So I hope this almost 8k chapter makes up for the wait!
I'd love to hear your opinions on Nick by the way. I'm not too fond of him right now because he's not exactly being the loveliest of people. If anybody's absolutely hating on him, do tell me ;)
To those who have already asked for more Klaine, here's the deal. Yes, you will see (sort of) more of Kurt in the story but he is not a main character. This is a Nick/Jeff centric story and was initially planned to be written without Blaine at all. So please don't get annoyed if you don't see much of Kurt - he has his moments but he is not a main focus.
Disclaimer: I do not own the ideas in this story. I have never been to a 'straight camp' and am therefore not attempting to portray an exact replica of one. I do not own any characters you recognize.
Nick.
Waking up to the sound of other people talking was something Nick hadn't experienced in a long time and it took a few minutes of trying not to freak out before he remembered where he was - not that that helped much, he just had something else to freak out over instead. But putting on his best nonchalant expression, Nick rolled over and sat up to see Blaine pulling on a shirt and talking to Jeff who was doing his hair in the small mirror that was supplied for them separate to the bathroom. "Oh, Nick. We didn't wake you, did we?"
Nick shook his head before running a hand through his hair self-consciously. Jeff's hair looked impeccable after all and Blaine had clearly applied his gel mask before Nick had woken up. "No, it's all good. Just a bit of a change having people in my room."
"I know what you mean," Jeff said, giving his hair a final flick before turning around. "Did you sleep well?"
And his expression was so friendly that Nick wasn't sure what to do. He gave a noncommittal shrug and pulled himself out of bed, digging through his clothes for something to wear. There was a moment of silence - Nick knowing perfectly well that it was a result of his attitude and not really caring - before Jeff continued to talk. "So are you nervous?"
"A little," Blaine said, tucking his phone under the mattress. "I don't like talking about my past to people who don't get it, and I just know that none of these people do. It's not like they're going to bring in a gay psychologist for us to talk to or someone who actually wants to help."
Jeff nodded. "I'm wondering whether they think they're helping or whether they know full well that they're not - oh, are you going to breakfast?"
"Yep." Nick was already out the door before waiting for a response. He knew the polite thing to do would have been to wait for his roommates or at least ask if they wanted to come with him, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to be polite.
Nick knew he had let his guard down yesterday. He had been too friendly and given the boys the impression that he wanted to talk to them and be their friend when, in fact, nothing was further from the truth. Yes, Blaine and Jeff both seemed like really nice guys and under different circumstances Nick knew he would have gotten along with them great, but this wasn't different circumstances. This was now and Nick couldn't do it. Besides, the two seemed to be getting along great without Nick being involved, why would he want to intrude on that when he knew full well how it would end anyway?
Just as he reached the hall, the bell that they had heard last night rang out, making Nick jump again. Something else to get used to, he realized as he walked into the hall, expecting it to be empty. Instead he found James sitting there, his feet up on the table. "Hey! Nick… right?"
Nick nodded, realizing he was going to have to sit with James, it would be downright rude not to. He took a seat across from the boy, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you up so early?"
"Waiting for them to let Scott out of Isolation. He should be here any minute now." James checked his watch. Nick saw a brief flash of worry before the usual cocky expression returned to his face and that moment taught him more about the boys than he knew he would learn by talking to them for hours. They both always appeared carefree but Nick knew they cared about each other more than anything and, as much as they bluffed it and said how much fun they'd have stirring things up, Nick knew neither of them wanted to be here at all. He didn't blame them - it couldn't be fun knowing your boyfriend was alone in Isolation.
And then James's face lit up and Nick turned to see Scott entering the room, Blaine and Jeff just behind him. "Told you I'd had a growth spurt, babe," Scott said cheerfully as he slid into the seat next to his boyfriend. "I spent the whole night with my knees under my chin. You owe me a massage."
"I owe you nothing." But James kissed him on the cheek lightly, looking far more relaxed. "How was it?"
Blaine and Jeff had arrived at the table and were sitting down next to Nick who was almost relieved. He had been sure that the two would freeze him out for the way he had acted but they seemed determined to go on like nothing had happened. Even though Nick didn't want to start a friendship, he hadn't been looking forward to a month of silent treatment and his icy countenance thawed a little. Maybe acquaintances can be alright. It's not like I'll see them after the camp anyway.
