"Mama, it's missing!"
Santana came rushing down the stairs nearly breathless when she almost collided with her mom, who had exited the kitchen to see what her daughter was yelling about.
"What's missing?"
"My shirt, it's missing!" Santana clutched her chest, trying to calm down her breathing, wondering how she was nearly breathless when the distance between where she was standing now and to her bedroom was hardly meters away. She was a cheerleader for god's sakes; she shouldn't be panting like this.
"That red one? Honey, I told you it was in the laundry room- you must have forgotten to take it."
"No Mama, my Evergreen shirt! It's missing." Santana clarified and she was glad that she was breathing normally again.
"What?" Maribel Lopez gasped. "Your Evergreen shirt is missing?"
Santana knew that her mother was mocking her and if she would ever admit, she would say that she was over-reacting a little bit. If her mother couldn't find it, then it must mean that she had really lost it and if she calls this over-reacting, then imagine.
"That's what I said, Mama."
"Go search in your room. Or try the laundry room. You always lose your clothes in there or it might have gotten mixed up with Bella's clothes."
"I already went through my room. Twice. It's gone. Now how am I supposed to arrive at the camp? I'll be the only one in normal clothes, oh god that'll be embarrassing." Santana rambled and her mom simply raised an eyebrow at her.
"You are such a drama-queen." With that, her mom disappeared back into the kitchen.
Santana heard a giggle from the couch behind her. That little devil, Santana pursed her lips and walked over to the couch and stood between the couch and the coffee table, effectively blocking the television.
"Where is my shirt, you little minx?" Santana hissed.
"Move, you are blocking the tv!" Bella scrambled forward and tried to push her sister away, but she being the small ten years old and Santana being the sixteen year old, there was not much she could do.
"I asked where my shirt is." Santana refused to budge and narrowed her eyes at her little sister.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Bella replied innocently, battling her eyelashes and shrugged her shoulders.
Santana knew this was all a trick, hell she was the one who used to do this (still did) and there was no surprise that her sister was exactly like her. She felt a little pride swell in her, but quickly focused on getting her shirt back.
"Tell me where it is or I'll tell Mom that you and Wes had ice-cream after bed time." Santana grinned devilishly and Bella's eyes widened a little.
"You wouldn't." Bella's voice went considerably lower than a minute ago, her shoulders drooped and Santana felt a little bad but she really needed her shirt.
"Ha! So you do have my shirt! Give it me or I'll tell Mom right now."
Bella quickly jumped on the couch and clamped a hand over Santana's mouth.
"Please don't tell mom." Bella looked at her with pleading eyes and Santana felt her heart melting a little at her sister's cuteness.
Santana nodded and Bella dropped off the couch to retrieve Santana's shirt when Maribel walked in.
"What's going on?" She asked suspiciously and knowing her daughters, she knew both of them were up to something.
"Nothing!" The Lopez sisters answered in unison.
Maribel narrowed her eyes and stared at the two of them, back and forth before turning her attention to her youngest daughter.
"Go get ready; we are leaving in a few minutes."
"This is so not fair! How come Santana gets to travel alone with her friends and I'm travelling with you guys?" Bella grumbled as she made her way up the stairs.
Maribel chuckled and turned to Santana. "You never thanked me for allowing you to travel with your friends this year." She said, pointing a finger at Santana.
"Thank you so much, mom. You are the best mother in this whole world." Santana pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek and Maribel laughed and shoved her away.
"When will your friends be here?"
"Quinn texted a while back saying she will be here by ten and I don't know when Puck is gonna arrive and knowing him, he is going to be late." Santana looked at her watch and saw that it was a quarter past nine.
"I'm gonna go and do some last minute packing." Santana headed off to her room and grinned when she saw a certain green colored shirt on her bed, neatly folded.
She quickly removed her current outfit and slipped into the green shirt which read CAMP EVERGREEN( Could it be more obvious?) and a pair of jeans which she was sure that made her look hot every time.
She pulled out a notepad from her drawer and quickly went over her list, double-checking if she had packed everything.
(Yes, she made a list.)
She lounged in her room for another fifteen minutes, lying on her bed closing her eyes for a few minutes. Camp Evergreen was the best part of her year and thinking about it made her all giddy with excitement. She took her bags, slipped on her aviators and went downstairs.
