Officer Mansley unclipped a large heavy belt from around his waist and
lightly set it down on the porch of The Wreck Room. He peaked inside
the Wreck Room at the captured villains; all of the counselors, Dirk
and Carla, The Warden, and Mr. Sir…who were all tied up underneath the
pool tables, blindfolded and gagged. He sat down next to Rachel, Cate,
and Squid. He sighed.
Nobody had talked much after Mansley explained everything that happened. Including how he kept that bullet-proof vest on at all times when dealing with Dirk Harrison or any other criminal. He would've died if he hadn't. Rachel had felt like she needed to apologize for her father's actions…at least for him, but Mansley strictly forbid it. He didn't want to have an innocent girl apologizing for a criminal. Relative or no relative.
"I should be the one to apologize." Mansley had said.
"Don't be silly, Officer. You saved our lives." Rachel replied.
"No….you don't understand. I read your diary. Well, only one page." He said guiltily, "I didn't go any further though. It was our only hope in finding Dirk and having proof that you were innocent."
At that, Rachel had hugged him, thanking him gratefully. She would let him read the whole dang diary if it meant proving her innocence.
The girls with a broken arm, and another with a broken and Banana, were lying down peacefully on their cots, waiting for a bus-ride home. Armpit's nose had been patched up, and the blood washed off. All of the others had bruises and bandages, especially the side of Caveman's face. Cate held an ice-pack over her black eye, along with Strings and Honey who had fallen into an uneasy sleep on their cots. Most of the guys had fallen asleep too.
Squid held the side of Rachel's arm as he lightly touched a cut that had finally stopped bleeding. Rachel inhaled in slight pain.
"Sorry." Squid whispered, "Okay I'm done with that. Let me look at the side of your face."
Rachel tilted her head to reveal a large dark purple bruise all the way from right below her eye down to her chin, where Dirk had hit her.
"Ouch. You might get a black eye, babe." Squid said sweetly. Rachel smiled and looked down.
Cate glanced at Rachel from the other side of Squid and smiled. Kiss him, she mouthed. Rachel gave a shocked face and smiled.
"I called in some backup little over fifteen minutes ago, so the bus for the girls should be here soon, and a bunch of cops to take these suckers in." Mansley said, pointing his thumb behind him to the wriggling and groaning criminals.
"We don't know how to thank you." Cate said.
"Yeah man, you prevented something really horrible from happening." Squid said, glancing at Rachel for a second.
"Hey, it's my job. And I don't know, I guess I got a little emotionally attached to your case. It kind of hits home, you know…from a childhood experience. I couldn't let Dirk get away. I would get him if it was the last thing I did." Mansley looked down and switched his radio back on.
"But you didn't kill him. You shot him in the leg." Rachel said.
"I know. I did that deliberately. I wasn't gonna kill him. Just put his butt in prison and he'll suffer more." Mansley smiled. Rachel returned the favor and turned her head back at Squid and Cate.
"Well, what'd we do now?" Rachel asked, not directing the question at anyone. She was basically wondering to herself.
"Look! Oh my gosh!" Cate said, jumping up and pointing to the sky. Rain had started to fall and the ground was getting more wet by the second.
Everyone in camp, including injured kids and Mansley, ran out into the middle of the camp jumping up and down, waving their hands in the air, screaming.
"Whoohoo!!" Squid shouted and brushed his hair back and forth in the rain. Rachel held her hands up, opening her eyes into the falling raindrops…holding her arms out. She turned around in circles until suddenly she was lifted off her feet. Before she could figure out what happened, she stopped moving her legs and looked straight ahead into Squid's face. Squid had run into her and lifted her up while her arms were outstretched.
He just stared into her eyes, looking at her soul. Nobody had ever looked that deep into her eyes before. And Rachel was sure that Squid was thinking the same thing. They stood there for a long time, embracing each other.
"I promise you, Rachel," Squid said aloud through the falling rain, "I will find you. We go our separate ways now, we go home….but I will find you."
"Hah! Ah!!" Rachel shouted and jumped back into Squid's arms. The pulled apart, and as everyone continued jumping and whooping in the rain…Squid and Rachel stood rooted to their spots. They felt like the only two people in the whole entire universe. Just them, together. Nothing could tear them apart, and even Rachel felt that. Rachel put her hands on Squid's neck and leaned up slowly. He put his hands gently around Rachel's waist, until finally their lips met.
The other campers, in sight of what Squid and Rachel were up to, ran to their crush humorously and did the exact same thing. Mansley stepped back, along with Strings, and watched as each and every person had been matched up with another. Except for Shorty and X-Ray, who were playfully sending punches in one another's direction, laughing. Strings looked up at Mansley, and kissed him full on the lips. Mansley flinched. After the kiss parted, Strings laughed…but Mansley already knew it was a joke.
"Two for flinching!" Strings snapped, and punched Mansley twice on the shoulder.
The End..
For now!
Song for this chapter…
"Amazed" by Lonestar
Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take
Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams…..
