Chapter 4

Zenon focused on the carved name on our neighbor's cabin, ignoring the counselor who was asking for help. "Banana Cabin?"

"All the groups are named after fruits," I explained, observing his face twist into one of revulsion.

"Can someone please assist?" she shouted once more, clearly directing her plea towards us.

"Do you reckon she'll leave if we ignore her?" he questioned, squinting against the bright sun.

"What?! No way!" I gazed at him as if he had lost his mind, "She obviously needs assistance!"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" The group of 8-year-old campers rushed past us and stormed into our previously tranquil cabin. It marked the start of pure chaos.

"You deal with that," he gestured to the ensuing pandemonium inside our cabin as he began walking towards our neighboring cabin.

"Are you really abandoning me here?" I shouted after him.

"Be good to your neighbors," he yelled back, a hint of amusement clear in his tone.

What does he know about being neighborly? After all, I'm his neighbor, and I doubt he even remembers my name.

"I told you I sensed something off," I whispered to myself.

Cookies. Delicious.

Zenon never returned. I had to mediate six different disputes over bunk assignments as if I were the United Nations. Then, I located the first aid kit for a child who had bruised her knee while climbing her bunk bed.

Afterwards, I spent thirty minutes consoling a tearful boy who missed his mom. Not to mention the effort it took to quiet everyone down so I could go through the camp rules with them.

At long last, a small bus arrived to take them to the mess hall for dinner. They swarmed past me like a whirlwind, yelling out various food items.

"Pancakes!"

"Hot dogs!"

They were genuinely thrilled about the meal.

"Nutella!"

Alright, that kid is my favorite now.

I slumped into a chair, completely worn out. My clothes were already stained, and my hair was in disarray. There were probably even worry lines forming on my forehead. I felt like I had aged significantly in just four hours.

Where could he be?

Zenon had gone off to 'save' our neighbor's oven and hadn’t responded since. Great teamwork, Zenon. Eventually, I got up to look for him. What on earth was he doing over there?

As I walked outside, I took a deep breath of the fresh air and admired the rich green trees surrounding us. A blue lake lay spread out in front of me. The true beauty of Camp Beaver Hills lies in its stunning natural scenery.

The Banana Cabin was a mirror image of ours, except that their counselors were supervising 13-year-old girls, making their environment much more tranquil. They were also at dinner now.

Peering through a window, I spotted about a dozen camp counselors lounging in the kitchen. Someone had brought alcohol, and they were all relaxing together. It looked like the epicenter of cool kids.

I had never been invited.

In the midst of it all, I saw Zenon, leaning back in a chair with a beer in hand. His laid-back demeanor seemed almost magnetic; he truly appeared charming...

How misleading that appearance could be.

"Whoa," someone pointed towards me, "What's that?"

Me? I must have looked like a lunatic, staring through the window with my messy hair and wide eyes.

I quickly ducked into the bushes, overhearing someone say, "She fell into the bushes... I don't know. Some weirdo watching us."

Oh no. I silently prayed no one would find me. Despite the discomfort, I stayed hidden. The small branches scratched against my skin, and I was pretty sure an ant had crawled into my shoe.

"Hey."

I looked up.

Zenon was leaning out of the window, his arms casually resting on the sill. He didn’t look surprised to see me—he probably anticipated this.

"Hi, hey, how’s it going? Did you fix the oven situation?" I asked, trying to act as if this was perfectly normal. I mean, who doesn’t hang out in bushes?

"You alright down there?"

"Me? Alright? Yeah!" I replied way too eagerly, causing a branch to smack the corner of my mouth. I spat out dirt, "This is the best day ever."

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips.

Later, while I was in the shower, Zenon returned from our neighbor's cabin. She had given him a tray of cookies, which he hadn't touched. My reward for the day was a few scratches on my legs and one on my cheek, plus a reddened elbow.

Steam filled the air as I cranked up the heat. I love turning hot showers into private concerts, so I didn’t realize Zenon was home because I was too engrossed in singing.

"PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON ME, TAKE IT EASY ON MY HEART. EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T MEAN TO HURT ME-"

I have a terrible voice. I know you probably weren't expecting an angel's voice... Alright, you definitely didn't. But I was giving it my all anyway, singing in a high pitch and completely off-key while lathering my hair with another layer of shampoo, pretending the bottle was my microphone.

"WOULD YOU PLEASE HAVE MERCY, MEEEEERCY ON MY HEAR-"

"Is a cat dying in here?"

I shrieked and dropped the shampoo bottle on the floor. Almost slipping on it, I struggled to keep myself steady in the shower.

"Zenon?!"

Sometimes the heat can make you imagine things. Or perhaps, this was the start of a strange scenario.

A dark silhouette began to form on the other side of the curtain – the outline of a tall boy with broad shoulders. Like coloring in a book, I filled in the rest in my mind.

His confident, deep voice replied from behind the curtain. "Singing Shawn Mendes?"

"Why are you in my bathroom?"

"I'm asking for mercy."

Oh my goodness.

Just kill me now.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt this embarrassed. First, I ended up in the bushes under a window, and now I’m singing like a dying cat...

"I'll stop singing," I told him, granting his request for mercy, "If you leave my bathroom."

"Okay."

But his shadow didn’t move.

"Zenon! Now!"

What was he doing? Was he planning to join me? I wasn’t ready for him to see me without clothes. We had just spoken for the first time today, and now this situation was escalating...

"Stop panicking. I'm not trying to flirt with you."

"So what are you doing?!" I was getting annoyed. The shampoo was dripping down my neck like slime.

"I need toothpaste."

This is about toothpaste? He barged into my shower for some toothpaste?

"Why can't we talk about this after I finish my shower?"

"I might be deaf by then."

I clenched my teeth, "I'll stop singing. This might be the first time a girl has said this to you, Zenon, but get out."

"First time a guy has walked in on you?"

My silence answered for me.

"It’s not my first time, Candy."

I gasped and clutched the curtain, scared he might come in. He chuckled at my reaction and walked out the door, toothpaste in hand, "We’re not that close. Keep dreaming though."

"I wasn’t!"

I give up.