Camp (BoyxBoy)

I've always considered myself a lucky person.

I wasn't allergic to anything - not even cats or peanuts, I had "superb" health, as my pediatrician once said, and I've never broken a bone. When puberty hit - and boy did it hit hard, like a train - my face didn't break out like everyone else's, (my mother tells me I have beautiful skin). The most embarrassing experience I had ever had was tripping over my shoelace once in seventh grade in the cafeteria, my nose was proportionate to the rest of my body, and my bladder was blessed with the ability to hold my piss for up to fifteen hours (in a healthy way). To top it all off, I could usually sit in one spot on the lawn for a few hours and come out with several four-leafed clovers - that is, if I had the patience for it.

I'm a really impatient person.

I'm also complete shit at board games, soccer, baseball, speaking, walking, speaking while walking, speaking while breathing and walking, and multitasking in general.

Basically, I'm bad at being a person.

So I just don't talk to people to avoid any situation where I might find myself walking while holding a conversation with someone, only to walk straight into a pole.

Believe me, it has happened before. I Don't exaggerate serious things like that.

I do exaggerate some things, though. such as my hate for school, how hungry I am, and how annoying those girls from my math class are.

Fortunately for me, I have my parents to complain to.

Unfortunately for my parents, I complain a lot - and that's no exaggeration.

But now the tables have turned, and its miserable from the other side.

My luck seemed to have run out.

How did I, Jace Evans, end up in the situation I was in? It's kind of a funny story, actually.

There I was, taking my usual evening walk, questioning the existence of the human race and the possibilities beyond life, when BAM! Out of no where, an unknown force connects with my shoulder, and I'm lying on the pavement.

I rubbed my head, looking up to see who I had collided with.

The culprit? Joshua McCormick: the only person who could become Senior Manager at an ice cream parlor after only working there for three days.

Nobody knew how he climbed the corporate latter so quickly and so effortlessly, but he did it.

His eyes were wide as he ripped his headphones out of his ears, extending a hand out. I grabbed a hold of it, and together we hauled my ass of the ground.

"Dude, I'm so sorry! I was running, and I wasn't watching in front of me!"

I waved it off as if it was nothing. "It's okay, I'm fine."

He seemed to relax a little. I wanted the human interaction to end, so I made an excuse to leave. "Well, I was on my way somewhere so I'll let you get back to your run."

Josh nodded, offering a friendly smile as he started to put his headphones back in his hears. "Well, see you around then. Have a good summer." (Josh didn't have anything to do with any of this, its just leading up to the real reason I am where I'm at.)

He was off, and I scowled, continuing on with my walk. Who runs when it's ninety degrees?

Who walks when its this hot out?

Who even leaves their house?

So with a slightly bruised coccyx, I headed towards my home, desperate for a breeze.

I went inside when I got home, sighing as a gust of cool air hit me.

The pure bliss that is air conditioning was cut short when I saw my mom standing there, her arms crossed, tapping one foot.

My first instinct upon seeing her in that position was to run.

I didn't have time to make my escape before she spoke.

"You were supposed to be watching your brother. Where have you been, Jace?"

I was really confused. "I thought Max was at his friend's house and I-I just went for a walk..."

This was not a good situation. Mom was very mad.

My mom is not exactly a ray of sunshine to be around when her mood is sour, especially if its because of something I did.

"I asked you this morning if you could watch Max while we were at work, and you said you would," she said. "I was on my way home, and he called me, terrified of being alone. He's only five, for Christ's sake! How could you leave him alone like that?!"

I winced as her voice raised. I can't think of one time she's ever been that mad at me before. "I'm sorry. I guess I just forgot," I said weakly.

She shook her head, not saying anything else. Neither of my parents were known to hold a grudge, but I doubted this would be the last I heard of this.

We separated in silence, and I headed into the living room, plopping down on the couch, closing my eyes.

A light jingling could be heard, and a peaked my eye open to see Bartholomew, our family's slightly overweight beagle, galloping towards me, his tongue lolling out. He jumped onto the couch next me, immediately licking my face.

Max followed after him, grinning a gap-toothed grin when he saw me.

"Jace! I lost another toos!" Max yelled, proudly holding his mouth open so I could clearly see the gaping hole where his two front teeth should be.

Well he didn't seem very upset over me leaving him alone.

"That's great, buddy! Make sure to be good so the tooth fairy comes tonight!"

He nodded, then ran back out of the room with his bouncing curls, Bartholomew chasing him excitedly.

They were gone when both of my parents entered the living room, standing in front of me.

Mom threw a packet at me, while Dad stood there trying to look intimidating.

"You don't have a job and I can't handle you sitting around here all summer long," she said, "so you're going to this camp. No if's, and's, or but's."

"What?!" I hissed, jumping away from the paper as it landed on the couch. I glared at it out of the corner of my eye, but refused to touch it.

"My friend Linda," mom continued, "is in charge of a three week long day camp for kids in kindergarten to fourth grade, and I already talked to her to see if she could pull a few strings to get you in. Everything is already taken care of. You and Max are going together starting monday morning."

My mouth probably would be full of flies if there were flies in the house.

"Day camp? Three weeks? For kids?" I stammered, trying grasp the idea still.

Both my parents nodded.

"It will do you good," dad said. "Maybe you'll learn to be more mature finally."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys are crazy if you think I'm going to that."

"No, you are going. There's no getting out of it."

Mom turned and strutted out of the room, dad following closely behind her after one more look at me.

I rested my head in my hands and rubbed my eyes, risking a glance at the pamphlet still next to me.

'CAMP OAKANOA: JOIN US FOR A SUMMER OF FUN!' it said at the top.

I groaned.

Fuck my life.