Chapter 2

One of the worst ways to wake up is to the sound of screams and someone being shoved into you while you are still in dreamland. Trust me, it's not very ideal—I'm speaking from experience.

'What is going on?' I ask, yawning.

'Sorry, we wanted to scare you girls. It kind of backfired.' That voice—oh no. What is Kameron doing here?

Before I can say anything, a pillow nearly hits me in the face. Kameron catches it just in time.

'Hey, cut her some slack. She just woke up,' he says before tossing the pillow back at Kaito, who dodges it with ease—unlike Riko.

She screeches in annoyance, while Kaito can't stop laughing at the situation. Not a good idea, because now she is throwing everything that is in her sight at him. Again: not a good idea.

Riko is good at almost everything—except aiming. Her aim has always been the worst ever, and it hasn't gotten any better while growing up, like, at all. One pillow hits Phineas, and he laughs at her. She ends up throwing some shirts at him too—I wonder why she thought that was a good idea, whatever—but you can imagine how that went. Then, as if shirts weren't enough, she starts tossing random wooden objects, her target being just Kaito once again, but he manages to dodge every single one of them. It only makes Riko angrier.

As I've said before, Riko's aim is not the best, and the only reason why I'm repeating this is because she almost hits me. Almost—thanks to Kameron, who steps in and shields me from it just in time. This is the second time he has saved me from a flying object.

"Thank you" is all I manage to say. Really, what else could I say? It's not like there's much more to say when someone protects you from a wooden flying object, am I right?

'Can't get you hurt first thing in the morning, right?' Kameron says with a small smile. For a moment I don't know what to add to that. He's too close now, and I feel myself teetering on the edge of confessing my feelings—but I don't. Instead I clear my throat.

'You and your friends should leave so I can change and get ready for the day.' I ask.

'Sure thing, talk to you later then?' he says as he stands up.

'Sure. See you later.' I reply, trying to sound casual.

Kameron rounds up his friends and ushers them outside, silencing Kaito with a sharp "shush" when he tries to protest that it is fine if they stay. I scoff a little and shake my head in disbelief.

The moment they're out, I can feel my friends staring at me with mischievous smiles. I don't need to hear them voicing their thoughts; I already know exactly what's going through their minds, and now is definitely not the time to discuss it.

'Shut up. Just shut up.' I exclaim, frustration clear in my voice.

'We said nothing.' Protests Pratibha, though the others can't hold back their snickers. Great. This day couldn't have started any better.

Breakfast is the most chaotic time of the day, especially the first one. People are running around, trying to find the best spots and their friends. Oh, and let's not forget about camp clowns—those amazing, annoying people who are always pulling pranks on whoever they feel like targeting. This morning, unfortunately, I'm their chosen victim.

And I'm their victim because I make myself their victim by being late for breakfast. Because the second I walk into the canteen, I get drenched with something I can't tell what it is, by two 6th graders. Oh, they are so in trouble now. I screech in horror, and I am not alone; they got someone else. At least I'm not the only one suffering through this. I turn to see who the other poor kid is.

'Ehy, I thought you were with your friends.' I say when I see Kamere there. I'm a little surprised.

'I forgot something in the bathroom,' he confesses. I notice he is suppressing a smile—he finds the prank funny. It's harmless, so it's not that big of a deal, but as one of the counselors, he can't accept this kind of behavior, not this early at least.

'Oh, come on, smile a little,' says one of the culprits. I give them a death glare, and they quickly mutter a "sorry".

'Well, fortunately it doesn't taste like paint.'

Wait, I'm sorry—did he just say it doesn't taste like paint? And how does he even know what paint is supposed to taste like?

'I ended up at the hospital once because I ate paint.'

I don't ask questions; I really don't want answers about his stomach pump procedure. Kameron must have noticed my expression because he burst into laughter. Is he okay? No, really, what is wrong with him?

'I'm kidding! I've never eaten paint in my… Wait a second, do you actually think I was able to eat paint as a kid?'

'What do I know? You might have!' I respond, practically yelling at him. 'I'm sorry, we live in two different cities in two different states.For all I know, you might eat dirt when bored.' He rolls his eyes at me but doesn't say anything else about it.

Kameron returns on my side with some napkins and hands me some, assuring me it was just water with a bit of food coloring in it. Thank God, it wasn't anything worse.

'I need to change before this starts feeling sticky all over.' I comment, and Kameron nods in agreement. 'Then I'm going to make their life miserable today.' I add. How rude of them to start summer camp pranking me.

'Oh come on, it's not that bad. This could have gone way worse—can you imagine if they had handcuffed us together and run away with the key?' Kameron jokes.

I scoff. 'Can you not give them ideas?'

