~Phil~
"You don't get to pick your name. Your group members do."
I looked over at the guys. We all had surprised looks on our faces. Then I just started laughing. The others looked at me like I was mad but started laughing with me.
"So how are we going to do this?" I asked the group.
It went silent for a moment until Chris spoke. "I think we should have fun with it."
"I agree. We should be creative and random with this." PJ added.
"So who's first?" I asked.
No one answered.
"All in favor of calling PJ KickThePj say Aye!" Chris yelled.
Before PJ could respond, Dan and I agreed.
He gave Chris an annoyed look. Chris put his hands up in defense. "What? You said to be creative and random." Chris smirked.
PJ glared at Chris. "All in favor of calling Chris Crabstickz say Aye."
"Aye!" Dan and I said in unison.
Chris looked like he was going to say something, but PJ interrupted him. "I was going to suggest Shitstickz, but I don't think your dad would have been too pleased." PJ teased.
"That's fine! I actually like Crabstickz!" Chris said in a matter of fact tone.
PJ and Chris kept bickering at each other. They looked like an old married couple. It was really amusing to watch.
I realized that I should come up with a name for Dan since PJ and Chris chosen for each other. But what should I pick?
After a minute I gave up and just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "All in favor of calling Dan Daninotonfire say Aye."
"Aye." PJ and Chris said breaking from their arguing.
"Fuck yeah!" Dan nearly screamed. "Suck it bitches! I got a cool name!"
I giggled. I wasn't one for foul language, but his reaction to the name was cute.
"Alright Dan, Phil's name is all up to you. No pressure." Chris teased. "But remember that whatever you choose will be stuck with him all summer."
"He could be made fun of all of camp if you don't choose a good name." PJ teased as well.
Of course, Dan had a scared look on his face. Poor guy looked like he was about to have a panic attack. I gave them both a look and they stopped. They went on to talk about PJ's name.
"Seriously though KickThePj?" PJ questioned.
Chris shrugged. "I thought it was creative enough."
PJ gave Chris a look. "It sounds like someone telling people to kick me."
Christ smirked and just laughed. PJ gave Chris an angry stare. "If someone kicks me I swear you're going to get it."
"I think Phil should be called AmazingPhil." Dan said softly.
Everyone in the group went silent and turned to Dan. He was looking down and blushing. He fiddled with his bracelets. No one spoke and everything felt awkward.
Chris cleared his throat. "Well I'm okay with that. PJ?"
PJ nodded. "Yeah that sounds like a good name. Better than KickThePj." He mumbled.
Chris rolled his eyes and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Looks like your name is AmazingPhil."
We were handed our name tags and wrote down our new names. Honestly I liked my name. I really liked it because it made me sound like a magician. And the fact that Dan was the one who had picked it.
I had a small school boy crush on Dan. He was cute and we liked some of the same stuff. Plus, from what I could tell he was sweet and would do anything for the ones he cared about. That was a rare quality these days. Sure he wasn't as open as the rest of us, but everyone has their own secrets.
Soon after the meeting, we had first block. Which for us was Arts and Crafts. The task was to sketch something outside. We quickly discovered that PJ was amazing at Arts and crafts while the rest of us sucked at it.
Second block we learned the safety precaution on canoeing. The guy taught us how to paddle and how to steer. He told us what to do if the canoe tipped. We even got to test it out our skills on land. The next day we would actually get the chance to go canoeing on the lake. However, I already knew all of this because I use to go on camping trips with my dad.
The first part of the morning was a lot of fun, but being near the lake brought back memories of my dad. The guys headed back to the mess hall for lunch, but I wanted to stay by the lake. I wanted to think about my dad alone for a while.
"You coming Phil?" PJ asked.
I shook my head. "I'm just going to stay by the lake a bit longer. You guys go on. I'll catch up later."
"You okay mate?" Chris questioned. They all had worried looks. "You can tell us if something wrong."
I nodded. "I know. I just want to relax a bit. I'm fine. Besides, I'm not really hungry."
They didn't seem too convinced, but left anyways. I walked down to the lake, stopped a few feet from the shore, sat down and soaked in the beautiful view. I relaxed the moment I sat down. I felt a wave calmness flood over me as I thought about the times I spent with my dad.
A few minutes later, I sensed someone behind me. I turned and saw Dan standing near me.
"Hi." He muttered.
"Hey."
He sat down next to me. We stayed silent and enjoyed the view.
"So are you going to tell me what's up?" Dan questioned, still looking out at the lake.
I looked down and played with a piece of grass. "What do you mean?"
"You're out here for a reason. I can tell something is bothering you. You don't have to tell me, but just know that I'm willing to listen." He gave a sad smile.
I crumbled the piece of grass and looked for the right words to say. "My dad died a few years ago and when we were at the lake earlier it reminded me of him."
It went silent. I looked up at him and he was looking at me with a sad look.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
I shook my head. "Don't be. It was a while ago."
We went back to staring at the lake. "How did he die?"
I stiffened. Dan could sense the question made me uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get nosy. I-" He apologized.
I raised my hand to cut him off. "Dan stop. It's okay. You were just curious."
We went back to being quiet. I wasn't comfortable with talking to people about how my dad died. The only people I told were Carrie and Jack. But for some reason I had the urge to tell Dan. I felt like I could trust him.
"He died in a car accident." I breathed.
Dan registered what i said before saying anything. "Man that's rough."
I nodded. "His death was really hard on my family. My mum didn't leave her room for months. I had family take care of us for a little bit, but after a while they had to get back to their own lives. My older brother went back to school, so it was just me and my mum. She was still in shock, so I had to be the one to take care of us. I got a job and worked until my mum got back on her feet. It was rough, but we pulled through. I just really miss him, you know?"
"I understand." Dan leaned back on his arms. "I lost my best friend last year. I know how hard it is to lose some you love."
I gave a small smile. "It sucks."
"It really does." He laughed.
I wanted to ask him about his friend, but I knew him telling me that they died was as much information I was going to get. I was surprised he had opened to me that much. I wasn't going to push my luck further.
"Thank you." I whispered.
"No problem." He smiled and I felt butterflies form in my stomach. "Come on. Let's go get lunch. I'm starving." He patted me on the back and got up.
I got up and started to walk to the mess hall, when Dan pulled me into a hug. I quickly melted into his arms. I felt safe and warm. "You're a good friend." I mumbled into his shoulder.
Dan squeezed tightly. "Thanks, you too." He let go and smiled that same smile again, making my legs go week.
We both headed back in silence. Dan was a really good friend. I really didn't want to lose him. Which meant I couldn't tell him I was the reason my dad was dead.
