"What ya ladies up to?" Lou asked as she walked into the Woodchuck cabin carrying a basket full of clean, folded laundry. She sat the basket on her bed and then plopped down on the mattress.
Tiffany, Zuri, and Emma looked from their place on Emma's bunk. Her comforter was covered in bridal magazines and arts and crafts supplies.
"We're making inspiration boards for our future weddings," Emma answered excitedly as she held up a poster covered in neatly cut out images and glitter.
Zuri rolled her eyes as she held a marker to her chin and kicked her feet in the air. "She's making us do this. We wanted to throw sticks in the lake," she explained.
Tiffany nodded as she uncapped a glue stick.
"Ooo! That sounds like fun! The inspiration board, not the sticks." Lou kicked her legs up onto her bunk and leaned forward on her stomach so that she held her chin in her hands. "My dream wedding would be at a barn…"
"Like one of those really chic restored barns with bistro lights and reclaimed wood accent walls? Oh, and it's located somewhere really cool like an artsy mountain town near a ski resort or you could do something international. Destination wedding at a wine vineyard!" Emma said in a rush as she stood up from her bunk. Her eyes had a dream-like gaze as she described the event.
"Nuh uh," Lou said good-naturedly as she shook her head no. "I was thinking the old barn in the meadow. With like some nice folding chairs and natural sunlight during the day. And instead of a flower girl, I'd have one of my goats walk down the aisle in a flower crown. You know, class up the event."
Emma looked like she had been slapped in the face. Zuri laughed so hard that she had to drop her marker and clutch her stomach. Tiffany raised her eyebrows at Lou and shook her head.
"You really want to have your wedding in the crummy barn at camp?" Tiffany asked.
Lou frowned and sat up straight on her bunk. "It's not crummy. It's charming. And I think it'd be nice to have my wedding at my favorite place."
Zuri wiped the tears from her eyes and snorted, "This dump is your favorite place." Lou gave her a look, so she amended, "I mean, who wouldn't want to celebrate their love at the place you got food poisoning last week."
"Exactly. Zuri gets it," Lou nodded. She picked up a magazine from the floor and flipped through it.
"Please tell me you're kidding," Emma said with desperation in her voice as she kneeled before Lou's bunk. "Swear to me that you'll at least wear a designer dress!"
Lou gave her bestie a guilty smile. She tilted her head to the side and hunched her shoulders. "I was sorta thinking about wearing my Great Grammy's dress."
Emma exhaled and held her hand to her heart. "Thank God; vintage."
Zuri smirked as she drew a heart on her inspiration board. "Oh, I've seen a picture of the dress."
"Me too," Tiffany added. "I didn't realize people actually embellished dresses with bottle caps."
Emma made a sound like she had been wounded. She crawled away from Lou and snatched a Vogue off her trunk. She flipped open to a Vera Wang dress and pressed the image to her chest.
"Be still my beating heart," Emma sighed dramatically as she squeezed her eyes shut. "My bestie's trying to kill me."
Lou flicked her wrist and smacked her lips. "Next you're going to tell me the bridesmaids shouldn't walk in each carrying a basket of baby chicks."
"Zuri. Put me out of misery," Emma muttered with her eyes still shut and her head resting against the trunk.
Tiffany stood up with her poster and said, "That's a pretty specific wedding, Lou."
"Yeah, I love animals as much as the next girl. But where are you gonna find someone to marry that'll let you have all that weird stuff at the wedding?" Zuri asked, tossing Tiffany the tape to hang her poster.
Lou glanced out the window beside her bed. She saw Ravi walking by with the Grizzly campers, laughing about something. He made eye-contact and gave her a friendly smile and wave. Lou waved back and then returned her attention to the Woodchucks.
"You never know," Lou shrugged.
