*Authors note* In four days, it will make the 8th year since I started this story. So much of my life has changed in that time. I finished college, got a job, got a different job. All the while ever so slowly adding updates to this. Over 73,000 view later, I am still amazed at all the comments, thanks, and feedback I've gotten. Through all the grammar errors and plot holes. I especially want to thank
Alexis Runes for continuing to ask about my progress on this. I know its never easy to watch and wait for updates that come out in a trickle. I don't know how soon this story will take to be completed, but thank you again to all of you for your patience.
And now back to the story...
___________
With my shirt over my head I the door clicked shut signaling that Laura had made her way outside. Once my field of view returned I saw the girls had turned to me with traces of laughter still on their face. “What was that all about?” I asked eager to chance the subject.
“Miss Ruptlee and I never found the topless girl she was looking for on the beach.” Chole said “So she decided to get the counselors to check back in on their cabins assuming the girl went back to her cabin. It’s still Laura job to look into indecencies and report stuff like that back to her.”
“We were trying to vouch for you, but luckily you had a solid alibi.” Said Victoria glancing over my chest again. “I though you weren’t going to wear a bikini?”
“And I thought you said you were going back to Chole and Allen ” Said Heather
“Well that was kinda my fault.” Said Chole. “I was dragging my feet a bit in the “search” trying to find one of you two and get your attention. When I saw Victoria out of the lake I was just going to say hi to get her to realize Allen was alone, but since I had been dragging my feet so much once I started to talk to Vic Miss Ruptlee asked her to help me search the beach instead to cover more ground while we talked. Since we had already searched behind us both of us had to move forward.”
“Well luckily it was a self imposed idea and cabin two couldn’t take claim for what happened. Although I still don’t like how your weren’t warned by Trish that you were tanning.” Said Heather getting up from her bunk. “Since you two just got in, go shower off and I’ll collect Chole’s bugs to what’s the latest gossip is. With this topless girl rumor, I bet some the camp thinks it a prank, some might think it’s Allen, and some are creating the next camp story to tell the newbies at the fire pit. We can all go over it after dinner once I’m back.”
With that Heather left the cabin and the girls took turns taking showers in between trying to persuade me to wear something to show off my tan lines more. Finally compromising on something a bit more frilly in leu of showing my tanned skin, we were about to all leave to start looking for what was taking Heather so long when she met us at the door. With Chole’s recordings safely hidden, we all went to eat at the mess hall. Just as Heather said gossip was flying as fast as it was created with Chole starting to work her way through the tables.
“I’ll be able to compare what we hear here with what’s on the tapes and figure out if we should beware of any other campers.”
As Victoria grabbed a second plate for Chole, I noticed Trish at her table and gave her a nod hello, only for her to look away from me as her bunkmates sat down next to her. They seemed to all be in good spirits, so I guessed that their payback had paid off, but that didn’t explain why I was ignored. Finished filling my plate, I sat down as Chole came back.
“Wow there a lot of buzz going on. Most of it about cabin eight’s revenge as they kinda quashed swimming today when the other councilors heard there was “a fish that stole my top” in the lake. Not everyone’s happy, but it's starting to get near sundown and there is a limit to how much the councilors can turn a blind eye for the pranks. So that’s mostly took the heat off of your new look Allen.” Chole said with a smile.
“That’s great to hear, but what’s up with Trish? She kinda gave me the cold shoulder when we were in line.”
The others looked over at their table, but all of them were busy eating their food while chatting about something on their phones.
“I don’t know. It’s nothing that the other campers have mentioned. Heather, did you hear anything on the tapes?” Chole said
“There was a lot to listen to, but even skimming most of it I didn’t hear them when they were coming back to their cabin.” Heather said mid bite of a Sloppy Joe, as a large drop slated on her shirt. “Crap, I need to wash this off before the grease sets in. Keep an eye on cabin two’s table for a second.” With that she dashed off to the bathroom a wad of paper in her hands dabbing her shirt.
As we watched her leave, Chole turned back at me “Well it doesn’t matter. All we need to do is focus on Cabin two and make sure they don’t prank us over the last couple of days. We’re ahead of them on points and if we coast on that buffer we can enjoy the last couple of days before the goodbye ceremony.”
“Is that another secret camp tradition that I’m out of the loop from?” I said hearing about this for the first time.