"What's to tell?" Scott said and Nick remembered they were still talking about his stay in Isolation. "A small dark box with just myself for company. It is how it sounds."
Oh god.
Nick immediately tuned the conversation out, thankful for so many years of practicing this skill during family gatherings that were really political pissing fights. Thankfully the other boys were already filing in and Ms. Taylor chose that moment to enter the room and calling all of them to attention. Nick tuned out the obligatory prayer, noticing that none of the other counsellors seemed to be focusing on it or praying either, before being one of the first over to the serving area. Breakfast this morning was cereal, something that was at least edible but not exactly the breakfast of choice for twelve teenage boys. And by the time they had all returned to the table and finished eating, Nick was relieved to find that they were no longer talking about Isolation.
"So what do I have to expect?"
"They'll try to get into your mind. They'll read into everything you say… and everything you don't say, more that than anything. Your safest bet is to just say nothing though, don't confirm or deny a thing they say. They'll take you by surprise sometimes and you will respond, I know that. Damage control is your friend."
Blaine bit his lip. "What do I do then?"
"Your dad's a lawyer, I assume you know your rights?" Scott paused, thinking for a second. "In fact, that'll help you. They know he is so they'll have to toe the line when it comes to you. And you," he added, looking over at Nick who suppressed his sigh of relief. "You'll both be fine."
The hall was on the move and Blaine stood, his hands knotted together. "I'd better go. If I don't come back, text Kurt and tell him I love him."
Scott clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't sweat it. If you stress too much, they know you have something to hide." Blaine gave him an unconvincing smile before heading in the direction of the counseling room. Scott turned back and caught the look on Jeff's face at the same time Nick did - he looked almost as apprehensive as Blaine. "He'll be fine, promise. And so will you when you go in. Now, do either of you know how to play poker?" Both boys nodded, Nick in confusion. "They give us the first morning off except for those in solo sessions and James is awful at poker, I need some good opponents."
"I'm not that bad," James whined, effectively breaking all of the tension that had built from the previous conversation. "But I'm up for a game if you guys are."
Two hours later found the boys in a heated game on the floor of Cabin Four with a large pile of chips between them - real ones at that. Scott hadn't been kidding about his junk food stash and of course Nick found himself spurred on even more to win the game and get something edible. He was just about to play the hand that he knew would win him the game when their door swung open to reveal one of the female counsellors staring at them, her hands on her hips. "Gentlemen?"
Jeff turned white and Nick knew he was probably a similar color since the only thought that was currently running around in his head was isolation isolation isolation. But Scott laughed loudly, getting to his feet and wrapping the girl in a hug. "Don't scare the newbies, Alana!"
James joined Scott and held his hand out formally towards the girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Scott told me you're the one who made this place bearable the past few times."
"Well since we're both here by coercion, I figured it was only fair." Alana turned to Nick and Jeff who were climbing to their feet. Jeff was still an alarming shade of white and Nick resisted the instinct to take his arm in case he fell over. "Sorry guys, I just couldn't resist. You're not in any trouble, I'm only here because I heard Scott mention poker and I wanted in. And I guess because I'm meant to be checking in on everybody to make sure they're not misbehaving." She made a dismissive gesture as if to say as if I care.
Scott snorted. "Okay, 'Lana, you're going to have to explain what's going on here. So far they think you're pure evil like the others."
"Oh, of course." Alana took a seat on Blaine's bed, absently fiddling with strands of her long blonde hair. "Basically I don't approve of this camp in the slightest, Mom just forces me to come here every year and help her out. Because of that, I rebel under the radar and help you guys out, make sure you don't get into trouble and all that."
Nick raised an eyebrow, dubious. "How do we know we can actually trust you?"
Alana shrugged. "You don't. And I understand that you probably won't and that's okay. Hopefully you'll see it over time though - even though I have to act a certain way when I'm with the others, I don't think like that. I don't have a problem with you guys and who you like… quite the opposite."
"Still waiting until college?" Scott asked sympathetically, sitting next to the girl and putting a hand on hers. "I don't know how I could do it if I were in your shoes."
Nick frowned and was about to ask when Jeff beat him to the punch, clearly well ahead in what was going on. "You're… are you a lesbian?"
"I think I'm bisexual actually but yes. Of course I couldn't tell my mother or she'd be sending me to a camp like this. Or locking me in a closet."
