Chapter two of School camping trip gone wrong
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Breakfast was a little better than yesterday's dinner. A plate of pancakes sat at the center table alone with a platter of eggs and some links of sausage. Some of the pancakes were burnt, others were under-cooked. The sausage was chewy and the eggs were a bit too salty for your liking. But all-in-all, it wasn't half bad.
You had to wake up early for it though, which you weren't happy with. You could barely keep your eyes open as you nibbled on a fork full of eggs. Julie was in a similar boat, slumped against your shoulder and occasionally drifting off. At one point, you could've sworn you heard her snoring.
You took a shower after breakfast, intent on getting ready for the day ahead before your classmates began to crowd the bathrooms. The water pressure was horrendous, and you had to stand on the tips of your toes to wash the shampoo from your hair. Julie showered in the stall next to yours, the warm water seemingly replenishing her energy as she spoke to you through the thin plastic curtain.
"Apparently there's a gas station nearby. It's a ten minute walk, though. So maybe we could convince Mr. Flannel to let us borrow the golf cart." Mr. Flannel is what you decided to name the counselor. He probably told you all his name by now, but you hardly paid attention to anything he said.
And you and Julie spotted the golf cart on your walk last night. It was an old thing, dusty and coated in left over pollen but having obviously been used recently.
"You really think he'll let two teenagers borrow a golf cart?" You asked through a mouthful of conditioner. Yuck.
"We'll just take it anyways. Not like he can call the police or anything." You could practically hear her shrug her shoulders through the curtain. She paused. "Hey, do you think they'll have any service at that gas station?"
You thought about it for a moment. For it to be a saved business on Google Maps, it had to have some sort of cell connection. "Probably." You answered after a brief moment of consideration.
You dragged your hands up and down your arms, lathering in your vanilla body wash. Your muscles moved on memory, having done this routine time and time again. You found comfort in the familiar scent, holding your luffa closer to your nose and softly inhaling.
Julie's hand wiggled out from behind the curtain, fingers curling in a grabby motion. "Lil's, can you pass me your shampoo? I'm out."
You handed the bottle off to her, playfully slapping her hand away when she dragged her nails against your arm. "That tickles." You complained, earning a giggle from her.
Eventually the water began to grow cold. 'Eventually' meaning five minutes.
You stepped out first, drying yourself off with a ratty towel that had seen better days. You tugged on your clothes, wrapping your hair up with the towel to keep it out of the way.
Your outfit consisted of jean shorts, an off the shoulder band t-shirt with a blank tank top underneath, and combat boots. You would've preferred wearing something from your vast shoe collection - perhaps something a little less clunky - but you knew your ankles would never survive wearing them out in the wilderness.
You were putting on your jewelry when Julie stepped out. Her clothes were a lot more elaborate. And, of course, she chose to wear heels. She was stubborn when it came to fashion. That's why you always carried around spare shoes. You knew she'd end up injuring herself or getting tired and had learned to be prepared ahead of time.
You swiped some eye-shadow over your eyelids with your middle finger and coated your lips in dark red lip-gloss, handing Julie makeup palettes whenever she asked.
You talked and joked around while you got ready, and by the time you were done, other girls were beginning to filter into the bathrooms. The two of you carried your things back to your cabin, safely tucking them away by your bunk.
Your mom insisted that you brought money with you for the trip, despite there not being any shops in the camp. But now that you knew a gas station was nearby, it proved to be quite useful. You'd make sure to thank her later for convincing you to pack your wallet.
The two of you snuck around the back of the cabin, listening to Mr. Flannel drone on about some sort of nature hike he was taking a small group of students on.
"D'you think there's bears out here?" Julie asked as you searched around the golf cart for it's key. "I wouldn't be surprised." You answered, a triumphant grin tugging at your lips as you found the rusted thing under the drivers seat.
"All aboard." You snickered, taking your spot behind the wheel as Julie excitedly slid in beside you. She crossed her leg, one hand holding on to the wobbly arm rest beside her seat.
"You know how to drive a golf cart?" She asked, eyeing the front panel curiously. "I'll learn." Was all you responded with.
It couldn't have been hard. If old men on golf courses could do it then so could you.
You nearly crashed twice.
Julie was practically screaming her head off, despite the fact that the golf cart doesn't even go over 30 miles per hour. You had only just made it off the camp property.
"Chill out! The roads just a little bumpy is all." You rolled your eyes, finding her display of terror dramatic. You knew how to drive. sort of.