Bella was in the living room, sitting on one of the bags and she too, like Santana, was wearing the CAMP EVERGREEN shirt. Santana made a mental note to herself that next year she was going to hide her sister's shirt or come up with a better prank.
The doorbell rang and assuming that it was going to be Quinn, she opened the door to reveal Noah Puckerman who was dressed in all black, with his guitar on his back. The classic Noah "The Saw" Puckerman look.
"You're early."
"Lopez! Let's get this shit on the road." He raised his hand for a high-five which Santana did, albeit rolling her eyes.
"Quinn hasn't arrived yet, dumbass. And what are you doing here so early?"
"Hey I'm not early. I'm right on time," He tapped his watch, grinning. Santana rolled her eyes and stepped aside to let him in.
"Hey Little Lopez" Puck greeted Bella, who was watching the television intently.
"Please don't her call that, it sounds so inappropriate." Santana groaned and dropped on to the couch, right next to Puck.
"Hey Puck" Bella grinned at him before returning her eyes to the television. Seriously, with the amount of television this girl watches, she should have gone blind by now.
"By the way Lopez, you look hot." Puck grinned at her and his eyes were glued to her chest and didn't even flinch when Santana smacked his head.
"Eyes up here, Puckerman"
"You are no fun." He turned his attention to the television and soon was engrossed in the cartoon along with Bella. Santana pulled out her phone and began playing with it, waiting for Quinn.
It was a quarter to ten when her father arrived from last minute errands. Soon, Bella, her mom and dad were all ready to leave and Santana sent a quick text to Quinn asking why she was so late.
"Thanks for inviting me, Mrs. L." Puck said as he helped her in loading the bags into the car.
"You come with us every year, Noah, you don't have to thank us for inviting you," Maribel Lopez smiled warmly at him.
"Wow, Puckerman who knew you had manners." Santana snickered and neatly dodged the fist that nearly collided with her shoulder.
"Santana, be nice." Her mother warned.
"Yes Satan-you should learn to be nice." Puck smirked at her and Santana rolled her eyes.
"Mom, Dad, come on let's go!" Bella whined from the backseat.
"Just a minute honey, I gotta make sure everything is packed."
Making sure that everything necessary was packed; Anthony Lopez got into the driver's seat and pulled his eldest daughter aside.
"Drive safe Santana and if you are having any sort of trouble-"
"-I know, I should call you. You told me this already, Papa. Yesterday and after the fifth time, I lost count" Santana grinned cheekily and allowed her father to hug her.
"My baby girl is growing up, can't blame me for trying to keep her safe." Anthony winked at her and his other daughter called from behind.
"Your baby girl hasn't grown up yet! I'm still here, Papa." Bella called from the backseat and Santana leaned over the car window to tousle her sister's hair.
"Guys, leave, once Quinn arrives I'll be following you guys close behind."
"Drive safe, honey!" This time it was her mother.
"Bye, Mr. and Mrs. L!" Puck waved goodbye to them and Santana stared at him in shock. Seriously, when did he develop such manners?
Just as the car exited from her driveway, Quinn Fabray walked in, wearing her camp shirt and jeans with her sunglass balancing on the top of her head. Puck gawked at her but Quinn ignored him and walked right over to Santana.
"You're late." are the first words from Santana's mouth and she looks at the time and its half past ten.
"Was that your parents?" Quinn ignored her accusation.
"Yeah and we better leave too. Puck, stop drooling and help me get the bags."
Quinn ignored him again and followed Santana into the Lopez household.
"I call shotgun!" Quinn smirked and that gets Puck moving. He cursed under his breath for missing sitting in the front, because he hated traveling in the back. Usually, he calls it first but this time Quinn beat him to it.
"No fair!"
"Will you two just shut up and help me?"
/
They loaded the bags into the car and Santana complained because Quinn's was occupying the most space the whole time and Quinn ignored her as usual. A mutinous looking Puck slumped into the backseat, still grumbling for missing calling shotgun.
Quinn shot him a smirk before climbing into her seat and Santana slipped into the driver seat of her Mercedes. She gleamed at her friends and repeated Puck's words from earlier.
"Let's get this shit on the road!"
Puck gave no reply and Quinn just patted her knees before pulling out her headphones and closed her eyes, resting her head on the window.
"You guys are no fun." Santana grumbled and slipped the key into ignition.
