𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 - 𝐡𝐬𝐦𝐭𝐦𝐭𝐬 (𝐢𝐢𝐢) | ✔

nine

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nine: iffy
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     "So, what is this Newbie Initiation night?" Gina asked Maddox as the latter sat on the swing they had in their cabin and the rest of the girls engaged in their own activities.

     "It's the most wonderful time of the year. Not Christmas, not Tax Day... Newbie night! You guys are gonna have so much fun," she exclaimed, looking genuinely excited for the day. "Once we reach the camping spot, we start by setting up the tents. Then we gather around the campfire for a little sing-alog experience followed by the world-famous retelling of... Am I talking to myself? Talking to myself."

     "No, we're listening," Juliette tried to comfort her as Ashlyn ripped out yet another page of her notebook.

     "Are you okay? Gina asked, concerned. 

     "A hundred percent. Just journaling. Reframing the news from this morning so I can make it a win."

     "Oh," Maddox chuckled, "I get it. You're a Leo Rising."

     Ashlyn, however, seemed actually offended at the comment. "Capricorn Rising, actually. I'm all earth and air signs in my big three. Look, I know myself. i'm a Ravenclaw, an ENFP, a Belle and a Samantha. The American Girl doll, Samantha. And I'm definitely a Capricorn Rising."

     "Okay!" Maddox exclaimed, the smile not leaving her face. "Tonight's gonna rock."

     "Hey G, can I talk to you for a second?" E.J.'s face popped in the window as all the girls booed for him to get out. "It is my head. But now I need to come in the rest of the way."

     "You got two minutes," Maddox allowed. "Go."

     As soon as he entered and turned around, he revealed a bunch of wild flowers that he had brought for his "leading lady", something that put a smile on Juliette's face. It was at times like this that she missed having someone willing to go out of their way to make her smile, just like she missed doing it for someone else.

     "Aw," Gina chuckled, sitting besides E.J. as he complimented her. However, Juliette made her best not to listen to anything the couple was saying, feeling that they needed as much privacy as the Honeycomb allowed. Therefore, she continued preparing her backpack for that night.

—

     When the hour came, all of the campers set out to a mysterious place that Maddox called "the place of her dreams". She was as excited as anyone could be and, as she walked besides Juliette and E.J., she started rambling about everything that she had prepared for that night.

     "I honestly hope you have as much fun as we did our first Newbie Night," she sighed.

     "I have no doubt we will," the redhead smiled, looking at her.

     "Especially with a certain someone who is looking at you," she nudged her, making her follow the direction of her eyes.

     "Oh, Ricky?" she asked, making Maddox furrow her brows.

     "I meant Ben."

     "Oh," the shorter girl chuckled awkwardly, "of course, yeah. He's great."

     "I know, thank you," the boy, who had already approached them under the attentive look of all of Juliette's friends, smiled. 

     "I'll let you two talk, I need to set everything up," Maddox said before winking in Juliette's direction and leaving.

     "So... Ricky, huh?"

     "It was... yeah, no. It was a moment of weakness. I'm just so used to him being my safe place that...," she admitted, too embarrassed to look at the boy. Two nights ago, she had told him that she wanted to get over him and, that morning, he had found the two of them hugging.

     "It's okay, you don't have to explain anything. Except what happened for you to cry like that."

     "I didn't get a role in the musical," she let out. "I mean I did but not quite. I'm Anna's understudy. And Gina, the girl who plays Anna, is one of the greatest actresses, singers, dancers I've ever met so... essentially, I have no role."

     "That does not mean that you're not worth the time and space. We can talk to Val or Maddox and I'm sure they'll let you help with... anything, okay?"

     "It's not that. I mean, I would love to help with the play, that was always my thing but... I was kind of hoping for a last musical with E.J."

     Before Ben could answer, however, they arrived at their destination and everyone stopped talking as Maddox warned them about the creatures that surrounded them and told them to set up their tents. Gina and Ashlyn, considering that they had managed to get the three-spot tent, had invited Juliette to sleep with them and so they walked over their chosen spot to try and pitch it.

     "You know I'm a feminist, right?" Ashlyn asked with a hammer in her hand. "I like all women. Almost all of the women, I like."

     "Where is this going...?" Gina interrupted.

     "I just mean, does Val strike you as a little... I don't have the word for it."

     "Iffy?"

     "She seemed pretty nice to me."

     "And Maddox had the nerve to tell me I was a Leo Rising," she continued. "Okay, nobody knows my birth chart better than me. Except Madam Stephanie."

     "The horoscope is not always definitive. Maybe you have some fiery traits in you?" Juliette tried to defend Maddox, just for the sake of not having any kind of awkwardness in their cabin. 

     "Okay, here's what I'm thinking," Gina stepped in. "You were an awesome leading lady, and Juliette was an amazing supportive role. And your roles were unexpected. But to be completely honest, I guess I just didn't think you'd be this thrown off by it. It feels out of character, for both of you."

     Juliette, thinking about what Gina had just said, excused herself saying that she needed some time to herself and walked away, trying to find E.J. Nevertheless, and as it seemed to have become a habit for him as of late, he was nowhere to be found and instead ran into Kourtney and Carlos, both freaking out about a night in the woods.

     "I mean, is it wise to stay here all night, barely getting any sleep, when Corbin Bleu is coming tomorrow?" Kourtney pondered. "Please tell me I'm not the only one to think it is not."

     "It is not," Carlos agreed. "I need my beauty sleep, my humidifier and my face mask to keep this dark circles at bay."

     "Maybe it'll be fun. Every counselor seems to be pretty excited about it. Speaking of, have you seen E.J.?"

     "I think he's sharing tent with Ricky and Jett, maybe he'll be there?"

     And so she walked away again, looking for her best friend. As much as this was supposed to be their Summer, it felt that he was further and further away from her every day it passed.