I just finished watching Girls like Girls and I'm about to buy the book soon. I fear I have an idea for a Sophia smau heavily inspired from this once FIUWMI end🙂↕️
You thought you had the perfect life. You got straight A’s on every exam, your parents were proud of your accomplishments, you had the ‘perfect’ boyfriend in your eyes.
He was tall, his eyes were dreamy, he was loving and everything you could possible want in a boyfriend. But that mystical fantasy came crashing down hard, like a aeroplane onto the ground.
it was supposed to be a normal day today; you avoided daniela, just got back your report card. “Full A’s” your professor stated as he handed over the card. You smiled back at them, a warm feeling settling in your body.
after the lecture had ended you went on your way searching for your boyfriend, he was normally waiting on you outside your classroom, but he wasn’t this time. You checked your phone to see if he had possibly texted you, he hadn’t texted you since last night when he texted a good night to you.
He normally texted you if practice ran late or if he had any emergencies.
But you shrugged it off, maybe he was just tired after a long day of training. And possibly had gone home, or he could be in the parking lot waiting for you.
So you decided to go to the parking lot, just in case to see if he was waiting for you. As walked over to the parking lot, you decided to text home expecting him to at least answer his phone as he was supposed to be home.
Instead he was stood at his car with another girl, a cheerleader girl who seemed to be way too touchy with him. But it wasn’t exactly the first time you’ve seen this girl, she was one of those popular girls on uni campus who would do whatever whenever she wanted as her dad was ‘rich’ and helped fund the university itself, mainly because he wanted his daughter to ‘be the best’ which in your defence she was wasting her ‘daddy’s’ money.
He stood there, his hand resting on the cheerleader’s lower back. ‘That’s definitely not just friendly.’ You thought to yourself as you saw them continue to cling to one another.
You walked closer, you thought he’d move away from her and apologise saying ‘it’s not what it looks like’ and beg for forgiveness.
But surprisingly he didn’t, as he just stood there one hand still in his pocket meanwhile the other was still wrapped around her waist. Still sweet talking to her in front of you.
He was obviously flirting with her, which made your heart break a lil. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, earning a lil chuckle from the cheerleader.
You cleared your throat which finally caught their attention, instead of your presence. The girl looked from him to you then back at him, smirking. “I’ll let you talk to your lil girlfriend”
He nodded, “mhm see you soon princess”
She looked back at him, “call me baby..”
“Sure will..” he bit his lip as he watched her walk away.
You scoffed, the audacity of that girl. “what the fuck was that Raphaël?” You pointed to the cheerleader walking off.
He shrugged, “she’s nobody baby” he leaned off his car, taking a step closer. You stepped back, “don’t you dare fucking call me baby”
Raphaël tried again, you slapped his face causing his head to tilt. His eyebrows frowned causing a wrinkle to appear at his forehead, he grabbed your arms.
“What the fuck was that yn?” His face turned red, his grip on your right wrist began to tighten. You were shocked, he was never this aggressive to you ever.
“I told you she was nobody, so why the fuck did you slap me?!” Spit started to leave his mouth as his voice raised causing bystanders to stop an stare.
Your wrists began to bruise, so you started to plead “L-let go of me Raphaël your hurting my wrist!” He didn’t seem to hear you throughout his anger and frustration as it consumed him whole.
But he also didn’t see the crowd that had begun to form around the both of you. You tried to push him off but his grip on your right arm began to become painful obvious.
He pushed you into the hood of his car, you were stuck between his car and him.
Meanwhile Daniela was walking through the university’s hallways with her best mate Manon, as they talked about the recent football practice they just had. They walked over to the parking lot to her car, they were gonna go grab a bunch a drinks and head towards Daniela’s place afterwards as her parents were out of town.
As the reached the parking lot Manon saw the crowd so she nudged Daniela, “look i think some guy is beating up some nerd or something.” She started as she started wondering over there.
When Manon reached she found out that it was the ‘nerd’ that Daniela used to bully back in high school with the apparent ‘man’ she was dating. “Yo it’s that nerd girl..”
Daniela trodded over, pushing herself through the crowd to get a better look. Yep that was yn getting shouted at by some man. But Daniela paused, something didn’t settle right with her so she decided to intervene.
She turned to Manon, “i’m not trying to be in anybody’s business but shit don’t look right.. I wanna help her..”
Manon snapped her head towards Daniela, “are you crazy thats the soccer team’s captain with his girlfriend..” but Daniela ignored him and walked into the circle.
“Leave the woman dude, it’s not worth it man.” It was loud enough for him to hear, causing him to snap his head towards Daniela. You looked over, wait is that Daniela?
She was your bully.. why would she be here? Was she gonna join in? Your mind raved through all possibilities. Maybe she was on his side, but she was sticking up for you, you thought she couldn’t stand you being uptight.
“Its none of your business man, im talking to my girl.” He barked back the grip became more painful as it started to stop the circulation of oxygen to your wrists.
Daniela sighed, “she is clearly scared of you and your gripping her wrist which..” she squinted at his grip, “looks to be actively bruising..” you tried to move your arms but he restrained your arms tighter.
He looked down at his hands then at your eyes which seemed to be watering. He looked back at Daniela not letting go, “And who are you to her?”
Daniela stepped forward, “that doesn’t matter, what does matter is that you need to take your hands off of her..”
He laughed, “or what? What are You gonna do?” Raphaël was being cocky.
“Or im gonna show you why you mever put your hands on a woman — didn’t your mother ever tell you that?” She smuged earning a laugh from the crowd.
He gritted his teeth, “you want her? Then fucking have her, I’m done with that bitch.. she’s nothing without me anyways”, he pushed you away into her causing you to trip into Daniela’s arms.
She didn’t look down until Raphaël hopped in his car and sped out of the parking lot. It is actually her, you thought.
Daniela finally looked down at you, meanwhile you were looking at your bruised wrist wincing at the pain. Just as Daniela was gonna say something, Manon burst through the crowd.
“Daniela what the hell was that, now you’ve got a hit on you— did you lose your mind?!” Manon exclaimed as the crowd dissipated.
Daniela looked up at her, “well i wasn’t gonna let a violent attack on a woman continue.. I mean she’s literally was smaller than him and didn’t seem to be bothered that he was hurting her..”
She turned back to you, “hey are you okay?” you slowly nodded and looked away slightly wining at the bruises.
She looked into your eyes, “you don’t sound okay to me darling.” Your heart slightly sped up when she called you darling.
You sighed, “if hurts a bit..” you looked down at your wrist. Daniela held out her hand, “lemme see”.
You heard it out, she touched the side of your wrist causing you to pull back quickly, biting down on the inside of your cheek.
“Yea that might be fractured..” Manon stated as she stood next to Daniela. You looked up at her with one eyebrow raised, she shrugged — “I only know because that’s how my wrist looked like when i fractured it on the field.”
You looked between them, “i have to go to the hospital..” you then looked at Daniela, “could you possibly take me there?”
She sighed, “i mean me and her had plans this night..” Manon nodded enthusiastically, “we do”
You sighed, Daniela looked at Manon.
Causing her to look back at Daniela, “no”
“C’mon we’re just gonna drop her off then let her get home via Uber or something.” Daniela suggested.
Manon agreed. “Fine but you’re paying for the drinks”
“Bet”
That’s how you ended up in the back of Daniela’s car she drove through to the city’s ambulance before giving you 25$ in cash with a note and dropping you off at the hospital.
after the visit they bit on an wrist brace and advised you to not lift anything that was too heavy. You walked out with looking for a taxi back to campus turns out the 25$ was the exact amount you needed.
you watched in the car as the trees leaves swayed side to side from the wind.
You got back to your dorm, you’re house mates were already sleeping meanwhile you were going through your pockets and found a note.
It was the ons Daniela had given to you.
‘I changed my contact nerd — xxx xxxx xxxx. From your fav enimie’
the three days after the interview felt considerably longer than three days but not because anything particularly exciting happened.
it was quite the opposite, life just simply carried on. y/n still slept in too late, still spent far too much time on tiktok and she still checked her emails far more often than she’d ever admit to another human being.
every time her phone buzzed, she’d checked it. every time she opened her inbox, she’d found herself scrolling down a little too quickly.
by the third day she’d convinced herself she hadn’t got it.
missy had probably realised she’d rambled through half the interview. maybe sophia had decided she wasn’t camp counselor material. maybe there’d simply been somebody better.
which, honestly, was fair enough because what exactly qualified her to spend two months running a camp? she’d never even put up a tent.
which lead to sometime around eleven o’clock on the second night, she’d somehow found herself watching a seventeen-minute youtube video titled camp counsellor essentials you need to know.
which had then led to another video about knot tying, and that then somehow led to a tutorial on how to start a fire.
by the third day she’d almost talked herself into accepting she wasn’t getting it. which was probably why she’d only told a handful of people about camp evergreen.
one of those people was ariana.
ariana had been one of her closest friends since highschool and, over the years, had somehow become the person y/n told everything to. which meant she’d unfortunately been subjected to hearing about camp evergreen far more than any reasonable person should.
she sat opposite y/n in one of their usual cafés, stirring her iced coffee absent-mindedly while listening to y/n explain the whole thing.
