Camp Red Lake

Chapter 9. Starting Over

The rest of the school day drifted by slowly. I had a hard time concentrating on anything my teachers said. No matter how hard I tried, I always found my mind wandering back to that moment.

"Just stay away from me!" His frantic words echoed through my head like a broken record. After two long and grueling hours, the bell for lunch rang. After gathering my stuff, I made my way out to the cafeteria. This time, I skipped the line and went straight to the table where Myra and Jason were already sitting.

"How are you holding up?" Jason asked as I sat down. I shrugged and laid on top of my bag. I had a pounding headache.

"Maybe you should try talking to him." Myra began as she stuffed a French fry in her mouth.

"I already tried that and you saw how it ended." I muttered bitterly.

"Hey guys." Allison chimed as she sat down with her tray.

"Ally, have you seen Croy? I know you guys have Spanish together." Myra began before sipping her juice.

"You know how he is. He spent most of the class moping in his seat and as soon as the bell rang, he took off without saying a word to me!" She fumed with her mouth full of cheese burger. I stood up as Myra and Jason exchanged worried glances.

"I'm going for a walk, maybe I can familiarize myself with the campus." I huffed as I picked up my bag.

"The art room and music room are always open!" Jason shouted as I walked away.

At first, I just walked around the campus. I could see people walking around and hanging out with their friends. I paused when I noticed Violet standing by the basketball courts with her posse. I picked up my pace when she turned to me, her menacing glare nearly burned holes in the back of my head.

The art room was the size of three classrooms put together. It had more art supplies than a small craft store. Cautiously, I stepped into the brightly decorated room.

"Why hello there!" An enthusiastic voice greeted from a corner. An older lady with long white hair and a paint-stained apron made her way over after putting some sculptures in a kiln.

"Hello." I greeted timidly as I took another step into the room.

"My name is Ms. Saunders. This is the art room. Did you have a question about something?" I shook my head as I studied the ceiling. Handmade kites and origami decorated the walls. "Are you interested in art?" I nodded. "Well, if you'd like to sign up, you're allowed to have one elective class per year. I just need your information so I can submit it to the office and they'll add my class to your schedule!"

"That sounds like fun, but I kinda want to check out the music room first, if that's okay." I admitted timidly.
"Of course, feel free to come back when you've made your decision!" She enthused.

After I finished looking around, I made my way towards the music room, Ms. Saunders had given me directions. It was in the bungalows just by entrance of the school. A soft melody drifted through the walls as I approached the building. 'What a beautiful sound...' I thought to myself as I turned the corner. My pulse sped up as a male voice echoed through the walls.

Curiosity over-took me. The way this person was singing, with so much emotion, caused goosebumps to raise on my skin. I peeked through the door frame and my heart nearly stopped. The music room was nearly empty, except for one familiar figure, playing guitar in the corner.

My jaw nearly hit the floor as I watched Croy play expertly, his fingers seemed to take on a life of their own as he tugged the strings. My heart raced faster with every verse he sang. After the last line, he opened his eyes and caught me standing in the doorway, mouth agape. His brow immediately furrowed as he stood up and placed the guitar on the stand.

"So now you're spying on me, that's great." He muttered before moving the chair he'd been sitting on to its rightful place.

"N-no, I wasn't I-"

"Save it. I don't care." He affirmed before grabbing his book bag and walking out of the room. After that, I went back and signed up to Ms. Saunder's art class. There was no way I could handle being in the same elective as a person who loathed me so much.

After the school day was over, I made my way back to the cabin. As I gathered my clothes to go wash, I couldn't help but remember the way he'd sang. It had sounded so lost, so pained.

"Ah!" I screamed and jumped when someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry! Did I scare you?" Myra asked cautiously as she pulled away. I shook my head.

"No! I was just a little distracted, that's all..." I tried to play it off as I took out my soap.

"Are you still thinking about what happened with Croy?" Myra pried as we walked through the woods. A nod was all I could manage.

"I just, I thought I was beginning to understand him and then he goes and gets all butt-hurt, it's infuriating!" Myra placed her hand on my shoulder again as we neared the lake.

"Haze, you're blushing." She informed me with a smug smile.

"I am not!" I shot back, my face warming up.

"You're crushing on him, aren't you? That's why it bothers you so much." She giggled.

"You're crazy!" I exclaimed before picking up my pace.

"Look, Croy's pretty hot and he's got a very strong sense of justice. He's also kind and talented, so I can see why anybody would fall for him. Just tread carefully. You and Ally aren't the only ones who like him..." She trailed off ominously.

"You don't have to worry, because I don't like him." I affirmed.

"Keep telling yourself that." Myra retorted before picking up her pace and leaving me alone with my thoughts.

That night after curfew, I snuck out. There were no locks on the doors. All I had to do was avoid the Sergeants that patrolled the grounds, it was easier than I could've imagined. After getting past them, I made my way quietly down the trail and towards the lake.

The night air was fresh and the sky was clear. When I made it to the shore, I sighed and took a seat beneath an old tree. The starry sky reflected perfectly off the surface of the water. 'This place sure is beautiful.' I thought to myself as I stared up at the voluptuous moon. "Too bad I'm a prisoner." I muttered out loud.

"Talking to yourself too huh?" A familiar voice startled me. My cheeks flared red when I laid eyes on him, the conversation I'd had with Myra was still fresh in my mind. "Mind if I join you?" Croy asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. I shook my head and scooted to the side so he could take a seat.

"Lake looks nice at this time huh?" He asked as he stared out at the water. I nodded. "I gotta say it's one of the only things I like about this place." He admitted. After sitting next to each other for a while in silence, Croy sighed exasperatedly. "Look, I'm not very good at apologizing, so pay attention. I'm only gonna say this once. I'm sorry, okay?" He muttered softly. My eyes widened. "I think you were right, we did get off on the wrong foot, so I was thinking we could start over." An unwilling smile spread across my face.

"I'd like that." My heart raced when he held out his hand to me.

"I'm Croy." He began with a crooked smile. I snickered before shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hazel."

(A/N: I actually love writing in different character points of view. I think it helps give insight to parts of a story that normally wouldn't get told! So prepare yourselves to see more from Croy's point of view and Everyone else's as well! Thank you guys for hanging around till chapter 9! You guys are the best MUAH!)