.

Jack and them get along alright, though. He's really polite and nice and whenever they come over, he offers them drinks before I can, just to make me mad. It definitely works.

"Wait, what?" Jack asks.

"What do you mean?"

"What the heck just happened?"

"He died."

"But not for long, right?"

I don't reply.

"Right?!"

I like leaving him to worry. Though I know that nobody dies for long. I bet he's not happy that I convinced him to watch Supernatural. He's only on season three. That makes it especially fun for me because they die a whole lot more and he reacts like this every time.

Someone knocks on the door. Jack and I don't move from our places on the couch. Louisa gets the door and the people come into the living room. It's Julia, Dinah, and Dennis.

Jack automatically scoots away from me. I hadn't even realized how close we were sitting, but now my left side is cold and I want him back.

"Can I get you something to drink or a snack?" Jack asks.

"You don't live here!" I protest.

"I sleep here more than I sleep at my own house," he counters.

"Alright, fine."

Dinah laughs and plops down next to me. So close that our legs are touching. It's kind of really awkward. She's not warm like Jack is, and he's gone to the kitchen to grab waters and donuts. When he comes back, he just kind of stares at our knees for a second and then continues on his way. For some reason, that makes me want to move away.

So I go grab some napkins for the donuts and I don't sit down next to Dinah when I get back. Jack and I take the small two-person couch and they take the big one. We continue to watch Supernatural. They've all seen it, so we can make inside jokes and confuse him.

After we finish an episode, I go to grab more water and Julia follows me. She corners me in the kitchen and tells me that Dinah has a crush on me. I could kind of tell but I was too awkward to say anything about it.

I have to tell her that I'm not interested. That I only like her as a friend. This is gonna suck.

After about three hours, they all get ready to leave. I walk Dinah to the door separately and ask if I could speak to her alone. She sends Julia a look. But she cries when I tell her that I want to just stay friends.

She leaves and I go back inside to panic. Jack calms me down and laughs when I tell him what happened. He thinks it's cute that she had a crush. I think I might like her, though, because Jack slings his arm around my shoulders and my heart skips a beat. I can't stop thinking about what would've happened if I told her that I like her too.

But I don't really think I do. Because I stay at home all night with Jack instead of her.