Still, I can't help but think about how much worse it would be if they actually did handcuff us together. That would be a nightmare. I sigh. 'But you are right, I guess.'

I start scanning the room for my friends, hoping to tell them I need to change and ask if they can sneak out some food for me to have later.

Weirdly enough, Kameron walks me all the way to my cabin. I'm about to ask why he is going out of his way when he cuts me off.

'How is New York City?'

I'm caught off guard by his question, and honestly, I don't know what to say. New York is one of my favorite cities I visited so far. It's where I was born; it's the city Rick Riordan chose for Percy Jackson; it's home to some of the best fictional characters out there. Giving an unbiased opinion isn't exactly easy.

'I am considering going to Columbia University,' he adds.

I blink in confusion. I've always heard he didn't care about attending an Ivy League college, and yet, here he is, asking me about New York because he's thinking of attending one of the top universities in the country.

'I know I said I wanted to stay back home and study at a community college, but they offered me a hockey scholarship.' He confesses.

I am so happy for him. Hockey has always been his dream, and ever since I've known him, it has been nearly impossible to get him to stop talking once he starts.

Before I realize it, I'm jumping to hug him. He deserves this chance, and for now, my emotions towards him take a backseat.

I pull away from him immediately after, with a soft "sorry" while clearing my throat. He smiles, and I swear my legs would give out any minute if I keep looking at him like this.

'Yeah, New York… What to say about that city, um?' I take a moment to think of something—anything that isn't Kameron and his bright smile, but is hard.

'It's nice. We have the best beagle ever,' I say, but I know he wants to know more. Still, I'm the last person he should ask… Speaking of asking, I wonder why he didn't ask Alexis or Karter last night.

'I know, your brothers can't stop talking about it. I meant more like… activities-wise? Like, what if I want to do something fun? Or, I don't know, go out on a… date?' Is he actually asking me, Erika's number one enemy, to advise him on where to bring her on a date?

'Again, any of my brothers would be a better pick to help you out.' Now I'm getting impatient. The only thing I want to do is end this conversation as soon as possible so I can get changed and start doing my job, away from Kameron and his stupid talk about his love life with Erika.

'I know I could ask them, but I wanted a female point of view, if you know what I mean.' He explains. I tell him to ask either Sabrina or Melanie if that was the case.

'I should really have to go. See you around.'

First full day at camp, and I can't wait to go back home. I feel miserable for some reason, and I know it's stupid because I used to be Kameron's best friend, and he should be able to ask me those kinds of questions, but it still hurts.

'Ehy, Misses Hayden, are you alright?'

'Huh? Oh, yeah, Nelson, I was just thinking, sorry.' I answer. The little kid asks me what I was thinking, and I come up with a little lie. There's no need to share my love problems with a six-year-old.

Looking at Phineas, I ask him if he can handle the kids alone; I need to take a break before the other little ones notice my mood is all over the place and ask me questions about it. He tells me he can handle them, and if he needs any help, he can always ask Cesare—Cesare is his boyfriend, by the way.

I find my favorite spot and mentally scoff when I see two people sitting on my bench. As I get closer, I realize it's Karter and Kaito.

I can't hear what they're talking about, and just when I'm close enough to eavesdrop, they notice my presence.

'You can pretend I am not even here.' I comment.

'You are supposed to be at arts and crafts with the kids,' my brother scolds me. I hate when my siblings know my schedule—it makes it impossible to lie to them.

'I needed a break. The kids know how to give a proper headache sometimes.' A lie. Karter seems to catch it and looks at me suspiciously.

I make a face at him—he doesn't need to start and tease me. Not in front of Kaito at least.

Kaito stands up from the bench and clears his throat. After saying goodbye to us, he heads towards the lake. Is he in charge of watching the kids swimming today? Whatever, I don't care right now.

'When you get headaches, you go straight to take a nap. What's the problem.' Karter knows me too well. Sometimes, I wish he couldn't read me this easily, but alas, here we are.

'Kameron is the problem. This morning, we got drenched in colorful water, and on our way back to our cabins, he asked me about home. He is thinking of attending Columbia because they offered him a hockey scholarship.' I begin to explain.

'And he asked you?' Karter interjects.

'I know, right? I told him he should have asked you or Alexis. Hell, even Eliot would've been a better choice than me. But no, he said he wanted a female perspective on where to go for fun or a date. So I told him to ask Sabrina or Melanie instead."

'And then? What did you say?' Karter asks, turning his body toward me. That man, I swear—he's more into gossip than me or my sisters.

'I told him I had to go.'

'You need to tell him.'

'No way I'm going to. And even if I did, and I'm not saying I am, what's the point? He is Erika's boyfriend.' I remind him, and he rolls his eyes.