Nick fought back a shudder and quickly latched on to something else to think about. "Your mother, is that Ms. Taylor?"
Alana nodded. "That's her. And before you ask about the Ms. thing, yes she did have me out of wedlock and still thinks she's allowed to preach at others on the 'right' thing to do in a relationship." Pulling a phone out of her pocket, Alana checked the screen and sighed. "Speak of the devil, she wants me to prepare the group therapy rooms. Good luck with that by the way."
Accepting hugs from Scott and James, the girl quickly made her way out of the cabin. "So, that's Alana," Scott said unnecessarily. "She's the only one like that so don't try to make friends with the others, and don't be friendly with her in front of others or you could cost her a lot more than a job." Jeff and Nick nodded and Scott gestured back to their game. "Right, I believe we were in the middle of something."
The game lasted for another half hour before Blaine appeared looking pissed off. "Bad session?" Scott asked.
"What are you all doing in - oh, I see." Blaine raised an eyebrow at the poker game then sighed. "Yes, awful. I really don't want to discuss it just yet. And Scott, glad you're here, where can I be assured an hour of privacy around this place? I want to call my boyfriend."
"Really, the best I can give you is Isolation. It's a bit creepy first time but nowhere else is going to give you what you need. I'll tell Alana to say she put you in there for an hour if you like?"
Blaine was digging his phone out from under his mattress, the agreed upon hiding spot for the three boys. "I don't even care right now." He turned back around, casting an apologetic look to the others. "Sorry, guys, I know I'm being really rude at the moment -"
"But you need to talk to Kurt," Jeff finished. "It's okay, we understand. Sorry about your session." Nick nodded his agreement to the statement - as much as he didn't want to be friendly, he didn't like seeing anybody that worked up as a result of someone else's words.
"Thanks," Blaine murmured, offering them a smile before following Scott out of the cabin.
They waited a few minutes until Scott returned, allowing them to resume their game. Lunch was fast approaching so after awhile they gave up on poker and ended up eating the rest of the chips, saving a few for Blaine who returned forty five minutes later, looking significantly calmer. "That helped?" Jeff asked, moving over to make a spot for Blaine.
"Loads," he replied, already preoccupied with the idea of edible food. Just as he had finished eating, the bell rang for lunch and a simultaneous groan went around the cabin. "Well, at least we got something to eat!" Blaine said happily, clearly in a much better mood now.
Scott led the way to the dining hall and Nick watched him nod to Alana subtly who winked back when nobody was looking. He and James made their way over to another table, clearly wanting to get to know everybody in the campsite, and the three boys sat down at their usual table, choosing to forego the camp's choice of lunch considering they had already eaten.
Nick glanced at the two boys who were sitting across from them and resisted the urge to sigh. How am I supposed to stay unattached this camp when they're both so nice?
Jeff.
"So, group 'chats' now." Blaine drew air quotations, grimacing. "How do you think that'll be?"
There was a thunk as Scott fell into the seat, clearly having given up on his own lunch. "I can tell you. Waste of time usually, except you have me so hopefully you'll get a couple of laughs before they end up kicking me out."
Nick frowned, turning to the boy. "I thought you were bailing on therapy?"
"Solo, yeah. They can play all sorts of mind tricks on you in there. But the group one is fine, it's fun to stir the pot in there." Scott blew a kiss across the room to where James was sitting. "James will do the same in his. And you get to meet my roommates - see if you can get them to talk. I can't."
At that, the room began to disperse with the three boys following Scott through into the next room where there was a circle of chairs in the centre. Another two boys were already sitting in there, and Scott handled the introductions quickly. "Josh, Shane, this is Nick, Jeff and Blaine from over in Four." After all the obligatory greetings, they all sat down, Jeff glancing around the room in interest.
"So, what happens now?"
Scott kicked his feet up on the small table in the middle of the circle and propped his arms behind his head. "Wait. Whoever we've got will show up in a few minutes and then the fun will start. I mean... serious conversing. Of course."
Nick snorted and Jeff couldn't help but grin. But a part of him was beginning to silently freak out about what kinds of topics could come up - the last thing he wanted was the risk of any of his secrets coming to the surface. It would destroy him if anybody found out, and he was trying to remember why exactly he had signed himself up for this kind of camp when the door opened.
"Welcome to your first group sharing session."