She barely even started the car, when she saw Kurt Hummel, her classmate and fellow Glee clubber at McKinley High (she still doesn't call him a "friend") running at full speed towards them and his already pink face was even more pinker from all the running when he finally stopped in front of Santana.
"Santana-I-lift-Rachel-" Kurt mumbled between breaths and gripped the rearview mirror to steady himself.
"Whoa calm down Lady Face because I have no idea what you are saying."
Quinn and extracted one of her headphones and was peering curiously at Kurt while Puck had his arms crossed and staring at the scene uninterested.
"Rachel's dads offered to drop Finn with them and Mercedes had already left, which leaves me with no choice but to ask you if I could come with you guys?" Kurt said, finally having gained his energy back.
Santana just stared at him.
"Fine" She said finally, "but listen, Lady Hummel before you set foot in my baby, you'll have to follow my rules because I know how your car rides with Berry go and there'll be no room for singing fucking musical songs, because that annoys me when I'm driving and second of all you'll be sitting in the back with Puck so, I guess this will be more enjoyable for you"
Puck hit her in the back of her seat.
"So, is that a yes?"
"Get in loser, we are going camping"
Santana mentally patted herself for the extremely good reference which Kurt recognized and gave her an approving look while getting in to his seat.
"Your bowtie is absolutely hideous." She couldn't stop that comment.
"Oh and also, don't make small talks because none of us will respond to you." Santana added.
That was the last anyone of them spoke when they finally left for Camp Evergreen.
/
"So, this camp is like a regular thing?"
Santana shot Kurt a glare, but he ignored it and waited for an answer. This was the worst car ride he had ever been on and that's not because Puck's drooling in the seat and his feet is dangling near Kurt's face. It had been an hour and Kurt had never experienced such silence in his whole life. Being best buddies with Rachel Berry, silence was not in their dictionary.
"You're making me regret for letting you come with us." Santana responded after a few minutes.
Kurt is about to give up, when surprisingly Quinn decided to speak for the first time she got into the car. He had totally forgotten about her in the front of seat if it hadn't been for the light snores that he had heard.
"Santana's family owns the camp. They host it every year and Santana has been attending it ever since she was five. I joined her when I was eight, nine, I don't know; it's awesome. You'll love it there"
"Five? So, that's where you disappear every summer?" Kurt turned his attention to Santana.
"Anything is better than this stuck up town." Santana muttered and both Quinn and Kurt nodded in agreement.
"Well, thank you for inviting us to come with this year." said Kurt, who tried to push Puck's legs that had fallen on his lap but to no avail.
"I was forced to invite you all" Santana muttered under her breath and nearly swayed her grip on the steering wheel when Quinn smacked her arm. "Hey, watch it! Do you have a death wish or something?"
"Why do you have to be such a bitch all the time?"
"It takes one to know one." Santana retaliated.
"God, would it kill you to be nice for once in your life?"
"Oh I'm a nicer person than you Fabray, I can live with that."
"Are they fighting again?" Puck mumbled in his sleep, trying to adjust his position in the cramped space.
"Yes." Kurt answered him, trying to move his legs now that he was awake but Puck closed his eyes and dozed off again.
"Just put your earphones or something and do not get into the middle of it, you'll get slapped." Puck said before resuming his slumber.
Quinn was fuming in the front seat, Santana was muttering under her breath in a different language what Kurt assumed was Spanish. He had seen Santana like this before in Glee club, so he took Puck's advice and put on his earphones and decided to watch the scenery.
Another hour had passed, everyone were asleep except for Santana. It was another hour drive to Camp Evergreen and Santana was glad that nobody was awake. Quinn had her head against the car window and was snoring lightly. She passed the Camp Evergreen sign and grinned. She was still pissed off because of Quinn from before, but going to Evergreen made her forget it because she was going to a place where she could finally be herself and get away from all the drama.
The road was pretty deserted, and after talking to her mom on the phone, letting her know that she was driving safe and will be there in half an hour, she woke up the rest of them in the car, Quinn a little hostile.
"Wow" Kurt murmured as he took in the surroundings- it was green everywhere, no wonder they called it Evergreen. It was literally too green.
"Awesome right?" Quinn beamed at him and he nodded.
"Are we there yet?" Puck groaned his voice scratchy from sleep.
Nobody bothered to answer him, so he assumed that they weren't and decided to take another short nap. Kurt rolled his eyes at him.
