The Return to Summer Camp

Chapter Four: The Rock

When Jared opened his eyes again Connor was gone. Jared laid there for a while, watching the ceiling.

    Eventually he got up from the bed and threw on a jacket, stepping outside. He just needed to clear his head.

    Jared started walking, and before he knew it he had ended up at the rock formation.

    It still looked just as much like a rock as it did last summer.

    Stepping up to it, he stared at the large rock's surface, contemplating.

    "Jared?" From the other side of the rock appeared Alana, still in her bathing suit from swimming.

    "What are you doing here?" Jared asked, stepping over to her. "I thought you guys were all swimming?"

    "Oh we ended a little bit ago, the rest of them went to hang out in our cabin, but I wanted to visit this guy." She patted the rock. "Here, why don't we sit."

    Jared and Alana sat with their back to the rock, looking up at the sky.

    "Do you remember when we first came here?" Alana smiled, looking at Jared.

    "Wha- oh, our date." Jared laughed, picking up a stone and throwing it into the grass. "That feels like ages ago."

    "I know." Alana replied, picking at a patch of grass. "That wasn't the night I gained a boyfriend, it was the night I gained one of my closest friends." Alana gave Jared a small smile. "So why don't you tell me what's wrong, Jared."

    Hell, Jared didn't even know what was wrong. His emotions were headphones and life was a pocket he had been put into.

    Jared tried to speak, but nothing came out for a minute, "It's just unfair." He said. "It's unfair that I can't be accepted for who I am, that I'm stuck here unable to do anything, that someone I loved so much, someone I would die for, can't stand to be around me."

    He went quiet, he didn't even realize he felt that way. Would he die for Connor?

    Maybe.

    Alana looked at him, "I'm not an expert by any means, but do you still love Connor?"

   "I-" Did Jared? After everything that they've been through. "I don't know. But either way, one thing's for certain, Connor doesn't love me, not like he used to."

    Alana considered this for a moment, then looked up at the rock, "Do you know why this rock's special, Jared?" She asked.

    Jared looked up at the rock, "No." he said.

    Alana patted the rock, "This rock is a glacial erratic. It was transported hundreds of miles by a glacier and was left behind when the glacier melted."

   She paused and then put a hand on Jared's shoulder. "This rock has been thrown around, left behind, and gone through everything to get right here in this exact spot, where it's supposed to be. You might be getting thrown around and left behind, but you will end up right where you are supposed to go, I promise."

    Jared looked at the rock again and gave a nod, "Thanks Alana."

   Alana stood and dusted off her pants, "Before you figure out how Connor feels, figure out how you feel. Now let's head back."

    Alana and Jared arrived at the cabin to find Zoe, Evan, and Connor sprawled out across Zoe's bed, laughing about some dumb thing Evan had said.

    This time, when Jared saw Connor, he didn't recoil. Instead, he considered, how did he really feel about Connor?

    "The whole gang is here!" Zoe threw her hands in the air, excited. "We have to play a game, like old times."

    "We can't exactly play spin the bottle." Evan said, throwing an arm around Zoe. He then realized he had brought up Connor and Jared's break up and tried to change the subject, "But uh, what game shall we play?"

    "How about two truths and one lie." Jared suggested, flopping down on the bed next to Evan.

    "How are you always so good at coming up with games?" Zoe asked.

    "What can I say, I'm always the life of the party." Jared grinned before giving her a wink.

    "Yeah I bet." Zoe rolled her eyes. "Alana, you go first."

    "Oh um, I play tennis, I don't like strawberry gum, and I love blueberry icecream." Alana decided.

    "There's no way you like blueberry icecream, that stuff's disgusting." Connor said.

    Alana shook her head, "No, that was the truth." She said, proud she had fooled someone.

    "Uh, you don't like strawberry gum?" Evan asked.

    Alana nodded, "Yep! I do like strawberry gum, in fact it's my favorite!"

    "I'll go next." Jared said, sitting up. "I want three children, I spent five days in the hospital when I was a kid, and my favorite smell is this watermelon hair gel I have."

    He was sure had stumped everyone with this one. But before anyone else could speak up, Connor did.

    "You want two children." Was all he said, staring down at the bed. "You don't want three, you want two."

    Jared was surprised that Connor even remembered that, "Um yeah, that's the lie." He said. "So who's turn-"

    "Mine." Zoe grinned. "And I'm going to take it up a notch, I have kissed a girl, I am not wearing underwear, and I have a fetish for-"

    She was interrupted by Greg bursting into the cabin, looking cheery as ever, "Remember campers, boys can't stay in the girls rooms overnight!" With that, he left.

    So they all said their goodbyes for the night before retiring to their cabins. As they walked back, Jared watched Connor.

    Jared had a lot to think about...