Making New Friends
Despite her claims of maturity, Kelley can't help herself from laughing uncontrollably while she instructs poor Moe to slide her "rod" into the tent's "hole".
After Kelley is banished from any further tent related matters, Moe and I work on the tent while Kelley starts to detach our bikes and unload the Explorer.
Moe pushes the last stake into the ground and we help Kelley unpack the rest of the car and set up our sleeping arrangements inside the tent. Advertised to be for 4-6 people, our 3 sets of blankets and pillows take up the entire tent. There's zero chance I wake up the next day without at least one of my friends on top of me.
We get our fire pit going, pull the picnic table and our lawn chairs up to the fire, and turn on the radio. After a "few" beers and rounds of Kelley's favorite drinking game, Irish Poker, I notice the sunlight is beginning to fade.
"We should really take it easy, for tonight at least. You know, try and make a decent impression at training tomorrow morning" I tell my friends with full sincerity as I crack another beer.
Kelley notices and gets a kick out of my attempt at being the responsible one of the group. "Dude, it's just training! We don't even have to be there til like 10 right?"
"Yeaahh bu..." (SNAP SNAP SNAP)
We whip our heads around to the sounds of branches breaking and see multiple dark figures coming towards us.
***Flashback***
"Tobssss!! Wake upppp!!"
I wake up and see both of my one day old, brand new housemates, standing in my room. Kelley is leaning down next to my bed with Moe holding her hand standing behind her.
I roll back over in bed and bury my face in my pillow.
"Guys , I don't know, and I don't want to know why you're standing in my room in the middle of the night. But, I don't want any part of what you're up to." I mutter into my pillow
Kelley begins shaking me
"Tobs! Don't you hear that??"
"Mmmmmmm!!" I groan further into my pillow. I lift my head to listen, and hear a faint, low pitch rumbling sound.
I look up into the darkness of my room and wish I could smack the concerned looks off my friends' faces.
"Seriously?? It's just the water heater in the basement."
Kelley and Moe don't budge from their spots.
"Come down with us" Moe says like a little kid who just had a nightmare
I don't even fight it. I know if I'm going to get anymore sleep, that I'm going to have to walk my two grown-butt friends down to the basement.
We walk outside, around the house to the basement door. (Yeah it's that kind of college house)
As soon as I open the basement door, the noise grows in volume. I can't lie and say my heart's not beating a few ticks faster. I mean, I'm roaming around the outside of an unfamiliar home in the pitch black, down to a creepy basement that I haven't been in since we looked at the house.
I turn toward my friends, still holding hands, before I turn on the light and lead them down the steps.
We follow the noise right to the corner of the cement room.
"Wouldn't you know it, just an old, loud water heater" I proudly proclaim as I smack the large metal cylinder.
Kelley shakes her hand loose from Moe's grip.
"God Bean! I told you it was nothing."
"Pfftttt" moe does a dry spit take.
"You're the one who was standing over me like a creep while I slept! Then literally grabbed me and dragged me out of my bed!"
I slink away silently and head up the stairs towards the coziness of my bed. I sincerely hope that the sound of our water heater will drown out another of Kelley and Moe's classic squabbles.
***end flashback***
"We come in peace fellow campers!"
A short girl with hair to match comes into view. Following her are two more girls that I notice are carrying a couple lawn chairs,a case of beer, and bag of marshmallows. (The camping essentials)
The short girl points at our fire, "we saw the bat signal and knew we had some fellow Noah's ark partiers next door!" She exclaims as well as laughs at her own joke.
('Bat signal') I smile externally while inwardly grimacing. Oh good lord, please tell me you haven't sent me another Kelley...
"You knew by our fire that we worked at Noah's ark?" Moe smirkingly questions the girl who had just plunked down on the edge of the picnic table next to Moe's lawnchair.
The tallest girl laughs as she sets down her chair next to mine. "Naw, the girl working at camp registration said our site neighbors are working for Noah's too, and they seemed like a good time."
"I'm Lindsey by the way, and this is Emily" She says pointing the girl taking a seat next to her.
"Hey!" Emily says making eye contact with me, Moe, and Kelley.
