Note: A comment made me realize that I didn't make it clear enough about their ages in the first chapter. Bad Theo. This chapter is actually when it is touched on. Gail is about 22 and just finished college. Holly is around 26 and just finished her 3rd year of med school. Hope that helps.
A loud banging on wood pulled Gail from her nap. After Holly had left, Gail's head had begun to pound and she decided to try and sleep it off. It was obvious to her that the drum solo in her brain meant her plan had failed. She wasn't seeing double but she definitely needed some aspirin. Then the banging returned.
"Hey Gail! Gonna grab lunch. Let's go," rang Dov's voice through the door.
Gail groaned and headed for the door. She yanked it open and stared at him.
"Napping already? Wow. Hey, throw your shirt on and let's go. Food." Dov smiled. "I know you love napping but I know you love food more."
"Gross," moaned Gail at the idea of anyone knowing anything about her. She shut the door and returned a minute later with the disgustingly happy camp shirt on with her make up looking more pristine than when she had arrived at the camp.
As they headed down a path around the building Dov inspected her with some intensity.
"What" she snapped.
"You okay? You look a bit rough," said Dov with a smile. He always found enjoyment in her pain. That was okay though because she openly laughed at his. Especially when it was her doing.
"I hit my head on the bunk. I need pain killers. Or a lobotomy," she said was they made their way toward a large building on the other side of an open field filled with kids and teens.
"Well, I've never done a lobotomy but hey sounds fun," said a voice from behind them. Gail stopped walking at the familiar sound and turned to see Holly walking rather closely behind them. If that smirk had bothered Gail before, it was really getting under her skin now.
"Hey Holly," said Dov. "Holly, this is Gail. Gail, this is…"
"Yeah, we've met. She's the reason my head feels like a metal concert right now," huffed Gail, turning back toward the building where Gail knew the food was. She needed junk food. She needed junk food immediately. Dov gave Holly a confused look. She shrugged and they both followed after the disgruntled blonde.
"Not my fault," laughed Holly. "If I had known you were so jumpy I would have knocked first."
"I'm not jumpy," mumbled Gail.
"You're right," followed Holly. "I obviously missed it when the bunk bed punched you in the back of the head. I could have sworn you jumped up and smacked your skull into it but hey, I've been wrong before. Once."
Gail laughed before scowling again. Holly was gorgeous and funny. Her existence just seemed rude and Gail's head was pounding too much for her to play nice. Very rarely was Gail left unable to think of a snappy comeback and this Holly woman seemed to be doing nothing but that to the blonde.
"No, really Epstein, where's the junk food?" Gail looked at the buffet and then to the serving trays. Everything looked healthy and Gail was not in the mood for healthy.
"Gail, it's a summer camp. For kids. Parents usually like it when their kids aren't fed nothing but junk food for months," said Dov. He grabbed a tray and started shoving anything and everything on it. Gail groaned and piled a few things on her tray.
They moved carefully through the excited bodies running everywhere and sat at a table where Holly was already eating and waving her hands about energetically to a girl. It was only when they sat down that Gail realized Holly wasn't just waving her hands about like an idiot but was actually signing to the girl standing next to her.
"That's great. I'm glad you've already met some kids to hang out with," signed Holly. "I told you at least one kid here would know sign language."
Gail was pretty sure they didn't know she knew what they were saying and just kept watching them while poking at the rabbit food in front of her. She could hear Dov going on about something next to her but she wasn't listening to him.
"Yeah, he's really cool. His brother is deaf and he's here too so he said I could eat with them," said the young girl. She looked similar to Holly. Long wavy brown hair, brown eyes, and a little tanner than the people around her. She looked to be around 12 though, so Gail figured Holly wasn't her mom. Holly looked too young for a kid that age. Niece probably. The girl looked over at Dov and Gail and furrowed her brow at the site of Gail. "Holly why is that blonde girl glaring at us?"
Holly looked over at Gail and smiled.
"She hit her head earlier. My diagnosis is brain damage." The girl laughed. "She refused care. I'm afraid the damage is irreversible at this point."
"She's cute," said the girl with a sly smile at Holly. "Angry. But cute."
"And you're too young to be telling me when girls are cute," laughed Holly. Then Holly turned to Gail and Dov.
"Hey, guys this is my niece Emily," she indicated the girl standing next to her. Dov waved and said his name, while Holly signed. Gail smirked and waved. Holly signed her name to Emily despite Gail not saying it.
Emily looked at Holly and laughed. "Talk to you later, Holly."