The boys all quietened as a man entered the room, taking the final empty chair. He looked to be middle aged with hair that was beginning to go white, and was dressed in a full suit despite the humid summer day. But what really caught Jeff's attention was the look in his eyes - definitely not pleasant. "My name is Mr. Everitt and I will be your guidance counsellor for the next four weeks together."
Scott waved eagerly from his seat. "Mr. Everitt! Remember me?"
The distaste on the mans face grew stronger. "Mr. Hamilton. Who could forget? Are you going to cooperate this year?"
Scott appeared to be thinking for a few seconds before shrugging. "We'll just have to wait and see."
"Well, thank you for that input, Mr. Hamilton. May I continue?" Scott gave a lazy nod and Jeff bit his lip to hide a snicker. This might be more fun than I thought. "As I said, we will be together for the next four weeks. In this time, we will be discussing different issues as a group relating to the concept of homosexuality, life choices and essentially bettering ourselves - yes, Mr. Hamilton?"
"Does that mean you're bettering yourself too, Mr. Everitt?"
Jeff saw the man bite back a sigh. "I will be assisting you boys in bettering yourselves. If we could keep the interruptions to a minimum until I call on you?" Scott shrugged again, but Jeff could see there was no way that the boy was going to make this easy. "Alright. So today we will be starting off slow and just talking about each of you in general. So we'll go around the circle and everybody will say their name, where they've come from, why they are here and what they hope to gain from this experience." He gestured to the boy to his right - Josh, if Jeff remembered right. "You first."
"My name is Joshua Gibson," he began quietly, and Jeff could immediately tell that he wasn't a public speaking kind of person. "I'm from Worthington and I go to Worthington Christian School. I'm here because my grandparents aren't okay with who I am - I live with them," he added in response to the confused look Scott was giving him. "And what I hope to gain... I don't know." He shrugged. "Come back to me on that."
"Very good," Mr. Everitt said without smiling. "But saying that homosexuality is 'who you are' is a statement we aim to work on eradicating. Next?"
All eyes turned to Shane. "Shane Indrum. Mansfield. Parents signed me up, so here I am. I hope to get this over with so I can go back to the rest of my summer." With that, the boy resumed looking at his shoes. Clearly he had no interest in being there any more than the rest of them and wasn't going to pretend.
After an awkward silence, Mr. Everitt cleared his throat. "We will also work on communication skills. After all, if you don't talk about it, you can't fix it."
"That's the motto!" Scott chimed in, flashing his grin around again and immediately lightening the tension in the room. He sat forward, surveying the group properly. "I guess I'm next, although if you don't know me by now then I'm clearly not doing my job. Scott Hamilton, the proud product of Cridersville which is the outskirts of Lima for anybody who hasn't heard of us yet." Jeff noticed Blaine look up curiously at that and wondered what the significance was. "I go to Shawnee High School... and I'm sure they love me. They all act that way of course." He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "And why I'm here? Well, this is Summer Camp for me! Haven't missed one in five years!"
Blaine laughed out loud at that before quickly stopping at the look he was given by the counsellor. "Hey, he's allowed to laugh. I am a pretty funny guy… and I'm here all summer!" Scott made a drumming motion with his hands.
"To wrap it up, Mr. Hamilton?"
"Oh, of course. You guys probably want a chance to talk." Scott leaned back in his seat. "Well, I hope to learn how to convince these guys that gay is okay. If not, I just hope to enjoy the quality time I'm going to get with my boyfriend. We don't normally live together after all." And with that, Scott kicked his feet back up and turned to Blaine. "You're up, my gel-obsessive friend. Hold on," he quickly leaned across Blaine to stage whisper to Jeff. "Dude. You have awesome hair. What are you doing letting him walk around like -"
"Thank you, Mr. Hamilton."
Blaine smiled and shook his head, touching his hair self consciously. Jeff made a note to ask about the excessive use of product when they got back to the room. "Hi, I'm Blaine Anderson. I spend most of my time at Dalton Academy in Westerville, where I board, but my family lives in Chillicothe. Don't ask me why, when my father spends most of his time here in Westerville fighting with Nick's dad." Nick smirked at this and Jeff couldn't help but feel slightly left out. He pushed past the feelings, reminding himself that so far Nick had been standoffish and any chance for the other boy to actually start seeing them as friends would be good.
