His Summer Toy

Brandon: I can’t believe you just ran away like this. Brandon: It was one conversation. One single disagreement. You’re seriously overreacting. Brandon: Dani said you’re gone all summer?? Are you kidding me right now? Brandon: For the love of God, Cami. Answer your phone. Brandon: You don’t throw away two years over a kink. What is wrong with you? I shake my head and lock my screen. My fingers hesitate over the block button, again. I don’t know why I can’t bring myself to press it. Maybe part of me wants him to see that I’m gone. That I am reading his messages and not responding. I slide my phone into the front pocket of my bag and zip it shut. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. The warm air smells like honeysuckle, sweet and heavy. A full body reset. That is what I am doing and that is why I am here. This place feels like the kind of quiet I’ve been starving for. A place I can get my mind off of all the things Brandon said and try to work out in my own mind if I am actually disgusting for wanting what I do. “Are you here for Counselor Orientation?” A voice asks, pulling me out of my thoughts. I shake my head, turning to look at the girl standing in front of me. She is decked out in Camp Everlake gear. The hat, with a long brown braid in the back, a matching forest green shirt, and hiking boots. Are we hiking today? God, I am not ready for that. “Yes.” “You are new, aren’t you? I haven’t seen you here before. I am Rebecca. I will show you where we are going.” “Cami.” I nod, but she is already walking through the open gate to the camp. I hurry to catch up, the gravel path crunching under my feet as I follow her past the welcome sign carved into dark wood. CAMP EVERLAKE – EST. 1974. Someone’s painted wildflowers along the edges of the letters, some of the vines curling around the C in Camp. The path curves slightly, lined with tall flowering trees and flower patches. The gardening team does an amazing job. To the left, I catch sight of a lake glittering through the trees, impossibly still. A couple of canoes are tied to a weathered dock, bobbing slightly. “That is Everlake.” Recbecca says over her shoulder, stopping to look at the lake through the trees, too. “During the campers' stay, we hike up the mountain behind the camp, and there is a zipline straight into the lake. The campers love it.” “That seems dangerous.” “It’s only for the older ones. Only three have been injured in my time here.” She says it like this is an accomplishment. I look over at her, trying to see if I am missing the humor, but she seems completely serious. “What’s that over there?” I gesture toward the large stage under an open dome with curved benches. “That’s the amphitheater. We have live music and ghost stories there.” She turns to me, tilting her head. “Didn’t you get a map and brochure?” “I did.” My cheeks heat and I look away, slightly embarrassed. I hadn’t had time to look over any of that stuff. This was a very last-minute thing for me. As we reach the Main Lodge, a handful of other counselors are scattered across the field in front, hauling duffel bags or swatting at early summer bugs. Everyone looks so… ready. Confident. Like they belong here. My bag digs into my shoulder and I shift it higher, silently wishing I’d packed lighter. The lodge itself is larger than I expected. An A-frame building with a large wraparound porch and windows that reflect the trees like mirrors. A wide staircase leads up to double doors. Voices drift out: laughter, the clatter of something dropping, a faint hum of music. “Looks like we have a lot of new faces this year.” Rebecca smiles as she looks around. “Is there a place I can go to the restroom? It was a long Uber ride.” “The lodge should be open.” She nods, pointing up the stairs. “Take a left down the hall when you first go in and they are at the end of that hall. You can leave your bag here.” “Thanks.” I nod, dropping my bag, but grabbing my phone out of it, before heading to the stairs. I push through the lodge doors, and the scent of cedar and lemon cleaner nearly knocks me out. It’s quiet inside, so quiet it almost feels like trespassing. The air is cooler here, the light dimmer, filtered through the tall windows. There is a huge fireplace in the center of the room, stone stretching from floor to ceiling with couches, arm chairs, and coffee tables in front of it. I move toward the hallway Rebecca mentioned. I make it three steps before I feel it. That unmistakable prickle over my skin, like I’m being watched. I glance back over my shoulder, moving