Camp Canoa // Luke Hemmings

The One With The Fear Of Heights

[Day +58]

The second hand of my watch ticked lazily closer to twelve and I didn't take my eyes from it. The kids are running up and down the field, doing lazy jumping jacks as they went, but I couldn't care less. It's Friday. I'm less than thirty seconds from freedom.

"Come on, nearly there," I called to encourage the members of the group that were slouching tiredly and declaring that they were going to die. "Just a little more!"

Ten seconds. My eyes flick up to the kids and back to my watch.

Six seconds. I can almost taste it.

And then – yes – the hand hits twelve and I almost jump in excitement. "Alright guys, that's a wrap, I'll see you all first thing tomorrow morning!" I say, excitedly.

The kids drag themselves towards me, fighting for breath as the sweat drips off their chubby little bodies. Some manage an exhausted goodbye; most of them just give me a death glare, like if they were old enough to beat the shit out of me, they'd have done it a long time ago. I don't care though, I was already long into the distance. I'm running towards the dorms and we're losing daylight.

I jumped the fence separating the dorm from the sidewalk that winds all the way through the camp and I crash into Luke as he's walking towards the dorms. I find myself racing him to get there now, but Luke has further to go along the deck and he swears colourfully as he runs off.

"See you in ten." He yells as I fling open the door to the dorm. I slam the door closed with my foot and pull my polo shirt off as I see Danni and Nora hurriedly changing. I throw my shirt onto my bed and shimmy out of my shorts, grabbing any underwear that doesn't smell like sea water and my growing hatred of small children and I dash into the bathroom for a quick shower. I turn the water onto ice cold and hurriedly wash off the day's sweat and dirt.

I've already taken seven minutes of my allocated ten. Underwear-clad, I run back into the room; Luke, Danni, Nora, Ashton, Calum and Michael already lounging across the beds, fresh-faced and damp from their own showers, waiting for me. I receive wolf whistles from all four boys.

"Sorry just gimme a sec..." I said, balling up my towel and chucking it in the general direction of my bed. It hits Calum in the face, and I dig through my suitcase for clothes.

"Dammit where's my..."

"Shorts?" Danni asks, hooking her foot under where she finds them on the floor and she flips them towards me.

"Yes! Danni, you complete me," I said passionately, grabbing them in mid-air and trying not to fall over as I pull them on. All of these people have seen me in my bikini before, what's the big deal now? Luke is blushing when I look over at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on let's go." Michael says impatiently.

Beside him, Nora taps her foot impatiently and goes towards the door to open it pre-emptively. I stuff my feet into my sandals and grab my shirt from on top of the bedside lamp and catch Luke staring at me, blue eyes drifting slowly over my body. Something spins in my stomach and there is a rush of heat under my skin and I yank my shirt firmly over my bra. "What?"

Startled, Luke's eyes snap up to meet mine. "I..." he starts, blush edging up his neck. "Your freckles are – I think they're getting worse."

I roll my eyes. "Thanks, Doctor Dermatology." We all race out and down towards the bike rack.

We ride hard for the town, the stretch through the plantations made more difficult by the sun still high in the sky. Passing the rows of houses on the outskirts of town, we bank right towards the pier and head straight for the café.