Cabin Nine [[Revised Edition] Under FURTHER Revision]

Twenty-Three

It's our last year as campers and it's weird.

Absolutely nothing has changed but somehow, everything is different. Jack and I are with Dominic again this year. He's still himself and that's comforting.

Hunter is not himself. He refuses to talk to me. He and Jack are fine until I tell Jack about it. Then Jack shouts at him in the middle of the dining hall about losing old friends because of some stupid, homophobic belief. Naturally, they stop talking to each other.

No one knows that Jack and I are together. Just that I'm gay. Anything more would get us moved to separate cabins. After the events of last year, a lot of people stopped sending their kids. So there are only five kids in our cabin this year instead of eleven. That means that we can cuddle during free time and there are fewer people that could burst in and tell someone about it.

We spend free time like that the entire week and nobody sees anything. I'm glad we're friends with Dominic. He intentionally picked well-liked athletic kids so they would always be out of the cabin. He's a real pal.

On Friday, one of the counselors has to go around the banquet and create a list of last-year campers who want to be counselors in the next few years. Jack and I have been looking forward to this since we were twelve years old.

So when the guy lets Jack sign up and walks right by me, I'm confused.

Jack gets angry. I try to tell him that they're probably just coming back around, but I don't even believe it, so it's hard to argue.

Jack causes a scene.

He stands abruptly and gains the attention of the whole room because of the awful noise his chair makes.

"Hey, why'd you pass Tyler?" he demands.

The guy turns around and looks straight into Jack's eyes to say, "I don't think we'll want a pervert like him around kids."

What is this? 1985? It's an outdated insult, but it infuriates Jack all the same. He takes one strong step forward and decks the guy, who falls and goes out like a light.

I'm somehow the only person in the room who doesn't freeze.

I stand up and shout, "Jack!"

He looks back at me and shakes his hand out.

No one says anything. Shouldn't Jason be doing something? It's his camp and this is the second time Jack has hit someone. And it was a counselor this time. He can't let this slide, can he? I mean, it seemed like he was horrified last year. He made a point to tell me that he supported me last year.

And finally. Footsteps. I look over expecting Jason, but instead I find an infuriated Hunter.

He grabs Jack's arm roughly and yanks him toward Jason. "Aren't you going to do something?" he demands.

Jack rips his arm away and backs away from Hunter until he's back by my side. "He deserved it."

Jason nods decisively. "We're not doing this here. Office. Now. All three of you, I'll meet you there."

I pull Jack out of there and to the office, Hunter trailing a few yards behind us.

He lingers outside of Jason's office while Jack and I go in. He stays there, which means that he thinks he's right and he's going to ask Jason about punishment. Hunter is so predictable sometimes. I wonder if he knows how well we know him.

Jack and I sit down in the chairs in front of Jason's desk. We've been here before, but it's not usually for something like this. More often about the pranks that Jack pulls.