Thankfully it was a lot smoother sailing when you were on the main road. Julie finally calmed down, huffing like an offended princess as she tightened her grip on her arm rest. The breeze, however small it was, felt nice as it brushed against your face.
It only took around seven minutes to get there compared to the ten it would take to walk. Not much time shaved off, but it was nice to have something to carry the bags for you when you returned to camp. Julie lacked the arm strength to carry too many bags and you were too impatient to.
The gas station looked nigh abandoned as you pulled up. The parking lines were faded, the posters on the windows were peeling and sun bleached, and the gas pumps looked decades old. But from what you could see of the inside, it was open. And it had snacks.
You pocketed the key to the golf cart, loosely crossing your arms over chest as you and Julie stepped into the gas station. The AC was nice and cold, blowing over you the moment you walked through the door.
An older gentleman was settled behind the counter. He barely blinked as you entered, and you could tell by the bags under his eyes and the expression of regret on his face that he was far from happy. You winced internally.
Julie was already in the snack aisle, shoveling bags of chips into her arms. You were at her side seconds later, grabbing your own snacks of choice. Some chips, a bag of candy, some Slim Jim's and microwavable packs of ramen.
Cheap things that would fill you up for awhile. "If I'm gonna cheat on my diet, may as well have fun doing it." Came your low mutter as you held two candy bars in front of your face, trying to choose between the two. Julie nodded in agreement.
The bell attached to the door rung out quietly in the otherwise silent store.
You barely lifted your head to look, focused entirely on counting up the price of your haul so far. From what you saw in passing, it was a man and a woman, both with their hoods up despite the heat. Julie stole your attention before you could analyze them further.
"Should I get lemonade or a soda?" She asked, hand gentle around your wrist as she guided you over to the refrigerated section near the back. "Get both." You shrugged, crouching down and grabbing a few cans of Dr.Pepper and bottles of Gatorade.
Soft, nearly silent footsteps rounded the shelf beside you. You stood, casting a glance over your shoulder towards where the noise came from. It was the girl that walked in a moment ago. A quick flit of your gaze a little further behind her showed that the boy she walked in with was hanging around near the beer section.
You offered a polite smile, eyes instinctively falling on her face beneath the hood. Oddly enough, she was wearing a mask and an eye patch. Not the pirate kind, but the hospital kind that consisted of a square of cotton taped over one of her eyes.
You made no comment on it. You weren't a dick, you knew not to question someone's appearance. The boys at your school could learn a thing or two about that.
"Sorry, am I in the way?" You asked, voice softer than it's usual blunt monotone as you stepped to the side, lightly motioning for Julie to move as well. The girl shook her head, seemingly unbothered by your presence.
"Nah, it's alright." Her voice was tinged with amusement and slightly raspy, as if she hadn't used it in awhile. Her eye was glued to yours, and you were briefly enraptured with the brilliant green of it. You were so focused that you completely missed the way it widened, seemingly in shock, before her expression swiftly smoothed out into something carefully neutral.
The sound of fabric shifting disturbed the air of silence that followed as she removed her hands from her hoodie's pockets. Your eyes drifted to her hands. They were wrapped in bandages but the fingers were free, and you could see faint scarring along her pale skin. Some looked older than others. More healed.
You looked away quickly, not wanting to be caught staring.
The boy she walked in with began shuffling over, and with it came the introduction of new, out of place sounds. It almost sounded like the ticking of a clock at first before devolving into quiet coos.
Julie found the drinks she wanted, walking over to the check-out counter with soft clicks from her heels. You followed after her, not wanting to linger like a weirdo.
You could hear a clicking sound as you walked away, and you were pretty sure it was coming from the guy. The noise sounded kind of masculine, at least. They engaged in some sort of quiet conversation, but you were too far away to pick up on the details. Absurdly, you almost thought they were talking about you.
"Will this be all?" The man behind the counter slowly asked, voice flat and lifeless. "Yeah." Julie answered, dropping her haul onto the counter. You set your stuff down as well, peeking over your shoulder at the two strangers still huddled near the back.
They seemed to have finished shopping as well, slowly meandering over to the check out counter as well. You caught a closer look at the boy.
He had messy auburn hair that fell over his eyes. Speaking of eyes, his were covered by bright orange goggles. And a peculiar looking muzzle was settled over his mouth and nose. Okay. These two were certainly unusual.
You paid for your shopping haul, looping the bags on your arms and bidding the cashier and quiet farewell. Julie held open the door for you as you walked through, and you made haste to deposit the bags in the back of the golf cart. The plastic was beginning to dig into your skin.
Julie slipped her phone out of her pocket, squealing in excitement when she saw the bars at the top of her screen light up. That reminded you of something you needed to do.
