Camp Waters

Chapter 20: A Camp Telenovela

Run faster.

I continued to use my feet to travel towards my destination, the wind grazing every single crease and corner of my skin as my arms swung in rhythm with the rest of my body.

This is what total control feels like.

I didn't think about Carson when I ran, I didn't think about my haunted past or the fact that my dad left us. All I think about is the path, the dirt path that doesn't lie to me, it doesn't kiss me and date Kermit The Frog the next morning, the path doesn't cheat on me, the path doesn't leave me.

When did my life turn into a Telenovela?

I'm surprised I haven't had sex with my mortal enemy who turns out to have an evil twin, Rodrigo, that is trying to take over the family business and kills absolutely everyone in his way. Whoops! Now I'm pregnant. Oh no! I had a miscarriage. Or did I? Or did Alberto sneak into my room in the middle of the night and put acid into my sleeping pills. Woah! Now I'm in a coma and my mother is taking over my restaurant, but somebody is threatening to close down the restaurant. Plot twist! It's my great grandfather who was banished from the family for stealing the family heirlooms twenty years ago. Plot twist again! It's actually me in a mask.

"I won!" Jackson cheered from where he was standing ahead of me, he then proceeded to do an almost pathetic victory dance that had my stomach hurting from laughter.

"How do girls find you attractive? You're like a puppy who's on heroine all the time." I said holding my stomach in pain from all the laughing.

"What can I say? I'm sexy." He used his pointer finger and his middle finger to rub his nipples in circles, while sticking his tongue out like a dog at the same time.

"Stop I'm gonna gag." I said faking a throw up behind me. "I feel like I just saw an old vulture's mating call."

"How do you know so many exotic animals, like at the top of your head?" He ran back to where I was standing, handing me the water he had packed and I had completely forgotten.

I gave him a sheepish smile and he rolled his eyes, "I watch a lot of animal planet."

"Speaking of animals, how have the boys been? Sebastian stopped coming to watch us practice." He grabbed the water from me and used his shirt to clean the bottle opening.

"Really? I guess we've been hanging out more than usual." I shrugged and picked up jogging again, Jackson obviously catching up to me faster than I caught up to him the first time.

"Really?" He raised one of his eyebrows in speculation. My entire body went rigid.

"No, no! It's not like that all." I said putting my hands up in reassurance. Just the thought of me kissing any one of the boys was enough to make me squeamish, obviously not one of the boys but...

It's not like that was an option anymore.

"Do you want to go eat breakfast? I'm hungry." He pouted and made a pleading puppy face that earned a scoff from me.

"I thought this was a morning run, is little baby Jackie hungry already?"

"A young growing man like me needs food, what if I'm teaching a kid archery and suddenly pass out in front of him just as he's about to shoot? What if I die Bree? Do you want that? Do you want me to die from starvation before the big field trip? That's an important moment in any adolescence, going on a camp field trip to the zoo overnight. It could teach me a lot, like- "

"Okay, stop talking." I said groaning as I struggled to comprehend his inability to be normal. "Let's go to breakfast."

His face broke out in a gleaming grin and I tightened my ponytail holder. "Did you ever fix your phone?"