Soon the deserted road turned into a busy one with cars going beside them with screaming children and it lead to a single narrowed road that split into two.
Camp Evergreen to the right, Camp Rosewood to the left.
"Camp Rosewood?" asked Kurt, intrigued and was shocked when Quinn and Santana growled just at the mention of the name.
"Dude, whatever you do just don't mention Camp Rosewood. They are our rivals." Puck spoke something sensible for the first time since they started. Kurt just nodded and watched in bewilderment when several cars zoomed to his left, which he assumed was the way to Camp Rosewood.
They eventually came to a halt and Kurt's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it. This was freaking huge.
"Your family owns this place?" asked Kurt, still in shock.
"I know, right?" Santana smirked in response.
/
"Oh my god, this is so freaking awesome" Kurt gushed, Puck gave him a look of understanding as he unloaded their bags from the car.
Santana couldn't wipe the grin off her face, they were here. Finally.
"I know, man and you should see the chicks, they get hotter every year." Puck reasoned in his own way, earning looks of disgust from his friends.
"You make me uncomfortable." Kurt gave him a weird look before turning to admire the place.
"Dude, I'm just saying!"
Santana picked up her bag, "Guys, I'll meet you by the pit. Come on Kurt, I'll show you around" She couldn't believe herself that she offered to do that, but being here made her do a lot of different things.
"Sure thing" Puck waved and took off in the opposite direction along with Quinn.
"Who knew you were so nice?" Kurt teased. Santana rolled her eyes in response.
"Shut up, Lady Hummel or you won't be getting the grand tour by the one and only Santana Lopez."
"Alright, alright. I know I have said this already, but this is awesome" He said again, watching it in awe as many families and little kids were huddled in corners.
She steered him right from the crowded families and soon they were walking down a deserted path, and Kurt was getting chills from being surrounded by trees on both side and the crispy chill air even in the hot mid afternoon.
"You're not going to take me to a forest and kill me are you?"
Santana laughed. "Chill, Lady Face, you'll be getting a real tour for the newbies later this evening. I'm just teaching you the shortcuts, and trust me; it'll come handy in the future."
The worry on Kurt's face still didn't etch. "I don't think I like this."
"Not two minutes ago you were gushing about how awesome this is. Come on Hummel, have a little fun. You should be honored that I'm doing this for you, only Puck and Quinn have gotten this grand tour."
That caused Kurt to snap his attention to her from walking down a one long narrow road. "Really?"
"I can't believe I told you that." Santana muttered to herself. The path ended and they came face to face with a large open ground. There were tables set up at a few meters away from each other, lights dangling above them. Mats were laid down on the floor and on the other side; he saw another path looking exactly like the one they crossed.
"This is The Pit. This is where all the meetings and bonfires usually take place. You can pretty much hangout here anytime. We sometimes host games here or play charades but most of the time it's all about singing and dancing in here."
"Cool." said Kurt, gasping in awe at how open this place was.
"Now for the important part, you see the path down there?" Santana gestured with her chin to the road ahead of them. Kurt nodded, "Whatever you do, do not go in there. That leads to Camp Rosewood and we hate them." Santana nearly growled and Kurt flinched at how harsh she was being.
"So Camp Rosewood and Evergreen share the same grounds?" Kurt frowned in confusion.
Santana sighed. "It's a long story and you will be hearing it later. Now, I'll show you all the other places, c'mon."
She led him away from the Pit and introduced him to the arts and crafts building they had, the music room (to which Kurt let out a loud squeal), the dining hall, the library, an indoor arcade and finally to the places they were staying at. Tents were set up everywhere. Kurt couldn't believe his eyes. This was like a whole other town.
This was going to be the best summer ever.
/
Evening fell, and by this time, all the families had dropped off their kids and said their goodbyes. Camp Evergreen was for kids between the ages ten to sixteen. This was one of the most popular summer camp programs in Lima, actually one of the best things that this place was known for. Counselors were assigned to the kids pre-teen and the teenagers were all under supervision.
There was a huge crowd, filled with buzzing and laughter. Anthony Lopez smiled hugely as he walked to The Pit and climbed on the stage. He tapped the mic a few times, and instantly the place fell silent.
"Welcome to Camp Evergreen!" He began and the crowd let out a whooping sound of cheer in response. He grinned brightly. The joy at watching these kids at camp was one of the best he has felt in his life. He was so proud that his family owned something big, something huge.
