"Welcome Back Campers" with my OC Mona
After 9 months was finally over, Mona, now a year older, was back at the bus stop once again, telling her parents goodbye. She had grown at least two inches taller and had finally decided to wear a shirt this time instead of a hoodie. The reason she had worn a hoodie last year in the first place was actually born from a place of stubbornness: her mom suggested she wear something with short sleeves since it's gonna be hot outside but she thought it'd be cool wearing that instead. So she just argued against it until her mom gave in and let her wear the hoodie as well with the rule that she zip it open every so often to let air in. It WAS kinda warm at camp but could always be worse, at least it didn't feel unbearable. Or suffocating.
When she got on the bus, to her surprise Harrison, Ered, Nerris and Dolph were already on, unlike last year when everyone, except her, Nikki and Neil had already been at camp. They greet her and she waves back, suddenly feeling shy again before asking if everyone's gonna be here. Ered and Nerris confirm it and soon enough, doors slam open, Space Kid comes in, cheerfully greets Mona and she waves, while wondering why she can't just say hello normally (this was my reality as a kid and just recently, like 2 years ago? have I begun saying hello). Then Nurf comes, grins when he sees her and says "Well, look who it is (chuckle) The Quiet Kid's back." She has no idea how she's supposed to reply to that so she stays quiet.
When Nikki comes barreling in, she immediately greets Nerris and Dolph with a hug, before quickly hugging Mona as well. Too quickly for her to consider hugging back. In no time, Neil comes and greets Mona and the others before getting tackled in a hug by Nikki. Mona watches, amused, as he protests and tells her to stop squeezing his wind pipes.
Then Preston comes in, last. He looks different. Way different. Looks like he went through an outfit change.
His eyes light up when he sees her and he enthusiastically greets her, with a quick side hug before they begin catching up. He tells her he starred in a local TV commercial and announces that he's basically famous now after asking her if she knows what that means. She jokes "Well, I knew this day would come" at the same time he goes "Surely this day was to come sooner or later" and they both freeze as Nikki bursts into laughter, followed by everyone else, minus Ered and Neil.
Skip to Mona sitting on one of the chairs next to Preston who's chatting animatedly with Nerris and Harrison, playing a game on her phone this time (still took the IPad but it's in the pocket of her pants) and Dolph comes over to ask her if he can play on her phone again like last time. She wordlessly scoots over and when he sits down she explains what this game is and how to play it (and he really gets into it) until they finally arrive at Camp Campbell.
Mona almost forgets her sunglasses in the bus but remembers at the last second and grabs them before exiting after Preston. David greets her enthusiastically "Glad to have you back, Mona! Book camp's missed you." And she just awkwardly waves in response, words failing her again.
Down at the stage, David initiates a ice-breaker, encouraging the campers to introduce themselves and Mona immediately tenses up. While she has no problem actually talking now, saying stuff about HERSELF in front of everybody, especially a new person seemed... too far and she starts thinking of ways to skip it as the introductions begin.
When Preston shouts at Space Kid that he's "not paid to speak" she, temporarily forgetting her anxiety and amused, tells him "Don't let the power get to your head" jokingly. To which he retorts "I am NOT!"
The introductions carry on and she nervously clutches and fidgets with her sunglasses the entire time, trying to act "normal" on purpose so that Preston or David won't pick up on her nerves. Max demands to know why everyone is behaving so weirdly and accuses them of thinking that the only important part about last year is how different they now are. David, sensing he's upset, tries to coax him into sharing something about himself to which Max says that his "fun fact" is that he's still the same, and leaves the scene.
Then David calls on Mona, as she's the only one who hasn't gone yet. She freezes and her heart immediately starts pounding. She glances at everyone around him, at David, at CJ who looks at her expectantly with an eyebrow raised and then at the ground, gripping the sunglasses. Half of her just wants to disappear. Run away. Like last year at the stage. David asks her if she's okay and she begrudgingly forces out a "Could I skip the whole introduction thing?" And David is a bit confused, yet concerned and asks her if she's nervous.
