The Return to Summer Camp

Chapter Nine: Canoeing Trip

    Somehow Jared found himself alone on a canoe with Connor Murphy.

    "We bring food and bug spray this time?" Jared joked. Connor gave a small fake laugh that left Jared discontent. Obviously he didn't get it.

    Jared looked down at the water, trying to think of something to say.

    "You, uh, learn to swim since last time?" Connor broke the silence, dipping his paddle into the water.

    Jared smiled, "Uh, no actually. Never really got around to it."

     "Right, I was supposed to teach you." Connor nodded. "You know, we could still uh, maybe do that sometime,"

    "Oh yeah, yeah." Jared said with fake enthusiasm. "We could Alana and Evan and Zoe-"

    "Exactly, whole gang." Connor agreed.

    "So um, how've you been the last couple months?" Jared asked, helping  Connor steer the canoe past some rocks. "You know, haven't seen you in a while.

   "Oh, good, good." Connor said. "I finally got to finish that one book I told you about. How about you?"

    "Oh wow, um I-" How come Jared couldn't think of a single interesting thing he'd done in the last two months. Come on, he wanted to look casual and cool, even if he wasn't. "I, err, have just been keeping up with school."

    Damn it, why couldn't he have said something cool, it was the perfect opportunity to. He could've told Connor he had a hot new boyfriend or have been living it up at parties.

    Jared had been so distracted by trying to come up with something cool to say that he hadn't even been paying attention to where he was steering. Before he knew it, their canoe was tangled in a bush near the water.

    "Fuck." Connor stood in the canoe, making it shake violently. Jared held on tightly, not wanting to fall in the water.

    Connor tried to pry the branches back but with no luck, "We're stuck." He said.

    "Here let me help." Jared stood as well, making the boat almost tip.

    "Careful, I don't want to have to drag your drowning ass to shore." Connor told him.

    "Yeah, yeah." Jared said, pulling at the branches.

    "It's not going to work." Connor smiled, shaking his head.

    "Watch me." Jared replied smugly.

    As Jared played with the branches, another canoe came around the corner.

    "Ah, Connor!" A boy in the canoe said as it drew nearer. "Are you stuck?"

   "Oh, we are!" Connor's face lit up. Jared scrunched up his face, who was this?

"Here let us help you." The canoe came up to theirs.

"Thanks, Miguel, you're awesome." Connor said. Jared perked up, looking intensely at Miguel.

    This was him.

    Miguel took ahold of their boat and pulled it, freeing them from the branches.

    "There you go." Miguel smiled, backing his canoe away and taking a glance at Jared. "I'll see you later, Connor."

    "Thanks, I'll see you later." Connor replied.

    "Thanks." Jared mumbled.

    Miguel and his canoe partner paddled away, leaving Connor and Jared alone again. Jared took his paddle back out, dipping it in the stream.

   Jared cleared his throat, "So, uh, who was that?" He said innocently, pretending to not know.

    "Oh, that's Miguel." Connor said. "He's cool."

    "Oh, I see." Jared paused, deciding whether or not to ask what he said next, "So how long have you guys been dating?"

    Connor gave Jared a funny look, "Dating? No, Miguel and I aren't dating, we're just friends." He looked away. "I mean, we used to but... you know."

    Jared scrunched his face up, "What?"

    "Back in sophomore year we kinda dated for a while but it didn't work out, we're just friends." Connor said.

    "Oh." Jared felt stupid.

    Connor fiddled with his paddle, "Why do you care who I'm dating?" He asked, not in a mean way, but a curious way.

    "No, I just," Jared struggled to find words. "...was curious." He finished lamely.

    "Yeah, I just rekindled with him this summer, didn't know he was going here." Connor said.

    Jared looked to the side and nodded.

    Connor hesitated, "Listen. I know that the last couple of months things have been weird and all."

    "Tell me about it." Jared laughed. "Zoe and Evan have been treating me so gently I'm going to tear my hair out."

    "I'm glad I'm not the only one." Connor laughed with him. "But, um, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about everything I said back then..."

    Jared nodded, "I'm sorry too."

    "I just... I just wanted to make my family happy. And officially coming out, it was harder than I expected it to be." Connor shrugged, not daring to make eye contact with Jared.

     "I know, it wasn't easy for me either, I just wanted to be in together though. To me, it didn't matter what anyone else said, as long as I had you." Jared admitted.

    "I wish I had been in it together with you." Connor nodded solemnly.

    "Well do you think..." Jared bit his lip. "We could, um-"

    Before Jared could finish his question, Connor pulled him forward and connected their lips.

    Jared melted into the kiss, it was even warmer than he remembered. He tangled his fingers into Connor's hair and relaxed.

    Things were finally right again.

    Jared was in heaven for the rest of the canoe ride. They spent the time catching up, but mostly making out. It felt like forever since Jared had been this happy.

   Once they reached the end of the canoe ride, they began to stumble back to their cabin, happy and in love again.

    "You know, I think you're so pretty." Connor said, looking at Jared as they walked. "I had to keep looking away, I feared you would catch me staring at you."

    Jared laughed, "And here I thought everyone looked away because I was just too hideous."

    Connor wrapped his arm around Jared's waist, "Nah."

    Jared looked up at Connor and smiled, "You know, I missed this."

    Connor looked down at Jared and returned the smile, "I missed this too."

    The two reached the cabin and opened the door, stumbling in while laughing at some dumb joke Jared had made, only to find Evan alone, sitting on the bed.

    "What's up, Ev?" Jared grinned, excited to share the exciting news of his and Connor's reunion.

    However, when Evan looked up, his face was lined with tears.

    "What's wrong?" Jared demanded, the light fluffy feeling going away.

    Evan tried to form words, gesturing with his hands, "We broke up."