“…so yeah,” y/n finished with a shrug. “it actually sounded kind of nice.” ariana blinked “a camp counselor?”
“yeah.”
another blink, then she slowly lowered her drink “you?”
“no, bitch, i’m serious.” ariana laughed, setting her drink down on the table “you? a camp counselor?”a couple sitting nearby glanced over briefly before ariana lowered her voice, still looking slightly bewildered “like… actual summer camp?”
“yes.”
“with children?”
“ariana.”
“i’m asking questions.”
y/n laughed and ariana shook her head, smiling to herself “i don’t know why this is so funny to me.”
“because you’re rude.”
“no, because you hate bugs.”
“i don’t hate bugs.”
ariana raised an eyebrow “name one bug you like.” y/n opened her mouth confidently and then stopped. “…ladybugs?”
ariana burst out laughing, she leaned back in her chair and covered her face with one hand “yeah, i’m sure you’ll spend the summer frolicking through fields with your little ladybug friends.”
both of them dissolved into laughter. once she’d recovered, ariana reached for her drink again.
“seriously though.” she tilted her head slightly “have they actually gotten back to you yet?”
“i know.” y/n sighed as she traced circles around the side of her glass “i’m trying not to think about it.”
“which means you’re thinking about it constantly?”
“exactly”
ariana nodded knowingly. then, as though she’d just remembered something, her eyes widened “oh.”
“dad said if you’re still looking, he could probably get you something at the tyre place.”
y/n looked up “doing what?”
“reception stuff, mostly.” ariana shrugge “answering phones, booking people in.”
“boring, but money’s money.”
honestly, it wasn’t a bad offer, which made y/n hesitate because it was normal, practical and close to home.
everything camp evergreen wasn’t.
“i’ll let you know.”
ariana paused halfway through taking a sip. slowly, she lowered her straw “girl.”
y/n laughed “what?”
“you’re waiting for camp, aren’t you?”
“i just want to see if i get this.”
ariana stared at her for a moment then she sat back in disbelief “okay.” she nodded slowly “so let me get this straight.”
she pointed her straw towards y/n “you’re seriously turning down the first real job offer you’ve had all summer…for fucking camp rock?”
y/n burst out laughing “it’s not camp rock.”
“it literally is.”
“it’s a summer camp.”
“same thing.”
y/n laughed again “i’m serious about this ari!”
“and i’m serious.” ariana grinned over the top of her drink “if you come back in september singing ‘this is me’ and wearing fucking tie-dye i’m ending the friendship”
“deal” y/n nodded and smiled “but you’ll visit me at camp?”
ariana immediately grimaced “absolutely not.”
“why?!” y/n said as a pout formed on her face.
“bugs.”
“hypocrite.”
and despite the fact that the entire conversation had consisted mainly of ariana making fun of her, y/n found herself smiling all the way home because underneath all the teasing, ariana had noticed something y/n hadn’t wanted to admit to herself.
she really wanted this. which was why, by the following morning, she’d convinced herself to stop hoping.
almost.
so when her phone buzzed while she stood in the kitchen waiting for the toaster to pop, she almost ignored it.
until she glanced down and saw the words she’d spent the last three days waiting for.
from: camp evergreen administration
subject: welcome to camp evergreen 🌲
hello y/n,
thank you again for taking the time to interview with us. we’re delighted to offer you a position as a summer counselor for camp evergreen 2026.
we were impressed by your enthusiasm during the interview process and are excited to welcome you to the team this summer.
staff orientation week will begin on sunday, july 6th. campers will arrive the following weekend, giving all staff members an opportunity to settle in, complete training and get to know one another before the start of the season.
upon arrival, you’ll be met by senior counselor sophia, who will help you get settled and introduce you to the rest of the team. another first-year counselor, megan, will also be arriving around the same time.
attached to this email, you’ll find:
• the 2026 staff handbook
• your orientation week schedule
• camp policies and emergency procedures
• packing recommendations
• important arrival information
• required forms to be completed before july 1st
check-in for staff begins between 10:00am and 2:00pm. if you’re travelling independently, please let us know your estimated arrival time so we can ensure someone is available to greet you.
if you have any questions before then, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
we’re looking forward to a fantastic summer and can’t wait to welcome you to camp evergreen.
see you soon,
missy
camp director
camp evergreen 🌲☀️
“where summer feels like home”
then y/n kept scrolling. below the email itself sat what felt like an endless number of attachments.
staff_handbook_2026.pdf
orientation_schedule.pdf
packing_list.pdf
medical_form.pdf
emergency_contacts.pdf
staff_directory.pdf
staff directory? which, naturally, was the first thing she opened. the document loaded slowly before a neat table of names appeared alongside tiny circular profile pictures that looked as though they’d been shrunk to the size of postage stamps.
sophia laforteza.
daniela avanzini.
lara raj.
manon bannerman.
y/n immediately zoomed in and then zoomed in again because whoever had put the document together had clearly never considered the possibility that people might actually want to see the pictures.
they were tiny. still, she found herself squinting at them.
sophia’s picture looked exactly how she’d expected, smiling brightly, dark hair falling over her shoulders. daniela’s seemed to have been taken mid-laugh, dark curls spilling everywhere.
lara somehow looked effortlessly cool despite the fact she was literally wearing a camp hoodie. manon’s picture was slightly blurrier than everybody else’s, but somehow she still looked impossibly pretty.
then she noticed another name.
megan skiendiel
first-year counselor
y/n sat up slightly. the one sophia had mentioned in the interview. was the other new counselor.
except unlike everybody else, the space beside her name was completely blank.
no profile picture, nothing, just the default grey silhouette. “huh.” and then, directly beneath it was;
y/n y/l/n
first-year counselor
the exact same grey silhouette stared back at her. y/n laughed quietly because at least she wasn’t alone.
some poor camp administrator had clearly given up waiting for either of them to submit a picture and simply thrown in the default icon instead.
which somehow made her feel better because wherever megan skiendiel was, she was probably just as clueless and just as nervous.
and probably looking at this exact same document wondering who on earth y/n y/l/n was.
the thought made her smile because for the first time since receiving the email, camp evergreen felt real.
these weren’t just people from tiktok videos anymore, they were names like actual real people.
people she’d be living with and working with, seeing every day for the next two months which was slightly terrifying.
~~~~~
by the time she’d finally finished packing, her room looked like a small natural disaster had passed through. half her wardrobe had somehow ended up on the floor despite only two suitcases actually making the final cut.
y/n collapsed backwards onto her bed. she stared up at the ceiling. for the first time since receiving the email, there wasn’t anything left to do. everything was packed, every form had been signed, the taxi had been booked and in less than twenty-four hours she’d be gone.
which was slightly terrifying.
and because she clearly had no ability to leave things alone, she picked up her phone. she was just curious, is what she told herself.
she’d be spending two months with these people, it wasn’t weird. opening tiktok, she found herself back on the camp evergreen page.
there were plenty of videos of the girls but no tags, no surnames nothing which seemed mildly inconvenient.
she clicked back to her email, then to the staff directory attachment and that’s when she noticed that this had their surnames.
y/n sat up slightly, typing the name into instagram, she immediately found the account.
the profile picture alone was enough to confirm she’d found the right person. she hesitated for approximately half a second before clicking.
sophia’s account was public. most of the posts were exactly what y/n expected; friends, family, travel pictures and somewhere in the middle of scrolling, she found a picture of sophia with daniela.
the two stood side by side, both smiling into the camera. daniela’s dark curls framed her face and one arm rested comfortably around sophia’s shoulders.
y/n noticed she’d been tagged and as she was curious, she clicked. private. of course.
next came manon, also private. which, honestly, felt fitting somehow. then lara
and unlike the other two she was public.
“oh.” y/n smiled to herself well, there went five minutes or so she thought because twenty minutes later, she was somehow still scrolling.
concert pictures, friends, holidays, photo dumps and then she stopped. the picture had been posted last august, a collection of photos from the end of camp.
in one, all four girls stood in front of the lake, arms around each other, still wearing their green camp hoodies despite the summer heat.
daniela was laughing at something off-camera, sophia had her arm around manon, lara was smiling into the lens, they looked happy.
y/n smiled to herself. maybe she’d take a picture like that by the end of summer.
“y/n?”
she nearly launched her phone across the room. her mother stood in the doorway “jesus!” y/n pressed a hand to her chest “mom!”
“are you packed?”
“yes.” y/n looked back down at her phone and froze. her stomach dropped.
no no no no no!
the tiny red heart stared back at her. liked.
she’d liked the photo, her thumb moved so quickly she almost dropped her phone.
unlike. unlike. unlike.
the heart disappeared and y/n stared. shit shit shit shit shit. what if lara saw? what if instagram had already sent the notification? what if she’d looked at her phone right then?
y/n sat bolt upright, she’d unliked it. yet she checked again and the heart was gone which meant it was fine.
except she had absolutely no idea how instagram worked and suddenly, this felt like a matter of life and death.
“everything alright?” her mother asked, still standing in the doorway.
“fine.” y/n smiled. it was the smile of someone who was very much not fine.
“you look pale.”
“i’m good.”
“mhm.” her mother raised an eyebrow “night, sweetheart.”
the door closed and y/n immediately sat back up and grabbed her phone opening safari.
