It was the first day of summer camp and the last year that Isabelle would be able to come this camp. She has been coming to this camp every year for 13 years. Usually every kid hated being sent to summer camp, but Isabelle was a bit different. She loved summer camp and it helped that her only/best friend, Slader, goes to the same camp as her. Isabelle was a couple of miles down the road from the camp. She was sitting in the front seat, next to her mother, reading. "Belle?" her mother spoke. She looked over at her mother and closed the book, keeping her thumb in between the pages. "yeah?" Isabelle responded. "I can't believe this is the last time I'm dropping you off at summer camp." her mother said all sentimental. Isabelle let out a soft chuckle and it sort of hit her as she saw the sign. She planned on making this her best summer yet. Her mother parked the car and got out grabbing her suitcase from the trunk. As her mother handed it to her she looked a Isabelle, "I know Slader is here, but maybe you try and make other friends. You can n-" Isabelle cut her off, finishing her sentence, "never have too many friends. I know mom." she said softly, taking her suitcase. They hugged and her mother headed back into the car to drive home. Her parents were divorced, but it wasn't those dramatic, miserable divorces. Both of her parents were a large part of both her's and her younger brother and sister's lives.
As she walked up to sign in, she took a deep breath. The camp was surrounded by nature and had a lake in the center of it. Isabelle found it so relaxing. Every year she brought books with her to read by the lake. The fresh air here was Isabelle's favorite. She signed in and got the key to her cabin and began walking towards it. As she approached the cabin she saw a blonde girl struggling with the door. This girl was surrounded by suitcases, it was enough to last Belle like 2 years. Isabelle took a deep breath, she had a feeling she was just roomed with her complete opposite. The girl turned and gave Isabelle an exasperated look. "Oh good, do you work here? This stupid door is jammed." Isabelle gave her a confused glance. "No, I don't work here. I'm your roommate and you're turning the key the wrong way." Isabelle stated a matter of factly. The girl turned it the other way and it opened with ease. Olivia turned and smiled "Hi, I'm Olivia." she exclaimed with a grin. Isabelle gave a small smile. "Isabelle." she said softly, picking up her suitcase. She walked in and placed her suitcase on the bed, while Olivia pulled all of her suitcases in. Isabelle watched her and shook her head, this was going to be a long summer.
She didn't feel like staying in the cabin, especially with her new roommate. She sent Slader a text, it read: hey are you here yet? I'm in cabin 3. Text me when you get here. She pressed send and hoped he would respond shortly. Olivia was unpacking and rambling on about herself. To be honest Isabelle wasn't listening to a word she said.
Slader sat in the passenger seat of his older brother's beat up Ford truck. His phone buzzed and the screen read Bella Boo, his dorky nickname for his bestfriend Isabelle. He smiled at his screen as he read her text. He was literally just pulling into the camp.
"Have a good summer, man. See you later." Slader's older brother Dolton said. He nodded at his brother as he exited the truck. "Take care off mom for me, kay?" Dolton nodded.
Slader walked around and grabbed his backpack and small travel case from the back of the truck. He made his way down to the office to receive his cabin key. The camp did their best to separate the boys and girls, so he ended up getting Cabin 7, which was about a quarter mile from Bella's. Because of this, he decided to go check on her before going to his own place.
Cabin 3 came into the distance, and a smile lit up Slader's features. He bounded up the steps and knocked eagerly on her door. "Open up Bella Boo!"
(Sorry it's somewhat short, I'm cramming for finals)
((Omg Bella boo is such a cute nickname and don't worry about the length as long as it isn't a one liner I can work with it))
Isabelle had decided to go use the bathroom quickly while she waited for a response from Slader. Olivia stopped talking about herself and looked curiously at Isabelle, "where are you going?" She asked curiously. Isabelle wasn't used to having someone so in her face. Slader was an extrovert like Olivia clearly was be he wasn't even close to being as obnoxious. "Bathroom." Isabelle answered softly and left the room.
Olivia smiled and continued unpacking. She heard a knock and a male voice. "Ooo a boy!" She whispered excitedly to herself as she went and opened up the door. "Hi!" Olivia exclaimed happily. She gave him her bright smile and reached out her hand "I'm Olivia Banks." She said confidently. She looked at Slader up and down, he was super cute. "So what brings you to lil ol' cabin 3?" She asked with a fake southern accent, pretending to be a southern belle.