'Don't start, or I'm going to ask you about that one barista at our favorite bagel shop.'

'Don't, I told you guys already too much.'

'She is nice, by the way. Why don't you ask her out?' I met her once, a couple of weeks after Karter had told us about her little crush, and she seemed perfect for him. Yes, I'm trying to stall him.

He reminds me that it's complicated and that now isn't really the time to talk about her—it's time to talk about Kameron. And, unfortunately, we do talk about Kameron, even though it's the last thing I wanted to do today.

'You should really tell him. If you don't, he will keep asking you where to take Erika on dates when he moves to New York.'

Karter, sadly, is right. Maybe I don't have to tell Kameron everything, but I could at least point out that if Erika found out I was helping him plan their dates, she wouldn't be happy about it.

'Okay, fine. I'll talk to him.' I say, ready to leave when my brother stops me.

'You will tell him about your feelings, right?' He wants to hear a yes from me, but I can't give him one. Not right now.

'I'll try to get the courage to tell him. Bye.'

I'm a liar—the worst kind… I guess? Whatever.

The point is, I didn't talk to Kameron. In fact, I spent the rest of the evening trying to avoid him as much as possible.

And I would have succeeded if stupid Kaito hadn't decided to sit at our table. It would have been even better if the only chair free wasn't right next to the one person I had been trying to avoid all day.

'Ehy.' I force a smile—so fake that I'm surprised he doesn't question it. Maybe he's just being polite.

'Are you okay?' He asks, probably because I've been ignoring him all evening.

'I noticed you avoided me,' he adds.

I have no idea how to get out of this situation, and before I can stop myself, I blurt out that I did want to talk to him—I just didn't know where to start.

'The beginning is always a nice option,' he says, and I wish I could laugh at the joke, because it is a silly joke to attempt to make me more comfortable.

'I guess that is a good idea.' I whisper, not wanting the rest of the table to hear. There is no point in getting them in the loop—at least not now.

And I am about to tell him—about to confess, even though the time and place couldn't be worse—a food fight erupts in the cafeteria, cutting me off. I think I'm a lucky girl.

It takes me and the rest of the seniors a few minutes to stop the chaos, but once we finally manage, we send the younger campers to change and head to bed earlier than usual.

I collapse into the first chair I find, and I sigh—it's not easy stopping a bunch of pre-teens in the middle of a food fight at summer camp.

'If I have to clean up this mess, I'm going to make their days at camp a living Hell.' Riko says, taking a seat next to me.

'You won't. That's more of an Erika thing.' I comment with a slight smile.

Riko laughs, and so does everyone else. The only one who doesn't is Kameron. Weird.

I look at him, confused, silently asking why he isn't laughing. I mean, I only spoke the truth about Erika. Just last summer, she made my life miserable for a whole week, and that was because I had accidentally spilled some paint on her during art.

'Is not funny.' he answers.

'No, it's not, because it is true.' I try to reason, but he doesn't seem to understand my point of view on the matter.

'Erika might be a lot of things, but making someone's life miserable over something that small isn't one of them.'

'Why are you defending her?' interjects Hamilton. 'You forgot last summer?'

'Shut up, Hamilton.'

Wow. That's new. I never saw Kameron and Hamilton fight before. I thought—everyone thought—they never would.

Pratibha is the one who has to step in and stop them. Anything I say flies over Kameron's head, and everything Kaito says only seems to fuel Hamilton even more.

'Wow, I leave you alone for a day, and you are already fighting?'

I turn my head so fast towards the cafeteria's entrance that I know my neck would hurt for the next few hours. Standing there with a cast on her leg and a pair of crutches is Erika.

What the Hell is she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to stay home this summer? I guess not.

I reach the twins' cabin and walk inside without a warning—not a good idea, because I end up walking in on one of their roommates getting changed. I immediately turn around, apologizing.

'It's fine. I'm sure you walked in on Karter and Alexis multiple times.' I can picture his smile; I can feel it in the way he speaks.

'I mean, yes. But they are my brothers. You are… a stranger.' I comment.

'Ouch, you wound me, woman.' He jokes. 'You can turn if you want.'

And so I do. I keep staring at him; I find it hard to not when he is simply folding his clothes.

'You needed something?'

Now that he mentions it, why did I walk there in the first place? It's not like I wanted to tell my brothers about Erika being at camp… Or was that the reason why I headed there instead of the showers?

'Boy's problem.' I confess. He taps the mattress of his bed, inviting me to sit there with him. 'I didn't shower, and I was in the middle of a food fight.'

'It's fine. Once I let my little sister sleep in my bed after she rolled in the mud all day.' He says, and I snore at the idea. 'Come on, sit down and tell me everything.'