Despite All Obstacles Part V

The Next Day

WARNING: NUDITY

PART 5: SAN GABRIEL VALLEY WOODS, CA

BARBARA'S STORY

Saturday, September 22nd

Bedtime.

My guilt is keeping me awake. I turn to Shortcake and see her sleeping peacefully. I stare at the roof of her tent. I'm glad her tent has a lock on it, so Matt won't sneak in here and do more stuff with me, but secretly want him to. Now, I'm afraid to lose Shortcake if she finds out about this, too. Sigh.

This morning.

I wake up tired, with a migraine. I honestly didn't get enough sleep. I don't even remember the dream I had last night. I turn and find Shortcake has left the tent.

I stretch and rub both my eyes. It's a good thing I brought PJs and extra panties. I look at my phone: 9:01AM. I smell breakfast. Somebody bangs on the tent.

"Girly, wake up. We're having breakfast," bro says. I get up and leave out Shortcake's tent.

I walk away from the tent in my PJs and see the sunshine. The hundred-acre woods look beautiful in the morning time.

"Gracie! Come eat with us!" Patt happily invites me. I smile through my guilt. They took out the bagels, the eggs, the cream cheese, the bacon and the fruit salad. They're eating them. I see the bacon on the grill that got extinguished and eggs being cooked at the campfire on stones, facing directly at the sun.

I join with my crew. I guess nobody wants any of my cereal.

"We also baked our bagels on these stones too," Patt says. I nod. I take out a bagel and place the halves on a stone beside the fire. I grab an egg and crack the shell open on another stone. Here are five stones facing the sun, surrounding two small logs set on fire. I grab a stick from its pile for the eggs.

"The bacon is on the grill," bro says. I know I'm being awkward, now. I'm usually quiet, but I'm unusually quiet right now. I'm tryna avoid looking at Matt. He doesn't seem like he cares if I'm here or not. He happily enjoys his food. Somebody had a good night sleep.

Two minutes later, I make my perfect bagel breakfast sandwich with cream cheese. I eat it along with fruit salad on my paper towel on my plate with water. I watch everybody else enjoying their breakfast. Talking, laughing and joking to each other. It's like I'm staring through a window.

After breakfast, we hike to the other side where the river is, in our PJs with our backpacks on. Even this side's beautiful in the morning.

"Shortcake, I know you're afraid of heights. You and Gracie can hike down there to the river," Patt says and points to the wooden steps connecting to a leafy, grassy hill below us. Hermits could be living here, not just Winnie The Pooh.

"Okay," I confirm. Shortcake stares at the stairs, like they might fall on her. I comfort her.

"Shortcake, I got you. You're not alone. Hold my hand." I reach out my right hand to her left one and she squeezes it tight. She's giving me a hand cramp.

"You can do it, Shortcake!" Matt cheers her on.

"We believe in you, Shortcake!" Bro cheers.