Wow!! Look at the time of the year!! But what a great time to read a story about nature and human life than in the greatest time of the year...spring!! Yes, this was for the Arbor Day challenge but I don't care. Still show your appreciation by commenting and liking the story. Special thanks to WayneSB for spending his time and effort on making this story better.
Love, jenn313
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It had been three years since Eric entered Grand Oak National Park's very own Camp Otsego.
Six years too
soon,
he kept saying to himself. He knew it was a bad idea from the get-go, but he still felt he needed to do it. He wanted so much to be back there, to return to where he found his true love. He wondered how it would turn out, and he knew damn well it would be difficult.
He drove toward the campgrounds where the tourists and visitors were to stay. There were four main lodges, named after the four Great Lakes that touch Michigan. He loved the landscape and the breathtaking view of the mountains of the Upper Peninsula, but now he could think only of Erie Lodge.
Eric loved Camp Otsego in the springtime. One reason was that the place had that special spring vibe when the flowers bloom, preparing their life-giving seeds for a new year. The birds return from their migration and their songs enliven the place. Bears and other mammals wake up from hibernation, making the landscape even more alive. Sure, the area was well known for its winter and summer resorts, plus the colors of autumn, but springtime made Grand Oak National Park a place to die for.
Another reason was that it means Earth Day is just around the corner. The park always had a big Earth Day celebration. Festivities will be staged during the week leading up to Earth Day, followed by the popular "All Green-All Day" Earth Day event. That was part of what brought Eric back this year. His sister was the events planner for the "All Green-All Day" celebration and invited Eric to be a volunteer counselor for the "Go Green" children's trek.
Laura knew that Eric loved children, and what better way for him to have some fun than to lead the children's group around the national park? Of course, there would be the hassle of preparation, ensuring that every kid had the supplies necessary to enjoy the trek, and he would need to be patient with the little tykes for them to have any fun. Finally, he needed to have a first aid kit handy, just in case. Even so, he was sure it would be a great experience.
While all this seemed great, Eric knew the real reason he was returning. It was the same reason he could not look at Erie lodge without remembering the great times he had enjoyed there. He was grateful he didn't have to stay in that lodge, because he knew without a doubt that all the great memories would trigger the most horrible nightmares of his twenty-four years.
Eric stepped out of his car and took a good look at himself in the rearview mirror. Nothing much had changed physically since he first set foot here six years before. His black hair still shone brightly, the luminous sun giving it a distinct blue highlight. He reminded himself to shave when he was able because his five o'clock shadow was starting to show.
"Hey little brother, you're here, and narcissistic as ever!" Eric jumped at the shrill voice in his ear. Standing at only 5' 8", his sister was still able to give him a crushing hug.
"Hi, Laura, how's it going?" he gasped, struggling for air while trying not to show his pain from Laura's bear hug. "Oh, fine. Just getting ready for the Earth Day celebration," she said, releasing his gasping body. "You're such a wimp, lil' bro'," she said playfully while stroking his black hair.
"Yeah, it's been a while," was all he could get out before an awkward silence descended. It really had been quite a while since Eric had last seen his sister Laura, or his family for that matter. Eight months to be exact. Eric knew that whatever the reason Laura brought him here, it was due in part to her finally being able to break away from the Holden household and be independent.
She broke the silence with "Here, let me take you to your room," and took his suitcase. Eric took the two remaining bags from his trunk and followed. Not much had changed since his visit here three years ago: Same lodges, same amazing scenery, same cheery camp counselors and park rangers. Normally, all the positive energy would make him happy. Instead, he was morose.
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"Remember students, all of you have been assigned a room. Please be respectful and follow lodge rules at all times. Curfew is at 10:30 p.m., so make sure you get to your rooms by then. We don't want these great counselors and park rangers to waste their time finding teenagers in compromising positions late at night."
Eric had already learned the guidelines when Mr. Gillen handed them out back at Marquette Academy. Now he was just tired and impatient. He really just wanted a quick nap before heading to the waterfalls.
Part of his grumpiness was due to the fact that he was assigned to room with a total tree-hugging nerd and the Erie Lodge were full of geeks, while Huron Lodge had the kind of people he hung with the most. He hated Mr. Gillen for assigning him to Erie, he hated that Advanced Life Science had turned out not to be a class he could just blow off for senior year. He also hated the fact that he was stuck with none other than Kevin Miller, science nerd as roommate.
Kevin preferred to be called an intellectual badass, but most of the jocks and their respective "baits" called him science fag. Eric hated him, mostly because he was valedictorian and his senior schedule was filled with classes that the college-bound love to take.
