A Summer To Remember

Chapter Six

The air was warm and the night was young. Jakes request seemed like an acceptable option.

"Hell yeah. Who's gonna start?" Wyatt sat up a little straighter. I wonder how experienced he was in games like these.

"Truth or dare Chloe?" asked Brooke. She looked at her challengingly. For some reason Brooke didn't seem to like Chloe. I guess it wasn't my problem. I wasn't going to get into anything stressful tonight. I couldn't, because I was too happy with the circumstances at hand.

"Hmmm. truth." she answered, laughing her sweet laugh and taking the awkward weight off the moment.

"How many boys have you kissed?"

"Oh gosh." she laughed again, but a little more nervous this time. She crouched forward and put her head in her hands clearly embarrassed.

"I know the answer to this oneee." Jake sang and cleared his throat.

Chloe looked at me silently asking me for help, "I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." I said, looking at Brooke as I shrugged my shoulders.

"No it's alright. Okay, so I have kissed one other boy. But it was awful." she faintly said. She shook her head as if she was replaying an awful memory in her head.

"Dang that's it?" Brooke replied. She shrugged her shoulders and leaned back on the couch rest.

I knew that Chloe had sensed the annoyance in Brooke's voice but had decided to ignore it. It made me like her even more, "okay, Cameron. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Cameron replied while wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

"Hmm. well first I have to go to the bathroom. Leah, wanna come and we can think of the perfect dare for Cameron when we come back?" she asked. She gave me a look that told me she didn't just want to talk about the dare.

"Yeah, be right back guys." we jumped up from our separate couches and headed out the door. Closing the door behind us, she let out a breath as if she had been holding it in that whole time.

"Okay, major news." she said gesturing with her hands, "so... Cameron asked me out." she squealed.

"Oh my gosh!" I screeched jumping up and down, "what did you say?"

"I said yes." she covered her hand with her mouth and joined me in jumping. I felt so happy for her. I knew from years of being one of Cameron's best friends that he was very loyal and sweet. They were perfect for each other.

"I can't believe this. I am so happy. I couldn't help but notice your little hand hold scene back there." I winked and nudged her with my shoulder. She looked down at the floor as if she was shy and embarrassed. I could tell her cheeks were turning rosey.

By this time she had already checked herself in the bathroom and we were walking back to the activity center.

"Wait, what is his dare going to be?" Chloe asked as if reading my mind.

"How about... he has to try to do a cartwheel?" I was really bad at making up dare, if you couldn't already tell.

"Sure." she laughed and opened the door again. Everyone was laughing at some joke and I noticed that Brooke had by now taken Wyatt's hand in her own. She glared at me walking in, but I acted like I couldn't see her.

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It was an hour and a half later. There was popcorn all over the floor, thanks to Jake and Cameron, and everyone was laughed out. We had all had a plentiful game, full of many different dares (some odder than others). It had been fun, but I wasn't worn out yet.

It was about to be my turn when we heard the door opening.

"Probably some kids trying to bug us." Wyatt concluded. Whoever it was, they seemed to be having trouble getting the door open. Chloe bounced up from the couch and ran to the door. Getting it finally open, a woman stumbled in. I wasn't one to judge on people's appearance much, but this lady looked miserable. Her mascara was running, she had a great deal of hair sticking out of her pony, and she had a tissue balled up in her hand. She looked like she hadn't slept in a long time, and she had undoubtedly been crying. In fact, she was still sniffling.

"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you kids." she smiled sweetly through her tears, "I just wanted to check if you guys have seen my daughter anywhere."

"Oh, what is her name?" Chloe asked, genuinely concerned. She put a hand lightly on the woman's arm.

"Her name is McKenzie Stevens? Maybe you've seen her around?" she asked, leaning a little into Chloe for support. She wiped her eyes with the tissue in her hand.

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I had remembered McKenzie Stevens. She had gone to the campground for 2 years. I remember one day going on a bike ride with Brooke. We had been sweating through our clothes, doing laps around the campsites because we didn't want to have to leave the grounds. We stopped for a rest at a site, right on a bluff overlooking trees and the lake, that had no camper in it. It was beautiful.

McKenzie was sitting on a picnic table in the middle of the sight, looking at something in her lap. I stopped my bike a few feet away from her, ready to make conversation. I had thought about talking to her before, but I always got nervous. I wasn't going to be nervous this time.

"Leah..." Brooke gave me a look of distaste. She had told me awhile ago that she thought McKenzie was really weird because of the way she dressed and how she never hung out with anyone. I thought that she just needed a friend. I didn't like to think of people the way Brooke did.

"Hey. I'm Leah."

"I know. I'm McKenzie." she said not looking up from her busy work. She already sounded bored with the conversation.

"I know." I laughed, looking over her shoulder, "what are you doing?"

"Oh. Drawing." she answered plainly. She moved it the slightest bit so that I could see. It was an alluring sight. Ticks and scratches of pencil, all together in an image of trees and water. I couldn't stop staring. She had real talent.

"Wow. that's... amazing." I replied.

"Thanks," she stated and moved the sketchbook back.

I kept trying to talk to her throughout the weekends and years but she always stayed back. She never really gave me a chance, so I basically gave up.

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"I'm so sorry, I haven't seen her at all. Is she missing?" I asked, sitting up and straightening my pants. I could tell something serious was going on.

"Yes... she was around... around here somewhere. Well, she ran off because we got in a fight. She usually doesn't go far. I'll just have to keep looking." she replied, looking like she was about to faint. I walked over to her and Chloe, standing close fearing she might actually faint.

"Do you want us to help look for her?" I asked. Jake and Cameron joined us around Mrs. Stevens, as I assumed her name was.

"Yes, it's no problem at all." Jake joined in. He looked ideally concerned for the woman.

"No, no it's okay. Didn't mean to disturb you kids. I will let you know when I find her. Have a good night." she said it so fast, as if she just thought of something or wanted to get out of there fast. She thanked us and hurried out the door, shutting it behind her.