chapter 3
I woke up late realizing that my parents were already up and I was alone in the camper. Peeking out the curtain of the window I found them outside. Yep, just as I’d expected. Mom was sitting out on her lounge chair thoroughly engrossed in her new novel, and Dad was sitting at the picnic table working on his computer. “Well, so much for family time.” I rolled my eyes seeing that my prediction had been spot on. I decided to go for a run and explore the grounds a little bit. I cleaned up and changed into my pink cotton running shorts and black tank top. I pulled my hair up into a floppy bun, grabbed my phone and headed outside to feel that the warm sun was already beating down. “Seriously, it’s only 9am,” I whined as I stepped out of the RV.
“Hi sweetie, why don’t you grab a book and come read with me? It’s so nice out here in the fresh air,” Mom said as she took in an exaggerated breath of air.
“Thanks mom, but I think I’ll go for a run.” I couldn’t stand the thought of just sitting around for another minute after being cooped up for our eleven-hour drive yesterday, and I really wanted to get some exercise. The last thing I needed was to get out of shape this summer and gain a pre-freshman fifteen before heading off to college.
“Oh, that’s a good idea sweetie. Just be careful, make sure you take your phone and that you stay on the path.” Of course, she was still going to remind me to be safe like I’m twelve; but I loved her for caring.
“Yep, I will. The loop’s not that big, so I’m sure you’ll see me pass every five minutes. Just do me a favor and don’t cheer,” I asked, hoping that she would spare me the humiliation.
“Don’t worry sweetie, I will!” she teased, but twenty bucks says she wasn’t kidding.
I took off down the dirt path and followed it as it wound through the campground. It’s technically the road, but no cars seemed to be using it this morning. I assumed that’s because everyone arrived yesterday, and were getting settled in. Apparently, there would be a barbeque this evening to celebrate the start of the summer season, which I guessed was when we’d get to meet everyone.
As I continued jogging up the loop towards the front office, I noticed a bunch of teenagers that looked to be my age hanging around the side of the basketball court. They must be the group that the owner mentioned to my mom. I tried to pick up my pace just a little so as not to be noticed and continued down the path. From what I saw, there were seven of them, four girls and three boys. I wondered if that was everyone or if some were still asleep.
I started jogging a little faster as the song changed on my playlist and a faster one came on. Just as I got into the groove and came around a corner, I found myself almost barreling into Travis who was crossing the road to a path that led into the woods. We skidded around each other, but luckily didn’t trip up. “I’m so sorry,” I stuttered as I turned to see that he too was jogging.
“No worries,” he called back, giving me a warm smile. During the brief interaction, I couldn’t help but notice how seriously ripped he was. He had on black sweat pants and a black t-shirt that clung to his biceps and abs, giving them full definition. He clearly must work out; he’s in such good shape. The short sleeves exposed his arms and I saw that his left arm was covered in tattoos that extended all the way down to his wrist. Now, HE is seriously inked! I giggled at the thought, and seriously HOT!
I wondered as I continued on, what path Travis was jogging down? Maybe I’d explore it later, after I see him return. It might be better than this little road loop. I didn’t want to ask him outright or he might think that I wanted to be his jogging partner. If I did discover that it was a better run, then I’d figure out when he goes, and use it during other times. I was sure I’d have plenty of free time to fit in a run whenever.
My mom waved at me every time I circled around, but I just kept going. After the first loop, I didn’t look over to see if the teens were still on the court. I didn’t want to come across as being too curious, so I would just wait and see what happened at the barbeque later. I ran for a good forty-five minutes and then headed back for a shower. It was definitely going to be interesting cramming myself into the two-foot bathroom while trying to hose myself off.
“How was your run, sweetie?” my mom asked upon my return. She was still in the lounge chair reading and my dad was still typing away.
“It was good,” I huffed, trying to catch my breath.
“Did you see anyone else out yet?” I knew she was anxious to meet some others to be entertained by, just as I expected.
“Yep, a few. Most people are grilling up some breakfast, and sitting around like you two,” I said while trying to finish up my workout with some stretching.
“Did you see any other kids?” she pressed further, probably trying to encourage me to go introduce myself, but I wasn’t feeling as eager to socialize.
“A few, but I’m sure everyone will be at the barbeque later. What are we going to do today, anyway?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.
Just as I was lying down for a bridge stretch, I saw the group of girls walk past looking very curious about me. Of course, they would be seeing me in my sweaty post-run state. I rolled my eyes at the thought of the great first impression I was making.