With AP and Honors courses thrown all over the place, Kevin was ensuring himself the best chance to make his mark at an Ivy League school. Kevin would usually call people who taunted him with "science fag" haters, but deep down it hurt.
As soon as Mr. Gillen gave them permission to go to their assigned rooms, Eric took off, hoping to be the first one there, lock the door, and have a good afternoon nap before heading off to the waterfalls with his crew. He was too late, for Kevin had beaten him to the room. "This is going to be the longest four days of my life, thanks to this fag," he muttered under his breath. He knew without a doubt that Kevin had heard, and he felt bad, a little.
The antagonism was mostly due to the uneasiness he felt whenever Kevin was around. Eric admired Kevin's amazing reddish-blond hair and slim physique. He shook those visions out of his head and immediately tended to business.
What is his problem?
Kevin wondered. They had been together in their room for a mere thirty seconds before Eric dropped the f-bomb. It was just too much for a guy to take. Kevin had been so happy and excited to finally get here. He had been waiting for this trip ever since he dropped his AP Macroeconomics course to take this class.
He had anticipated it all year long, the only event he had really looked forward to, much more even than Prom or Graduation. With High School nearing its end, he was certainly looking forward to never seeing many people's faces after this was over, that's for sure.
He knew most of the hurt was because the word came out of the one and only Eric Holden. He had thought he was excited about the field trip, but he had been ecstatic when he learned Eric Holden was to be his camp roomie.
Sure, the minute they were acquainted and had all their stuff stowed away, they would go in different directions, but he wanted to cherish those few moments. Now the trip had soured when he heard the first f-bomb thrown at him, and from none other than Eric Holden himself. He sighed deeply.
I hate being so emotional,
he thought to himself, as his eyes brimmed with tears. He tried his best to make it seem he was looking out the balcony window, refusing to let Eric see tears in his eyes.
He regained some strength from a blue jay that landed on his balcony and then flew off to its flock. Kevin was determined to look out the window until he was sure Eric was gone. After twenty minutes, he heard the door open and slam shut. The tears finally came, and he threw himself onto his bed, crying his eyes out.
"Fuck you Eric Holden! Fuck you," he screamed at the top of his lungs, his mouth covered by the pillow.
Why am I in love with such a douchebag,
he thought to himself. He should have known it was bad news the first time he heard Eric call him a fag during sophomore year, but even then, he could not stop worshiping the ground the man walked on. He even had a little fantasy that they would grow up together.
It would be Eric Holden the Super Bowl-winning quarterback and Nobel Peace Prizewinner Kevin Lockhart, married with three kids. He knew it was a dream, but he didn't give a damn. Kevin felt those dreams become more unrealistic every time Eric and his crew expressed their feelings about Kevin by calling him "Kevin Miller, aka science fag."
He felt sleepy and grabbed his iPod, switched shuffle mode to his "Pop Divaz" playlist and listened, calming himself, his body jiving to Madonna's
Express Yourself.
Somehow, he always felt that the powerful ode to femininity cheered him up. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier by the minute, finally closing, and the last image, as always, was Eric's beautiful lips meeting Kevin's own.
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"Who knew Earth Day week needed all this help?" Eric asked as he and Laura pushed their way through the crowded cabin for employees and volunteers, where everyone was trying to move to their own rooms.
"I know, it seems like a lot, but the Earth Day weekend is the busiest time for the park. You of all people should know that, wimp," Laura said in her cheery mood, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Eric seemed uncomfortable; it was the third time he had accidentally stepped on some poor soul's foot.
As they finally arrived at his room, Laura warned Eric not to make a face. "I don't care if you are my baby brother, you are getting the same treatment as everyone else up here." She threw the suitcase onto the small bed and opened the curtains, making the dark room bright with the afternoon sun. Eric liked the sun, but not when the rays were shining directly into the little room he now had to live in for a week.
"It's fine; really, I just have to get used to all the light." He then carefully placed all his other bags inside the little closet that each room had. The good thing was that every room had its own little heater; the bad thing was that showers were communal. He did not really want to share showers with people he did not know. "Also having to wake up early if I want to take a shower, but other than that it's all good."
Then the awkwardness returned and silence filled the room until Eric said, "Hey want to go have lunch together? I really missed you." Laura answered with a sheepish grin and grabbed Eric's hand.
He wondered how a petite little hand like Laura's could bring such a warm and loving feeling with a touch. He was tired. Driving all the way from Washington D.C. to the U.P. was no easy thing, but for his big sis, he would do anything.