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark
Your hair all around me
Baby you surround me
You touch every place in my heart
Oh it feels like the first time every time
I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
Every little thing that you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Oh, every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
Nobody had talked much after Mansley explained everything that happened. Including how he kept that bullet-proof vest on at all times when dealing with Dirk Harrison or any other criminal. He would've died if he hadn't. Rachel had felt like she needed to apologize for her father's actions…at least for him, but Mansley strictly forbid it. He didn't want to have an innocent girl apologizing for a criminal. Relative or no relative.
"I should be the one to apologize." Mansley had said.
"Don't be silly, Officer. You saved our lives." Rachel replied.
"No….you don't understand. I read your diary. Well, only one page." He said guiltily, "I didn't go any further though. It was our only hope in finding Dirk and having proof that you were innocent."
At that, Rachel had hugged him, thanking him gratefully. She would let him read the whole dang diary if it meant proving her innocence.
The girls with a broken arm, and another with a broken and Banana, were lying down peacefully on their cots, waiting for a bus-ride home. Armpit's nose had been patched up, and the blood washed off. All of the others had bruises and bandages, especially the side of Caveman's face. Cate held an ice-pack over her black eye, along with Strings and Honey who had fallen into an uneasy sleep on their cots. Most of the guys had fallen asleep too.
Squid held the side of Rachel's arm as he lightly touched a cut that had finally stopped bleeding. Rachel inhaled in slight pain.
"Sorry." Squid whispered, "Okay I'm done with that. Let me look at the side of your face."
Rachel tilted her head to reveal a large dark purple bruise all the way from right below her eye down to her chin, where Dirk had hit her.
"Ouch. You might get a black eye, babe." Squid said sweetly. Rachel smiled and looked down.
Cate glanced at Rachel from the other side of Squid and smiled. Kiss him, she mouthed. Rachel gave a shocked face and smiled.
"I called in some backup little over fifteen minutes ago, so the bus for the girls should be here soon, and a bunch of cops to take these suckers in." Mansley said, pointing his thumb behind him to the wriggling and groaning criminals.
"We don't know how to thank you." Cate said.
"Yeah man, you prevented something really horrible from happening." Squid said, glancing at Rachel for a second.
"Hey, it's my job. And I don't know, I guess I got a little emotionally attached to your case. It kind of hits home, you know…from a childhood experience. I couldn't let Dirk get away. I would get him if it was the last thing I did." Mansley looked down and switched his radio back on.
"But you didn't kill him. You shot him in the leg." Rachel said.
"I know. I did that deliberately. I wasn't gonna kill him. Just put his butt in prison and he'll suffer more." Mansley smiled. Rachel returned the favor and turned her head back at Squid and Cate.
"Well, what'd we do now?" Rachel asked, not directing the question at anyone. She was basically wondering to herself.
"Look! Oh my gosh!" Cate said, jumping up and pointing to the sky. Rain had started to fall and the ground was getting more wet by the second.
Everyone in camp, including injured kids and Mansley, ran out into the middle of the camp jumping up and down, waving their hands in the air, screaming.
"Whoohoo!!" Squid shouted and brushed his hair back and forth in the rain. Rachel held her hands up, opening her eyes into the falling raindrops…holding her arms out. She turned around in circles until suddenly she was lifted off her feet. Before she could figure out what happened, she stopped moving her legs and looked straight ahead into Squid's face. Squid had run into her and lifted her up while her arms were outstretched.
He just stared into her eyes, looking at her soul. Nobody had ever looked that deep into her eyes before. And Rachel was sure that Squid was thinking the same thing. They stood there for a long time, embracing each other.
"I promise you, Rachel," Squid said aloud through the falling rain, "I will find you. We go our separate ways now, we go home….but I will find you."
"Hah! Ah!!" Rachel shouted and jumped back into Squid's arms. The pulled apart, and as everyone continued jumping and whooping in the rain…Squid and Rachel stood rooted to their spots. They felt like the only two people in the whole entire universe. Just them, together. Nothing could tear them apart, and even Rachel felt that. Rachel put her hands on Squid's neck and leaned up slowly. He put his hands gently around Rachel's waist, until finally their lips met.
The other campers, in sight of what Squid and Rachel were up to, ran to their crush humorously and did the exact same thing. Mansley stepped back, along with Strings, and watched as each and every person had been matched up with another. Except for Shorty and X-Ray, who were playfully sending punches in one another's direction, laughing. Strings looked up at Mansley, and kissed him full on the lips. Mansley flinched. After the kiss parted, Strings laughed…but Mansley already knew it was a joke.
"Two for flinching!" Strings snapped, and punched Mansley twice on the shoulder.
The End..
For now!
Song for this chapter…
"Amazed" by Lonestar
Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take
Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams…..
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark
Your hair all around me
Baby you surround me
You touch every place in my heart
Oh it feels like the first time every time
I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
Every little thing that you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Oh, every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you