Olivia gently grabbed his arm and pulled him into the cabin "I heard you say Bella when you knocked. Is Isabelle your girlfriend or am I lucky enough to be talking to a single man?" She said giving a flirtatious wink.
Isabelle walked in just as Olivia gave Slader a wink. She rolled her eyes, her roommate was definitely going to be a handful. Isabelle cleared her throat as she walked in "sorry to interrupt." She said softly as she gave Slader a curious look and sat down on her bed. Olivia smiled "so Bella how do you know him?" She asked eager to find out if he was single. Isabelle cringed slightly she only let Slader call her Bella "He's my best friend." She stated bluntly. Olivia bit her lip "so you are single" she said flirtatiously. Isabelle practically wanted to vomit at how obvious she was being. "Slader. Remember, we have to go do that thing. You know...that we do every year..." She said vaguely just trying to get away from her roommate.
Slader looked up surprised as a blonde girl opened the door instead of Isabelle. She seemed extremely energetic and hyper. Slader reached out and shook her outstretched hand, a little dazed by her bubbliness. "I'm Slader, nice to uh... Meet you Olivia." He responded. The blonde girl reached out again, this time to pull him into their cabin. He began to protest, but as soon as he spotted Isabelle, he quit fighting her grasp. He welcomed his best friend with a large, warm smile.
Olivia's flirtation was extremely obvious, but he knew how to handle girls well. This happened to him sometimes. Apparently he was what you'd call "attractive". "I uh... Yeah, I'm single." He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and casting Bella a sidelong glance.
"Oh right, right. That thing. Shall we go?" He asked her as he moved toward the door. Slader offered the blonde girl a polite smile and continued walking out of the cabin. He swung the door open and waited for Isabelle. "Nice to meet you, Olivia." He waved at her as they left.
The two walked out of earshot and eyesight of Cabin 3, and Slader pulled his shorter best friend into a warm embrace. After a moment, he pulled away and smiled down at her. "Bella Boo! How are you? Quite a roommate you got there..." He commented awkwardly, glancing back at her cabin.
"I'm Cabin 7, just over that trail." Slader pointed down into the forest where a foot trail let to the guys' cabins. A few other kids their age were arriving to their cabins, mostly girls because of where they were currently located. Every year on the first night there would be a huge bonfire where everyone would kind of get to know eachother and get their schedules for the summer. In the distance, Slader noticed some workers creating a bonfire pit on the beach.
Isabelle stared at the ground as her best friend and roommate chatted. She was relieved when her roommate played along with her plan to leave, he always came to her rescue. She followed Slader out of the cabin. Olivia gave him a grin and wave "bye!" She called out to him. They walked down the trail.
Isabelle was observing her surroundings when she felt arms wrap around her. She smiled hugging him back. Slader always gave the best hugs. She shrugged a bit "yeah, I guess. I'm sure she means well." Isabelle said softly. Isabelle was never mean or rude, she just didn't have it in her.
She frowned a bit hearing he was in cabin 7. It was a bit of a walk but hoped their schedules would be similar at least so that they can spend time together. She slowed her walk as they started approaching the male cabins "should I let you go unpack and meet your roommate?" She asked softly.
Slader shrugged and looked down at her. "You can tag along if you don't wanna go back to the blondie" Slader replied, shooting a glance back at Cabin 3 far in the distance and winking at Isabelle.
A camp counselor, Matt, that knew the two of them came strolling up, a big grin on his face. "You're back!" He exclaimed, embracing the both of them in a semi-awkward group hug. "Don't worry, I put in good word for you so that your schedules are as similar as possible." He told them with a wink.
Slader laughed softly and smiled. "Thanks Matt. How've you been?" He asked as he put a friendly hand on his shoulder. The counselor nodded. "I've been good! Now you two get unpacked so you can go to the orientation meeting. Maybe you can come help me introduce the newbies to the place?"
Slader nodded eagerly. "I'd love to scare the crap outta all of the new ones... I mean, help."
