Camp Counselors in Trouble

After my first year of college, I decided to spend the summer in South America working with low-income kids in a day camp. It was the type of job where they provided me with on-campus room and board, as well as a small stipend, in exchange for my work. It was such a wonderful experience where I met many awesome local and international staff who shared my passions for travel and helping people. I couldn't have picked a better summer job.

My roommate was a girl from Spain named Elena. She had just turned 18 and was an only child who wanted to spend the summer away from home to prove to her parents she was an adult. She stood a few inches taller than me, had thick wavy black hair, green-ish eyes and a few freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks. And she was one of the most fun people I'd ever hung out with. She was child-like, unafraid to show her emotions and didn't take things too seriously. Within days, I'd developed not only a strong friendship, but also a small crush on her – something I hadn't even been sure was possible, given that I'd considered myself heterosexual before leaving the US.

One weekend Elena and I were almost the only people around the camp. It was a national holiday so the locals went home with their families, and many of the foreigners took a bus to the capital where there was a big parade and endless drinking. We'd opted out of leaving because our money was running low and we both had to finish up some evaluations for work, but after a few hours of the quiet boredom in our room, we started to regret that decision.

"I wonder if anything is going on in town..." I thought aloud.

"Even if there is, how will we get there?"

I shrugged. The camp was only a few miles outside city limits, but no local buses ran around there and it was too far to walk. "We could always steal the van and drive to town," I joked. "Santiago's shown me where they leave the keys."

"Really?" she said. I could see a look in her eyes as if she wanted to actually try this adventure, and my heart started to race with nervous anxiety.

"Yeah, they're in the basement hanging on the wall in the office, but they always leave the office door unlocked," I said nonchalantly. I wanted to look badass for her, and it would be worth it, right?

"But maybe we shouldn't do it, Sami. We could get into a lot of trouble..."

I shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "But it would be a lot of fun."

We sat in silence for a moment, she staring at her blank evaluation and I at her. What would she say? Would it be worth it? Would we be able to do it without getting caught? I noticed her nervously chewing on her bottom lip, then she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked up at me grinning. "Let's do it! No one will ever find out."

"Let's do it!" I shouted back.

We threw our evaluations aside and dressed ourselves, drunk off of adrenaline. My heart was still racing as we tiptoed carefully downstairs to the basement, half-expecting an alarm to go off or someone to catch us. But nothing happened. I opened the door with ease, grabbed the keys, and scampered out.

"Where in town can we go?" Elena asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe something's going on at the karaoke bar?" That was a camp favorite where many of us spent drunken weekends belting out off-key karaoke tunes.

"Yeah, but what if we see someone we know there? Maybe we should go someplace else."

"No one will be there, Lena. They're all gone home and are spending time with their families. Duhhh!"

She giggled. "Sorry, I'm just nervous we'll get caught!"

"Don't be nervous," I said, putting my arm around her waist. "Everything will be fine." I squeezed her then grabbed her hand, leading her to where the van was parked across the street. "I'll drive and you can drive us back, sound good?"