It is an irrevocable truth that the most important part of David's life is Camp Campbell. It had been this way since Cameron Campbell presented him with the 'best camper' badge all those years ago. He'd reprioritized his entire worldview that day, putting camping and the great outdoors above everything else in his life. Summer after summer, several steadier job opportunities, countless friendships not to mention romantic relationships had been sacrificed for the good of the camp, all in the hope of giving kids the same life-changing experiences he'd had when he was young.
It hadn't been and still wasn't easy, especially in the age of internet and increasing apathy, to get people even half as interested as he was about it all, but that (mostly) didn't deter him. It was entirely possible David was the only one in the world who cared about those things anymore, but just like he'd told Max on the night of the campfire, someone had to try and keep trying, success or failure.
The talent show on parent's day is really no different from the usual; Camp Campbell is once again being threatened, and it's down to him and the campers to save it. David has faith that the kids will deliver, and for once it's deeper than just his unbridled optimism; this summer had been the first in a while where the kids had really connected with each other and the camp itself, and David was quietly proud of them all. From Nurf becoming calmer and more compassionate, to Harrison and Nerris' growing friendship from rocky beginnings.
The only trouble left, as usual, is Max.
Max, who is being uncooperative. Max, who is refusing to believe that his friends can pull off the show without failing. Max, who is ruining everything and actively trying to destroy the most important thing in David's life, because Mr Campbell could go to Super Guantanamo and then the camp might close down, and didn't the kid understand the consequences of-
But then David sees Max's enrolment form.
It is filled to the bare minimum and reeks of neglect. He glances back and forth between where Mr Campbell's voice booming on the other side of the curtain, and Max, sitting with his knees drawn up and tears clinging to his green eyes, all because his parents hadn't even cared enough to fill in a blank spot on a piece of paper, much less turn up for Parent's Day.
David's resolve flickers, flickers, crumbles and then something shifts in his mind.
He makes a decision.
"Max, come on, we gotta go," he says quietly, bounding over and pulling the kid to his feet by his armpits.
"Wha- what the fuck?" asks Max thickly. David shushes him, and makes eye contact with Gwen, who nods in instant understanding. She pulls out the car keys from her shorts and jingles them, and he is infinitely grateful to her.
He shepherds Max to the side of the stage and down the stars. The kid is luckily pliant from confusion and distress.
David hears Mr Campbell call Max's name for the talent show just as they make it to the trees, but he doesn't turn back, not even as he hears his own name being called as well. Instead he takes hold of Max's hand while Gwen takes the other one, and they both pull the kid along.
"Where are we-?" Max tries to say, and both counsellors shush him in unison. They luckily make it to the car without running into any other campers or parents, which David is thankful for, even more so when the car starts without incident and they drive away from the camp.
He breathes a sigh of relief only when he watches the Camp Campbell (with the 'bell' part scratched off) sign grows smaller in the rear view mirror behind them. There probably wasn't any need to be that secretive in their escape, but it had made things easier overall.
"I still don't understand what's happening," asks Max, small and strapped into the backseat. It really, properly hits David that he's ten, despite how old he acts. Ten years old and bitter to the world when he shouldn't be, and it saddens David immeasurably. No one deserves to be neglected and unloved, especially not by the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally. It wasn't fair.
"There's a pizza place in town that's alright. What do you guys think, should we head there?" says Gwen from beside him. She sends a soft smile in David's direction- they may have their differences, but he had known Gwen's heart was truly in the right place from the moment he'd hired her.
"Pizza. That sounds fantastic!" he agrees, plotting out the route in his head and returning Gwen's smile twice as wide.
"I… guess I am a little hungry," adds Max quietly.
David glances again in the rear mirror, this time appraising Max, who is calmer, but still has red-rimmed eyes and his arms wrapped protectively around his chest.
David doesn't regret leaving an inch. Mr Campbell would handle things; he always had and always would.
Anyway, David reasons to himself, it can't turn out nearly as bad as I thought, right?
So maybe it wasn't so irrevocable that Camp Campbell was the most important part of his life. It was probably stupid and selfish to think that a place was more important than a child's happiness and comfort like Max or any of the others.
Maybe David had lost sight of what truly mattered in his constant attempts to make kids love the camp and it's traditions like he had as a kid. Maybe the best way forward from here was to reprioritize his ways yet again, and put them in front of everything else instead of blindly following and bending to Cameron Campbell's will. After all, the man only showed up every few weeks, not out of love for the camp but to hide from the authorities or to keep up the front that his camp was still running smoothly and legitimately.
Max deserved better than that. So did Harrison, whose parents were afraid of him, and Dolph, misunderstood by his father, and even Nurf, who was having to deal with his mother in jail.
They were all good kids, a lot of his campers both past and present had been, and through no fault of their own the world had decided to screw over. That wasn't fair, and they deserved better from the world, their own parents and him. It's his job to look after them for a summer, after all.
David glances again at Max and resolves to himself, as he drives towards town (the skyline pastel orange from the setting sun) that they would all have better from that moment on.
They would have him, all of him.
Dat finale tho.