"And I'm Kling!" The short girl pipes up from the picnic table. "Sorry to bombard your fire and all. We just thought it'd be cool to know some co-workers before we start tomorrow. Have you guys ever worked down here before?"
"No, we got convinced last minute into taking summer jobs here by Tobin" Moe says pointing at me. "That's Kelley and I'm Moe by the way" she says while smiling at Kling
"Cool, are you guys lifeguard certified too? Kling asks looking across the fire
"Yeah we're all pretty good swimmers, and took like a week long course for it" Moe exclaims while drawing Kling's attention back to her.
"Awesome! Us too! I hear that we don't get to chill in the water err day though. I guess Noah's makes you work other jobs, out of the sun too. 'Safety precautions' and all. Kling chuckles.
(PSSSTTTTT!) Kelley loudly pops the tab on another beer. "Yeah, since we all kinda applied together, hopefully they don't split us up." She slurs slightly, sounding just a tad tipsy already.
**********
We spend the rest of the night hanging out with our new buds. Kling and Moe seem to get along really well and joke with the group all night. Lindsey, Emily, and myself engage in a lot of conversations as well. And of course Kelley doesn't forget to let them all know it was my 21st birthday coming up on Sunday, but is otherwise a little more quiet than her usual Chatty Cathy self.
We learn that they're all going to be Juniors next year too. Emily and Lindsey go way back, knowing each other since they were kids. They all go to the same college in River Falls(Wisconsin), and that's where they met Kling. Kling's abrasiveness, and bat signal joke all seemed too eerily similar to my tiny freckled bestie at first but after a little while she seemed like an ok girl. I can definitely see us hanging out quite a bit with this group.
I walk (or stumble slightly) to my charging phone and notice the time.
"Oh crap guys, it's already nearly 2 am!" I say out loud for everybody.
"Ouch, we better get to sleep before training tomorrow" Lindsey says, as the 3 of them say goodbye and head back to their campsite, looking like they're in a whole lot better shape than Kelley and even myself.
"LATAH GATORS!!" Kelley hollers at them.
"Wow, how are you two so much drunker than me?" Moe quirks her eyebrow
"IM NOT DRUNK, YoU JuST YouR NOt so YOU HARDilYY DrANK IM FUn WAtCH BEErS OVEr ThERE" Kelley very poorly slurs nonsense
"Jesus Christ Kelley! "
"WHattT!?" She asks, getting very close to my face.
"For the love of Pete!! Both of you drink a bottle of water now and let's go to bed! I don't care how hungover you guys get, we're going to be on time to work tomorrow!" Moe commands us very motherly like.
"AYe AyE CAPNN MOEMER!" Kelley salutes Moe and falls getting inside the tent.
Moe looks at me questionly, rightfully thinking I know more about this than she does. Nonetheless I'm not "Kelley drunk" so my lips remain sealed on the matter.
We head off to bed. My blankets unfortunately placed in the middle, means I'm about to get the brunt of Kelley's passed out snores.
**********
The next day I wake up to the sound of my phone's alarm. There are raindrops sprinkling the tent, Kelley's leg is wrapped around me, and her snoring face (I knew it) brushed up beside my neck.
"Dude, wake up!" I shake her awake
"Mehhhhhhh! Get off me!" Kelley groans with her mouth right next to my ear.
"You're on me!" I protest
"Whatever Tobs, go back to sleep" Kelley mumbles
I shake her again. "No, Kell we have to get ready for work.
As I listen to Kelley moan again my brain is becoming more awake, and I soon realize I might be a tad hungover, but nowhere near how bad Kelley must be.
We all make our way to the shower building in the rain and get dressed for work.
"My phone says it gonna be rainy all day guys. We probably won't do much lifeguard training but we should still wear our suits underneath just in case"
Not yet been given work attire, we put on our own suits under our own T shirts and shorts and eat breakfast (untoasted pop tarts) inside the tent.
We are all pretty quiet this morning. Moe has yawned a considerable amount so far, and Kelley seems to be concentrating on just holding down her pop tart.
We climb inside the Explorer. Kelley, into the backseat not able to conjure up the energy to call shotgun.
I look behind me as I back up and see Kelley putting her sunglasses on despite the rainy, cloud filled sky. This day might be tougher for some more than others...
**********