“Not really. It was something that the old owners did. Everyone lines at the main lodge and gets to go in and say goodbye to the councilors before leaving out the back and going to the amphitheater for the last night speech and fireworks. Then everyone goes to bed, packs up in the morning, and gets picked up. It also works two fold as everyone can show off their last tally marks and we can get a final count for all the pranks to see who the winner and losers are. I’m guessing they’ll announce it before Miss Ruptlee comes on and wishes everyone a good bye.” As she took a look across the cafeteria again, Heather came back to table and sat back down, her shirt now wet, but no longer stained.
With a flash of recall I said “Oh yeah! Heather, you never mentioned what the top cabin gets for beating-“
CRACK- - -BOOM! A flash of lightning and crash of thunder flicked the cabin lights and shook the windows eliciting some shrieks and flinches out of some of the girls, other looking at other table as if expecting they were the cause of it. The sudden downpour of rain against the windows.
“I thought it was suppose to be “great weather today.” said Victoria groaned, looking over her salad and an unopened pack of dressing. “I was eating light for all those s’mores at the bonfire tonight. Allen can you toss this while I pick some up ” Pushing aside her salad, she got up and made her way over to the buffet eye’s set on some nachos. Picking up her trash, I offered to take Heather’s plate too with the leftover clumps of beef and slaw. As I moved over to the trash can I was paused as there was another girl leaning next to it from some other cabin.
“I’ll take that for you. Gotta make sure you put everything thing in the right container.” She said with a grin. Doing a quick glance around my surroundings it didn’t seem like any of the girls from cabin two were paying much attention to us.
“I’m sure I can do it myself, but why the offer?” I said cautiously.
“Oh, all my cabin mates are offering it as a free service to everyone, but cabin fourteen tonight.” Glancing around again, I could see three other girls passing by other table offering to take their plates. The three members at cabin fourteen’s table all seemed to be eyeing the girl next to me with anger in their eyes. Offering my plates, she took one opened the lid to the trash and scraped off the remains of it before setting it aside and then dumped salad bits in next. Surprisingly she opened the dressing packet and poured it all in before setting all of the plates and silverware into a separate tray. The muffled groan that came from the trash can reminded me that there should be four campers at table fourteen and I decided it was best to go back. Passing by the three other girls that had been collecting everyones plates, the grins on their face likely had to do with a halfway melted sundae and the remains of some extra cheesy nachos they had collected as they made they way over to their companion.
“So they pick up the phone and the operator says-“
“I think someone’s in one of the trash cans.”
“No, its the call is coming from- Wait did someone actually…” Chole turned at looked at the four girls pouring their spoils into the trash as it seems to be shaking slightly. “Wow haven’t seen that one in a while. Although I don’t see why they need to guard it. Last time it happened, someone tried to get their friend out of it and ended up getting flipped and trapped themselves. You should have seen her butt wiggling about in the air skirt flipped over the can. Didn’t last as long since the lunch ladies broke it up, but I think the two points they got edged them out a win. At least with the rain they’ll get a nice shower before they get back to their cabin.
“If she can avoid the mud puddles” said Heather getting up as Victoria came back with her nachos all packaged up to go. “I swear the ground around the lodge turns more liquid than solid after a heavy rain like this. We better get back before the rain gets any worse.” Braving the rain we leap frogged from overhand to overhang until Chole stopped beside me under one having gotten one of her shoes stuck in the now soft mud. Looking at the steadying increase of rain, she gave me a smile.
“Catcall, I always wanted a handsome prince to bring my shoe back for me. I’ll accept a pretty princess instead. Can you get it while I go to the cabin? I don’t want to get any more wet than I already am.” With a wave of her fingers she took off to catch up with the others. Rolling my eyes, I jogged back into the pouring rain. Taking a second to pull out the semi buried shoes, I stood up and was surprised to see
her standing under one of the cabins awnings, dinner in hand.
Glancing around I said “I know no one else is around and I’d
love to talk, but it's in the middle of a downpour and neither of us are ducks.
“Well that could easily change knowing this place, but I’ll keep this short.” As she stepped forward, I took a step back glancing around the rain for anyone else. “I just wanted to say that was a really impressive turn about on the stage. I don’t think anyone expected you to pull something off like that so publicly. How about tomorrow we can meet up and talk about it."
"I don't think so. I didn't quite like the last talk we ended up having. Unless you want to come meet my cabin mates right now?" Knowing her likely response I started to turn back to the cabin, but froze with the next four words.
"I dare you to." Lola said with a smile...