The Things They Never Tell You About Summer Camp
funhousefreak
Silence: what Max had been searching for all day. He wasn’t normally one for sneaking off just to find peace and quiet; usually he could unwind just fine by playing the 3DS that he’d snuck past David and Gwen after everyone else had gone to bed. But tonight, everyone was extra riled up after the events of the day. Not to mention Neil was nowhere to be found, which was extremely suspicious. Neil never stayed up late or tried to sneak out unless Max had roped him into a scheme. Nikki had had no idea of his whereabouts either, which was even stranger.
“Haven’t seen him since dinner,” Nikki commented offhandedly, focused more on capturing the opossum in the dumpster. “He was acting weird today. Maybe he’s finally losing his mind.”
Max just scoffed and walked away, too tired to engage further with her. He made his way down to the dock, where he knew he could get some silence and not risk being caught by the counselors or any of his fellow campers.
The wood of the dock was old and slippery, though no one had gone swimming that day. Algae grew all over it, and most of the boards were rotting. Max swore that at some point this summer, some unsuspecting person was going to step on the dock and just fall through. He hoped with every bone in his body that it would be David. Though, to be honest, with his luck today, he was surprised he wasn’t being dunked into the lake. It would be just what he needed to top off this hell of a day.
Max sat down at the end of the dock and dangled his legs over the edge. He stared at the reflexive waters, observing how the moon shone brightly on this cloudless night. He would never admit it to anyone, but it was honestly a beautiful scene. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath, tilting his head towards the sky. He was so absorbed in the quiet of the night that he missed the footsteps gently approaching the dock.
“Max?” an enraging familiar voice asked from behind him. Max growled audibly, feeling his blood begin to boil once again. No no no. This was the last thing he needed today. He could not possibly handle David on this fucking day.
“Go the fuck away, David!” Max yelled irately, not even bothering to turn around and acknowledge the man.
“I…” David trailed off, sounding unsure of his words. That was unusual. David never was at a loss for words. “I was just wondering if you knew where Neil was.”
No reprimand for cursing? No telling him to go back to his tent? An extra amount of passivity in his words and tone? This was strange. What the fuck was going on with everyone today?
“No, I haven’t. Now leave me alone,” Max snapped bitterly. He was trying to somewhat control his anger, curious as to David’s strange behavior.
“Oh, dear, well, that’s unfortunate,” David mused, more to himself than to Max. Max didn’t bother commenting. “Where on earth could he be?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Max snapped, quickly feeling his patience dwindling. He was interested in David’s odd manner, but not that interested. “I told you to leave me the fuck alone.”
Max felt David’s gaze boring into his back. Shit, he has something else to say. I should’ve known he was here for me and not Neil. David took a few steps closer to Max, but was careful to keep several feet between them. He knew how ugly things could get if Max snapped.