Isabelle smiled at the invitation to tag along. When she heard a familiar voice and her eyes met Matt the counselor, a huge smile grew on her face. The group hug was sort of awkward but she just laughed, she loved being at camp with her best friend.
She was thrilled to hear Matt put in a good word for them so they would have similar schedules. Hopefully she wouldn't be let down. Isabelle nodded excitedly to Matt. "I'm already unpacked, but I'll make sure Slader gets unpacked." She said with a smile.
There was a screech a couple of cabins away and a blonde came running out of cabin 3. Belle closed her eyes and hoped it wasn't her roommate but she turned and saw Olivia running towards them. "Oh my god thank god you're still close!" She said running straight towards Slader. "There was this spider and it was huge!" She said with tears in her eyes. Isabelle sighed and began walking back to the cabin to kill the spider.
She walked in and found the spider on the mirror. It wasn't nearly as big as Olivia was making it out to be. While Isabelle was in the cabin, Olivia was clinging to slader's arm for dear life. "I hope she kills it." Olivia exclaimed. Isabelle took a piece of paper and squished the spider, throwing it out.
Isabelle walked back over to where she was and Olivia looked at her "did you kill it?" Isabelle nodded simply and began walking towards the direction of slader's cabin. Olivia watched "wait, where are you guys going?" She asked curiously. Isabelle sighed, "slader's cabin." She said as she turned and continued walking. Olivia ran after them "wait, can I tag along too?" Isabelle didn't have the heart to say no so she remained silent.
Slader jumped in surprise as Olivia clung to his arm, screeching about some 'huge' spider. He doubted it. With a sigh, he stared down at the blonde girl, his eyes widening in mock fright.
Just as soon as Olivia had rushed from the cabin, Isabelle returned with an unamused look on her face. She immediately began walking toward the trail to Slader's cabin. He gently pried the girls fingers off of him with a smile and followed Bella.
With a soft sigh, Slader noticed that Olivia was following them. He decided to play it nice, she probably wasn't half as bad as she seemed.
"So Olivia, where are ya from?" He asked as the three of them walked up the steps to his cabin. The door was unlocked. With a pleasant surprise, Slader realized he didn't have a roommate this year.
Olivia smiled at Slader "it depends if I'm with my mom or my brother. My mom lives just outside of Los Angeles, but my big brother lives over on the east coast. My dad died when I was younger so my brother and my mom is all I got." She said her bubbliness dying down momentarily as she spoke about her father. However, her energy soon returned moments later.
She smiled "so where are you guys from?" She asked excitedly. "I want to get to know you guys. You both seem so nice!" She exclaimed. Isabelle made note of the fact that Slader had no roommate. Maybe she could slide a sleeping bag in or something and sneak in after room checks if Olivia ever became too much for her to deal with.
Isabelle was exhausted and laid down on his bed, just resting her eyes. However, soon Isabelle was fast asleep on slader's bed. Olivia smiled and pointed to Isabelle and whispered "someone must've been tired." She grabbed slader's hand and pulled him outside. "I would hate to wake her with our talking." She sat down on the step to his cabin. "You should totally give me a tour of this place. I feel like you know all the fun things to do around here." She said with a smile.
Slader nodded in response to Olivia's rambling, trying his best to actually pay attention. As soon as they entered his cabin, Bella fell asleep and the blonde girl was dragging him outside.
He offered her a friendly smile at her comment about showing her around. "Actually, there will be an orientation later where we'll do that."
Slader stared off at the lake, the sunlight making the calm water sparkle. He couldn't think of anything to talk to Olivia about, but he didn't feel like waking Isabelle up either.
Olivia smiled as the watched the sun and the lake sparkle. She sighed and glanced over at Slader "isn't it so pretty?" She said softly as she went back to staring at the lake.
Olivia smiled at Slader again "you know, I was sort of dreading coming to summer camp, but I'm glad I made friends with you and Isabelle you're both so nice!" She exclaimed happily. She stared out on to the lake "is Isabelle always this quiet?" She asked with a bit of concern. "I didn't say anything to make her upset with me, did I?" She asked curiously, scooting a little closer to Slader.
