As Cody drove in the silence, he started to realize how truly barren the area around James Ray was. Not in a vegetative sense, there were trees everywhere. In a population sense, there were very few people that lived on the winding road that led to the camp. The scenery was basically just a solid line of trees, with either a huge country house or a rundown shack reminding Cody that he wasn't totally alone in Pottsboro, Texas.
However, when the camp gate came into view, he was positive he wasn't alone. Even from half a mile away, he could see the groups of kids being dropped off, adults checking in to camp, and there was a sea of tan Boy Scout shirts just milling around.
After he parked, Cody began looking for and familiar face. Someone he knew on staff, a guy from his troop, ANYONE. When he finally say it was pointless, he pulled out his phone and dialed Mr. Mathewson's number. After a few rings, he picked up, sounding incredibly exasperated.
"Steve Mathewson."
"Mr. Mathewson, it's Cody. Where are you?"
Mr. Mathewson groaned. "Stuck in traffic on the highway with the rest of the troop. An eighteen wheeler got overturned, and they say it's going to be a few hours before we go anywhere. Can you explain to the camp what happened?"
Now Cody was the one who groaned. This would mean that he had to check everyone in, which meant having to see her again. "Sure Mr. Mathewson. Do you know what campsite we got assigned to?"
"Same as every year, Tejas."
Now Cody let out a sigh of relief. Tejas was big, and had a bunch of old creekbeds behind it that no one wanted to explore except him. He knew every square inch of land and trail back there.
"Awesome! I'm going to get signed in and then set up. Good luck with the accident."
"Good luck at sign in, 'lover-boy'!" Mr. Mathewson laughed as he hung up.
Cody, once again, sighed. That girl he thought, that obsessive, obnoxious girl.
That girl was Jessica Nelson. She was the same age as Cody and worked at James Ray every summer. The problem was, she was head over heels in love with Cody and let everyone know it. Because she was so exubarent and, in a way, almost frightnening with her displays of affection, Cody found her creepy and did everything to avoid her. Jessica ran check in, meaning the two had to meet.
Check in was at the Fry Center, whick was only a short distance from the parking lot, so Cody walked very slowly despite the heat and all the little Scouts running around him. He could already see Jessica directing parents from table to table with a clipboard in her hand. Her bright orange shirt had the camp logo slammed across the front in big, black letters that read "Everything happens for a reason!" Cody didn't understand why that was the logo of a Boy Scout camp, instead of "Be Prepared" or "Do Your Best" or something like that. It was strange.
Despite his pace, in less than a minute he was at the Fry Center with Jessica smiling at him and waving him over. "Hey Cody! We were afraid you wouldn't make it this year!"
Cody forced a mile. We? Or just YOU? "My schedule was still undecided, so i said what the heck?"
"Funny you got here now, I'm about to be off my shift. What a coincedence! Oops, not really, because everything happens for a reason!" She sang the last part while pointing at her shirt.
"Haha...yeah." Cody bent down to start signing forms.
"You guys are staying in Tejas, right? After you finish here, you should go relax. See you after dinner?"
Cody was startled. Jessica had free time, he had free time, and she wasn't trying to hang out with him? What's going on here? "Uh, yeah, sounds like a plan" remarked cody, his voice full of confusion.
"Okay, bye! And drink lots of water!" Jessica turned and started waling towards her cabin.
Something's up. She doesn't seem as perky. She wasn't trying to hug me, she didn't touch me ONCE. What happened?
Cody shook the thought from his mind, then rushed to finish the paperwork so he could go exploring.
No comments:
Post a Comment