HATEFUL LOVE | ej caswell

getting to know the place

Nadia strode up to EJ, still holding her belongings since she had yet to go to her cabin — since she didn't know which one it was — and put everything down. "Hey," she greeted happily, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"It's not bad, right?" EJ said, looking down at his girlfriend with a sincere smile.

"Yeah, it's everything you promised. Well, apart from the phone thing but we can work around that," Nadia told him as she laughed.

"It's the best summer ever. And just wait till you meet the celebrity guest," EJ replied as the others walked up to them.

"Okay, since you refuse to give any clues at all, I'm just gonna go ahead and assume it's Gloria Steinem," Ashlyn said to her cousin.

"I'm going with Oprah because Oprah," Kourtney spoke excitedly.

"I'm gonna say Conan Gray just for reasons I cannot disclose," Marcus sighed since he bad been listening to the artist a lot ever since his breakup.

"Legally, I'm obliged to say Greta Gerwig," Carlos shrugged.

"It's all going down at the amphitheater tonight. You guys are gonna be all 'damn-phitheater!'" EJ joked, making them all give him a look.

"Yeah, we're gonna have to work on your jokes," Nadia said to her boyfriend, tilting her head slightly. EJ went to go say something before she added, "But that doesn't mean I think they're bad. N-No, I love them." EJ grinned, even though he had a feeling she was just saying that to be nice, as he grabbed her hand lovingly.

"It's just hitting me now that you two are gonna be a thing all summer," Carlos pointed out, waving his hand around at them.

"Ugh, I know. Normally I'd be excited, but I'm not in the mood for their 'thing'," Marcus added and Nadia gave her a brother a look.

"Well, as a thing-in-law, I have never been prouder," Ashlyn told the couple.

"Ditto," Gina agreed, and Nadia and EJ chuckled embarrassedly.

EJ then stopped laughing and began to take over the role as leader again, walking further into camp. "Okay, so basketball is over there. The pool his behind me. And if you all follow my gaze to the south here, you will see the Camp Shallow Lake barn and playhouse, where young EJ has played such roles as Danny Zuko, of course, the dentist from Little Shop, and the Music Man."

"Speaking of rotten eggs, yes, I know what you did last summer," Kourtney told him and EJ gave her a look.

"And that concludes the tour. Now, if you'll follow me this way, you will see some of the cabins we have," EJ pointed out as he continued the journey through the large camp.

"Yes, it's my first summer camp, my first real boyfriend, my first time without my asshole parents on my back, and my first time where I'm not gonna make anything a competition," Nadia said into the camera with a smile. "I mean, this is gonna be my summer of firsts and I cannot be more excited. I just have to figure out how I'm gonna plan to tell EJ about the...D-U-K-E thing," she spelled out in a whisper.

EJ then decided it would be a good idea for them all to sit and listen so no one got confused as he explained where everything was located. "Boys' bunk, girls' bunk, mountains, ocean, and sometimes there's bears," he concluded.

"Got it," Kourtney said fearfully as they all gave each other a concerned glance.

"Okay, I will see you all tonight for the big announcement," EJ said as he picked up his bag and began to walk off. "Oh, one more thing." He quickly jogged over to Nadia and tilted her chin up, planting a soft kiss on her lips. She smiled at him, watching him walk off lovingly.