Isabelle stirred a little bit but stayed asleep. She rolled over and sunlight shined in her eyes as she opened them. She sighed and sat up. As she looked around she remembered that she was in slader's room. That's when Isabelle heard voices outside the door. She got up and went outside. Olivia turned and smiled "hey sleepy head." Isabelle gave a half smile. Olivia moved closer to Slader so that Isabelle could sit on the other side of Olivia.
Slader nodded in response to Olivia, and he smiled at her gently. It was going to be a long summer, he thought. He flinched slightly as she moved closer to him on the porch step. "No, she'll open up the more you get to know her."
"Hey Bella." He called out as the door swung open and she arrived. Isabelle had a tired look on her face as she sat beside Olivia. The three of them were now crammed together on the porch step and it was making Slader a bit claustrophobic.
"Looks like there calling orientation. Isabelle, let's go find Matt. Olivia, if you walk down that trail, you will find the Lodge and the rest of the kids." He said gently placing his hand on Olivia's shoulder and pointing.
Olivia smiled and stood up. "Thank you" she said with a grin. Then she hugged Isabelle then Slader. "I'll see you guys later." She said happily and wet of down the trail Slader pointed out.
Isabelle stiffened at Olivia's embrace. She awkwardly hugged her back and let go quickly, keeping the hug short. She watched Olivia walk away and took a deep breath, this was going to be a long summer. She glanced up at Slader, "sorry about falling asleep in your bed" she commented hopping down the stairs.
She reached the bottom and looked back up "shall we go find Matt?" She asked softly.
"Ehh don't worry about it, you should be in there more often." Slader responded to her apology with a wink. He nodded at her asking to go find Matt.
They found him soon and he seemed very happy to see them. "Hey! Isabelle, your taking the girls on the your, Slader your taking the guys. Show them the facilities and everywhere they're supposed to be."
Slader nodded, gave Bella a smile, and moved to address the guys of the large group. He hopped on stage and walked to the microphone. "Hey everyone! I'm Slader and I will be at camp with you this summer. I'm not a worker, but I'm here to ale all of you boys out there on a little your. So if you are of the male species, follow me." He noticed a few girls grinning up at him when he stood on stage, but he only offered them a polite smile in return.
Isabelle heard slader's comment about being in his bed more often, but it went right over her head. Her innocence prevented her from seeing the suggestiveness behind the comment. She spotted Matt and smiled as she walked up. She glanced around at the group of campers.
Isabelle didn't think Matt was serious when he mentioned showing the new kids around. She hated being the center of attention and guiding a tour would do exactly that. Her stomach twisted into knots as she watched Slader get on stage and she immediately felt the nerves kicking in. She couldn't do this.
As Slader got off the stage Matt urged her on and she shook her head. He knew her stage fright, she never volunteered for anything or participated in the talent show. Matt got on stage "girls, you'll be with Isabelle." He said motioning towards Isabelle. She felt the eyes on her and she began to get nervous all over again.
The girls made their way over and Isabelle gave a soft smile, trying to forget about her nerves. "I-I'm Isabelle" she said quietly to the group. One of the girls frowned "you need to talk louder." She said. "Yeah we can't hear you" another called out. Olivia stepped forward "well maybe if you shut your yap you could hear." Olivia snapped back at the girls. Isabelle was grateful for her roommate for the first time. Olivia turned to Isabelle "tell me what to say and I'll give the tour for you." She said trying to help.
Isabelle felt relieved. "Follow me." She said softly and Olivia echoed her much louder and bubbly. Isabelle began showing them the buildings as Olivia repeated everything that was told to her. All the eyes were on Olivia and it was a lot more relaxing for Isabelle. She just couldn't wait for the bonfire so she could get her schedule and be with Slader all day, like Matt said they should.
Slader let the group around the place. He showed them the cabins, where the girls' cabins were, the bathrooms, the game room, the bonfire pit and other places. He smiled cheerfully as he walked backward toward the bonfire pit once more.
Orientation took a while, so it was almost dark by the time they were done, and he knew that the bonfire was directly after the tour. He grinned widely and spoke up, "This is the first night bonfire. We'll have more, but this one is one of the best. Make sure to learn a lot of people's makes and get to know them. It makes this whole experience easier and more fun." Slader turned and saw Isabelle's group coming toward them. "And try to keep your hormones in check. Yeah, there are pretty girls here, but that's not what this particular bonfire is about." He stated with a smirk. The guys laughed and moved about, finding a log bench to sit on.
