Boot Camp

25

Once again, the sixteen of us are forced into a riveting yoga and talk session, something almost everyone besides me has come to like.

I bend my knee forward into the warrior pose, trying to keep my arms steady in the air. Everyone has their eyes closed and is breathing in deeply, while I just stare them down without them noticing.

"Girls, let's move into the tree pose, pulling in our right leg and standing on our left," Cassidy instructs, leading the way.

"I feel like such an outsider because I hate yoga," Willow whispers from beside me. She adds in a grumble, "You'd think all those years of ballet would have made me more graceful."

"Imagine how I feel without the dance experience."

We share a laugh for the first time in history, and the situation only grows funnier when she switches legs and topples over onto her mat with a thud.

"Girls, settle down," Cassidy says, making everyone look our way. Adriana stares at us as if we've grown three heads—because maybe we have. After a few poses that end with me contorted into a pretzel, Cassidy grabs our attention again. "Alright, this is the last session of this kind we'll have before you all leave on Monday. In that regard, I'd like you all to split up into groups of three or four and talk to each other for a few minutes. For some conversation starters, you could share your favorite parts of this camp or maybe your goals upon leaving here."

We freeze in our places for a few seconds, before we begin to form small circles at random. Martina plops down next to me, while Willow never ends up getting up, making the three of us one group.

Martina speaks first. "Okay, guys, let's be real. We're not gonna get all sappy and talk about how much we loved being here."

I snort, trusting her to always speak the truth. "I mean, technically, do we have to talk at all? It's not like we're getting graded for this."

"I don't know," Willow mumbles, looking around. "Cassidy seems to be stopping by each group."

"Fine," Martina says, looking between the two of us. "Truth be told, I'm kind of freaking out about college. All the parties, alcohol, and independence... Sometimes I feel like I only thrive in places with a lot of structure, like this camp."

"I definitely get that," I say, "but I'm worried for different reasons. What if the classes are so difficult that I can't get straight As anymore? Or I have no free time and literally never step foot in a gym again? Why did I even come here, then?"

"Oh, come on, Whitney, I bet you'll be fine," Martina consoles and shoots me a warm smile. She turns to Willow sitting a few feet from us, eyes glued to the floor. "Are you excited for college, at least?"

Willow scowls and shakes her head. "God, no. I'm not going to the school of my dreams, that's for sure, and there are still so many things I haven't figured out yet. Like...how does therapy even work in college?"

I blink. Therapy? So, was my speculation valid?

"How is it going over here, you three?" Cassidy crouches down in between Martina and me. Willow mumbles something about leaving and stands up, appearing overwhelmed. Cassidy doesn't stop her as she hurries out of the gym, leaving Martina and I even more confused. "Okay, I will take that as 'not so good.' You might want to go check on your friend."

I wince at the use of "friend" but find myself feeling the worry of one for Willow's flustered self. I look at Martina for reassurance, but she just shrugs, eyes lingering on Aspen across the room. Cassidy's hopeful glance guilts me, and I finally pull myself up to my feet and to the door.