"Are you all ready to have fun?" The crowd dressed in green t-shirts let out another cheer. "Okay, so what are we waiting for?" Loud squeals erupted everywhere and Anthony chuckled, descending from the stage to join his wife and the other camp counselors.
At the far end, Santana, Kurt, Quinn, Puck, Finn, Mercedes and Rachel were huddled together. Santana smiled at the sheer look of shock and joy on her friends' faces and she remembered how good it felt to be a part of this.
"You come here every year and you don't invite us?" Mercedes asked in shock.
"Hey! I didn't know you all back then. Okay, now do you all wanna hear something fun?"
Before anyone could reply, Quinn cut in. "Santana, this is their first time being here. Let them have some fun before we tell them about it."
"Tell us about what?" Finn piped up and the others leaned in curiously except for Rachel. Rachel Berry was twitching in her seat, desperately wanting to go up on the stage and join the other singers.
"Quinn's right. We will tell you after the bonfire." The curious looks didn't waver but soon they got distracted by the crowd and the noise. Rachel couldn't hold it back in anymore, she skipped over to the stage and soon the Glee club joined her. Puck was ramming his guitar and was shamelessly flirting with a few girls, who were just inflating his ego. Mercedes and Kurt were singing and were trying to outsmart each other.
Santana turned to Quinn, "Do you wanna dance?"
"Hell yeah." Quinn grinned and soon they were dancing, bumping their hips with each other, singing off key and Quinn even danced with one of the counselors. Santana saw her little sister with her group of friends and they were all being told a story by her favorite counselor, Stacey. Stacey saw her looking and waved at her.
It felt good to be back.
/
The bonfire was nowhere near ready to end and everyone groaned when Anthony Lopez got up on the stage again. They all booed at being told to their tents but soon the little kids followed the counselors and they settled into their assigned tents.
The Glee club crowd was tired too. Kurt let out a huge yawn and soon everyone else started too, yawning did spread like a disease. Rachel was still singing with Finn, who was grinning dopily at her and the rest of them made gagging noises. They walked in the direction to their assigned tents; Santana was bunking with Quinn, Rachel with Mercedes, Finn with Puck and Kurt with a stranger he didn't know.
Kurt opened his mouth to say goodnight but Santana shushed him. "Listen; freshen up and meet me by the pit in half an hour. We got something to do."
Puck and Quinn were gleaming and they high fived each other. Others looked at them in confusion but Santana gave them a knowing look. "You'll see. Also, don't get caught. You all do remember the way to the pit, right?"
They nodded solemnly. Santana followed Quinn to her tent and immediately dropped down on her bed like an eagle. From the corner of her eye, she saw Quinn doing the same.
"We have a better chance this time, now that we have a bigger crowd this time. We should have invited them sooner." said Quinn.
"Stop blaming me, Quinn. I didn't know half of them and before we joined Glee Club we were bullying everyone that came here with us."
"I'm not blaming you Santana." Quinn sighed. "I'm just glad to be back here. This place has always felt like home to me." Quinn whispered. Santana got up from her bed and snuggled up next to Quinn's in the cramped space. She wrapped her arms around her best friend's shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. They had a rough year and things were slightly awkward between them, but they will always remain best friends, she knew that.
"Aw, Quinn, love you." Santana made kissing noises and Quinn tried to push her away. A tickle war began, and they both fell from the bed onto the grassy floor, laughing their butts off. Santana checked the time on her watch. She motioned for Quinn to leave. They waited outside their tent. Rachel came first and Santana let out a loud shriek. Rachel had her face covered in something green and was dressed in a pink pajamas.
"Berry, you gave me a heart attack! What the hell happened to your face?"
"Santana, I'll have you informed that this is my daily nightly routine, which keeps me fit and healthy when I get into Broadway-"
"Okay forget I asked." Santana held up a hand and that silenced Rachel. Quinn was chortling beside her. Mercedes followed Rachel out a few minutes later and soon everyone gathered around. Kurt fought back a yawn; it was nearly midnight.
"Why are we gathered here?" Mercedes asked, as they all began to move. Santana held up a finger to her mouth, motioning for them to be silent, and lead the way dramatically. Quinn rolled her eyes. She gave Santana a slap in the back.
"My fellow Glee clubbers, this is where the real fun is gonna kick in."
/
This is something I wrote so long back. Let me know if you want me to continue.