‘if i unlike an instagram photo quickly will they see’
twenty reddit threads appeared.
yes, notifications stay.
no, they disappear.
depends.
my ex accidentally liked my picture from 2017 and i saw it.
they won’t if they weren’t on their phone.
another reddit thread saying they probably saw it. next one said you’re fast enough, you’re fine.
y/n groaned and threw herself backwards onto her bed “i hate instagram.”
she stared at the ceiling. “okay” she thought to herself, it was fine, it had been one picture from last summer. maybe lara wasn’t even on her phone or maybe she’d been asleep? and even if she did see it was fine because why on earth would lara think anything of it?
y/n was literally going to be working with these people. it wasn’t weird. normal people looked up their coworkers…right?
feeling slightly better, she plugged her phone in and placed it face down on the bedside table. it was nearly midnight and she had to be up early.
tomorrow she’d actually be at camp, she’d meet sophia and megan and everybody else.
buzz.
y/n frowned, she reached for her phone absentmindedly then froze.
@ lararaj has requested to follow you!
she sat upright so quickly she nearly headbutted the wall “oh my god.” she whispered it. then louder “OH MY GOD.”
she’d seen it, lara had definitely seen it. why else would she randomly request to follow her at eleven fifty-three at night?
there was no other explanation, she’d seen the notification. this was horrific because y/n had to actually meet her tomorrow.
in person, face to face for two months.
“oh my god.” she buried her face in her pillow. because somehow camp hadn’t even started yet. and she’d already managed to embarrass herself in front of one of her coworkers and she hadn’t even met them yet.
~~~~~
by the time departure day finally arrived, y/n had checked her packing list so many times that she could practically recite it from memory.
and yet, standing in the driveway while the taxi driver lifted her suitcases into the trunk, she still found herself wondering if she’d forgotten something.
behind her, her mother stood in the doorway with a mug of coffee in one hand “you’ve got your charger?”
“yes.”
“passport?”
“mom, i’m not leaving the country.”
“you know what i mean.”
“yes.”
“toothbrush?”
“yes.”
“bug spray?”
“yes.”
her mother smiled “have fun, sweetheart.” and just like that, it hit her because for weeks camp evergreen had been emails and tiktok videos and forms.
it had never felt real but now she was standing in her driveway saying goodbye and suddenly it was.
the taxi driver, gus, introduced himself before they’d even left the street. he was somewhere in his sixties, with kind eyes and an old yankees cap that had clearly seen better days.
he’d been chatting to her mother while loading the car and had somehow managed to remember both y/n’s name and the fact she was heading off for the summer.
“first big adventure?” he’d asked with a smile. y/n had laughed “something like that.”
for the first half hour, neither of them spoke much. the radio played softly, people walked dogs along sidewalks, cyclists passed them.
familiar streets became unfamiliar ones. the city slowly began to disappear around them, glass office buildings gave way to suburbs.
suburbs gave way to quieter roads and eventually, somewhere after the last strip mall and the final gas station, the scenery outside changed completely.
trees, everywhere. towering pines lined both sides of the road, sunlight breaking through the branches in golden streaks. occasionally the forest would open up and reveal flashes of lakes before disappearing behind another wall of green.
wooden signs pointed towards hiking trails and campgrounds. there were old diners, bait shops and little general stores that looked like they hadn’t changed in forty years.
y/n rested her head against the cool glass of the window and watched it all pass by.
“camp evergreen?” gus asked eventually. y/n looked up “yeah.”
he nodded “thought so.”
“how?”
“drop-off location.” he smiled “used to drive kids there all the time. actually, my girls went there too.”
“really?”
“oh yeah.” there was a smile in his voice now. “loved the place, they’d spend the whole year counting down. one summer my youngest cried because august came too quickly.”
y/n laughed softly “that’s sweet.”
“they’re grown now.” he shrugged “but they still talk about it.”
“still talk to people they met there, one of my daughters was in the wedding of a girl she met at camp when she was thirteen.” he smiled to himself “crazy, huh?”
y/n looked back out the window “yeah.”
outside, the road curved around another bend. the trees seemed even taller now and more endless somehow.
there was barely any signal left, her spotify had given up fifteen minutes ago and as she looked out at the forests rushing past, y/n felt that strange nervous excitement building in her stomach again.
because in a few hours she’d meet sophia and megan and all the girls she’d spent the last month seeing through phone screens and tiny staff directory photos.
which was honestly a little surreal. she wondered if megan was on the road too, if she was nervous. because underneath all the excitement was that same fear she’d had ever since she’d clicked apply.
what if everyone else knew what they were doing? what if she was awkward? what if she didn’t fit in? what if—
“pretty place.” gus’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
y/n looked up. they were driving alongside a lake now, morning sunlight danced across the water and somewhere in the distance, a canoe drifted lazily across the surface.
behind it stood nothing but trees, endless trees and for the first time all morning, y/n smiled because it really was beautiful.
and despite the nerves, despite the embarrassment of accidentally liking lara’s photo or the fact she’d spent three days watching youtube tutorials on how to put up a tent, she couldn’t wait to get there.
~~~~~
eventually, the trees began to thin. not by much just enough that y/n caught glimpses of something through them.
wooden buildings, string lights. a flash of green paint then the road curved one final time.
and there it was, camp evergreen.
the gravel driveway opened into a small clearing surrounded by towering pine trees. a large wooden sign sat proudly beside the entrance, the dark green letters slightly weathered from years of sun and rain.
camp evergreen
founded 1974
flower boxes sat beneath it, overflowing with white daisies and lavender. past the sign, y/n could just make out the tops of cabins hidden amongst the trees. somewhere deeper in camp, music was playing faintly. she could hear distant laughter too.
it didn’t look like the world outside anymore, it looked like summer. gus smiled as he pulled the car to a stop “well.”
y/n stared through the window “well.” except now that she’d actually arrived, all the excitement she’d spent the last month building up had suddenly transformed into nerves.
gus climbed out first and lifted her larger suitcase from the trunk. y/n followed slowly, the warm july air hit her immediately, carrying the smell of pine trees and lake water.
it smelled exactly how summer should. except now she stood awkwardly beside two suitcases and one backpack, feeling slightly like she’d made a terrible mistake.
gus handed her the larger suitcase “you alright there, kid?” y/n looked at him “do you think they’d notice if i asked you to take me home?”
before gus could answer, another taxi came around the corner. both of them turned and the car stopped a little too abruptly.
the back door swung open and a girl practically stumbled out, catching herself on the door with a muttered “jesus.”
she looked around y/n’s age. long dark brown hair, broken up by soft pink streaks framing either side of her face. two black clips held back part of her hair and even from where y/n stood, she could make out sharp winged eyeliner and large brown eyes that looked mildly offended at the entire situation.
she wore an oversized band t-shirt and loose black shorts, looking more like someone arriving at a music festival than the woods.
before she could even fully straighten up, the driver had already climbed out. unlike gus, he looked like he’d rather be literally anywhere else.
without a word, he hauled two suitcases from the trunk and practically dropped them onto the gravel “have a good one.”
and before the girl could even answer, slam.
the trunk shut and the taxi sped away. gravel scattered behind the tyres and a cloud of dust rose into the warm air.
the girl immediately started coughing “oh, okay then.” she waved dramatically through the dust.
“love you too!”
y/n couldn’t help laughing, the girl blinked through the settling cloud and finally looked up and froze
y/n froze too and for a second, both of them just stood there awkwardly. two strangers, two suitcases, two people who looked equally unsure of what happened next.
then the girl smiled and she lifted her whole arm into an enthusiastic wave “hi!”
beside her, gus chuckled. he reached over and gave y/n a reassuring pat on the shoulder “i think you’ll be just fine, kid.”
and with that, he climbed back into his taxi.
leaving y/n standing beneath the pine trees with her suitcase in hand, watching as the dust settled around the girl with the pink streaks in her hair.
the girl gave another enthusiastic wave before looking down at the suitcase she’d abandoned halfway across the gravel.
“hang on.” she pointed towards it “i forgot my suitcase.” she hurried back to retrieve it, struggling slightly as the wheels caught on the stones.
the girl adjusted the straps of her bag and smiled “hi.”
“hi.” there was a second of awkward silence, it wasn’t uncomfortable just two people trying to work out how introductions worked.
“i’m megan.” she shifted the handle of her suitcase into her other hand “megan skiendiel.” y/n visibly relaxed “thank god.”
“oh “megan blinked “that’s either a really good reaction or a really concerning one.”
“you’re megan?”
“unless someone else got abandoned here by a taxi.”
y/n laughed “i’m y/n.”
megan’s face immediately brightened “wait.” she pointed “the other newbie?”
“that’s me.”
“oh my god. she laughed “okay good. i was hoping it’d be you.”
“really?”
“yeah.” she shrugged “you looked normal.”
“thank you?”
“you’re welcome.” they both laughed and just like that, the nervousness eased slightly. they stood beside each other looking through the trees.
neither of them had actually moved into camp yet. almost like crossing the entrance somehow made it official.
they finally started dragging their suitcases along the path. after a few moments, megan slowed.
“huh.” she squinted at a brightly painted warning sign attached to one of the trees. a picture of poison ivy leaves sat beside the words:
beware!
touching poison ivy will earn you a gnarly sting!
megan frowned “…a cunty sting?”
y/n stopped “what?”