"My parents didn't take too well to me bringing my boyfriend home," Blaine continued, his eyes glazing over a little in the familiar way that Jeff knew meant he was thinking of Kurt, "so they decided to send me here to save the shame on the family name and all that. What I really want to get out of this is some new friends, and I'm getting that already."
Blaine turned to smile at Jeff and Nick. Jeff offered him a smile in return before figuring it was better to just get things out of the way. "Well, I'm Jeff Sterling. I -"
"Excuse me, Mr. Everitt?"
Jeff froze mid-sentence as Zach entered the room. "Mr. Musgrove wanted me to check whether you needed one of the counsellors sitting in on your session. I volunteered."
Breathe, Jeff. It's alright. Clenching his fists into the sides of his chair, Jeff forced himself to not make eye contact with the counsellor, staring down at his shoes instead.
"No, I think we're fine here, thank you." The man made a shooing motion with his hands, clearly not above bossing around the other counsellors. Zach shrugged and left. "Mr. Sterling. Please continue."
Jeff took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm and not show the panic on his face. You're safe. "I'm from Newark, but I'll be living in Westerville next year when I transfer to Dalton as well." He glanced out the corner of his eye to see Blaine smiling at that and allowed himself to relax again. "I'm actually here by choice, my parents had hoped that this camp would help me figure out who I am. Which, I guess, is what I hope I'll get out of it, but I'm fairly confident I know myself anyway."
"Well, we'll see how things work out." Mr. Everitt steepled his fingers on his knees. "Final one?"
"My name is Nick Duval." Jeff frowned as Nick began to speak. The boy sounded like he was presenting a speech for a class rather than talking about himself, and Jeff couldn't help but wonder whether the boy had some masks up that were like his and what that would mean if he did. "I'm from Westerville, and attend Westerville High currently. My father signed me up when I came out to him last week. I don't really want to learn anything from this." Jeff could see Scott frowning and knew the redhead had picked up the same vibes from Nick - there was clearly something beneath the surface that hadn't been dealt with. But Jeff really couldn't preach, his own issues were still sky high.
"Alright, well now that we know each other a little better, let's get on with our session." Mr. Everitt shuffled a few papers on the table in front of him. "We'll focus on the main theme between all of you, which is, of course the homosexuality issue. What I would like to begin with is asking whether any of you can pinpoint where your decision to affirm yourself as a homosexual began?"
Jeff was still trying to work out what the man was on about when Scott spoke up. "Guys, what he's asking is when we realized we were gay. Except he's not allowed to ask it that way because they're not allowed to believe we're gay here."
For once, Mr. Everitt didn't argue with Scott's contribution, and Jeff figured he was doing his best to ignore the boy. A few moments of silence later, Blaine spoke up. "Well, I think I figured it out when I was about twelve. Mainly when other guys were looking at girls and I didn't look at them the same way."
A general murmur of agreement ran through the group. "Thirteen for me," Josh chipped in quietly. Shane nodded, muttering something that sounded like an agreement.
"I've always known," Scott said. "It was just about accepting it."
"Same," Jeff said, feeling a sense of relief rush though him. He had been so paranoid that this group therapy thing would leave him as an outcast as he had been the rest of his life. To find that these other boys understood where he was coming from was probably one of the most helpful things Jeff thought he could get out of the camp. Nick was also sitting up a little bit straighter, and Jeff could see a thoughtful expression on his face. A second later it disappeared, and Jeff could almost watch the mask slot back into place. What's he hiding? he wondered to himself, briefly considering whether it could be on the same level as his own... no, stop.
"For those of you who can put an age to it, what was happening in your life at that point?"
Again, it took a period of silence before someone spoke up. "Starting high school?" Josh offered. "Nothing out of the ordinary other than that."
Apparently that was the wrong answer. "The opinion of this camp is that your feelings of sexual preference towards men are based on events that happened triggering this. It may have been an encounter with a male, favorable or not. You may have felt isolated and wanted attention in whatever way you could get it. But something has happened to cause you to feel this way, and our job here is to get to the bottom of it."
Jeff fought really really hard to keep his jaw from dropping. They can't be serious!
"I kissed a girl for the first time when I was twelve and it was gross. Does that count?"
Mr. Everitt frowned. "No, Mr. Duval, that isn't necessarily the types of events I'm -"
"But you see," Nick said, overriding the man, "it seems to me that these kinds of things are exactly what shape us into being gay. The things that turn us away from girls and towards guys, not negative stuff that could trigger off some feelings of neglect or whatever."
