Camp Camp Oneshots and Ministories (normal version)

Parents Day- Alternate Ending

Requested by zanygemini

As soon as the bus doors opened I was filled with joy. Being around the campers made the already wonderful camp truly magical but meeting their parents was going to be astounding. Gwen and I had been preparing for weeks: putting out flyers, planning the activities and even getting the proper amount of food for everyone. The Quartermaster even half smiled at me when we told him to make an extra serving of his special mashed potatoes. 

Everything about the day was going to be great, not that every day wasn't great at camp. The campers seemed excited as well, even Max. The camper was obviously not expecting his parents to show up and was just ordering a pizza on my phone. I could only imagine his joy when his parents actually did show up. I couldn't wait to tell them about how much he had grown or how proud we were of him. 

Two by two, the parents came out to be with their kids. I jumped in excitement as soon as a tanned skinned couple were walking towards their son. The woman wore causal attire that she seemed a little too... big for. The tiny, low cut top was stretching to fit her otherwise small body, making it see through. Her skinny jeans were way too small for her legs that were perfectly normal. Her face was caked with make up, as if she was trying to hide any hint of ageing. The mother's hair, that was too straight not to be a perm, was worn out and resting on her chest. 

Gwen stared the woman up and down as her eyebrows furrowed in female judgement. The many bangles on her wrist jingled as she ran over to her son who was slowly backing away. I got a whiff of the remaining smell of cigarettes as she passed. 

His father dressed in casual attire, just a blue shirt and brown pants. His black, wavy hair wasn't neat but wasn't messy either. The man casually strolled over to his son, a smile plastered on his face. An uneasy feeling stirred in my stomach as I watched the three greet each other. There was something not right about them.

Before I could think about how Max wasn't happy to see them at all or how the child wasn't expecting them to come, Mr Campbell called everyone over to the Mess Hall. I thought that maybe I was overreacting about the whole thing. 

As the day went on, taking care of everyone and their parents became tiresome. I found myself and Gwen getting caught up in the most stressful yet interesting conversations. I always dreamed of meeting Buzz Aldrin but that dream didn't usually involve my co-counsellor and I explaining to him that we hadn't sent his great nephew to space. My jaw hurt for a while after that encounter. 

Everyone's parents were spending time with their kids and engaging with them. Nerris and her dad even went on a quest together while her mom laughed along. Parents were also mingling with each other, especially Neil's dad and Nikki's mom. They must have developed a friendship that could rival Neil and Nikki's. What would have made the whole thing better was if Max's parents talked with them. 

Max's mom was by herself, playing on her phone. She rolled her eyes at anyone who walked past her. His dad, on the other hand, was laughing with Harrison's parents. My camp counsellor alarms went off when I couldn't see Max anywhere. I heard of some of the stuff he was doing like pulling pranks on Spacekid and Dolph, but no one could spot him afterwards. 

I wondered around the camp in search for his favourite camper. I would have to admit that I was expecting the boy to be planning my demise or maybe even be messing with my personal life. As much as I liked that he had an interest in me, it could sometimes be a bit... obsessive. Usually when Max was doing that sort of thing I didn't get anything close to a sick feeling in my stomach or the sense that something was horribly wrong. Max's parents didn't seem to care about where he was and were just seeming to do whatever they could to pretend he didn't exist.