“you’ll earn a cunty sting.’” megan blinked “what does that even mean?”
y/n stared then burst out laughing “megan-“
“no, seriously.” she started laughing too “‘beware!’” she pointed dramatically at the sign “this sting has attitude!’”
y/n doubled over “stop—”
“‘it’s venomous and serving!’”
“MEGAN.” tears were forming in y/n’s eyes, she couldn’t breathe. “i’m serious!” megan laughed “what kind of warning is that?!”
finally, y/n managed to point weakly at the sign “it says-“ another laugh escaped “gnarly.”
there was silence. megan leaned closer “..oh.” she squinted then immediately folded in half laughing “OH MY GOD.”
“IT DOES.”
“IT SAYS GNARLY.”
which somehow made both of them laugh even harder. their laughter echoed through the trees, somewhere overhead, several birds burst from the branches in protest.
megan wiped tears from her eyes “i’m dyslexic.” she managed between breaths.
y/n was still trying to recover “cunty sting?”
“i know.” megan groaned “what does that even mean?”
and standing there amongst the pine trees, laughing so hard they were disturbing wildlife before they’d even officially checked in, y/n realized she’d completely forgotten to be nervous.
which, considering they’d only known each other for five minutes, felt like a pretty good sign.
their laughter had barely died down when a familiar voice drifted through the trees.
“well, i’m glad to see everyone’s settling in already.”
both girls turned and y/n immediately recognized her. sophia, she looked almost exactly like she had on the zoom call, though somehow softer in person.
her dark hair was pulled back into a loose, slightly messy bun, with wisps framing either side of her face. a few strands had escaped completely and moved gently in the breeze.
she had kind eyes, that was the first thing y/n noticed. kind eyes and the same bright smile she’d had during the interview. the sort that crinkled slightly at the corners and made it feel impossible to be nervous around her.
she wore a faded camp evergreen t-shirt tucked loosely into black athletic shorts and a pair of well-worn sneakers. there was a lanyard hanging around her neck and a pen tucked behind one ear.
sophia looked between the two of them and smiled to herself “it’s good to finally meet you both in person.”
there was something genuine in the way she said it,like she’d actually been looking forward to them arriving “how was the journey?” she asked.
“well, at least you made it.” she smiled “and you’re both okay?”
both girls nodded “good” she seemed genuinely relieved “i’ve been keeping an eye out for you all afternoon.”
“missy’s convinced everyone gets lost on the way here.”
“and are you excited?” she asked, looking between them. megan and y/n exchanged a glance “terrified.” they answered almost simultaneously.
which made sophia laugh “perfect.” she grinned “that’s exactly how everyone feels.”
she nodded towards the path disappearing deeper into camp.
“come on.” sophia smiled, already reaching for one of megan’s suitcases before the younger girl could protest.
“welcome to camp evergreen.”
the three of them started down the gravel path together, the wheels of their suitcases bumping noisily behind them and the further they walked, the more camp seemed to reveal itself.
everything was connected by winding dirt paths lined with little lantern posts and wildflowers. towering pine trees stretched overhead, keeping much of the camp shaded from the summer sun. it didn’t feel organized in the way schools or hotels did.
it felt lived in and loved.
everywhere y/n looked, there were signs that people had spent years adding little pieces of themselves to the place. hand-painted signs, strings of fairy lights, old wooden benches and wind chimes hanging from trees.
camp itself seemed to be built around one large open field in the center. it stretched out in front of them, freshly cut grass glowing in the afternoon sunlight. volleyball nets stood at one end and colorful flags had been strung above picnic tables scattered around the edges.
“color wars usually happen out there.” sophia explained casually “which gets slightly terrifying.”
“daniela nearly started a camp civil war last year because she was losing tug-of-war.”
to the left stood the dining hall, it was by far the biggest building at camp. built entirely from wood, it had a huge wraparound porch and green shutters beneath every window. hanging baskets overflowing with flowers decorated the railings and rocking chairs sat outside.
through the open doors, y/n could see long wooden tables stretching across the room.
“that’s where ninety percent of camp drama happens.” sophia informed them.
further down stood smaller buildings. the arts and crafts lodge, with painted handprints decorating one wall, an old barn-like building used for rainy days and movie nights.
there was even a little camp store with a faded sign above the door “you’ll spend all your paychecks there.” sophia said matter-of-factly.
the trees opened up slightly and suddenly, y/n caught sight of the lake. it was beautiful, sunlight sparkled off the water and several canoes sat stacked neatly beside the dock she’d seen countless times in videos.
wooden chairs circled nearby and a little further away sat the fire pit area. large logs had been arranged in circles around a huge stone fire pit. fairy lights hung between the trees overhead and colorful friendship bracelets covered sections of the wooden posts, left behind by campers over the years.
“campfires are every thursday.” sophia smiled “lara practically lives here, i think she likes this place more than her actual home.”
the path curved again and three large cabin buildings came into view. they were bigger than y/n had imagined. each had dark green roofs, flower boxes beneath the windows and wide porches with rocking chairs and swings.
wooden signs hung above each entrance.
oak cabin
birch cabin
maple cabin
each porch was decorated differently, almost like they’d developed personalities over the years.
oak had string lights and hanging plants. birch was covered in painted signs and old camp photos. maple had colorful bunting and flower pots everywhere.
“these are the main cabins” sophia explained “campers rotate between them, and counselors are split up between each one.”
“they become weirdly competitive.”
“you’ll understand eventually.”
further beyond, hidden amongst the trees, y/n could see smaller staff cabins scattered throughout camp, everything felt like something from an old summer movie.
“how long have you been coming here?”megan asked quietly. sophia smiled to herself “three years.”
“and somehow i still get emotional when i drive in.” the two girls laughed.
“once we survive the first staff meeting,” sophia said, glancing over her shoulder with a smile, “i’ll bring you both to your cabins.”
“and i’ll tell you who you’re living with.”
megan’s eyes widened “we have roommates?”
sophia laughed “oh, yeah of course.” she smiled sympathetically “you have no idea.”
which somehow made both y/n and megan simultaneously excited and terrified.
after showing them around part of camp, sophia eventually led them towards one of the larger wooden buildings near the center.
“this is the staff rec room.” she smiled “don’t let the name fool you.”
“this is where we do meetings, orientation, all the important stuff.” the building itself looked cozy from the outside. through the open windows, y/n could hear music playing quietly and the sound of people talking.
sophia pushed open the door.
inside was one large room with exposed wooden beams and warm yellow lights hanging overhead. couches and beanbags filled one side, while folding chairs had already been arranged in rows for the staff meeting later.
a giant whiteboard stood at the front of the room beside a projector screen. one wall was covered in old polaroids and camp photos dating back years. another had shelves overflowing with board games, craft supplies and random objects y/n couldn’t even identify.
“okay, so this is where we’ll have all the staff meetings and-” sophia started but stopped.
y/n and megan nearly bumped into her. at one of the long tables near the back of the room sat two girls, surrounded by folders, name tags and lanyards.
the girl on the left sat with one leg tucked underneath her, long dark hair falling over one shoulder as she sorted through name tags. layered necklaces rested against her black tank top and she occasionally brushed strands of hair from her face with rings glinting on nearly every finger.
across from her sat another girl with long dark braids, a blue bandana tied over the top of her head. she was leaning dramatically against her hand, trying and failing to look offended.
“well i simply think you’re being terribly unreasonable.”
the girl on the left replied immediately, in a painfully fake british accent “i’m afraid i shan’t tolerate such accusations, darling.”
“oh, don’t darling me.” the other girl answered in an equally terrible accent.
“you’ve been a nightmare since brunch.”
megan looked at y/n and y/n looked at megan. neither spoke. sophia just closed her eyes and then coughed. both girls looked up.
there was a second of silence and lara’s eyes widened. then, without missing a beat, she stood up.
“oh!” she announced, still completely british “our guests have arrived.”
y/n nearly smiled while megan was visibly trying not to laugh.
lara walked over with the utmost seriousness “welcome to camp evergreen.” she opened her arms “how was your journey, loves?”
before y/n could answer, lara hugged her. then megan “delighted to have you.”
megan glanced over lara’s shoulder at y/n with an expression that clearly said what the hell?
behind them, manon had stood up. she smoothed down her shorts, looking determined to continue whatever this was.
“yes, quite.” she nodded solemnly “we’ve been expecting y-” her voice cracked and a tiny squeak escaped.
lara immediately looked over and manon covered her mouth, another squeak. then suddenly she folded in half laughing. not just laughing, that high-pitched dolphin laugh, the kind that sounded so ridiculous that y/n almost started laughing too.
“i’m sorry!” manon squeaked between laughs li’m sorry!”
lara pointed at her “manon!” which only made it worse, she leaned against the table, tears already forming in her eyes.
“i can’t!” another dolphin squeak escaped “i can’t do it!”
megan had given up entirely and was laughing too even sophia was smiling. lara finally dropped the accent “she’s actually useless.”
eventually, once everyone had stopped laughing and manon had recovered from whatever had just happened to her lungs, the accents were finally abandoned.
“i’m so sorry.” manon smiled, still slightly out of breath “that was a terrible first impression.”
