Chapter 1
It was my first year at Camp Okinawa, I didn’t even want to go but my mom made me since I did nothing but sit in my room all day. I had absolutely no friends at all. My cabin was Cabin 6, all girls for obvious reasons. The counselor for our group was the most obnoxious girl I have ever met, she was just too happy-go-lucky. Her name was Harper. I didn’t bother to learn her last name at all. Why would I?
Anyways, the first day I was there she immediately had us sit in a circle and do a stupid icebreaker thing. It was the one where you say a verb that matches your personality or whatever, it was the worst time of my life. There was some girl named Amber, Penelope, Lillian, and a ton of other people. All of them were annoying besides this one girl, Dakota. She just had this energy to her that wasn’t like the others, like she was looking right into my soul every time she even glanced at me.
After the stupid icebreaker thing we all went to the cabin, it was 6 girls in there, for fire safety or something like that. Three bunks. I got top bunk by the door, I didn’t exactly want it but I was in no place to complain, Dakota was right across from me, the annoying counselor right below me. Over the week we did dumb bonding exercises like kayaking, arts & crafts and other useless things like that. Dakota started coming up and talking to me, we were friends by Friday. So I’ve known I was gay since like birth, I mean, who names their kid Riley and expects them to be straight? Because of that I’ve always kept a distance from girls, was a tomboy, mainly friends with dudes to prevent the feelings of knowing someone doesn’t want me like I want them, but with Dakota it was different, I didn’t want to be away from her, I wanted to be next to her constantly.
One day we went out on some hiking trip for another bonding activity, me and Dakota stayed in the back.
“So hows your first week here?” She asked.
“I wish I could leave already dude, no phone service, uncomfortable beds, not to mention the mosquitoes.”
“At least you got me, right?” Dakota winked and nudged me.
I blushed and turned away.
“What’re you guys doing all the way back there, come on” Harper yelled from a distance, I might’ve been seeing things but she kinda looked upset?
“She makes me wanna freak out dude, why is she so, like, happy all the time?” I complained.
“Be happy about it Riley, last year the counselor was the rudest person I have ever met, and she didn’t even care about anything, all she did was smoke pot with the other counselors.”
After the hike we had a little fire in front of the cabins, it was a little late, probably like 9 or so. Dakota was sitting next to me and she leaned on me. She just layed her head on my shoulder and I felt like my heart was pounding out of my chest it was the most adrenaline I’ve ever felt. I tensed up, not knowing what to do. Was she just tired? Did she want me like I think I wanted her? I’m overreacting obviously, she’s straight, I think. It’s nothing more than a friendly gesture. So I did what I thought any normal person would and laid my head on hers. The counselors decided it was too late for everyone to stay up so they put out the fire and made us all go back to our respective cabins. Dakota was too tired to stand up and walk. I asked her if she wanted me to pick her up and take her to the cabin as a joke but she immediately agreed. I picked her up bridal style and started carrying her. Harper was holding the door open while everyone filed in, when i walked up the steps I looked at her for a second, her eyes looked almost envious as I walked in. I’ll tell Dakota in the morning.
“Hey you’re inside now, you gotta get up on your bed.” I whispered gently setting Dakota down.
“Why don’t you just take me up with you on your bed?” She mumbled rubbing her eyes.
“I- Um… okay” I said, picking her back up and somehow in gods name brung her up the ladder with me. Once I had us both comfortably situated on my bunk, she grabbed me and layed on my chest. I felt my gut twist, she was dead asleep, but I couldn’t shake the weird moment from earlier. Why would Harper look at me like that? Does she not like me? I don’t get what I did that would make her upset with me, even if I didn’t like her I still respected her everywhere else. I have no idea what time in the night I fell asleep but I woke up with Dakota next to me, her legs entangled with mine, her hands around my head, my face in her chest. I felt like I was violating her in someway but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I, for some reason, kissed her chest and I heard a slight noise from above. I don’t know what came over me but I kissed more, kissing slightly harder each time. She gripped my head, pulling me closer.
“Riley” She whimpered.
I remembered where we were and I pulled back and pulled myself up. I looked at her, she looked upset.
“What happened?” She whispered, frowning.
“I don’t know, I just, I-” I stuttered, I don’t know why I did that, I don’t know why I stopped, I just don’t know.
“If you wanted you could keep going, you know?” She teased, slightly lifter her already cropped shirt up. It would be my first time and I was obviously excited but I still couldn’t help but think about the way Harper looked at me yesterday.
“As much as I want to, I think we should take it slow, I mean we just met a week ago and you kno-” I explained before she grabbed my face and slowly but firmly kissed me. We continued until it was a full make-out session.
“Ladies” Harper aggressively whispered as to not wake up the others. We practically flew off of each other.
“Sorry Harper, didn’t mean to uh, wake you” Dakota said, scratching her head.
The same jealous look rose in Harpers eyes and I couldn’t help but stare in wonder, when she realized I was staring at her she quickly turned away.
“Get up and ready so I can wake the other girls up” Harper grumbled, clearing her throat.
“Yes ma’am.” I joked, throwing my hand up into a salute. I put on some sweat shorts and one of the many many baggy t-shirts I had brung. We all had began to just change in the cabin if we weren’t taking our underwear or bras off. I turned around after getting my shirt on and found Harper staring at me, again. I threw her a slight smile and wink, because, uh, why not? She turned away quickly, her face I think reddening. Dakota had been in the bathroom changing so when she finally came out, Harper stood up and woke everyone else.
“Alright ladies so today we have an early morning and are going to go on another hike to the lake, this ones a little closer so its just to get your blood pumping.” She smiled. Everyone collectively sighed and began changing, taking as long as they could to prevent the horrible hour, or god knows how long, to come.
“Sooo, about earlier,” Dakota started, “If you don’t wanna keep doing that, that’s totally fine but if you do that’s also totally fine.”
“I do wanna keep doing that, especially hearing that.” I said gently grabbing her hand and squeezing. She smiled and when she began to lean in for a kiss, Harper budged in.
“If you guys don’t mind me just squeezing in right here, thank you.” She muttered. She wrapped her arm over my shoulder, I don’t know why just mine, I felt like that was weird and so I gave Dakota a “wtf” look, she returned it.
“Riley, you mind if I talk to you for a second over here?” She stated, it wasn’t even a question sine she dragged me over to the side of the trail, signalling the rest to keep walking. “Listen, I know you like Dakota but I’d recommend you’d stay away from her.” She laid her hand on my shoulder.
“Why would I listen to you?” I retorted shaking her hand off me. There was a glimpse of sadness in her eyes when I seemed to not want her touch.
“Because I dated her last year and shes not a good person okay?” She snapped, my expression dropped from anger to shock, I didn’t know Harper was gay, or that she dated Dakota.
“Oh um, I-, what’d she do?” I stuttered, placing my hand on her forearm. For a second it looked like she blushed but I couldn’t exactly tell because she threw her head down too fast.
“I’ll just put it short, she’s not loyal.” She uttered, head still down. I was wordless, what could I even say to rebuttal.