Slader strolled over to Isabelle, smiling down at her. She was quite a bit shorter than he was. "How'd it go? You seem exhausted." He commented as he gently placed a hand on her cheek. He never had noticed how beautiful his best friend was. Well, he had, but it didn't necessarily hit him as hard as it did in that particular moment.
Isabelle was grateful that Olivia stepped in and did all the talking for her. As the approached the bonfire Olivia smiled. "Isabelle said there are plenty of bonfires to enjoy this summer and to have fun." Isabelle gave a smile to her group. "Now let's go get us a summer fling" Olivia said to the group with a wink and walked off towards the bonfire. Isabelle stared after her with a confused look.
She sighed and followed behind the group. She smiled as Slader walked up to her and gave a slight shrug "I blew it as usual. You know me and crowds don't mix. Especially when they are all paying attention to me" she said quietly. "I told Olivia what to say and she did most of the talking. So that was nice of her." Isabelle commented.
Olivia came bouncing up to them "hey guys! I saved you seats by the bonfire." She said with a grin. Isabelle smiled "you guys go ahead. I'm a bit cold I'm going to run back to my room and grab a sweatshirt." Isabelle said as she turn and started walking back to her cabin.
Olivia grabbed slader's hand "come on she'll meet us back here shortly." She said pulling him towards the fire. Olivia sat in the middle of the log, with a spot open on each side of her, " so how was your tour Slader? Did you have fun giving it? Maybe you could be a counselor here eventually." Olivia grinned at Slader.
Slader, surprised, let Olivia take his hand and lead him to one of the benches. A few of the girls around giggled and looked over at him, and he sighed. "Oh, it went great. I enjoy that sort of thing, so yeah it was fun."
He glanced around and was grateful when Matt stood up and announced the start of the bonfire. They lit the fire, and all of the counselor so but Matt left. Honestly, there wasn't a lot of supervision during the camp. Which may not be smart in the long run, but it made things interesting.
Slader smiled as a girl sat on his other side. She seemed like a brunette version of Olivia, just not as friendly. "Hey, my friends and I were wondering if you wanted to sit with us?" She asked him flirtatiously with a glance over at Olivia.
"Actually, I'm sitting with my friends, but come say hi sometime." The brunette girl shrugged and moved back over to her friends. They soon made their way to another group of guys who were into all of the flirtatiousness. Slader sighed. This happened nearly every year. Guys were like that to Bella too sometimes, and it made him cringe. He hated people like that.
Olivia smiled at Slader "what's your favorite thing to do at camp? I want to make the most of it." She said with a grin.
Isabelle was back in the cabin. She was really tired. She figured she'd just sit and relax a bit before going back to the bonfire. She laid down and ended up falling asleep again.
A slight breeze blew causing Olivia to shiver slightly and she leaned against Slader, trying to shield herself from the wind. Olivia realized he might be uncomfortable with her being so close "oh, um I'm sorry." She said creating space between them. "It's just a bit chilly." She said wrapping her arms around herself. "I've always been told I'm a bit too friendly." She said with a light giggle. "Isabelle was smart going to get a sw-" she paused "it's been a while...do you think anything could have happened to her?" Olivia said with concern.
Slader just froze as Olivia moved closer to him. He really hoped she wasn't like those girls either, just flirting with him all summer. He just let her be close until she moved away. He sighed, feeling bad, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a friendly way to keep her warm.
"Oh, she's fine. She might have fallen asleep again." He said with a soft smile. "I love swimming." He replied. Some girls and guys began kissing over by a tree, and Slader rolled his eyes.
"Actually, I'm going to go check on her. Why don't you stay here and get to know some others. I'll see you in a bit." Slader muttered as he stood up and began walking toward her cabin.
He opened the door and looked in to see a figure asleep on her bet. It was Bella. He came over and sat on the edge of her bed, smiling down at her. She seemed so peaceful and innocent in her sleep. He reached over and gently smoothed her hair. "Isabelle... Wake up darling'
Olivia smiled when he wrapped and arm around her. She felt...safe. She was a bit disappointed when he went to leave. "Oh...yeah, sure." She said softly and she stood up and walked around the bonfire to try and find someone to talk to.
