That Wild Summer

4

The first day of summer was normal. We all met at 7:30 am. It was just after the sun had risen at 6 am. We did that every day, we would all go to the treehouse to meet up. Then, we would decide what we were going to do that day. We normally hung out at the treehouse and played "Bullshit" "Blackjack" or "War". Sometimes we would invite other kids to play and we would play for money. Usually, we would win and we would save it. We would spend it on cigarettes, candy, comic books, and food from the local diners.

Jack, Diane, Jonathan, and I were in the tree house. Diane was reading Fahrenheit 451. Jack and Jonathan were playing Blackjack. And I was sitting by Diane writing in my journal. We were waiting for Alexander to show up. Diane and he usually showed up together. But he was doing something and would be by later. I glanced down at my watch to look at the time. It read"8:35". All of a sudden we hear a knock at the door.

"That's not that knock" Jonathan yelled down.

"I forgot the knock," Alexander said. "Alexander" we all moaned.

Jonathan cleaned the table and then Jack lifted the table. Then I got up and lifted the door. Alexander then crawled up.

"Guys I just had an idea," Alexander said.

"What is it," Johnathan said.

"We should go camping for the whole summer. I was reading something about fun activities to do in the summer and that was the main one. I thought it would be neat if we all went," Alexander pleaded.

There was silence, and then the first person who spoke up was Jack," I'm down what about you Diane?

"Yeah, I'll down what about you Johnathen"?

"I'm in River"?

"Yeah, I'll go" My voice was a little off when I said that no one noticed I asked Johnathen he gave me an "Are you okay look" I nodded and then looked away.

"Alright everyone let's go home pack our bags for the month and meet back here in 2 hours," Jonathan said to the group. We all nodded our heads. Then each one of us went down the treehouse entrance. I stayed behind and locked it with my key before turning around and leaving. When I turned I realized I came face to face with a hard chest. I winced on impact and dropped my journal. Jonathan reached down grabbed it and apologized. I just nodded in response and grabbed it.

"I figured I would walk you home since. We're both going in the same direction." He spoke in a nervous tone.

"Yeah sure that works. I thought you would have left already"

He shook his head. And we began to walk in the opposite direction of everyone. It took us about 10 minutes to get to my house Johnathan's house was further down in the street. We said bye to each other and he began to walk eventually leaving my sight. I looked towards my house with a sigh. I began to walk up the porch.

Once I reached it I signed again and walked straight through the front door and up the stairs to my room. I grabbed my hiking backpack I got with Micheal and I filled it with all of my camping stuff. I waited till I got outside to go to the shed to grab my ax. I then walked to my closet grabbed my suitcase and set it on my bed.

I grabbed shorts, jeans, skirts, tank tops, shirts, and long-sleeve shirts. I even grabbed a couple of dresses. And my bathing suits.Then I grabbed my hiking boots, black Doc Martin's, flip-flops, and a pair of heels. I checked to see my shoes, which were my Converse.

Then I went to close my suitcase. I set it on the ground, pulled up the handle, and set my backpack on it. I went to the closet I grabbed my purse and I checked how much money was in it. I had around 50 dollars. I put it on my shoulder. My parents were home so I went down the hall to their room. I knew where they kept all their money.

Mom had a safe put in around 3 years ago in the back of their closet. I knew the code to it was Micheal's birthday. They didn't know that I had found it. I turned the dial till I heard a click and then I pilled on the handle and it opened.

We weren't rich but we were well off I guess. And don't ask how we got this much money I don't know. The safe had hundreds in it. They were in stacks of 1,000s which meant they were small bunches. If we were gonna be gone the whole summer and we needed food, showers, hotel feeds, fun trips. I thought about it for a minute and grabbed two handfuls I shoved it in my purse and made sure everything was the way I found it and I began to walk out. I walked back to my room put my purse in my hiking bag grabbed my bag on coins on the dresser for laundry money and then closed up the bag put it on my back grabbed the suitcase and took it down the stairs.

I walked to the kitchen and wrote a note and left it on the counter right by the toaster. I then grabbed everything I packed and walked out. And I was met face to face with Johnathen he had all of his stuff with him too. While he just stood there awkwardly.

"Hi," I said

"Hey, ready to go," he said and looked up at me smiling.

"Yeah, do you want to bring a suitcase and have your bags as extra storage? If we need them for a motel or something".

"I mean if it's not too much trouble. I think that would help us out a lot" he looked kinda embarrassed when he said that.

I smiled, turned around to unlock the door again, and set my stuff down. I said to him, "I'll be right back." I walked into the house straight to the hall closet, grabbed a black suitcase about the size of mine, and walked back out with it. I locked the door again. He walked to me and grabbed it, fixing his two bags on one chest and the other on his back. He picked up the empty suitcase by its side.

"Give me one quick second" I walked over to the shed in the yard and grabbed my ax. I bought it with Michael years ago when we first went camping. I walked back and stuck it on the spot so that I could attach my axe too. I put the bag on my back and I grabbed my suitcase.

"Now are we ready" I asked.

"Yeah let's go".

We both begin to walk down the street to the tree house. After about 10 minutes we got there. We saw Diane, Jack, and Alexander standing there against Jack's 1997 Jeep Cherokee. All of their stuff had already been loaded into it. We walked over shoving the suitcases in with everyone else's whole hiking bag on their backs. I shut the gate to the car. We then got in. Jack took the driver's seat. And we all knew that Diane had seniority over the passenger seat. Jack's words, not ours.

Jonathan, Alexander, and I sat in the back. I always sat in the middle, and I hated it, but I was the smallest.