Chapter four
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It’s 5, and everyone is in the dinner hall, getting dinner. All of the campers are here. All forty of them. The dinner hall looks like something out of a boarding school. There are several chairs around many tables. Staff are at 3 of them, crowding around, eating. The other 7 are full of campers. As I stand at the door I look around at everyone. It’s like I’m looking in on a reunion, people who haven’t seen each other for a long time. Laughter and conversations flow around the room and out of it. I see Aaron, his back is to me and he is leaning over his tray of food talking to a boy with dyed blue hair. Beautiful boy is no where to be seen in the room.
“Hi, again.” I hear someone say behind me.
I turn around, and there he is again. “Hi, Alex was it?” I take a good look at him. He is wearing big boots that go all the way up to his knees, and those boots are covered in mud.
“Yeah, and you are Lily.” Oh god he is hot.
“So I guess you were outside?” I gesture to his boots.
“Yes, I always help out my mum, and I was washing the horses and brushing them. You see my mum owns this house and runs the camp.”
“So I guess that's who called on you earlier.” I say, he smiles a little.
“Yes, she was. So why are you not eating?” He crosses his arms over his chest.
“Well, you see I don’t really like situations like this, where I don’t know anyone.” I confess. “And all of the tables are full so, I don’t know.”
“Well I’m just about to go in, just going to change my shoes, do you wanna wait for me, i’ll be two seconds, promise, then we can brave the full dinner hall together, ok?” He smiles at me again.
“Ok, thanks Alex.”
“You’re welcome Lily.” He then runs up the stairs, taking two at a time.
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“What do you want girl?” The chef asks me, he is standing next to 3 dishes, one has chips, another burgers, and the other chicken legs. He seems to have an accent, and also annoyed by the fact that I took so long to decide that I did want food.
“A chicken leg, with chips please.” I say and hold out my plate. He puts them on it, and then gestures with his hand for me to move on.
Alex is standing a little away from the chef’s table. He did return quickly and when we went into the full dinner hall, he put his hand on the low of my back in order to guide me to the other end of the hall where the food was at. No one had ever guided me through anywhere like that, I had seen it in movies and read about it in books, but the two are normally a thing not just two people getting to know one another. Or at least I want to get to know him. As we walked passed tables a lot of people called out to Alex, “Hey dude”, or, “How you doing Al.” But he only nodded at them, his full attention was on me.
“What did you get?” He asks me, he had opted for two burgers, and about three handfuls of chips.
“Just chicken and chips. So are you a camper or staff?” I had been wondering this ever since he said that his mum owned the place.
He bites his lower lip a little in thought. “I guess you could say that I’m a bit of both, I grew up here, I’ve been to as many camp sessions as I could throughout the year, but the sessions at summer are my favourite.”
“Why’s that?” We are still standing at the front of the hall with our trays in our hands.
“Well, I don’t need to worry about school, the nights are almost magical, and around a campfire playing, it feels like anything can happen. Riding at this time of year feels the best too because the horses love the temperature. Sorry, I talk a lot,” He starts moving toward a table with three empty spots, I follow, “I’m sure you don’t want to hear my rambles.”
“It’s ok, I don’t mind, not at all.” I smile softly at him. He smirkes.
When we sit down Alex goes into a conversion with everyone at the table, I tune it out, there is an empty chair next to me. I focus on my food.
“Hey cutie.” I turn my head, and a boy has settled himself into the once empty chair beside me, “I’m Dan, and you have a nice body.” His eyes are focused on my body, he is looking at me like I’m not wearing anything. “What’s your name, hottie.”
“Can you just leave me alone,” I look to the other side of me, where Alex was, but he is not there anymore.
“Oh come on,” he puts his hand on my upper leg, sliding it over, “I just want to have fun.” He leans in to try and kiss me. My hand comes up and smacks the side of his face before he can come any closer to me. The blow sends him off of the chair and on the floor, he is rolling around holding his face, “Help, she just assaulted me! Help!” He calls out, I did not know I had that in me. Everyone goes silent, looking at us.
“Lily!” Aaron is on his feet and running over to me, “What happened?” He asks, he is worried, “What did he do?” He points at the asshole, that is still rolling around the floor. “Did he touch you?” Rage fills Aaron’s face, “I swear to god! Did you?! Did you touch my sister!” Dan stops putting on a show, jumps up and faces down my brother. But he still does not talk. “I’m talking to you asshole!” Aaron lifts up his hand, he is ready to kick the living crap out him. Dan does not look scared, but a little bored.
“If you touch me, you will be kicked out.” Dan smirks at Aaron.
“Daniel, Aaron, Lillian, follow me!” A woman stands up at one of the tables and comes over to us. I haven’t moved from the table, I stand and put my hand to my face. It’s wet. When did I start crying? “Come on to my office. Now!”
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We are all in her little office, and I tell her exactly what happened. How this boy came over to me, started touching me when I didn’t want him to. How when he leaned in to get more, I slapped him then Aaron came over. Dan then says that it was the other way around, that I was going on at him, and that I had slapped him in order for it to look like it was the other way around. Aaron backs me. The women looks tired, and says that since it’s two against one, and since Dan already had one strike, this was his second and if he got another then he would be banned from Camp W forever. We get up to leave when she asks me to stay. Dan gets out there as fast as possible, but Aaron is more reluctant to. But he leaves.
“Lily, I’m very sorry that you had to go through that.” She looks truly sorry and sad for me.
“It’s ok I guess, boys like that are…” I let my voice trail off.
“I know, trust me, I know.”
“So I guess that you run the camp?” Are you Alex’s mum?
“Yes I do, and by the looks of things you have already met my son.” She smiles faintly, “Why don’t you go and get some sleep, camp starts tomorrow, first days are always a handful. Oh and Lily, if Dan or anyone ever treats you like a toy again tell me or Alex or your brother, ok? Promise me you won’t just slap them then let them get away.”
“I promise.” I exit her office.
Everyone is out of the dinner hall and upstairs going to bed. I walk over to the stairs and take them two at a time, the sun had set so the house was in darkness, apart from a little light coming from under the bathroom. When I open the door to my dorm, it is in darknesses. Why did I have to pick the bed furthest away from the door? And the top one as well. I tiptoe over, careful not to wake anyone up. When I reach my bed I am thankful that I left pjs out on top of my bed. I reach up and grab the long cozy bottoms, and tank top, with cozy thick socks. I quickly change on the floor, I put my clothes that I was wearing at the foot of the bunk bed on the floor. Then go out to the bathroom, pee and brush my teeth. Then go back into the dorm full of sleeping bodies, and climb up to my bed.