Nick's tone was light and calm, but Jeff saw the way his knuckles were turning white and knew something had hit a sore spot for Nick. "I agree," he said, wanting to help the boy as much as he could. "It's not like I chose to like the guys at my school, none of them were exactly accepting of me being gay. If I could have chosen at that point, I would have chosen girls. I wouldn't now, though."
Scott leaned over to fist-bump him, Jeff rolling his eyes as he did so. "Finally, some people who speak their minds!"
"I wouldn't be too hasty to congratulate them, Mr. Hamilton. After all, we know where speaking your mind has gotten you landed in the past." Mr. Everitt was staring at them, his eyes cold, and Jeff understood the silent threat in his words. Speaking your mind isn't a good thing. Do it and you end up in trouble.
The silence grew tense again before the main finally continued speaking. "Well, that's something else we'll have to do some hard thinking about. I can guarantee if everybody thinks about it long enough, an event will spring to mind. No matter how small, there is always a trigger. Ten minutes reflection."
Jeff blinked at the man a couple of times before realizing that they were meant to be thinking. Honestly, this is stupid, began his thought process instead. There's no way an event from my past could have triggered this. The main events of my past happened after I realized I was gay. And with that thought, the memories immediately began to flood his mind. Jeff's breathing grew shallow and he twisted his fingers in his sleeves, willing himself out of them, to think of something else, anything...
Opening his eyes with a gasp, Jeff immediately looked around to make sure nobody had noticed his almost panic-attack. Most of the others were lost in thought, but Scott was watching him, looking concerned. Jeff plastered a smile on, but it wasn't enough, he could tell.
You okay? Scott mouthed to him after checking that Mr. Everitt was otherwise occupied. Jeff nodded quickly, and Scott stared at him for a few more seconds before shaking his head. No, you're not. I'll talk to you afterwards.
Jeff began to silently argue, but Scott was already looking away and Jeff knew it wasn't up for discussion. Somehow in a few minutes this one person had discovered that he was hiding something, and that almost freaked him out more than the memories. He knew he could keep things a secret if he wanted - somehow Scott didn't seem like the type who would really push an issue - but for some reason he felt like he might be able to trust the boy.
"Alright, has anybody thought of anything?"
Looking around, Jeff saw everybody else shaking their heads and followed suit. He hadn't exactly followed the exercise properly, but he didn't buy into any of the crap this man was spouting anyway.
Unfortunately that didn't seem to deter the man at all. "Well, you'll all just have to keep thinking. Our next session together is in three days, by then I would like something from each of you, as well as a pivotal event from your childhood." Picking up his papers from the table, Mr. Everitt stood. "You're dismissed to dinner."
"Great session, Mr. E!" Scott jumped to his feet, holding his hand out to the man who ignored him. "See you in three days!"
The second Mr. Everitt left, Blaine burst into laughter that he had clearly been holding in for most of the session. The others joined in, Jeff attempting to do the same. "Wow, what a load of crap!" Nick exclaimed, shaking his head. "This is just ridiculous."
"It gets worse," Scott said, chucking an arm around Jeff's shoulder. "At least you guys look like you're going to make it interesting. Dinner?"
The small group headed back through to the dining hall where the rest of the groups were slowly trickling in. Ms. Taylor was standing out the front, her usual chirpy smile in place and Jeff couldn't help but wonder what exactly this woman was on to make her so happy all the time. When everybody was in, Jeff obediently bowed his head as she rattled out some kind of prayer, noting that she was possibly the only one to push the religious angle around here.
That night's meal was apparently supposed to be spaghetti bolognese. "It looks more like soup," Nick commented as they returned to their table with their plates. "Soup... with chunks of what's meant to be meat. And a couple of pieces of pasta. Fan-freaking-tastic."
"Once again, something else that will only get worse." Scott and James joined them, sitting as close together as they could on the bench. "This one is at least edible so I suggest you eat as much of it as you can."
Taking his advice, Jeff did his best to eat as much of the meal as he could, but still gave up halfway through, as did the others. He noticed Scott's attention was on him most of the time, the boy leaning over to whisper something in James's ear before standing. "I think you guys need chocolate. Jeff, come with me and I'll load you up. I wanted to talk to you anyway."
