***Chapter Two***
It was not only Meghan’s first year at camp, it was the year of many changes at the long-running program. Sponsored by the college, the camp was several things: A way to keep students learning throughout the summer, a taste of college life experienced through living in the dorms, and a two week break for their parents.
Students picked four classes to enroll in. Some of the classes allowed them to earn extra credit to be applied in their next school year, while others were merely interesting subjects outside the normal high school curriculum. In past years the camp sessions had been segregated by gender, in order to help the students focus on learning and enjoying the experience rather than mooning about and primping. The students also took a mandatory sex ed class, and the general theory was that such things were more comfortable to learn about without the nerves caused by dealing with the opposite gender.
This year was different, though. A series of new studies had shown that students subjected to single-gender activities throughout school had a more difficult time once they got into the real world, while those used to dealing with the opposite sex were less distracted by them, since they had less of a “forbidden, mysterious” quality.
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I finished unpacking and sat down on the bed. I figured since I got here before my roommate, I could claim the bottom bunk. I opened my schedule and tried to distract myself from my whirling thoughts.
Each day started with breakfast at 8:00, followed the first of four classes at 9:00. I stared at the name of the first class, then shook my head and kept reading.
For my second class I was taking an acting class. Not my choice. I’ve always been much more introverted, more interested in reading a good book than getting up in front of a crowd and carrying on, but the deal was that I got to pick a class and my mom got to choose one. She picked the acting class in order to give me more self-confidence.
I dunno. I mean, it’s not like I’m ever going to be an actor. I’m pretty average looking. Medium height, average weight, brown eyes. The only thing I’ve got going for me is my red hair. I guess I have a pretty loud voice when I need to yell, so that should help in the acting class. Maybe it would actually help make me more outgoing, and help me get over the stage fright I got from time to time when I had to present in front of the class at school.
After the second class was lunch, and then the third class started at 1:00. This was creative writing, the one I chose. I love to write, and I was looking forward to practicing it and maybe even finishing one of the stories I was always starting but never finishing.
The last class of the day was band, which I always looked forward to. I’m not great at the clarinet or anything, but I love playing music, and Valerie would be in there with me.
I sighed and looked back at the first class on the schedule. “Gender Relationships and Sexual Education.” It was a required course, and everyone at the camp would be in it. That was the one that worried me. My parents had to sign all kinds of wavers when they found out about the experiment the camp was doing this year, but they said it would be good for me (even if they wouldn’t tell me exactly WHAT was going to happen).
I’m pretty shy about that kind of stuff. I blush and get all embarrassed and giggly. I’ve barely done anything with a guy. LAME, I know. And since I get good grades and play in band everyone just assumes that I’m a total good girl and don’t even think about that kind of stuff.
They have no idea how wrong they are. I’m a total perv. I would never admit it to anyone though. So as nervous as I was about everything that would be happening over the next two weeks, the nervousness was mixed with excitement. Yes, that kind of excitement. Dammit.
I looked at my watch. It was 4:00, and there was still no sign of my roommate. I decided to walk around the dorm some more and see if I ran into anyone else I knew from school.
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