“Well, what do you want to do? Hey hun…” My mom turned toward my dad. “What should we do today?”
My dad quickly finished typing whatever he was in the middle of working on and then looked up. “Well, I’ll be done here in about an hour. Then do you want to go rafting? There is a river that you can go inner tubing on, Barney said it’s fun and relaxing.”
Wow, my dad is seriously suggesting inner tubing. “Sure!” I answered, excited by the idea.
“Great, then tubing it is. Let me just finish up here,” he said, returning his nose to his work.
“I’m going to go get cleaned up a little bit, and eat. Do you want anything mom?” I asked, knowing that she had probably yet to eat breakfast for fear of burning it.
“I’m good. I ate some cereal.” Her answer completely shocked me. Well, what do you know? My dad wants us to go tubing and my mom is eating cereal. Maybe this summer won’t be so bad after all.
After grabbing a bite to eat, I cleaned up a little and then put on my bikini. I had just ordered it online and was excited to have a chance to wear it. The top was a plum color push-up halter, and the bottoms were multi-striped with a fold over band. “Yep, Super Cute!” I admired my reflection and then looked down at my left hip to make sure nothing was showing before slipping on my white romper cover up. “And my tattoo is hidden.”
Although my parents probably wouldn’t mind (well, maybe just a little) I had yet to tell them that I had gotten a tattoo. Tracey and I had gone out on my eighteenth birthday and had little pixies tattooed on our left hips. Mine has brown hair and brown eyes like myself, and is wearing a pink dress. She is holding a wand that has tiny little letters that look like pixie dust sprinkling down to spell out the word Inspire. Tracey’s pixie has blond hair and blue eyes like her, but is wearing a purple dress. Her letters sprinkle down to spell out Hope.
We had spent so much time thinking up the perfect art and message that we wanted to have with us for the rest of our lives. I decided on “Inspire” because no matter who I meet in my life I hope to inspire them in some way for the better. Tracey has always believed that if you just have hope, you can do anything. Together, we decided that our mission for the Pri*Tee Pixies is to “Inspire Hope,” and give people a brighter future. Still, I had kept the tattoo secret from my parents even though there was more to it than just to look like a total badass for having one. Actually, the only person that knew about it was Tracey.
True to his word, dad finished up in an hour and we headed out to the river. My parents were definitely smart to bring the car along, because I couldn’t imagine unhooking the RV and driving it around town every time we wanted to go anywhere.
“Here we are!” Dad exclaimed, pulling into a giant dirt lot. At the end stood a huge shed filled with nothing but black rubber inner tubes. “This must be it,” he muttered as we all exited the car.
“So what are we supposed to do hun?” my mom asked, clueless about all of this outdoorsy stuff.
“I think we go in and pay the guy for some tubes, then float in the water?” my dad said, shrugging his shoulders. He was just as clueless.
“Drnn na na na na na nana,” I teasingly sang the banjo music from Deliverance.
“Quit that,” my mom protested laughingly.
“So hun, how do we get back to the car once we float down the river?” She was still trying to figure out how this was all going to work.
“Come on guys. These places usually drop you off at a start point and then we float back to here. See,” I said, pointing to a beach area that looked to be the pullout point with some rafts already lying out on the grass.
“All right, let’s do this!” my dad said, leading us into the building.
There were two guys inside that took care of the rental paperwork, one was moderately handsome and looked to be in his thirties, and the other looked to be in his early twenties. Really tall, dark hair, blue eyes and extremely good looking. Between Travis and this guy, they sure know how to grow them out here in Vermont. Wow! I thought as I admired his gorgeous face and built physique. My mom clearly had the same opinion because she was waggling her eyebrows at me while nodding in his direction. I knew exactly what she was hinting at, and I definitely agreed, but felt humiliated anyway by her lack of subtlety.
Once we were all set, the younger of the two drove us up the road a few miles with the tubes tied to the top of the van. The whole way my dad kept asking lots of questions about rafting season, fishing, water temperatures, and anything else he could possibly think of. Corey was being a good sport and answered all of them, but I noticed that he kept looking at me in the rearview mirror. A couple of times, we locked eyes and I found myself reddening by the second. Finally, I decided to keep my focus out the window and stare at the river. After all, my parents were with me so nothing was going to happen.
We arrived at the launch, and Corey pulled down our rafts. “Okay, so this is where you put in and it should take you about two hours to get back to the lot,” he explained.