Jeff knew what was coming. "Alright," he agreed quietly, watching as Scott kissed James on the cheek before dragging Jeff out of the room as Jessica honed in on them, clearly ready to make her authority known if necessary. Instead of heading to one of the rooms, Scott led him over towards one of the small rooms at the edge of the camp. Jeff had noticed them on the way in but still didn't know their purpose. "What are they for?" he asked Scott, indicating to the building.
"That's Isolation. One of two, the other one is over there." Scott pointed across towards Cabin One. "Hopefully you won't end up in either." He dropped down onto the ground, gesturing for Jeff to join him. "Okay, you. Talk to me."
Nick.
"Where do you think he is?"
Nick looked up from his notebook, frowning. Blaine had his phone in one hand - clearly he had been texting Kurt - and was glancing over at Jeff's bed. "I mean, I know he was talking to Scott but it's been hours."
"Maybe they have more in common than we realized." Nick shrugged and went back to writing. As awful as it sounded, he really wasn't too bothered by it. He wasn't pretending to call Jeff a friend at this point in time and if Jeff wanted to hang out with other guys, then so be it. Plus, when Blaine said hours, he only meant two. All Nick wanted was a little peace and quiet to do some journalling.
Blaine nodded, still looking thoughtful. "Oh, hey, you know you can get in huge trouble if they find you with that, right?"
"I know." Nick made a face at the stupid rules of the camp. "No personal journals. Which is why I'm keeping it under my mattress. With four counsellors full time, I don't think they'll have the time to worry about room checks."
"You have to wonder why they don't have more." Blaine was still glancing over at Jeff's bed before looking back at Nick. "Sorry, you probably want to focus and..." his phone buzzed. "Oh, and there's Kurt." Blaine's eyes dropped back to his phone with a soft smile and he began to text.
Nick wrote a couple more lines before capping the pen and tucking the notebook back under his mattress. "So," he said, stretching out on the bed and staring up at the roof, "you looked like you recognized something when Scott talked about where he came from." Once again, he berated himself for giving in to small talk but he was bored. Besides, he could just put an end to it if he needed to.
"Oh yeah." Blaine dropped the phone next to him. "Kurt's from Lima. I thought I'd check whether they knew of each other. They don't," he added, "but Kurt said he'll keep an eye out when the camp's over."
"Tell me about him?" Nick found himself asking before he could stop himself. Since Blaine was the first guy he had really met - apart from Scott and James of course - he wanted to know what it was like. So despite his choice not to get involved in the lives of others, he had to ask.
Blaine's face lit up straight away. "I - I couldn't even begin to describe him." The boy struggled with his words for a few seconds before grabbing his phone. "I could call him?"
Nick thought about it for a few seconds. He really wasn't that interested in meeting Blaine's boyfriend, but he looked so excited at the prospect of talking to Kurt that Nick couldn't say no. "Sure."
Punching in a number, Blaine put the phone on loudspeaker. The sound of ringing filled the room before a voice broke through. "Blaine?"
"Hey baby. How are you?" Nick couldn't help but smile at the change in Blaine's voice. The love was practically seeping out of his words, like Kurt was his everything. But the twinge of bitterness was snapping at the back of his heart, putting a dull edge on the conversation. I've never had that, and I probably never will.
"I'm good, honey, how are you?" The responding voice was practically angelic in nature, and Nick found himself wondering how this boy would sing, immediately classing him as a possible countertenor.
Blaine gestured for Nick to join him as he replied. "Well, I've been better, talking to you helps of course. But before I whinge about my day, there's someone I want you to meet."
Nick knew this was his cue. "Hi, Kurt. My name's Nick... I'm one of Blaine's roommates."
"Oh, hi Nick!" Kurt's voice was overwhelmingly cheerful. "Nice to meet you. I'd ask how you were, but I get the feeling you're not going to be fantastic either. I'm so sorry you're stuck there too."
Wow... he's genuine. "Thanks, Kurt," Nick murmured, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed. The fact that one person who he had only been talking to for less than a minute could make him feel so cared for was... well, it made his head spin a little and threatened to let out some emotions that he quickly contained. Not now. "So the reason Blaine called is because I asked him about you and he couldn't describe you."
