Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
⟴
Jay has always loved camping with Danny. The happiest memories of her late adolescence are all early mornings and mosquito bites and rushing out the house on weekends.
She remembers long car rides out of the city filled with music and jokes with the Castillo family. She remembers being taught how to skip stones while the boys chased each other with sticks, and giggling at Danny's screams after she puts a frog in his sleeping bag.
She especially remembers how nice it felt pretending she had a good dad, because no amount of therapy takes away a kid's memories of there mom's bruised face.
⟴
When Jay wakes up sweaty and sore for the second week in a row, she remembers how they never stayed out longer than a weekend (and how she and Tony could overpower and bully Danny into keeping the tent clean). Opening her eyes to a mess he somehow left without waking her makes her quickly decide that camping has lost its appeal.
She curses him while trying to stretch the stiffness out of her back. When she inevitably fails, she throws on yesterday's pants and stumbles out of the tent, immediately searching for her friend.
⟴
"Good morning, Jay!" Dale yells out to her from the top of the RV when she gets close enough, he smiles sweetly and Jay can't help but smile back. "How are you doing?"
"Looks more like a good afternoon." She replies a little sheepish, "I'm doin' alright, how are you?"
"I'm great! Living like a celebrity up here!" He says and gestures to his chair and umbrella, making her giggle. "You eat anything yet? I think there might be some chips in the RV if you'd like."
"Nah, I'm good." Jay answers, mostly because the last chips she got from Dale were stale and partly because she'd feel bad taking away anything after accidently skipping out on chores. She walks a little further, and finally spots Danny messing with Shane's police scanner.
"You sure there ain't nothing you can do with that C.B?" Shane says with crossed arms, he's watching Danny fiddle with some wires. "No military channel you can tap into or nothin'?"
"I'm trying but we're too high up for good reception, the most I can do is make the connection to whatever we do hear less spotty. Especially since these ain't the right tools." Danny huffs, moving his hands away from the machine and frowning. "I usually only work on regular civilian wiring than complex things like this anyway. It's probably for the best I can't fuck something up."
"Damn," Shane says and rubs the back of his head, "Thanks for tryin' though, man."
