Chapter 1
Dylan closed the email on his phone, and ran to the messages app. Abi would be thrilled! Since he hadn't registered a contact for her yet, he had to rely on his (frankly terrible) memory.
So, he typed it in.
Or he thought.
.
Dylan : holy shit abi
Dylan : so glad u FINALLY gave me ur number.
Dylan : but did u see that hacketts quarry is accepting counselors
Unknown : ??
Dylan : yeah dude maybe mr. H will let us be counselors.
Dylan : acc maybe not he probably hated us when we were kids. 😭
Unknown : Okay?
Dylan : yeah… but are you coming to the party tonight?
Unknown : I think you might have the wrong number?
Dylan : oh
Dylan : so ur not abi??
Unknown : Nope. :/
Dylan : shit sorry man !!
Unknown : No, no i'm intrigued.
Dylan : aboout?
Unknown : You know Mr. H?
Dylan : oh god do i?
Dylan : i went to his camp for like 4 years straight
Unknown : What years?
Dylan : 2012-2016 i think
Unknown : Oh shit. I went there around that time too.
Unknown : Maybe we knew each other? 🤷
Dylan : u got any camp pics lying around?
Unknown : I can look?
Dylan : shiitt okay okay text me back if you find any !!!
.
Ryan didn't know why he was actually looking for one. For all he knows, this person was lying.
He tried to remember anyone named Abi from when he went to camp, but the name didn't sound familiar.
Walking over to a box of old things, he started to rummage through it. Taking out old shirts, yearbooks, and pictures with friends till he found one.
A camp photo from 2015, he would've been 13. He wonders how old the person on the phone is. Maybe they're the same age.
Ryan doesn't know why he's wondering about all this. He knows nothing about them. Besides the fact they went to camp and know Chris, he knows nothing. They could be a serial killer for all he knows.
Looking at the picture, he finds himself standing next to a few old friends. One of them stands out though. Standing next to Kaylee, the Lenivy kid.
He remembers being decently close with them, despite not being with them alot. He smiles faintly at the memories coming back.
He brings himself off the floor where he was sitting, and walks back to the bed with the picture in hand.
Ryan flops down on his bed, picking up his phone to text back the stranger.
.
Unknown : I found one. 2015?
Dylan : shit man, i would've been like 13..
Unknown : Me too. What name should I look for?
Dylan : should i be giving my info to a stranger? what if u try to doxx me!! :(
Unknown : Just tell me.
Dylan : finneee, last name Lenivy? dunno what they listed my first name as. 🤷
Unknown : You're the Lenivy kid??
Dylan : yes?
Unknown : Your first name is scribbled out, what is it?
Dylan : oh, probably said my deadnsme.
Dylan : im dylan :D
Unknown : Oh, okay.
Unknown : We used to be friends.
Unknown : Because you bunked with Kaylee?
Dylan : oh rlly??? whats ur name???
Unknown : Ryan.
Dylan : OHHHHH
[RYAN has been added to contacts]
Ryan : You remember me?
Dylan : ofc
Dylan : u were friends with the hacketts and you had those light up shoes
Ryan : Oh god. My twinkle toes…
Dylan : YES!!! love the fashion ;)
Ryan : Do not mention it.
Dylan : sir yes sir
Dylan : anyways!!! u going back to be a counselor?
Ryan : Maybe. Gotta think.
Dylan : weeellll, if you do! let me know!
Dylan : maybe we'll see eacjothheerr
Ryan : Only if you learn to spell.
Dylan : nvm i hate you
.
Dylan laid across his bed, stretched out with his cat by his feet. He didn't expect the wrong number to be someone from camp, let alone his old camp crush.
He had to tell Abi.
Closing out of his messages with Ryan, he dialed the correct number for Abi. (How was he supposed to know the 9 was a 7?)
"Hello?" Abi's soft voice echoed in the empty room.
Dylan and Abi had known eachother since the first year of camp. They met when they were 11. Abi was most of Dylan's "firsts."
First friend, first kiss, first date, first person to come out too, first breakup, alot.
They had dated back in the 6th grade. Dylan was trying to figure out if he "like-liked" Abi, or just thought she was nice. They dated for a while though, until he had found out he liked men.
Abi was also the first person he came out to. With being both trans and gay. She had been a bit confused, but had supported him the whole way.
Now, 8 years later, and they're still as close as ever.
"Hello?" Abi repeated, he didn't realize he went silent.
"Abi!! My favorite!!!!" He grinned, petting the cat who had moved from his feet to his lap.
"Oh, Dylan! How's your resume going?"
"Pretty good! But I have to tell you something!!"
"What is it?"
"Okay so, I tried to message you, right?" He heard a sound of confirmation on the other side. "But instead of 4827 I put 4829."
"Oh god.. What'd you say..?" She grimaced, hoping that he hadn't embarrassed himself.
"Not important. But I was talking about Hacketts Quarry, and this person mentioned that they knew Mr. H." He closed his eyes, listening for her response. When none came, he continued.
"So I was all like, 'Well do you have a photo from when you went to camp?' and they were like 'Yeah let me find one.' " He took a breath, who knew talking was so exhausting?
"Once they found one, they asked me what name to look for. I told them Lenivy cause I didn't know if my deadname would be on there." Dylan sat up, leaning over to his deskside table to pick up an old picture he had.
It was him and Abi, back in their second year of camp. He smiled fondly, remembering how clingy they were to each other.
"Then they like, I don't know, recognized my name? They were like 'wait you're the Lenivy kid??' so i was like yeah duh??" Abi giggled, Dylan always knew how to make her laugh.
Whether it was voluntary or involuntary.
"Guess who it was, Abi." She sat silent for a moment, trying to remember anyone prominent from camp.
"Tell me."
"Ryan. Fucking Ryan Ezrahler."
"You're joking."
"I'm serious."
Her jaw dropped, "Your camp crush???? Oh my god!!" She squealed.
"Abii!!!!" Dylan whined into his phone. A crash could be heard from her side of the phone.
"Oh crap! Gotta go Dyl, see you at dinner?"
"Of course. Bye Abi!"
As the line went silent, Dylan sat his phone down and sank into his bed. Would he have a chance with Ryan? Why did he even care, it was a childhood crush. It's not like Dylan would still like him.
Throwing his phone down onto the floor, Dylan shifted so that Schrödinger was laying on the bed instead of him.
He got under one of the many blankets in his bed, and tried to rest. He knew it was early, but a little nap never hurt anyone. He just needed some rest before dinner with Abi.