“Great, do we leave our shoes and cover-ups with you?” my mom asked, concerned that she was going to lose her Gucci sandals. I was smart to bring my flip-flops, but still had my cover up to worry about.
“Yeah, you can leave them in the van and then pick them up in the building when you return. No problem,” Corey said, looking straight at me while he answered. Okay, Mr. Hotty you’re being a tiny bit aggressive with the staring. Hello! My dad is standing right next to me, I mentally shouted, embarrassed by the fact that I was being ogled in front of him.
“Great. Well, put your belongings in the van and let’s get a-floating,” my dad directed as he climbed onto his raft to get situated.
My mom put her things in the van, and then joined my dad in the water. I pulled off my cover up and threw it in with my mom’s things. Corey, of course, was standing by the door of the van watching my every move. Once I revealed my bikini, he really gave me the once over. As good looking as he was, I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.
“So, where are you from?” he asked, clearly trying to make a move.
“New York,” I answered simply.
“Are you in town for a bit?” he pried a little further.
“For the summer,” I answered, regretting the words the second they flew out of my mouth. I’ve never been a good liar, but I should have just ignored the question. Now, it sounded like I was encouraging him.
“So, where are you staying?” No, I am not answering that one.
“Sorry, got to float,” I said, brushing past him and making my way into the water. He stood by the shore, and waited until our eyes met to give me a wink. Okay, Yuck. Sexy or not, I don’t like aggressive guys that eye f*ck me on the spot.
I brushed it off, thankful that I wouldn’t have to see him again after today, and then caught up with my parents to enjoy the afternoon. The water was a little crisp, but absolutely clear. It was fairly shallow and if I stood it would only go up to my knees, so I could easily see the bottom. After a little floating, I began to search for rocks on the creek bed to see if I could find any worth keeping. My dad was lying back soaking up the sun and the quiet, and my mom was pointing out all of the things she saw along the banks.
“So, Corey was cute Paige!” my mom said once my dad was out of earshot. “Thanks, but no thanks,” I responded, shaking my head adamantly.
“Why not? You’re on vacation; live a little Paige. You should go out on dates and have fun before your world turns into nothing but studying,” she declared.
“He was a little too eager, and I didn’t get a great vibe,” I replied, hoping she would get the gist.
“Yeah, he definitely wasn’t playing hard to get. I know how you like that.” Her remark completely threw me off guard.
“Mom, what is that supposed to mean?” I asked, trying to understand her comment. “Paige sweetie! You have been after Jared for two years now, when you could have taken your pick of any guy in town. Why? Because he hasn’t shown interest,” she stated and then rested her head back on the raft.
“That’s not the reason mom. He’s just the only smart, somewhat down to earth guy in town. And he’s super sexy!” I protested and then giggled at my admission.
“That he is,” my mom teased and laughed at her own remark.
“Mom,” I shrieked, pretending to be disgusted with her comment.
“Cool your jets Paige, I’m only kidding,” she said and then proceeded to splash me with the cold water.
“You’re the one that needs some cooling off,” I laughed and then splashed her right back.
The next thing I knew, my mom and I were in a silly splashing war and were laughing hysterically. It was honestly the most fun I had had with her in a while. My dad clearly felt left out though, because he snuck over and flipped my inner tube up catching me completely by surprise. After resurfacing, I shook my hair out and couldn’t help but join in as my parents were giggling away on their rafts. “You two suck!” I said, trying to readjust my bikini and get resituated on my raft.
Just as I climbed back on my tube, I noticed that we were not the only ones on the river. We had somehow managed to catch up to a bunch of other rafters, and when I looked closer I realized that I recognized the people. They were the group of teenagers that I had seen earlier at the campground. Although this time there were eight of them because Travis was with them.
It was obvious from their stares that they had witnessed the entire water fight I had just had with my parents. A few of the girls were whispering and glaring, while some of the boys were watching and laughing. Travis looked over, gave a little wave out of politeness and then returned his attention to everyone else. His behavior seemed a little less friendly than last night, so I wondered if his girlfriend was on one of the rafts. Although I expected that to be the case, the thought was disappointing.
A moment later, I did notice that he was flicking some water at one of the other guys and shaking his head. Luckily, my parents didn’t seem to recognize them and spared me some major embarrassment. I’m surprised that my mom didn’t recognize Travis, but he was shirtless, revealing his tattoos and was also wearing sunglasses, which did make him look completely different. And in my opinion, made him look incredibly sexy. Now, I could see that the upper left side of his chest was also covered in tattoos. They looked to be different Chinese symbols, and I couldn’t help but wonder what they meant.
