“I’m not allowed inside, remember? That scandal last year and all that? Don’t want to get banned before we even start the summer.”
Logan hums as he takes the right side’s top bunk. “We’ll be quick.”
Keeping the door open, I head to the left top.
She leans against the door frame and crosses her ankles. “Leave your stuff and get changed. We’ve got like three hours before check-in ends. It’s already too hot. We should go swim.”
I nod, loosening the straps of my rucksack. “You mean at our spot?”
She grins. “Obviously.”
The room smells like stale wood and dust. We look for our trunks. Wes is by far the most organized, finding his right away. While I have to pull out half my bag looking for them. At least I find my towels. All of us brought towels. They’re better than the scratchy ones they have at the shower stalls. They have a laundromat on site, so we’ll be able to wash them and they’ll never know we’re swimming in the lake when it hasn’t been cleared.
I glance at Frankie and she turns around, shutting the door just enough for it to be ajar and we can change.
Jace’s already bouncing like he’s had several energy drinks. He’s said in the past that he doesn’t take his Adderall during the summer. I often wonder what he’s like while on it.
When we step out, Frankie straightens from where she’d been leaning against the porch post. She pushes off and falls in step beside us.
She hums as she returns to her spot in the middle. “Sooo.”
Wes glances over at her. “Ye-yeah?”
Frankie’s gaze wanders. “We’re old enough now for the dance they have a week before camp ends. I may have brought a dress for it.”
Jace stumbles mid-step. “Wait, like, an actual dress? You?”
She bumps his arm. “Stop acting like pigs are flying. I can have girly moments. They’re just rare, but they happen.”
Logan smirks. “That’s kind of hard to picture.”
She tugs at her shirt. “It’s navy with sparkles.” A grin spreads across her lips. “And it has pockets.” She lifts her chin like that’s the real showstopper detail.
It’s cute. “Yeah, my mom saw it listed in the camp email. She made me bring dressy clothes.”
The other guys nod. “Same.”
Wes clears his throat. “So you want to go?”
She shrugs. “It could be fun. Us going as a group. At least then we would have each other to dance with. I heard Marcy say this morning the older Alpha campers sometime sneak in alcohol and that the counselors never know. Not sure I believe that, but kind of want to see what happens with everyone else.”
The path winds down past the outer field, curving behind a thin patch of trees and the STAFF ONLY sign we always ignore as we step under it. It gets quiet fast, cooler too. The rest of camp fades behind us.
After a bit of a walk, the lake soon glints through the gaps up ahead. We step into the clearing. The trees thicken, and the land curves outward, hiding the clearing from view of the camp off to the side. It’s all dirt and rough patches of rocks and tall grass. Every year we trample it down with how often we come here.
The oak leans toward the water. Its trunk is thick with high branches packed tight with green leaves. The carving’s still there toward the bottom, worn at the edges but easy to spot from where we stand. Taking it in now, it looks like something a bunch of little kids scraped into the bark. I’ll doodle it when I’m bored in class and thinking about this place, Frankie, or the guys.
It’s become our symbol.
Frankie stops in front of it and touches the edge. “I kinda feel bad we did this to the tree. But also not.” Her hand hovers. “It makes me feel like we’re real. Like I didn’t make you guys up.”
Jace nudges the heel of his shoe into the dirt as he toes off his shoe. “Still looks badass to me. And same. In a hundred years, hopefully it will still be here as proof we existed, even if no one remembers us.”
Logan pulls his shirt over his head and kicks off his shoes. Jace’s already got his shirt half off, towel thrown in the grass. Wes follows quietly, movements smooth like always.
“Say cheese!”
We turn at the same time. She holds up an iPhone and takes several pictures.
