Another narrative for my english class. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. It's a little more sentimental this time, from back when things were simpler and the real world was light-years away. Hope you enjoy my "one time at band camp" story.
“Bull shit.”
“Take it.” Bill grudgingly reaches for the pile of cards, flipping over the two Jacks on top just to make sure Matt isn’t lying.
“One Queen,” Bill says bitterly, now holding almost half of the deck in his hands. A light breeze passes through the redwoods carrying the faint sounds of a string quartet practicing just a few cabins over. Matt and his cabin mates are unaware of this though. At their cabin the whisper of “Pachelbel’s Cannon” is drowned out by the lyrics of Eminem echoing from the boom-box in the corner.
“So I was talking to Kelsey after rehearsal today.” Matt feels his face go flush. He knows exactly where this conversation is going. Intently he studies his cards, attempting to imitate the poker faces he has seen on the television when he watches Texas Hold’em tournaments with his dad. “What happened last night man? She said she couldn’t find you anywhere….”
“I was there for a while, but I was kind of burnt out from the concerts so I decided to leave early,” Matt lies, avoiding eye contact.
“She likes you man, do you like her?” All of the guys in the cabin, even those not playing cards, were now intently listening in on the conversation. Nothing peaked the interest of these young boys more than the potential love connection at camp. Matt remains silent, but it’ll take more than that to fend of the inquiring gazes.
“Well she said she wants to hang out with you during free time tonight after dinner, something about a nature walk.” Matt abandons his attempt at staying calm and collected and immediately looks at Bill, evaluating his face to determine if he’s telling the truth or just trying to instigate the situation. Unfortunately for Matt, Bill’s poker face is much better than his. Unable to discern whether or not he should believe Bill, the chance for further investigation is abruptly stripped from Matt as the sound of the dinner chime echoes through the forest. It won’t be until later, when Matt and Kelsey are stealing glances at each other from across the cafeteria, that he will fully believe that Bill was telling the truth.
~ ~ ~
His stomach flips. Should he reach for her hand? Suave he is not, but what Matt lacks in experience he makes up for in sincerity. Too young to have any ulterior motives, or even to know what an ulterior motive is, all that drives him is the feeling that he gets when he looks at her. As he lies there in the dried up river bed, his heart and mind both race, as if they are in a competition to reach some unseen finish line. His eyes survey the sky looking for any glimpse or sparkle that could possibly be a star. The sun had set just minutes ago, and the warmth that had been covering him like a blanket was slowly being replaced by the crisp kiss of the rising moon. While seemingly focused on the task at hand, all he could really think about at the moment was….
“There!” she exclaims, vigorously pointing towards the sky, exhilarated that she had beaten him in seeing the first star of the night. Matt looks in the direction that she is indicating and smiles. Should he tell her that her “first star of the night” is actually Venus? No, even as a twelve year old Matt knows that telling a girl she is wrong generally doesn’t turn very out well. Deciding to let it pass he plays it off, feigning disappointment.
“Alright you win, you win. What do you want?” He didn’t dare look at her, worried that the hope in his eyes might give him away.
“Oh, I don’t know, I’ll figure it out later,” said Kelsey, not giving the slightest hint as to what was going on in her mind. What next? Is he being to forward or is he being a wimp? He knows it’s getting late, but he is too nervous to move. Can she read him like a book or is she as confused as him? Did she just giggle or was it his imagination? Her hand, only inches from his, might as well be miles away.
Matt makes his decision. He decides to count to three then make his move. Matt takes a deep breath. One. He steals a glance at her. Even in the moonlight her beauty is radiating. Two. This is it. This is the moment he has been anticipating since they arrived at Cazadero just over a week ago. Thr…. Kelsey leans over and kisses Matt square on the lips.
“That’ll be my prize for winning,” she giggles. Matt can’t even speak. All he can do is lay there and smile. He reaches for her hand, finally intertwining his fingers with hers. After a few more minutes of just taking in the beautiful sounds of the forest around them, they get up and walk back towards the cabins and the noise of their fellow campers. Matt, still smiling from ear to ear, holds tightly to her hand. He is already anticipating how different the conversation is going to be next time he sits down with his cabin mates to play cards.
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