CJ cuts in, encouraging her to go up there and speak, mentioning how fears are to be conquered but all she can focus on is how tense she feels, how her heart's racing and- Oh, she's sweating now too. She hears Preston's concerned "Uhh, Mona...?" but refuses to look at him. Or anyone else. Convinced that she's making the biggest fool out of herself right now and that everyone will think she's a coward. She looks at the concerned David again, ignores Neil asking if she's okay and Nurf's "What's up with her?" And refuses to look at CJ, certain he's looking at her with disapproval.
Then CJ tells her to "well, get on with it, we don't have all day" and at that she finally breaks, makes her decision and just turns around, taking off running, ignoring David and then Preston calling after her. She goes to eventually hide in the shed after realizing there's no better hiding spot, not crying but mildly frustrated with herself. If she didn't make a fool of herself before, she definitely did now after running off. She sits down, arms resting around her knees, with her mind racing but heart rate starting to slightly calm down. Her mind replays the entire scene and she hopes that no one other than Preston finds her as she sighs in disappointment.
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Back at the stage, after she ran off CJ is confused why she reacted like that, to which Preston half shouts how he kept pushing her when she wasn't ready, of COURSE she ran off. When he's still confused, Preston explains that "She. has. stage. fright" with his arms crossed. David feels guilty for not doing anything about it and wants to go find her to tell her it's ok, but Neil stops him, telling him to give Mona some space, she might want to be alone right now. And David obliges, though still upset. CJ comments that "everyone has stage fright at one point, right?" to which everyone just stares at him blankly, Preston glaring and even Ered looking disapproving.
When everyone scatters, Preston goes to look for Mona, calling out to her. When she eventually hears him, she creates a sound to alert him to where she is, not feeling like speaking. He enters the shed and sits down next to her. Before he can say anything she speaks up first, saying that she's sorry and she doesn't know why she keeps running off. Before adding "just like last time..." under her breath, frustrated. Preston points out that it isn't her fault that she's different before backpedaling "Wait no, that came out wrong. I mean-" before taking a (slightly dramatic cause of years of training) deep breath and saying that sometimes it just... happens.
To which she says she's been doing fine talking to everyone. So why is THIS any different?
He brings up how he actually did the same thing once after he was supposed to perform for the first time ever in a school play at age 8 and that it took him quite a lot of preparing, and a lot of reassurances from Gram-Gram to give it another try. He did, was scared but managed to make a breakthrough at 9. And look at him now, starred in local TV where millions end up watching him. She says that she wouldn't have expected that; he always looks so confident that she assumed he was born like that. To which he chuckles and says "Guess we have that in common, huh?" nudging her.
She finally smiles and asks if he thinks she'll make a breakthrough too, and he brings up her transformation from quiet and shy to actually talking to everyone now. If she made it that far, then this will surely follow.
In its own time. Maybe not this summer. Or the next. But one day.
Then they hear Nikki excitedly calling for them both about a meeting (by David). He asks if she's ready to go back and she says "I think so. (He gets up and then she) And- also... (as they're about to exit) Thanks."
"Anytime, co-star."
Everyone acts normal enough when they get back, excluding the concerned looks from Nerris, Harrison, Dolph and Neil, that she manages to relax. David apologizes to her for not reacting and she shrugs, saying that it's okay, it happens. But avoids looking in CJ's direction, worried that he's judging her.
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Next day, when CJ introduces the obstacle course, Mona's hesitant on joining, not wanting to "be a reason nobody gets to eat". Preston tries to encourage and hype her up, and she hesitantly follows him, not wanting to make an even bigger fool of herself in the new counselor's eyes, trying to copy his movements. She looks at the course with interest once they're up. When Max crashes out, accusing everyone of "being just as lame as before and that's why they didn't have any friends back home"
The "no friends" part kinda gets to her. She remembers wanting a friend SO desperately at home pre-camp but her voice failing her. Opting her to just keep her distance. It bothers her but not to her relief, nobody noticed.
Then Max gets back later and she watches him go through the obstacle course with ease, impressed. (She also didn't see Neil's earring being a fake coming) Then Gwen shows up and her face lights up. It really didn't seem the same without her here...