We continued drifting down the river and finally made our way back to the lot. I was just about to pop off the raft, and pull it up to shore when I noticed Travis’s group not far behind. They were about to pull in as well, but I was hoping I could make my way back up to a bathroom and pull myself together a little before I had another encounter with them.
Within seconds, Corey was at the shore giving us a hand out of the water and putting our tubes to the side. “So how was it?” he asked, taking my mother’s hand and helping her out of the water.
“Great!” my parents answered in unison.
“And what about you? Did you enjoy it?” he directed the question at me and gave me another wink.
“Yeah, it was great,” I answered, trying to remain polite.
“So, you’ll have to come back and do it again. We are open all summer long and give discounts for frequent visits,” Corey said, clearly trying to encourage us to return. Huh, I wonder why? I thought, rolling my eyes at his persistence. “Where are you folks staying?” he asked, while his eyes roamed over my body once more. I hated that he was giving me another eye f*cking. My body was now covered in goose bumps and I really wanted to get my cover up on and fast.
“We are at Willow Falls Campground,” my dad answered and I was pissed that Corey now knew where to find me. Clearly, he’s a local and has heard of the place.
“Really, my girl… I mean… Um, I have friends that stay there over the summer.” It was obvious that Corey was about to say girlfriend, which proved my instincts to be correct. I’m always right about this stuff.
“Oh great!” my dad continued, not paying any mind to the eye advances that his daughter was receiving. “Maybe you can introduce Paige here to your friends. We are new this summer, and it would be great if she didn’t have to stay cooped up with us the entire time.” Dad’s attempt at finding me friends was extremely humiliating, but Corey just looked at me and raised an eyebrow suggestively while nodding. “Corey, baby!” a girl shouted from behind, distracting us from the embarrassing, and uncomfortable moment. It was one of the girls from Travis’s group calling from the water. I was hoping that it was his girlfriend, so his flirting would finally end.
“Hey Brit!” he said while starting to fidget. She quickly bounced off her raft and waded her way through the water to get to the bank faster.
“Hi baby! I missed you,” she said, making her way to his side and putting her arms around him. He reluctantly returned the hug, and then gave her a dismissive look.
“These are some of our customers Brit, do you mind? I’m working.” Britney received the message loud and clear, and did not seem happy about it at all.
“EXCUSE ME,” she snapped while turning to give me a nasty glare before tromping back through the water towards the rest of the group. Nice! Well, I just made a friend, I thought, frustrated about the entire situation. No doubt she would go back to the girls and say I was trying to make a move on her boyfriend. Jealousy is such a poison that I probably didn’t have a chance of befriending them now.
I turned to retrieve my cover up and find the bathroom. My mom followed me, so I decided to prove my point. “See, I told you Mom! Didn’t get a good vibe. He clearly is a scumbag flirting with me when he has a girlfriend,” I said disgustedly.
“You were right. I definitely don’t want you going out with him now,” she stated.
“Thank you Captain Obvious,” I mumbled as I left my mom’s side and went into the building to grab our things. I then headed towards the bathroom in the back to have a recovery moment.
Once I got myself together and put my cover up back on, I exited the restroom to head back out to the car. Travis was waiting outside the door, and it dawned on me that there was only one bathroom. “Sorry, it’s all yours” I said apologetically, realizing that I’d taken longer than necessary and probably held him up.
“No worries. Did you have a good time out there?” he asked and his friendly demeanor returned.
“Yeah, yeah, it was fun,” I answered then turned to walk towards the car.
I didn’t stick around to continue the conversation, because I was afraid that his girlfriend would appear and I would be accused of trying to steal two guys away. However, I did turn my head back and noticed that Travis was still standing there with a puzzled grin on his face. So I responded with a smile.
“See you later Paige!” he called out from behind. I gave him a little wave and then headed straight back to the car.
On the way back to the campground, I couldn’t help but replay the looks that I’d received from the girls and then the exchange I had had with Travis. He was just being friendly which made me feel bad for giving him the brush off. I’m sure he was merely trying to have a conversation and I had to go run away like a skittish cat. Ugh! I’d have a really hard time making friends this summer if I kept this behavior up. I need to see what I can do tonight at the barbeque; maybe if I lay low they would realize that I’m not trying to tromp all over their territory. Yeah, that is probably best: wait for introductions and no matter what, don’t flirt with any of the boys. Probably don’t even make eye contact with them.