The Loner

Chapter 2

The 'campground' is every bit unlike a real campground. The main building looks like a lodge in Aspen and the cabins aren't anything like a traditional cabin in the woods. Everything has heating, even the floors. The bathrooms are covered in marble and glass. The beds are fitted with high thread counts sheets and expensive duvets.

The girls around me immediately find faults with our living arrangements. They act like this is a single star hotel, to them this is roughing it. To me this is as far from camping as can be. I crave the familiar hand assembled tent in the woods that I remember. I also miss the act of building a fire pit and toasting smores. To me that is what camping is, not this.

"Oh my god, one shower! What are we animals!" Tiffany shouts, slamming the bathroom door in disgust.

"The sheets aren't even silk. How the fuck am I supposed to sleep!" Khloe gags dramatically.

The rest of the girls in the cabin chime in with their displeasure. I slip out quietly, hoping to get a moment to myself. The brisk air fills my lungs and I take a few deep inhales. I'm immediately regretting going on this trip. I don't know what I expected, but it isn't this.

Deciding to take a short walk, I head for the trail I noticed when we arrived. I tug my scarf around me and zip up my puffy jacket. I doubt hiking isn't even on the schedule this trip. This'll be my only chance to see some nature the entire time I'm here.

Following the trail arrow, I begin walking. The sorry excuse for a campsite quickly disappears behind me as I head into the woods. Calm immediately comes over me when I hear the sound of birds. It's getting dark so I figure I'll just take a short walk, I'll have no trouble finding the trail back.

I hear a babbling brook and step off the trail in search of it. While camping my sisters and I would fish in the lake next to our camp. We'd always have a competition on who could catch the most fish. It created a fierce rivalry that we cherished throughout the years. The memory seems so distant now.

The brook was farther than I thought because it takes me farther and farther from the trail. But I have a good sense of direction, I'm sure I can find my way back. I see the small stream through the trees and quicken my pace.

The stream is beautiful. Fresh clean water cascades down the rocks and small fish dart past. I lean down, letting the freezing water filter through my fingers. It's cold but refreshing, just the way should be.

I decide to take a moment to gather my thoughts and sit down. I settle on a boulder overlooking the stream. It's peaceful and serene, but somehow it makes me sad. I look up at the sky and watch the pine tree branches sway in the wind.

Time seems to pass slowly here and it gives me time to actually relax. This is the first time in a while that I actually realize how stressed I am. School life is demanding, not the work itself but the social aspect. Growing up I'd never had trouble keeping up academically. While girls were excited about finding boyfriends, I was content with studying and homework. I never really fit in socially, I guess that's why I chose to excel socially in high school.

Falling into the popular crowd was never my intention, but here I was. Suddenly I was attending parties rather than staying home to study. Fitting in kind of became a way to survive high school. But being around airheads like Khloe and Tiffany has gotten old.

I think back to the one person who hadn't changed when he entered high school. Logan never seemed to care about who was popular and who wasn't. He didn't care about fitting in. Maybe it was time for me to be myself. The inner person I always was, a genuine human being. I missed the nerdy bookworm I always knew I was, maybe it was time to embrace her instead of pretending she didn't exist.