Top Bunk

DAY 29

⌚ 5:35 AM

"So the campers don't have any say in this?" El asks, standing off to the side as she watches Sky hammer the bright pink flag into the ground, Louise holding it up.

They've chosen a remote place to hide it - behind a curtain of thin vines resembling stringy brown hair. It would take a lot of squinting to catch even a glimpse of the pink fabric.

"No," Grace says curtly. "If they did, the flag would probably be standing in plain sight."

El frowns. "They're kids, Grace. That doesn't mean they're stupid." Even she's taken aback that she's said that. Just a few weeks ago, El would have implied the complete opposite. But now, with Bianca and Laura and Brittany and even little Cassie and Sarah in mind, she knows that El is wrong. She's grown fond of her cabin, and even the sight of the other campers doesn't give her unease anymore.

Grace softens and takes El's hand in hers. (El doesn't let Louise's smirk get past her.) "I know that, but can you imagine all the arguing about where to put the damn flag?"

El can imagine. Hair-pulling, teeth-baring, screeching, insulting, bitch-slapping...maybe a bit too Mean Girls to be realistic. She gives in. "Yeah...yeah. You're right."

"Thank you." Grace smiles. "I've never heard you say that."

"And because of that," El yanks her hand from Grace's, then drapes her long arm across Grace's low shoulders, "I'm never saying it again."

Grace snorts, elbowing El lightly. "Even when I really am right?"

"Trust me, Gracie, you barely are."

"Oh my god," Louise says, breaking the banter bordering on shameless flirting - since when does El flirt anyway? "I'm actually becoming diabetic."

Since the sun is barely up, El's brain hasn't completely registered the fact that she should be a functioning human right now. "What?"

Grace, meanwhile, being the perfectly functioning human she is any time of the fucking day, totally gets Louise's feeble attempt at humor and sarcasm. "I think you need Will's Insulin injection, then, Lou."

Oh, El's brain lights up suddenly.

Louise doesn't even flinch. "Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?"

"That depends. What could you possibly think I'm talking about?"

El watches the exchange in awe. Her head moves to and fro, as if she's observing a tennis match instead of two counselors shooting snarky replies at each other. Taking two people with the history they've had along with unabashed sex appeal, it's obvious that the sexual tension between them would be palpable, even to an outsider looking in.

"Why don't you tell me?" Louise raises an eyebrow, a teasing grin tugging at her lips.

"Deflecting a question is a sign of weakness, you know that?"

"And you just did it."

"Oh-kay," Sky pipes in, dragging the syllables of the word out. "As much as I'd love to see you three ripping each other's clothes off and getting it on behind that tree - " she points to an acacia tree as wide around as five of El " - I really feel like we should talk strategy."

Sky taps the flag with perfectly manicured nails. Grace shoots Louise a mischievous smirk before turning to Sky. "Right," she says.

"Sorry," Louise adds, sounding very not sorry.

El is the only one left flustered and blushing. "Get...get i-it on - ? Pardon?"

Sky sniggers. "You three. Behind the acacia."