The Summer at Camazotz

Nine

It's been three days since the first movie night of the summer. While I ended up zoning out for the end half of the movie, I enjoyed myself and felt genuinely relaxed for the first time in a while. When the movie was over we had headed back to the cabins in silence. I said goodnight to Tammy, Astrid, and Jordan, walked into Wolf Cabin, and proceeded to flop onto my bed, nearly falling asleep as soon as I hit the comforter.

It has also been three days since Jordan told me about his idea of doing something together to make up for the sucky time I had with my friends just last month. Considering the situation, it's considerate of him to want to do something for me even though we only met last week. Something tells me that Jordan wouldn't do this for anyone else. He doesn't exactly give off the majorly-caring-guy vibe and it definitely makes me wonder if he has other intentions.

And despite all of it, he still won't tell me what he is planning.

I've bugged him every chance I've gotten this past weekend and I still haven't gotten any closer to figuring it out. To be fair, it is meant to be a surprise, but I'm dying to know. I'm a curious person, there's no doubt about that. While it's not a very harmful trait, it has caused my family stress over the years when trying to surprise me. If I even get the slightest idea that someone is trying to surprise me, I always try to figure it out. I usually don't, save for the rare times I have, but I'm sure I can crack Jordan.

On top of everything, we don't exactly have complete freedom to do as we please just because we're counsellors, so I would be lying if I said I'm not even the least bit curious about this mysterious hang out session. We can't leave the camp or hang out after dark, so what could he possibly be thinking?

In response to my constant pestering, Jordan has made the decision to avoid me whenever possible. I'm not offended, but I have made a mental note to get back at him for it. Each time I almost get to him—and fail—he turns and laughs at me. It's like a game of cat and mouse, but with one very unbothered mouse and one very unintelligent cat.

I was hoping to be paired with his cabin for today's activities so that I could talk to him for a bit and try to get him to spill any details about his idea. Lucky for him and unlucky for me, I'm with Coyote Cabin today.

"Okay so what is it exactly that Jordan's doing?" Tammy asks. Her eyes sparkle playfully, clearly amused by my frustration.

"He won't tell me something that he's planning, so now he's hiding from me."

She laughs. "Do you not know what a surprise is?"

"You know, I was really hoping you'd say something to encourage me."

"What do you want me to say? 'Don't worry Carter. On the day of your wedding, you guys will look back at this and laugh,'" she jokes. Her head is cocked to the side with a smirk slowly stretching across her face.

I roll my eyes. "Clever. But if this was a proposal or wedding question, I think I'd be talking about it a lot more."

"Okay, how about you propose instead. Then you can be like 'Bet you didn't see that one coming.'"

"I think if I proposed I might scare him so much that he'll leave in the middle of the night and we'll never see him again."

Tammy eyes me with a sly smile. I can't tell if she thinks I'm crazy or if I'm just one big joke that continues to unfold before her. Regardless, I'm grateful to have someone like Tammy by my side throughout the summer, and hopefully after, too. I definitely sound ridiculous during most of our conversations, but she always laughs it off as if it's nothing she hasn't heard before.

As we watch over the kids, waiting for instructions on our activity, Tammy and I talk about the possible ideas Jordan may have. Some are completely ridiculous like a candle-lit dinner—of course suggested by Tammy. Others are more realistic and probable, like sneaking out at night to have an adventure of our own—suggested by the logical one, otherwise known as myself.