“no, it wasn’t.” megan grinned “i respect the commitment.”
“thank you.” lara nodded solemnly “we take stupidity very seriously here.”
which earned her a look from sophia “and paperwork very unseriously, apparently.”
she gestured towards the mountain of half-finished name tags. “we were getting there.” lara defended “slowly.” manon nodded at that.
sophia sighed and the two girls laughed.
“anyway.” lara smiled, finally turning her attention back to the newcomer “i’m lara.”
“and this is manon.” manon waved “hi.”
“i’m megan.”
“y/n.”
“nice to finally meet you guys.” manon smiled warmly “don’t let sophia scare you with orientation week stories, it’s actually fun.”
“lies.” sophia said immediately “it’s exhausting.”
“but fun.” manon corrected.
while they spoke, y/n glanced over at lara, only to find lara already looking at her and smiling. not a weird smile, just a small smirk.
and suddenly y/n remembered instagram, the photo, the like, the follow request.
y/n had forgotten, heat rushed to her face so quickly she was convinced everyone in the room could see it. there was absolutely no way lara hadn’t seen the notification and now she probably thought y/n was weird or creepy.
“so where are you guys from?” manon was asking. megan answered immediately and y/n nodded along, only half listening.
because lara still had that tiny smile on her face and somehow, instead of saying anything instead of teasing her or mentioning it, or even acknowledging it lara just looked away.
which somehow made y/n even more embarrassed because now she was almost certain lara had seen it and was nice enough not to bring it up.
which she felt that was far worse because now y/n would have to spend the next two months wondering if lara remembered.
and judging by the little smirk she’d had, she definitely remembered and she definitely found it funny.
before y/n could spiral any further over instagram, the door to the staff room suddenly burst open.
“¡ay, dios mío!”
everyone turned.
a girl was attempting to shoulder her way inside while balancing two cardboard boxes stacked precariously in her arms.
“who made these so heavy?” she complained. “need help, dani?” sophia called.
“i got it!” the girl insisted. which, naturally was the exact moment the boxes slipped.
they hit the floor with a loud thud, papers spilled everywhere. there was a collective wince from everyone in the room.
“…i got it.” she repeated.
lara snorted “clearly.”
“shut up.” daniela laughed. she crouched down immediately, curls falling over one shoulder as she tried gathering the papers back together.
and for a second, y/n kind of buffered because she’d seen daniela in the videos and the pictures but in person she was kind of…wow.
dark curls framed her face, half pinned back from her eyes, the rest falling in soft ringlets almost to her waist. her features were striking, sharp cheekbones, expressive eyes framed by long lashes and a mouth that seemed permanently moments away from smiling.
and y/n realized she’d been staring because megan was pretty, sophia was pretty, lara and manon were gorgeous but there was something about daniela that made her brain take an extra second to catch up.
“thank you.” daniela said, taking papers from manon. finally, she stood up “hi.”
her eyes immediately landed on sophia “wait.” then she froze “oh!”
she looked between y/n and megan “you guys are here!” her face lit up immediately.
before y/n could think of literally anything to say, daniela had already crossed the room.
she smiled brightly before immediately pulling megan into a hug “welcome to camp.”
megan laughed in surprise “thanks.”
daniela pulled away and immediately noticed the pink streaks framing her hair “wait.” her eyes widened “your hair is so cute.”
megan visibly lit up “really?”
“yeah!” daniela grinned “i love it.”
“thank you!”
“i wish i could pull that off.”
“you definitely could!”
daniela smiled “maybe.” then she turned towards y/n and before y/n could even prepare herself, she was being hugged too.
“i’m happy you guys are here.” she smiled as she pulled away and y/n’s brain buffered for a second because she smelled faintly of vanilla and something floral and because she was somehow prettier up close.
“th-thanks.” y/n managed.
daniela either didn’t notice the slight stutter or kindly pretended not to “of course.” she smiled.
and just like that, she was already turning to help manon pick up the papers she’d dropped earlier.
“okay.” sophia clapped her hands together “since everyone’s here.”
five heads turned towards her.
“i think it’s time for the first ever counselor meeting of the summer!”
“sit down, children.”
without really thinking about it, manon hopped up first, lara sat beside her and y/n awkwardly joined them.
across from them, sophia sat down beside megan while daniela sat onto the seat beside her.
y/n ended up directly across from daniela, who looked up at the exact same moment.
their eyes met and daniela smiled, not a huge smile just warm and something about it immediately made y/n smile back.
beside her, lara was already going through the name tags and putting random ones on manon.
“you are now greg.”
manon looked offended “i don’t want to be greg.”
“too bad greg.”
“stop calling me greg.”
“greg.”
“lara.”
“greg.”
manon dissolved into laughter. while across the table, daniela laughed too, resting her chin in her hand as she watched the chaos unfold.
sophia eventually grabbed one of the orientation packets and rested it on her lap “okay.” she smiled “actual camp stuff.”
lara, manon and daniela collectively groaned.
“i know i know” sophia says rolling her eyes looking at the paper “tomorrow’s mostly training. we’ll split everyone into groups and start with emergency procedures, first aid refreshers and safeguarding.”
she glanced at y/n and megan “you guys will also have waterfront orientation because both of you are on the lake activity rotation and have no experience in that.”
“you’ll learn canoe procedures, life jacket checks and all that fun stuff.”
“wednesday’s ropes course training.”
“thursday we’ll do archery and challenge activities plus homesickness workshops, which sounds depressing but actually helps.”
manon nodded “you’d be surprised how many kids just need somebody to sit with them for ten minutes.”
sophia agreed “point is, by the time campers arrive next week, you’ll know what you’re doing.”
“and don’t worry you’re not expected to know everything, we have a buddy system in place so you won’t be alone for the first few weeks” she adds glancing at y/n and megan.
sophia closed the folder in her lap “so that’s tomorrow.” she smiled.
“today’s easy though.” she continued “so to get to know our newest additions we’ll do some icebreakers, eat and then…”
she paused her voice dropping to a murmur as she flicked a page “…we’ll do the initiation.”
there was a second of silence. y/n noticed daniela lower her head slightly, smiling to herself. across the table, manon bit her lip, lara looked down and sophia suddenly seemed very interested in her folder.
megan blinked “…the what?”
sophia looked up “hm?”
“the initiation.”
“oh.” she smiled “yeah.”
and for some reason that smile made y/n slightly nervous. “every new counselor does it.” she shrugged “it’s tradition.” she bit her lip trying not to smile.
manon was smiling now too and when she glanced towards lara, she smiled back like they’d both remembered something.
daniela caught the look and immediately covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly which only made manon laugh quietly “stop.” she whispered.
daniela nodded “i’m not doing anything.” but she absolutely was.
y/n looked between them, then at megan who looked equally confused.
“what exactly is it?” she asked. lara opened her mouth and manon immediately reached over and grabbed her wrist “don’t.”
lara looked offended “i wasn’t gonna say anything.” which only made daniela laugh again.
sophia sighed fondly “guys.”
“be nice.”
“we are being nice.” manon defended.
“that’s not reassuring.” megan said quietly and this time even sophia laughed “don’t worry.” she smiled warmly “you’ll survive.”
y/n noticed the way all four of them exchanged another glance, she really wanted to know what they weren’t saying.
“okay…” she smiled nervously “so what is it?”
silence. lara looked at sophia, sophia looked at daniela, daniela looked at manon, manon just smiled and of them answered.
y/n sat back in her chair slowly “i don’t know whether i’m excited or concerned.” megan nodded quickly in agreement.
and across the table, daniela smiled “honestly?” she laughed softly “that’s exactly how you’re supposed to feel.”
then almost absentmindedly, lara leaned back against the table “well…” she smiled.
“i hope you both packed swimsuits.”
under the table, daniela’s foot connected with her shin “ow!” lara glared ”what?!”
“lara.” daniela hissed.
“i didn’t say anything!”
manon immediately dissolved into laughter “you absolutely did.”
“that could mean anything” lara defended.
megan sat bolt upright “…we have to swim?!”
“nobody said that.” sophia replied immediately “i’m not confirming or denying anything.” she paused.
“but…”
“if…”
“hypothetically…”
“…water happened to be involved.” she smiled “y/n, daniela’s your assigned lifeguard and megan, manon’s yours.”
across the table, daniela looked over at y/n and winked, y/n’s brain stopped for approximately three seconds which thankfully everyone seemed too distracted to notice.
“wait.” megan frowned “so…if you’re the lifeguards for the water-”
“lifeguards if it hypothetically involved water.” sophia corrected immediately.
“right…” megan nodded slowly “hypothetically.”
“so what do you two do?” she asked, looking between sophia and lara. and to y/n’s horror, the two older girls exchanged the exact same look.
the exact same slow smile. lara rubbed her hands together again looking between y/n and megan, while sophia simply smiled.
“just wait and see.”
and for the second time that day, y/n found herself wishing she could ask gus to drive her home.
a/n : i hope you guys are liking this so far! im a sucker for a slow burn btw…👀
The production meeting was held in one of CLOVER's private conference rooms.
Jay sat at the head of the table, with Martin, Yunjin, Colet, Ella, and Y/N spread around him. Their manager sat across from them alongside the production team.
Daniela arrived a few minutes later with Stacey.