"Is that so? Well, I'm not any good at describing me either." Kurt laughed. "Okay, well I go to Dalton with Blaine, we've been dating a couple of months now. My Dad's cool with it which is good, it means we have somewhere to go when -" He cut himself off, clearly not sure how much he could say.
"It's alright, Kurt. I told them - oh, hold on." Blaine and Nick turned as the door opened, Blaine hurriedly covering the phone. But it was only Jeff, smiling uncertainly at them with a few bars of chocolate in his hands. "Sorry babe, we thought it might've been one of the counsellors."
Nick knew his eyes were giving him away, but he was a chocolate freak. Going without it for the past two days had actually been alright, all up until the second he saw the bars Jeff was holding. Blaine looked at him, then turned to Jeff in mock-fright. "Jeff, give him the chocolate before he hurts someone!" Jeff laughed as he handed over the chocolate, Nick tearing into it without a second thought. It was only when he was halfway through it that he realized that Jeff looked far more relaxed than he had during their session and figured talking to Scott had helped with whatever was going on with the boy.
"Blaine, do I get an introduction?" Kurt's voice came back across the line making Jeff jump slightly. "I presume someone named Jeff just walked in?"
Blaine rolled his eyes fondly. "Jeff, this is Kurt, my boyfriend."
Nick watched Jeff's eyes light up. "Kurt, hi! We've heard so much about you."
Kurt laughed. "All good things, I hope?"
"Babe, you know I wouldn't tell them stories like the time you thought your dad didn't know you were gay and you -"
"Hey!" Kurt's voice cut him off. "I told you that in confidence!" But his voice was light and teasing and Blaine was smiling. "And here Blaine was just telling Nick that he doesn't know how to describe me and… oh, right, I was talking about me. My favourite subject. Anyway, I'm in the Warblers with Blaine - that's our show choir - and I sing countertenor when Blaine isn't stealing all of the solos."
Blaine rolled his eyes again, clearly used to hearing this. "Blaine, you sing?" Jeff asked in surprise, Nick echoing the sentiment. He loved singing and to know that his roommate was, by the sound of it, the lead soloist for his show choir… well, that would just make it harder for Nick to keep his distance. But the small traitorous part of him was waiting, hoping that Blaine would say yes, that he could have someone else who understood his love of music.
"Are you serious?" Kurt sounded incredulous. "You mean he hasn't spent the entire time singing? I can't get him to stop normally!" His voice dropped to a mock-whisper. "He thinks serenading is romantic and I haven't got the heart to tell him that it was only romantic the first time, not the fiftieth."
Nick couldn't help but laugh, receiving a slightly surprised look from Jeff in response. I guess I deserve that. "Why haven't we heard you sing?" Jeff asked Blaine who actually looked sheepish.
"It usually gets to the point where I drive people away with my incessant need to sing. I kind of didn't want to give you guys the wrong impression."
Kurt was laughing on the other end but Jeff was looking at Blaine contemplatively. "I guess we're in the same boat on that one. I sing as well."
A couple of sets of raised eyebrows later and the boys were turning to Nick, clearly wondering whether he was in the same boat. Now's your chance… you don't have to be the outsider, you can tell them that… "No, I don't. Not - not much."
"Oh well, two out of three 'aint bad," Blaine half-sang, before turning his attention back to Kurt. But Jeff continued to look at Nick who shifted uncomfortably under the attention because somehow Jeff knew that Nick wasn't being honest. Luckily he didn't have to worry about it for long because the sound of footsteps could be heard making their way towards their room. "Kurt, babe, someone's coming," Blaine whispered before ending the call and chucking the phone under his mattress. The three boys immediately jumped into action and were getting ready for bed by the time their door opened to reveal Jessica.
"Lights out," she said shortly, flicking the switch and shutting the door behind her.
There was a moment of silence and then Blaine laughed. "Well she's just lovely. Can't wait to get to know her better."
Nick sighed, waiting a moment for his eyes to adjust better before getting ready for bed. He heard Blaine duck into the small bathroom attached and figured he was washing out his gel - and if he knew the boy better, he would absolutely call him out on that travesty. Nick might not be overly appearance conscious but no teenage boy should plaster his hair down like he's going to a business meeting every day and Nick was surprised that Jeff hadn't said anything, considering how much attention he seemed to pay to his hair.
You're overthinking again, he told himself sternly and climbed into bed, turning resolutely towards the wall and attempting to go to sleep.
Next Chapter: Shaken.