As Emily walked off and met up with a lanky boy with mousy hair, Gail smiled. She had never actually ran into a situation where knowing sign language gave her any sort of secret advantage but in this moment she was pretty happy that her mother had made her learn it. Holly looked over at Gail with a quizzical look. Before the brunette could say anything, two more women in counselor shirts sat down next to Holly and waved at Dov.
"Hey," said Dov. He elbowed Gail and gestured toward the two women. "Gail Peck, that's Chloe Price and that's Andy McNally."
"McNally?" asked Gail. She had heard that name before.
"Peck?" asked Andy with equal interest.
"Your dad was a cop." Anytime someone actually recognized the Peck name they were either a cop or a criminal and Gail remembered meeting a McNally before at one of her parents' parties.
"And your parents and your brother are cops," said Andy. Gail smirked and nodded.
"Hey that's so cool! My godfather is a cop and I'm totally joining the police academy after I finish college. Are either of you joining? I mean, what are the chances you guys would meet here? This is too cool." Gail glared at Chloe. How did all those words manage to come out of that small person so quickly?
"Yeah, I'm going after this summer," said Andy.
"Hey! Us too!" shouted Dov while hitting Gail on the shoulder. Gail flinched and narrowed her eyes at her friend. However, instead of beating him to a pulp for talking for her she just rolled her eyes and went back to her food while Dov, Andy, and Chloe talked about the police academy. She had agreed to go to this summer camp thing to escape her future for a while, not have it shoved in her face. And she certainly didn't want to talk about it with Captain Smiles and the Duchess of Polite.
Gail looked across from her at Holly. The brunette was already watching her and heat rose to Gail's cheeks at the way the other woman didn't even look embarrassed for being caught staring.
"Don't tell me you're a future cop too," said Gail with a little more bite than she intended.
"Nope. Just finished my third year of medical school," said Holly with that smile that Gail was starting to think was a permanent feature of her face.
"Good, we can be friends." Gail finished her salad and started poking at the pile of fruit still on her tray. "I'm over cops."
"Oh we can, huh? I feel honored."
"You should. I'm a pretty great friend."
"You must be with that attitude," quipped Holly.
Gail would never admit it, not even to herself, but she was having fun talking to Holly. Occasionally she would meet people who could keep up with her abrasiveness but not like this. Not like Holly. Then, when Holly pulled a bag of cheese puffs out of her first aid kit, which Gail was starting to suspect was actually a lunchbox, Gail froze.
"I will sell you my soul for those," she pointed at the bag of her favorite junk food.
"Do you even have one to sell?" laughed Holly but Gail was looking so intently at the bag that Holly quickly caved. "Say one nice thing about someone at this table and you can have them."
Gail glared up at her.
"Dov isn't nearly as stupid as he looks," she finally said causing Dov to look over from his conversation and shove her. Holly looked at her with a look that said she could do better. "You aren't the most boring person I've ever talked to."
If she wasn't so hungry for those cheese puffs Gail would have been insulted with how hard Holly was laughing at her right now. The others next to them also chuckled having caught on to what was happening.
"Holly, the sad thing is that, for Gail, that really is a compliment," said Dov.
"Yeah. I can tell," said Holly, wiping a tear from her eye. "Here."
Gail caught the bag and immediately ripped it open, practically moaning when she shoved the artificially flavored puffs into her mouth.
"Dov, how do you seem to know everyone?" Gail managed to ask after sating her cheese puff lust.
"Well, Gail. If you had come to orientation last week you would also know everyone," said Dov. "Holly, Chloe, Andy, and all the other counselors where there. Just not you."
"I had other things to do," replied Gail. "Super important. Busy schedule."
"Beating 12 year olds on the internet in Counter Strike isn't really super important." Dov shoved Gail and reached over to steal a cheese puff but Gail quickly moved the bag out of his reach.
While Gail was distracted with Dov, Holly reached over took a cheese puff out of the bag. Gail looked over at her then back at Dov and continued pushing him back.
"What the hell!? Why does she get one?" Dov gestured to Holly.
"She gave them to me."
"You never share food. I've given you tons of food." Dov groaned. "You almost stabbed me with a fork once because I tried to eat some fries I decided to share with you."
Finally Gail pushed herself off the bench. She quickly moved to the other side of the table and shoved Holly over, their sides pressed together from lack of space. The other women were all laughing at the scene and the offended look on Dov's face. Gail held the bag open in Holly's direction while staring across at her friend and laughed when Holly took another puff and Dov started to whine. Despite the lingering pain in the back of her head, Gail was starting to warm up to summer camp.