"Sorry," Stacey said as they entered. "Traffic."
Daniela offered a polite smile. "Hi."
"Hey," Jay greeted her.
The exchange was brief.
Professional. Exactly as promised. Y/N only nodded.
Stacey took the seat beside Daniela, placing her tablet on the table.
The director opened the meeting.
"Thank you all for coming. As you know, we're here to finalize the plans for CLOVER's upcoming music video for Do I Wanna Know?"
Y/N leaned back slightly. The song had always been hers. She had written it. Built the entire track around a feeling she had never been able to explain properly.
And now...
Daniela was sitting across from her.
The production team began laying out the concept.
"The video will be narrative-driven," one of them explained. "The focus will be on the relationship between the two central characters."
Y/N's expression remained unreadable. Daniela listened carefully.
"The story will follow the tension between them. The history. The things left unsaid."
Stacey glanced briefly at Daniela.
The production lead continued. "Which brings us to the casting."
The screen behind them changed.
Two names appeared.
Y/N SINCLAIR
DANIELA AVANZINI
The room went quiet for half a second.
"They will be the leads of the music video."
Y/N looked at the screen. Then at Daniela. Daniela did the same.
"They'll be playing the central characters," the director explained. "The entire narrative revolves around their relationship."
Martin slowly looked toward Y/N. Yunjin did the same. Colet's eyes flickered between them. Ella remained quiet. Jay, however, simply sat back in his chair.
The decision had already been made.
Daniela's fingers rested against the table. "Just to clarify," she said calmly, "we're both the leads?"
"Yes."
"And the entire video is built around our characters?"
"Correct."
Y/N finally spoke. "How much creative input do we have?"
The director smiled. "Quite a lot. Especially you."
Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Because I wrote the song?"
"You understand it better than anyone." the production lead said.
Y/N nodded. That was fair.
Daniela glanced at the documents in front of her. "And what exactly do you need from us today?"
"Your approval of the final concept, your availability, and your commitment to the project."
Stacey began taking notes.
Y/N looked toward Jay. Jay gave her a subtle nod.
Professional. Work first.
Y/N turned back toward the production team. "Fine."
Daniela looked at her. Y/N didn't look back.
"I accepted this project to work." Her tone was calm. "So that's what I'll do."
Daniela held her gaze for a moment. Then nodded. "Same."
The director smiled. "Excellent." He looked around the room. "Then we have our leads."
Outside the conference room, the world knew nothing yet.
The past had just been cast as the main storyline of a song Y/N had written a year ago.
And neither of them had any idea how difficult it would be to pretend the story was only fiction.
The annual Sunday Gala was never just another red carpet.
It was the event.
Actors, musicians, athletes, models, designers, influencers—if your name meant something in the entertainment industry, chances were you were invited.
Tonight was no different.
Flashes erupted the moment another limousine pulled up.
"Cameras on your left!"
"Over here!"
"Daniela!"
The car door opened.
Daniela Avanzini stepped out first in a white gown that shimmered beneath the lights, every movement graceful enough to make photographers fight for a better angle.
Moments later—
Jonah David followed.
Dressed in a full black outfit.
He walked over, naturally placing a hand against Daniela's back as they posed together.
The cameras went wild.
"One more!"
"Daniela!"
"Jonah!"
"Look here!"
Daniela smiled politely.
2 years in the spotlight had taught her exactly how to pose without thinking.
Jonah leaned closer just enough for the cameras to catch it.
"They're eating this up," he muttered beneath his breath.
Daniela kept smiling. "I noticed."
"You nervous?"
"No."
"You look tense."
"I'm wearing six-inch heels."
"Fair." He laughed.
The photographers continued shouting directions.
"Hand in hand!"
"Look at each other!"
Jonah offered his hand. Daniela accepted it.
Another sea of camera flashes followed.
From a distance, they looked like the industry's golden couple up close.
They looked like two professionals who had memorized every angle.
After another minute, the host welcomed them inside.
The noise of the carpet faded almost instantly.
Jonah looked at her. "I'll go say hi to a few people."
Daniela nodded. "Okay."
"You'll be alright?"
"I've attended these alone before."
"Right. I'll find you later."
With that, Jonah disappeared into the crowd.
Daniela exhaled quietly.
Finally. Peace.
"Daniela?"
She turned. "Yeonjun."
"You survived the carpet."
"Barely."
He laughed before handing her a glass of champagne. "I saw Jonah."
Jay sat at the head of the table while Martin, Colet, Ella, and Yunjin skimmed through the proposal packets their manager had handed out. The only empty chair belonged to Y/N.
"Where's Y/N?" the manager asked.
Jay checked his phone. "A personal errand. She said she'd join if she finished early."
The manager nodded before clearing her throat. "We'll begin."
A click of the remote illuminated the screen.
A title appeared.
PROJECT: DO I WANNA KNOW?— MUSIC VIDEO
WRITTEN BY: Y/N SINCLAIR
Martin leaned back. "So, what's so urgent?"
"The production team has finalized the concept."
Another slide. A silhouette.
"The director believes this role requires someone with a strong public presence."
Ella tilted her head. "Okay."
"And after weeks of discussions..."
The next slide appeared.
A familiar face. Daniela Avanzini.
Colet was the first to speak. "I wasn't expecting that."
"The director specifically requested her," the manager continued. "Her image, background, and current popularity fit the concept perfectly."
Martin exchanged a glance with Ella. "I mean. It makes sense."
"She's one of the biggest dancers in the industry," Ella added.
Yunjin, however, hadn't taken her eyes off the screen. "Shouldn't we tell Y/N first?"
Everyone looked at her.
"We don't know how she'll react."
Another silence settled over the room.
Jay sighed quietly. "I know." His fingers tapped against the table. "But this is urgent. The production schedule is tight, contracts need to be sent today, and the director wants confirmation before the end of the week."
He looked around the room. "This isn't about personal feelings. It's work. The decision has already been made."
Colet nodded slowly. "We have to be professional."
Jay agreed. "Exactly."
"We're not asking for permission." The manager said. "We're informing the group. If Daniela accepts, filming begins after three weeks."
Martin rubbed the back of his neck. "This is going to be all over the internet."
"It will," the manager admitted. "And that's part of the strategy."
"Two internationally recognized artists. One music video. The exposure alone will be massive."
Ella let out a quiet whistle. "Pop Base is going to lose its mind."
No one disagreed.
The only problem is that the one person whose opinion mattered most...
Still had no idea what waited for her once she walked through the door.
The conference room door swung open.
"Sorry."
Y/N slipped her phone into her pocket as she walked in, offering the room an apologetic smile.
"Errand ran longer than I expected"
She dropped into the empty chair beside Colet. "What'd I miss?"
No one answered immediately.
Y/N frowned. "Why's everyone looking at me like that?"
Martin awkwardly cleared his throat. "Nothing."
"It doesn't sound like nothing."
Jay slid the proposal across the table. "We've finalized the concept for the music video."
Y/N nodded, flipping through the pages. "Cool."
Her eyes skimmed over costume sketches.
Storyboards. Shooting locations.
Then...
The casting page.
She stopped.
The room remained silent.
"Daniela Avanzini?"
Her voice was calm. Too calm.
"The director requested her," the manager explained. "We believe she's the best fit for the role."
Y/N looked up. "And?"
"And we've agreed."
Another pause.
"When?"
"This morning."
She blinked. "So everyone already knew."
No one said anything.
Yunjin finally spoke. "I wanted to wait until you got here."
Y/N looked at her before glancing around the table. "You knew?"
Martin nodded.
"So did you?"
Colet quietly answered, "Yeah."
Ella reached for her water. "I found out a few minutes before you walked in."
Y/N leaned back in her chair, letting out a slow breath. "Wow."
Jay met her gaze. "I know this isn't ideal."
"No. It isn't."
"But we have deadlines. The production team needs an answer today."
Y/N stayed quiet.
Jay continued. "We're asking you to separate work from your personal history."
A small laugh escaped Y/N. "Personal history." She repeated it like it was almost funny.
"You make it sound simple."
"I know it isn't. But this affects everyone."
The manager gently slid another folder toward her.
"The concept has already been designed with Daniela in mind. If she declines, the entire production changes."
Y/N stared at the folder for several long seconds. Then closed it.
"Does she know?"
"Not yet. The offer goes out after this meeting."
Y/N looked down at the table.
Her thumb absentmindedly tapped against the edge of the proposal.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Ella watched her carefully. "You okay?"
Y/N smiled. A practiced one.
"I've worked with people I don't like before. This won't be any different."
Jay knew that smile. He'd seen it before.
The one Y/N wore whenever she was trying a little too hard to convince herself.
"So?" The manager asked carefully.
Y/N looked up. "We're professionals." She exhaled. "If Avanzini accepts, then we'll make the best music video we can."
The room noticeably relaxed.
"Great," the manager smiled. "I'll have the offer sent immediately."
As everyone began gathering their papers, Y/N remained seated.
Eyes fixed on the casting page.
Daniela Avanzini.
The universe always found a way to put her back in Y/N's story.
Daniela was halfway through reviewing choreography notes when Stacey stepped into her office, tablet in hand.
