(COMPLETED) Together, Under The Stars

Chapter 17: Alive And Well

Hello from Corona Life, 

I'M STILL FREAKING STUCK IN QUARANTINEEEEEE. 

This chapter is for @CelestialFire09. Even though I don't really know you that well (cause you one year younger than me), it's still really fun to hang out with you and our friends at summer camp! I really hope that we can go back this year! I miss hanging out with you and all of them! The memories we made. . . *sighs*. I hope to see you soon though! And have a nice few last days of school!

Thanks to @itsjustsomeoneweird for being my 30th follower. AND WE'VE SURPASSED 1.4k views and 200 votes! THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON OUT THERE WHO HELPED ME GET TO WHERE I AM NOW! ILMRSM!!

Luv u all,
LivingWithMyLife

Last night was a blast. After Campfire was over, Charlie and I walked together back to the rooms. Honestly, it is probably one of the best nights of my whole entire freaking life.

The morning is the same. Breakfast, some announcements, Lettering, and Daily Workout. We do Adventure Hike today for Rotating Workshop and then eat lunch after that. I sign up for Photography for my Arts and Crafts Clinic with Charlie, Ria, and Justin. (A/N: See what I did there? 😏😏😏)

During free time, the eight of us gather by Shady Rest, an area outside where it's covered by shade and has lounge chairs.

"Have you guys read Wonder or White Bird?" I ask the boys as they attempt to arm wrestle. The girls and I are playing Nertz, and so far, I'm winning.

"Didn't. We. Read. Wonder. In. Fifth. Grade. Or. Something," Justin grunts as he attempts to win the wrestling match he's doing with Joshua.

I slap down my last card from the 13 separate cards pile. "NERTZ! Yeah, we read Wonder in fifth grade as a lit book, but White Bird came out this year. It's about Julian's grandmother." We start to count the cards in the center pile.

Charlie groans as Justin wins (he was rooting for Joshua). "Whose grandmother?"

Brie sighs as we finish counting the cards. "Zen wins. Again. Match 2?"

I shrug. "Why not? Nertz is really easy anyways." Turning to Charlie, I ask, "Didn't you read Auggie and Me after you read Wonder?"

"Auggie and who?"

"Nevermind. You can get back to your. . . arm wrestling." I turn back to my friends as we begin to play a second round.

First, I shuffle all of my cards and select the first thirteen cards in the pile. Setting those aside, I pick up another four cards and place them in front of me, facedown. The way you play Nertz is kind of complicated and takes a while to learn.

I first learned it as a family game with Justin, Kevin, Mom, Dad, and Uncle. We split up into pairs (guess who I got paired with [Kevin, duh]) and Mom and Dad taught us how to play. Then I taught it to my friends, and now, we have a nonverbal vow to bring a deck of cards with us no matter where we go.

"Okay, three two one, go!" Brie yells and we flip over our four cards.

I start ordering the cards. Finding an ace of hearts, I quickly put that in the middle followed by an ace of hearts. Keeping one eye on the thirteen cards and another on the four cards in the middle, I start to flip the cards in the deck I have. You're supposed to count three, then flip. If you can use the card on top, then you pull it out of the pile and then repeat.

The goal is to use up all of your thirteen cards. When you do, you yell "Nertz" and the game is over. The cards you put in the middle are basically your score, but you have to minus double the amount of the thirteen cards you still have left.

So even if you use up all of your thirteen cards, there's still a possibility that you can lose.

I try not to go so hard this time and let one of the others win. Ria claims the title of the winner.

"Um, you guys wanna work on the skit? We're performing tonight," Ezme remarks while putting her cards back into the box.

"Yeah, we're still kind of rusty," Joshua agrees, watching Charlie and Justin now attempting to do handstands. Turning to the boys, he says, "HELLO?? CAN ANY OF YOU HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING?"

Justin falls on his head. "Ow! Yeah, we heard you."

So we end up doing another skit rehearsal, and we end up improvising about half of it.

After we're done "rehearsing", we part ways to go to Arts and Crafts Clinic. Photography doesn't really sound like an Arts and Crafts thing, but neither does Chalk Making. What happens during Photography is that we get to borrow a Polaroid Camera and use up to 2 rolls of film which allow you to take 10 pictures each.

Basically, we spend the next hour taking pictures of our surroundings and each other. After the clinic, we take our pictures with us and quickly drop them off in our rooms. Then we go to our Group Spot for Group Time.

During Group Time, we practice the skit, over and over and over. Eventually, we get to the point where if someone makes a mistake, we have to start all over from the beginning. It is a pain in the neck. Finally, we get through one perfect run, and just in time, because we now have. . . Variable Event!

Variable Event is done with the groups that we formed at Large Group Icebreakers on the first day. Which means I'll be seeing a lot of Amelia and my brother. What we do at Variable Event is different every year. This year, we are doing two things.

1. We have to go on this raft in the pool that can only hold 3 people at a time. The goal is to get everyone across and back without getting more than one-fourth of your group wet. Not as easy as it sounds.

2. We have to climb all the steps of the amphitheater, but here's the catch. You only get to step on the pieces of paper you are given, which is the number of people in your group minus one. Once the paper is set on the ground, some sort of body part (hand, foot, etc) has to be on it at all times or it will be taken away.

There are a lot of groups that we formed at LGI, so half of the groups first do the pool activity, while the others do the amphitheater activity, and we rotate after. You get timed, and whoever wins for each round gets first pick at dinner tonight.

Naturally, our group freaking SUCKS. At the end of the amphitheater activity, we only have TWO pieces of paper left, and we're barely past halfway, so. . . PROBLEM. And for the pool activity, for SOME reason, the plug for the raft FALLS OUT and, well, you can predict what happens.

Nonetheless, we still make it out alive and well. Well actually, some of us are shivering from falling into the water (not me, thank goodness).

At dinner, we have to sit with our LGI groups, and you're supposed to eat like "family" meaning that no one can leave the table until EVERYONE is done. I ate as fast as I could. Didn't want to be the last one eating, but you know, the person who is the last one eating just oh so happens to be my twin. So right there and then, I have pretend I'm not related to him.

After dinner, I spend time with my friends in the Volleyball courts and on the playground behind our rooms.

Our group then goes over the skit one last time, because after free time, it's Skit Night. 

QOTD: What is the thing you most hate about online schooling/quarantine?

BEING AROUND MY FAMILY 24/7 is absolutely DRIVING ME INSANE.  And the Zoom meetings are (almost) over. (I think I have one or two more so YAY!)

So I don't have a lot to ramble about. TYSM for all the reads, votes, comments, and follows. You readers really are the best I could ever ask for. ILY all!

(Also, check out the collab story I'm doing with @Rsurana216. It can be found on my reading list titled "My Works". It's called Stay Strong, Forever and Always.)

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