**Everyone is 18 and over. This story is a slow burn, but I hope you find it worth it in the end. Constructive criticism is always welcome! I hope you enjoy as always - Alyssa**
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"Oh my god mom I don't want to go!" I threw myself back onto my bed.
"I already paid for it, so you are going" mom followed me into my room. "Next year you do not have to, but humor me one more time before you leave for college and I lose my baby girl."
I groaned and growled, "Fine, but this is the last time."
Eighteen years old and going to summer camp. Officially a grown up and I am still being treated as a child. I can't wait to leave for college.
I stared listlessly out of the dew soaked window of our sedan. You know a two-hour drive is unbearable when you aren't excited about the destination. The trees grew thicker and the road got rougher. I swayed back and forth with the car as we seemed to hit every hole possible in this old as dirt road. I have been coming here my whole childhood. I loved it when I was litter, but now I just feel too old to be going. Since I turned eighteen in May I will be one of the few actual adults at the camp, minus the counselors of course. The car stopped and I came back to reality to realize we were at the entrance to the park.
"Morning, ma'am," the way overly enthusiastic park ranger said to my mother. "Do we have another camper?"
"Oh my god," I muttered. "That doesn't make me feel any better."
Mom rolled her eyes and matched his excitement, "We sure do! Last one before she's off to college and I never see her again."
"Here is your park guide. Her room will be in cabin 4A. Take a left at this fork. Go about half a mile and park on the right-hand side. The cabin is down the trail from there on the right," he said making sure he gestured the entire route with both hands.
"It isn't too late to go home, mom."
"I am going to act like I didn't hear that," her reply cold and dry.
We parked the car and I slammed the door intentionally harder than I should have. I rounded the back and grabbed my suitcase and my bag of small snacks and trinkets to hopefully entertain me for the week. Mom met me and smothered me in kisses and tight hugs as she told me to try and have fun.
"I still love you," I winked as I spun around and looked down the wet trail.
I set off and I did not get three steps into the trail before I realized I did not wear the right shoes for this. Flip-flops were a bad idea. I trekked on having to purposefully unstick my flip flops from the muddy ground each step I took forward. The cabins finally came into view by the time my newly pedicured nails were started to be caked in the drying mud. I came up on the first cabin. There was a wooden "1" nailed to the door. It was starting to split and you could tell at one point it was painted white by the small flecked fragments left on the sides of the number.
"Morning sunshine," a raspy deep voice came from behind me.
"I don't see any sunshine," I blurted out sarcastically as I turned to face the voice.
I was met with a taller stocky middle aged man. His face told of tales traveled in his forty some years on this earth. He wore a smoky the bear ranger hat upon his graying shaggy hair. Where the hair ended, the beard began. It was smoky gray mixed with black wiry whiskers. It protruded below his check almost to the neckline on his button-down shirt. He stood chest puffed out stroking his beard. His eyes gleamed with the excitement of a child bounding down the stairs on Christmas morning. The whiskers attempted to hide his large goofy smile to match. The dark green and white plaid button down shirt was obviously not new. The colors were faded and sunbathed. It was tucked in to show golden round belt buckle fastened to a frayed woven belt. The belt was holding up equally as frayed and muddy khaki cargo pants. To finish off the counselor outfit he had the correct footwear to be out in the forest, a pair of hiking boots.
"What might your name be my dear?" He inquired. "You can call me Rich."
"Alyssa."
"I think I remember you from last year young lady!" His excitement was not diminishing. He continued stroking his beard and stepped closer to me. I watched his eyes dip down to my shoes and slowly come back up to my face. "Were you thinking you were going to the beach in that outfit?"
"I didn't anticipate rain," I replied already annoyed with this conversation.
"Let me help you carry your bags, darling. Maybe you won't get your pretty clothes too dirty."
I didn't fight in turning over my bags to him as he reached for them. His callused overworked hands brushed mine as he took my bags. Smile still beaming he briskly started off toward the cabins beyond number one. I tried to match his pace and enthusiasm, but it proved to be difficult with these damn flip flops. We arrived at my cabin. The corresponding "4" was in just as much disarray as the "1" I had saw. Rich turned the knob and leaned with his weight on the door. The wooden door scratched against the floor not wanting to let anyone in. It moaned as if it had not been opened in a decade. Rich stepped into the darkened room filled with stale cold air. I stepped in after him and was greeted with an old oaken scent filling my nose. I stood in the doorway while he went around and opened only two blinds in the cabin, one on each wall perpendicular to the door. Light flooded in to the small rustic cabin to reveal dust particles swirling around from his brisk movements. As he went from the left to the right he set my suitcase and bag down on the bed.
The bed was the same as I remembered from years past. It was a full bed with a quilted cover. The headboard was dark wood to match the rest of the interior of the cabin. It was nothing special, but you spent most of your time outside in the campgrounds and forest it didn't need to be. There was a table to the left of the bed with a set of two chairs. A wardrobe cabinet was almost pushed up to the left of the bed. A room was to the right which if I recalled right led to a small bathroom. The only thing that was not made of wood in the cabin was the couch to the right of the bed. The couch looked like it had been there for a decade or more. The dust tried to stifle the deep blue color of the cushions. The cushions were wrinkled and sunken in from the use.