"Hey, I'm gonna step a side for a sec. Don't go putting up missing posters." Julie glanced up at your warning, rolling her eyes playfully. "That was one time." She scoffed, though her attention was swiftly consumed by her phone once more.
You slipped around the back of the building, pulling out your phone and leaning against the graffiti covered wall. You thumbed through your contact list, finger hovering over your moms number before clicking 'call'.
The mechanical sound of the ringing dial echoed in your ears as you waited, swaying on your feet. Finally, the phone crackled to life with a soft beep.
"Hi baby! How's camp? Are you having fun?" Your mom's voice trickled through the other end.
"Hey, ma. Yeah, it's fine. We haven't done much yet but, y'know." You answered, tucking your free arm behind your back to keep your clothes from fully touching the wall behind you. You weren't sure how clean it was, and you didn't want to risk ruining your shirt.
"That's good. I've been missing having you around to keep me company. But I'm thinking of checking out this new book-club I saw on Facebook to keep me occupied." She spoke with an excitement you hadn't really heard since her and dad got divorced. It made you happy, in turn, to hear her own happiness.
"Sounds nice. Maybe I could go with you when I get back home." Voices sounded from the front of the building and were gradually growing closer to where you stood. You faintly noted that it was the voices of the people you saw in the store.
"Uh, look, I've gotta get going, there's this hiking thing they're about to do. But I'll call you back later. Love you, ma." Your mom fell for the lie you cooked up on the spot, cheerfully wishing you goodbye. You promptly hung up your phone and pocketed it once more, turning just as the two walked into view.
The girl saw you first. She slowed to a stop, nodding in your direction in acknowledgement. You nodded back, raising a hand in a casual wave. The boy looked over when he realized she stopped, angling his head towards you in a curious tilt.
Something about them felt off. They're movements were too careful. They stood too still. They stared too intently. A thin-lipped smile crossed your face, polite yet restrained.
"Hey." The girl spoke up just as you turned to leave. You stilled, your gaze returning to the two. "Are you staying at that camp down the road?" She seemed to realize how invasive the question sounded as she immediately added. "Sorry for asking so suddenly, it's just that we don't usually see people down here. We were just- surprised, is all."
You forced your muscles to relax despite the tenseness that instinctively wanted to take hold. "Yeah, we drove in yesterday. School trip." You kept your answer brief and devoid of too many details. You added in the school trip part to make it known that you weren't alone. I mean - you were out in the middle of nowhere with only Julie with you. You had a right to be a little weary.
"Ah. That makes sense." An awkward silence followed her words
Suddenly, the boy spoke up. "Wuh-what's y-your name?" You noted the stutter immediately. Next, you noted how scratchy his voice was. Maybe he should've picked up a pack of water instead of the pack of beer he was currently holding.
Should you really tell these people your name? They knew where you were staying (for the week at least). Would it be wise to give them any more information?
Against your own doubts, you answered. "It's Lily." You shifted uncertainly on your feet. "What's yours?"
For a moment, they only stared at you. Did they have the same idea you did? Maybe they were nervous too? The thought made you feel just the slightest bit calmer.
"Erin." "Nat." The two spoke at the same time. They shared a glance. Or, at least, that's what you thought they did. It was hard to tell with the eye patch and the goggles. Again, you had this odd feeling that they were silently communicating something about you. And, for a reason you couldn't explain, you didn't quite believe that that was their names
"Well... Nice to meet you. Erin. Nat." You bowed your head - a motion that eluded the end of the conversation on your part. They seemed to pick up on it, Nat mimicking your bow and Erin's head simply rising back into place from its tilt. "See you around." You called over your shoulder, slipping around the corner of the building and jogging back up to the front.
"There you are! Jeez, what took you so long? I think I gained a gray hair sitting here waiting for you!" Julie scolded as you plopped down into the drivers seat of the golf cart. She held up a section of her hair like there was actually a gray strand somewhere in there, free hand clutching at her chest in mock offense.
"Sorry, I lost track of time. Let's get out of here before Mr. Flannel realizes we're gone." That got her to quiet down, and she settled back into her seat.
You caught a glimpse of Toby and Natalie as you pulled out, still standing behind the building where you had left them. You waved to their fading silhouettes, earning waves in return.
Well. That was that, you suppose.
You spent the next seven minutes listening to Julie talk about some video she saw on her phone, already beginning to forget the odd encounter you had moments prior.
This was chapter two! I hope you enjoyed !!! Have a nice day/night wherever you are and I'll see you next time <3