"You still have three pending partnership offers," her secretary said, moving to stand beside the desk. "One from a luxury sportswear brand, one from a fragrance company, and another from-"
Daniela hummed distractedly, barely looking up.
"Send the sportswear one to legal. Pass on the fragrance."
Stacey nodded and continued scrolling.
"The last one is a music video proposal."
That made Daniela glance up for a second. "Who's the artist?"
"The production is under-" Stacey checked the file. "-CLOVER."
The name landed before the rest of the sentence could.
Daniela's hand paused over the papers. "What?"
Stacey looked up from the tablet.
"CLOVER. Their management is requesting your participation in an upcoming music video."
For a moment, Daniela heard nothing else.
Not the budget. Not the filming schedule. Not the director's notes.
Just one word.
CLOVER.
And with it came a face she hadn't allowed herself to think about all evening.
Stacey finally noticed the silence. "Ms. Avanzini?"
She blinked. "Sorry. What did you say?"
"I was asking if you'd like me to decline it. The schedule is tight, and we already have the KATSEYE expansion next week."
Daniela leaned back in her chair. "Who specifically sent the offer?"
"CLOVER's management team and their Director requested it."
Not Y/N. Not directly.
Professional. Clean. Distant.
Stacey waited patiently.
"It's a strong opportunity," she added carefully. "The exposure would be significant, especially with the tour announcement."
Daniela looked toward the window, Los Angeles glowing beneath the evening sky.
Stacey carefully began. "I take it you know Y/N Sinclair."
Daniela looked at her. "That's one way of putting it."
Stacey immediately sat up straighter. "Oh my god."
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"Whatever you're thinking, stop."
"I'm your secretary."
"I know."
"So it's literally my job to think things."
Daniela groaned. Stacey grinned.
"Are we talking old friend?"
"No."
"Former situationship?"
"No."
"Secret marriage?"
"STACEY."
"I'm exploring possibilities."
Daniela buried her face in her hands. "This is why I don't tell you anything."
Stacey was trying—and failing—not to laugh.
"So." She cleared her throat. "Should I reject the offer?"
Daniela leaned back in her chair.
The easy answer would've been yes. It would've saved her the headache.
Saved her the awkwardness. Saved her from seeing Y/N again after that unexpected reunion.
But...
Professionally?
The opportunity was huge. And turning it down because of personal history felt childish.
Daniela stared out the window.
Then sighed.
"Send me the full proposal."
Stacey raised an eyebrow. "You're considering it?"
Daniela looked back at her desk. "I want to read it first."
Stacey nodded and placed the tablet down. "I'll forward everything to your email."
As the door closed behind her, Daniela remained still for several seconds.
Then, almost against her will, she opened the file.
The first page loaded.
PROJECT: DO I WANNA KNOW?
ARTIST: CLOVER
WRITTEN BY: Y/N SINCLAIR
This is going to be a long week...
author's note: FINALLY got my motivation to write again. also I'll be using 'Do I wanna know?' by Arctic Monkeys for this fic;)
synopsis ~ fresh out of college and in desperate need of a summer job, y/n finds herself at camp evergreen alongside five other counsellors. she expects homesick campers and mosquito bites. what she doesn’t expect is to find family, the best summer of her life, or falling hopelessly for her fellow counsellor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
chapter 1: the longest summer ever
chapter 2: new arrivals.
chapter 3: welcome to camp.
chapter 4: under pressure
chapter 5: evergreen eve
chapter 6: something shifts
may had always sounded so far away.
back in january, when deadlines were piling up and lectures seemed endless, y/n had counted down the weeks until summer with almost embarrassing enthusiasm. in her head, finishing exams meant freedom, sleeping in, seeing friends and not having to think about lectures or assignments for at least three months.
the first few days after finishing college had felt exactly like that. she’d slept until noon almost every day, watched three episodes of the show she’d been meaning to start since christmas, met up with friends and enjoyed not feeling guilty every time she sat down.
but eventually, reality had caught up.
because while finishing for the summer felt great, being unemployed unfortunately did not.
at first, y/n hadn’t worried too much. she’d find something. everyone got summer jobs.
except apparently everyone else had exactly the same idea. every café in town had already hired. retail stores experience she didn’t have. restaurants needed people who could commit beyond september.
and every online listing seemed to have over a hundred applicants before she’d even finished uploading her résumé.
by the end of may, job hunting had quietly become part of her daily routine.
sometimes she’d spend an hour carefully rewriting a cover letter only to never hear back. other times she’d apply somewhere and receive an automatic rejection before she’d even had time to forget she’d sent the application in the first place.
the worst part wasn’t the rejection, it was how normal everyone seemed to think it was.
“anything yet?”
“no.”
“you’ll find something.”
“i know.”
at one point, y/n was fairly sure half the student population was fighting over the same six vacancies.
and june only made things worse. now everyone was home. everyone was looking, and every day seemed to blur into the next.
most evenings ended the same way. curled up on her bed, scrolling through job sites while half-watching whatever show she was currently obsessed with.
and every now and then, she’d find herself wondering if this was really all summer was going to be. because as much as she loved being home, there was a restlessness creeping in. the strange feeling that while everyone else seemed to have plans, internships or exciting summers ahead of them, she was just…waiting.
and maybe that was why, on an otherwise ordinary tuesday night, after closing out of yet another application she’d spent forty minutes filling in, she found herself lying on her bed scrolling through tiktok.
not because she wanted to procrastinate but because she was tired.
tired of answering the question “why do you want to work here?”, tired of pretending she was passionate about customer service and very tired of feeling like summer hadn’t even started yet.
she was halfway through a video of someone debunking a pop culture moment when a new video appeared on her screen.
spend your summer somewhere you’ll actually remember. 🌲☀️
y/n’s thumb hovered over the screen.
normally, she skipped advertisements without a second thought but this one didn’t look like an advertisement.
it opened with shaky footage of a lake at sunset, golden light reflecting off the water as someone standing on the dock slowly panned the camera across the canoes lined up beside the shore.
somewhere in the background, laughter echoed, followed by a voice yelling—
“don’t jump—”
someone hit the water with a loud splash.
the video cut immediately to kids running across a field covered in bright paint, a campfire surrounded by dozens of people wrapped in blankets. everything edited to one of those songs that seemed to appear on every tiktok lately.
then there were quick cuts edited perfectly to the beat of the music; friendship bracelets covering someone’s arms, campers screaming during tug-of-war, what looked like a talent show performance and two girls collapsing into laughter so hard one nearly dropped her s’more.
then came a clip of four counsellors covered head to toe in blue paint, posing proudly in front of a cabin while children ran around behind them.
one girl stood with her arm thrown around the shoulders of the girl beside her, dark curls blowing everywhere in the wind. even covered in paint and wearing an oversized camp t-shirt, she stood out immediately. beside her stood a girl with long dark hair and a bright smile, her baseball cap backwards and streaks of blue paint somehow ending up on her cheek.
the clip lasted less than a second before moving on. another shot showed crowded picnic tables filled with friendship bracelets and tangled embroidery thread.
a girl with layered dark hair sat amongst them. she looked up at whoever was filming and laughed, brushing her hair away from her face.
then another clip, a girl with neat braids and delicate gold earrings smiled softly as she leaned into frame, holding up a polaroid picture she’d just taken.
as the music softened, the video slowed to a sunset over the lake, cabins lit by string lights and then, right at the end, a clip of the same four girls sitting together on the dock.
the girl with the dark curls was saying something animatedly, talking with her hands while the others listened, the girl beside her had her head thrown back laughing the girl with the layered hair leaned comfortably against the fourth girl, who smiled softly at whatever story was being told.
the screen faded to white.
camp evergreen 🌲
applications for summer 2026 now open.
counselor positions available.
and somehow, lying amongst rejected job applications, y/n found herself scrolling back up to watch the video again.
after replaying the promotional video twice, mostly because she was procrastinating and partly because the place genuinely looked nice, y/n clicked onto the account itself.
it wasn’t huge, few thousand followers, maybe. the sort of account followed by parents, former campers and the occasional nostalgic twenty-something who missed being thirteen.
the videos were surprisingly ordinary; weekly recaps, cabin tours, poorly edited compilations of color wars and a surprisingly serious video explaining what to pack for camp.
someone had clearly put effort into the account, but not in a way that felt forced. everything was filmed on phones, a little shaky but real.
as she scrolled, one video caught her eye.
meet your senior counsellors 🌲☀️
posted only a week ago.
the thumbnail showed the same four girls from the advertisement sitting on the dock by the lake, knees pulled up against oversized green hoodies, the sun beginning to set behind them.
curious, y/n clicked.
the first girl smiled.
dark hair fell in soft waves around her face, a few strands catching the breeze coming off the lake. even beneath an oversized camp hoodie, she looked effortlessly put together. she had warm brown eyes, soft features and a bright smile that immediately made her seem approachable, the kind of person people instinctively trusted.
sophia third summer
“hi, i’m sophia.” she smiled warmly “this is my third year at camp evergreen and my favorite thing about camp is definitely how quickly everyone becomes a family.”
clips from previous summers played over her voice. campfires, movie nights colour wars.