my blonde ponytail out of my way.. Nothing. “You’re not supposed to be in here.” The voice is low, with just enough bite to make my spine stiffen. Not quite mocking. Not quite welcoming. I turn fully and see him. He’s leaning in the doorway of a darkened office, one shoulder pressed lazily against the frame, arms crossed over a lean chest. Black t-shirt. Joggers slung low on his hips so I can see the tiniest bit of his underwear band. His dark hair is a little too long, messy in a way that looks intentional. I can make out tattoos curling at the edge of his sleeves on both arms. And his eyes, dark and unreadable, are already on me, an eyebrow raised. I freeze. “Sorry. Rebecca said the bathrooms were…” “They are.” He tilts his head back toward the way I had come. “You walked right past them.” My throat goes dry. “Right.” He doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink. Just watches me. A slow smirk tugs at his mouth like he’s reading something off me I don’t know I’m showing. “You're new.” It’s not a question. But I nod anyway. Why do people keep saying this? He steps forward, unhurried, predatory in that way some guys are, like he was born confident, born with teeth. The air between us stretches taut. “You’ve got that look,” he says, stopping just close enough that I can smell him. He smells expensive, even if he doesn’t look it. I should say something. Tell him to back off. Tell him I’m not here for … whatever this is. But instead, I hear myself say, “Do I?” His smile deepens, slow and deliberate. He doesn’t reply, just turns his head, raising his eyebrows, as if he is waiting for me to answer my own question. He takes another step forward, now blocking the exit. My pulse jumps. This should be unsettling. It should make me want to run. Instead, it makes my skin feel too tight, my thighs press together as my mind imagines him chasing me down this hall, only to catch me and slam me into a wall. This isn’t fear. It’s want. What the f**k is wrong with me? I don’t even know this guy! Is Brandon right? Have my fantasies and desires gotten too far out of hand? “I need you to move.” I finally get myself to say. “Thanks for your help finding the restrooms.” “What’s your name?” He doesn’t move or even acknowledge he heard what I said. His eyes unapologetically roam down my body. “Cami.” I swallow hard. Why have I not moved back yet? “What’s yours? Are you a counselor, too?” He chuckles one, before taking a step back. He walks past me, his arm lightly brushing my shoulder as he passes as he walks down the hallway. I turn to watch him as he turns into one of the rooms. Am I supposed to follow him? Am I seriously going to hook up with a random stranger the first day of camp? I did say I was going to change and start exploring now that Brandon is gone. As I stand here debating that question, I hear a sharp voice behind me. “Excuse me? You’re not supposed to be in the lodge yet.” I whirl around to see a tall woman with a clipboard and a sharp ponytail standing behind me now. Her expression could cut glass. I recognize her instantly from the staff email and the photos on the walls here without even reading her badge: Marcia Teal - Kimura. Camp Director. “Oh. Sorry, I… Rebecca said…” I stumble, pointing toward the restrooms. “I don’t care what Rebecca said. Check-in is out front. Orientation hasn’t started. Please follow the path back to the registration table.” “Right. Got it.” I nod, hurrying back toward the main entrance, not even needing to go to the restroom anymore. As I step outside into the sun again, finding my way back over to Rebecca, casting a look toward the building to see if that guy got caught, too. “Hey!” Rebecca smiles as I rejoin her. My bag is now on top of her suitcase and there is a boy with her. He’s tall, golden blonde, with sun-kissed skin and an easy, dimpled smile. The kind of guy who looks like he teaches sailing lessons and gets invited to every party. A complete contrast to the guy in the lodge. “Did you find it okay?” “The director threw me out. Apparently, we can’t be in there right now.” “That’s odd.” Rebecca wrinkles her nose, looking up toward the Lodge. “Anyway, Cami, this is Julian. Another Camp Everlake lifer.” “Nice to meet you.” I nod as the boy smiles at me. “Likewise.” “We should go get registered and get out assignments before this thing starts.” Rebecca says, stepping in between us, a new tense energy from her that wasn’t there before. “I am going to catch up with Landon. I’ll see you later, Becks.” Julian looks to me, smiling again. “See you around, Cami.”