Isabelle was fast asleep, but felt someone touch and she sprung up, eyes open wide. As she realized it was just Slader she began to relax, "jeez Slader, you practically gave me a heart attack." She said as she caught her breath. Isabelle looked up at him curiously "what are you doing here? I thought you'd be at the bonfire" she commented.
Just then the cabin door flew open and Olivia stormed in. "The nerve." She muttered and began tearing though her closet. Isabelle watched curiously and glanced over at Slader. Olivia realized that Isabelle was staring "oops, I'm sorry am i interrupting something? We're out two-" Isabelle cut her off, "no, it's fine. He was just checking up on me. I was asleep." Isabelle insisted. Olivia nodded and hugged a sweatshirt, "I just came back for this. I'll head back to the bonfire now." She said quietly with a bit of hurt in her voice.
Isabelle sighed, she could tell that her roommate wasn't happy. "Olivia?" Isabelle began softly. "Are you okay?" She asked. Olivia turned shrugged "everybody is like grouped off in their friends already and nobody will give me the time of day." She said with hurt in her voice. "I don't get it, I never had trouble making friends." Olivia exclaimed. Isabelle knew she had to do something. "Well you have 2 friends right here. Forget those other kids. It's their lose." Isabelle said, trying to make her feel better. She embraced both of them, her hug lingering a bit longer on Slader. Olivia was beginning to fall for Slader.
Slader watched as Olivia flailed about dramatically and then ended up hugging them. He wasn't a very touchy feely kind of guy. He was more sarcastic and constantly dropping sexual innuendos. He saved the best ones for Isabelle, but she never caught on.
"Right. Kids can be mean to people they don't know. Just give them time." Slader suggested with a shrug. It was getting late anyways, and the bonfire would be over soon enough.
He turned to Bella and nodded his head to the door. "I'm gonna get going. I need sleep. You two don't have too much fun without me, and if you're gonna gossip, please only say nice things about me." He said to the both of them with a smirk and a wave goodnight before heading out the door,
Isabelle nodded "okay, see you tomorrow." She said as she laid back down. Olivia smiled and waved "bye Slader!" She said happily.
Olivia put her sweatshirt back in her closet and stared over at Isabelle with a grin. Isabelle felt eyes on her and she sat back up and glanced over at Olivia "what?" She said a bit self consciously. Olivia shrugged and turned "nothing" she said as she grabbed pajamas to get changed. Olivia got changed and sat on her bed. "So Slader..." Olivia started. Isabelle gave her a curious glance "what about him?" She asked.
Olivia played with the hem on her shirt "you two are just friends, right?" Isabelle nodded slowly "yeah, why?" Olivia grinned "because I think he's super cute and nice and just perfect." She gushed over Slader. Isabelle made a face a shrugged "I mean I guess he's all that" she said casually.
Olivia's face dropped a bit, "oh no...you like him don't you?" Isabelle shook her head "what?! No him and I...we're not...we're just...friends." She commented. Olivia thought for a bit "well that makes sense because you guys have been friends for a while. If he really wanted to date you he would've made a move by now. So I guess there really isn't anything between you two." She said with a slight smile. Isabelle gave a slight nod and laid back down. For some reason that comment hurt a bit, Isabelle felt her chest tightening as she tried to hold back tears.
She pulled the blanket around herself, hiding. She wasn't even sure why it bothered her, she didn't like Slader like that...did she? Isabelle tried to shake it off and just go to sleep. Olivia was humming happily as she got ready for bed. She shut the light and soon both of them were fast asleep.
Slader woke up early to get help the counselors hand out schedules to everyone. They were all asked to wake up at promptly 7:00 am to receive them, so he got to the Lodge around 6:30.
He found Matt and Sarah, another counselor, and gave them a tired smile. Matt walked up and handed Slader his schedule. "Isabelle and yourself have everything the same except I put you in more rigorous courses. So you have rock climbing, like actual rock climbing, and two mile hike every other day." He informed.
Slader nodded and accepted his schedule. Good, he needed to stay in shape for when football season started up again. It was almost 7:00, so he told last names A-J and went to the front so the kids could pick them up.