“every year people come in nervous and then somehow, eight weeks later, nobody wants to leave.” she laughed softly “so i think that’s probably my favorite part.”
the video transitioned to the girl sitting beside her and y/n found herself pausing for a second.
dark curls cascaded almost to her waist, framing striking features and sharp cheekbones. silver hoops peeked through the mass of curls, glimmering whenever she moved. there was something undeniably glamorous about her, even sitting cross-legged in an oversized hoodie. her eyes were expressive and almost cat-like, framed by long lashes and she smiled with her whole face.
daniela second summer
“hi guys, i’m dani” she smiled brightly “this is my second summer here.”
the clips changed to talent show rehearsals, volleyball games, kids dancing and for some reason, a clip of daniela wrapped in feather boas and oversized sunglasses while carrying a box of costumes.
“my favorite thing is definitely talent show week.” her eyes lit up immediately “i love it so much.”
“everyone gets really excited and everybody’s always helping each other and—” she stopped herself, laughing “but yeah.”
“talent show week.”
“best week.”
y/n smiled to herself as the next introduction began.
warm brown skin glowed softly in the golden evening light. thick dark hair framed her face, and layered necklaces rested above the collar of her hoodie. rings decorated nearly every finger, catching the sunlight whenever she moved her hands.
there was something artistic about her appearance, from the jewelry to the easy confidence with which she carried herself.
lara second summer
“hi, i’m lara.” she smiled into the camera “my favorite thing is probably campfires.”
“and friendship bracelets.” she laughed softly “which sounds random, but everyone leaves with, like, fifty.”
“and somehow you end up keeping them forever.” the camera caught her smiling toward whoever was filming before the video cut again.
finally, the last girl looked up.
neat braids framed her face beautifully, delicate gold jewelry catching the light with every movement. her golden-brown complexion seemed to glow in the sunset, highlighting soft features and high cheekbones.
there was something elegant about her that y/n couldn’t quite explain, she genuinely thought she might be one of the prettiest girls she’d ever seen.
manon third summer
“hi, i’m manon.” she smiled softly “this is my third summer.”
clips played over her voice of arts and crafts, sunsets by the lake and polaroids hanging from strings.
“my favorite thing?” she thought for a moment “honestly…”
a small smile appeared “everything.” she laughed quietly “but i think just making sure everybody has the best summer possible.”
the video ended with all four sitting shoulder to shoulder on the dock. and before the video faded to black, all four instinctively moved closer together, as if they had done it a hundred times before.
see you this summer! 🌲☀️
whilst laying amongst abandoned job applications and the laundry she’d been promising herself she’d put away for three days, y/n realised she’d watched the entire thing with a smile on her face.
and before she could talk herself out of it, she clicked the link in the account’s bio.
the website itself was surprisingly simple. nothing fancy. just photographs of cabins, smiling campers and information about the different programs. there was a page introducing the staff, another explaining traditions and, tucked away under a tab labeled employment, a section titled:
join our team.
y/n told herself she was just looking. she wasn’t seriously considering spending two months in the middle of nowhere.
still, she found herself reading.
room and board provided.
staff training included.
no previous camp experience necessary.
the more she read, the less ridiculous it seemed. in fact…it sounded kind of nice.
by the time she reached the application page, she was already halfway committed and before she could overthink, she applied.
truthfully, y/n expected absolutely nothing to come from it. she’d applied to so many places by then that pressing submit had become muscle memory.
she closed her laptop and forgot about it.
~~~~~
for the next week, life continued as normal. or at least as normal and as boring as summer unemployment allowed.
her days revolved around job sites, bad reality television and pretending not to panic every time her mother casually asked,
“anything yet?”
it was always nothing yet.
until four days later.
y/n had just come downstairs, still half asleep and wearing one of her old university hoodies, when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
she took it out, glanced down and froze.
camp evergreen
for a second she genuinely thought it was spam but she opened the email.
hello y/n!
thank you for your application to camp evergreen.
we’d love to invite you to a virtual interview with camp director missy and senior counsellor sophia.
please select your preferred time below.
y/n blinked and read it again and then once more, just to be certain.
“mom!”
~~~~~
the entire week leading up to the interview, she’d convinced herself they had made a mistake.
surely there were better candidates, people with camp experience or who knew how to tie knots or people who’d actually been camping before.
not her.
by the time friday afternoon arrived, she’d changed her outfit three times and googled “camp counselor interview questions” so many times she could practically answer them in her sleep.
at 2:58pm she clicked the meeting link.
the call connected.
the first person y/n saw was a woman who looked exactly how a camp director should.
missy, her dark hair was twisted into a bun balanced on top of her head and reading glasses hung from the collar of her camp sweatshirt. she sat in what looked like an office, papers scattered everywhere and a bulletin board behind her covered in photographs and handwritten schedules.
she wasn’t old, maybe late thirties. but there was something about her that made y/n sit up straighter immediately.
“hi, abbie!” missy smiled. “can you hear us okay?”
us?
y/n looked down and noticed the second screen.
sophia.
her hair was tied back and she wore a faded camp evergreen hoodie. she appeared to be in a cabin, at least that’s what y/n presumed from the wooden background.
sophia smiled brightly “hi!”
and immediately, y/n relaxed a little because she recognized her. the girl from the video.
and somehow, seeing a familiar face even if they’d technically never met made everything feel just a little less terrifying.
despite all the panic she’d put herself through, the interview itself wasn’t nearly as terrifying as y/n had expected.
well, missy was still slightly terrifying but not because she was mean. there was just something about the way she spoke that made y/n feel like she’d accidentally shown up to a meeting completely unprepared.
which, to be fair, wasn’t entirely untrue.
“so tell us about yourself, sweetheart,” missy said a bit too warmly.
y/n somehow managed to ramble for three whole minutes without actually saying anything meaningful.
sophia smiled sympathetically as missy nodded.
“and why camp?” she asked.
“honestly?” y/n admitted with a nervous laugh. “i think i just wanted to do something different.”
the rest of the interview went surprisingly smoothly. missy asked about university and if y/n had ever worked with children before.
Sophia wanted to know how she’d handle homesick campers and what her idea of a perfect summer looked like.
none of it felt like an interview, more like a conversation. and after fifteen minutes, y/n had almost stopped feeling nervous.
then, right in the middle of missy explaining staff training, her screen froze.
y/n blinked. missy’s face remained permanently stuck halfway through a sentence.
“…and that’s why we always make sure—”
missy’s image became stuck mid-sentence, one hand raised and her expression halfway between serious and concerned. sophia frowned slightly “missy?”
nothing, the loading symbol appeared “missy?”
and then, just like that, she disappeared entirely.
silence. y/n blinked and then sophia blinked.
and suddenly the interview had gone from two people asking questions to just…them.
neither spoke immediately and y/n became painfully aware of herself again. the fact she’d been twisting the string of her hoodie around her finger for the last ten minutes.
across the screen, sophia looked equally caught off guard. not uncomfortable exactly, just unsure of what to do now. after a few seconds she laughed softly, glancing towards the empty square where missy had been.
“sorry,” she smiled. “she’ll be back.”
y/n laughed nervously. “it’s okay.”
“no, this happens more often than you’d think.” sophia shook her head, still smiling to herself “i swear technology has a personal vendetta against her.”
that made y/n laugh and just like that, the tension eased slightly. sophia shifted in her seat, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. for a moment, it seemed like she was deciding whether or not to say something, then she smiled “so…”
her voice was warm, easy “are you nervous?”
y/n let out a breathy laugh “a little.” sophia nodded immediately, as though she’d expected that answer. “yeah.” she smiled reassuringly “don’t be.”
“everyone is.”
“seriously.” her eyes crinkled slightly “i don’t think i’ve ever met anybody who wasn’t.”
something about the way she said it made y/n believe her. there wasn’t any fake cheerfulness about sophia. no rehearsed “everything’s amazing” camp counselor voice. she just seemed genuinely kind.
outside sophia’s window, y/n could make out sunlight filtering through trees behind her. somewhere off-screen, a bird chirped loudly.
sophia glanced away for a second before looking back. “so…” she asked, resting her chin in her hand slightly. “how’s summer going so far?”
y/n snorted before she could stop herself. “boring. like actually painfully boring.” sophia stared and then immediately burst out laughing. “oh no.”
she covered her mouth for a second. sophia shook her head, still smiling “i’m getting déjà vu.”
“what do you mean?” y/n tilted her head a little. “the girl who interviewed before you.” sophia grinned. “her name’s megan.”
“and she said the exact same thing.”
y/n laughed. “seriously?”
“word for word.” sophia said, laughing again as she leaned back in her chair “i think everyone gets excited to finish school and then two weeks later you’re just…” she shrugged “…there.”
y/n laughed “exactly.” for a second neither spoke, not awkwardly, just comfortably. then sophia smiled again “honestly, though…”
“i think everybody ends up applying here for the same reason.” y/n looked up. “we’re all just kind of looking for something different.”
before y/n could answer, missy’s square suddenly reappeared.
“-and sunscreen is non-negotiable.”
she stopped and her eyes narrowed “why are you both smiling?”. sophia immediately looked innocent as y/n bit back a laugh.
and somehow, sitting in her messy bedroom surrounded by unfinished applications, y/n found herself relaxing. because for the first time in weeks, she wasn’t thinking about finding a job.
she was thinking about getting one.
a/n: hiiiii this is my first fic so please be nice 😭
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