𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃 {𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀}

chapter twenty three ❁

chapter twenty three: the fight for apple pie

Harsh and brutal screams of the counselors ravaged the lake. The motivated counselors taunted and unleashed their fury among the campers. The reoccurring slop and slosh sounds of the water slapping against our paddles and our boat, seemed to motivate all of us.

"Come on, girls, I know you can do better than that!" Erin's high pitched and blood-curdling screams still seemed to terrify my cabin-mates, even though she was many yards away from us.

"We can't give up now, guys!" Sabrina huffs and and digs her paddle under the water and brings it up from the surface in a continuous loop.

We all work together in unison, trying to beat the other cabins that came anywhere near our boat. Our mission was to beat the five other female cabins. The overall winners would be served their victory dinner, which consisted of gourmet burgers, fries and a dessert. We never had dessert with our dinners at all. But when we heard we would get fresh-baked apple pie, as a token of our strenuous win, the apple pie had became everyone's motivators.

Our objective was to all work together as a cabin in our boats and race from one end of the lake to the other. It felt not even a few minutes into our quest. My muscles began to tense under the tremendous pressure we were under.

"Are we almost there?!" Aria quips behind me, sensing the pain in her voice and feeling the roughness of her paddling start to slow down. My body pushes itself to the limit and forgets about the current pain we are enduring.

"I don't know!" My voice cracks through the barrier of unflattering wheezes escaping my throat. "Sabrina, how we looking?! Close?!"

"We are almost in the lead!" Sabrina cheers, we are all relieved when we hear the small peak of enthusiasm in her voice rise. But we knew the feeling of accomplishment wouldn't last forever.

"Oh, fuck!"

Taking a brief moment to stop paddling, my eyes seem to deceive me when another boat simply passes us by. It must not have fazed the girls in the other boat that they have just taken the lead. They seemed just as motivated as us if not more.

"Alright, game on." Aria surprises me when the delightful and innocent tone in her voice changes from pure to determined.

Sabrina doesn't bother to turn her head as she keeps paddling, "What, Ari?"

"I want that fucking apple pie."

I grip my paddle tighter digging it deeper through the green and blueish colors of the lake. Not even taking the brief moment to pause and swipe the sweat off my forehead. My forehead begins to rain as I slash through the waters harder.

Closing my eyes, I try and pinpoint a scenario that will motivate me the most. Different places, people, smells, and voices travel through my mind at light speed. Finding myself daydreaming of different memories causes me to slow down.

Suddenly finding myself remembering every memory that has brought me immense joy and happiness. Courses through my mind even faster.

Standing front row at the Led Zeppelin concert, three years ago. Screaming my heart out to Immigrant Song, while watching Jimmy Page shred on guitar.

Facing my fears and riding down the tallest roller coaster at my state fair.

Kirk tackling me on the football field and locking eyes with his for the first time.

Escaping Rosewood in a stolen van while on mission of escaping summer camp.

Watching the sunset with Kirk, the night we first met.