Hopeful Undertone

Chapter 17: Time to Say Goodbye

The last day of any trip is always so melancholy.

It was our last night together, but no one was in the mood for hijinks or Truth or Dare. Even Carrie's cheery, high-pitched voice seemed to carry a note of wistfulness as we sorted through the cluttered countertop of our tiny shared bathroom.

"I don't want you guys to leave!" she squealed, parsing through the multitude of skincare products crowded around the sink and tucking hers into a floral-printed cosmetics bag. 

"You're leaving too!" Lyla pointed out. 

"Yeah, but I live five minutes from here," Carrie said. "Just think, by tomorrow afternoon, we'll all be back in our separate towns, scattered across Ohio..."

"Again I remind you, I live in Pennsylvania," Jess said from the other side of the cabin. 

"Oh. Right," Carrie said. 

"And me and Lyla both live in Columbus," I added. "So when we hang out again, which we will, you four can come visit us there."

"I've always wanted to check out Columbus," said Faye, running a hand along the space between her mattress and bed frame, checking for forgotten items. "My friend goes to OSU and loves it." 

"Tessa, isn't that where Tyler lives?" Carrie asked.

"Yup. Tyler, Josh, Zack, Zane, and Abram," I replied. 

"Oh. So you and Tyler will definitely still be a thing after camp!" she said cheerfully. "Gosh, you made it sound like it was so up in the air." 

"Well, it's not that simple," I said. 

"Why's that?" asked Carrie, innocently. 

"Because her stepmother controls her life," Lyla answered. "She can't drive, she can't date, she can't go out. The Tessa you've known for the past five days is new to everyone. Never before seen, I assure you."

"Hey," I said resentfully. 

"Am I wrong?" Lyla asked, and there was a challenge in her tone that I wasn't used to hearing.

"It's not like I really have a choice," I pointed out. 

"I don't know. Sometimes I feel like you could be putting up more of a fight," Lyla said. 

"What am I supposed to do, throw a tantrum?" I said, looking up at her. "While I live with her, she's in charge. I know that's not exactly a trendy idea, you know, respecting authority, but it makes my home life a lot easier." 

"Listen," Lyla said, zipping up her suitcase and looking at me. "I'm not trying to be argue, all I know is you clearly have a weird fear of standing up to Diane. I don't know why, but you do. That's just facts."

Everyone got quiet. 

One by one, we each found a reason to leave the cabin again. I threw on some shorts and went  on one last jog around the lake. Lyla and Carrie went to the cafeteria to see if they could get Miss Linda to give them dessert. The other girls wandered out onto the lawn, where an impromptu sumo-wrestling match had broken out between the camp leaders. 

After a while, there was another bonfire with the kids, their parents, and all the camp volunteers. I found Tyler in the crowd and walked over to him, touching him lightly on the back. He turned around and grinned. 

"There you are," he said, pulling me in for a long hug. "Did you see Andre and Josh sumo wrestling? Andre went rolling down the hill. Took three of us to stop him from rolling into the lake." 

"I must've missed it," I said. "I went on a run."

"So fit," he said, stepping close and poking me in the side playfully.