A/N: Well, I got nine reviews for the first chapter and none for the next, so I'm not sure exactly what people think of this story, but I'm not willing to give up quite yet.
Chapter Three
Two days passed that occupied the counselors and the say came that the campers would arrive.
Lizzie only talked to Gordo on breaks and during meals, but the conversations weren't very private, so they didn't really talk about what could happen with them.
Last year, Lizzie and Gordo started the year hating each other, but as time passed on, Gordo learned that Lizzie wasn't as helpless as he thought she was and he basically saved her life one night when it was raining and Lizzie fell off of a slippery cliff and almost died.
That changed their relationship for good. They became really good friends and then, on a night off for them, they shared a kiss and decided to start dating.
But that was then, and this was now. They were a team now, and it was all for one and one for all for Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda. Miranda hung around both of them, but they had a way of including her as much as possible and she wasn't a third wheel. She was the third element.
This year was full of possibilities, though. Lizzie and Gordo were single, but other counselors who returned from last year had made wagers as to how long it would take them to start dating again.
Not at this point. Kids filtered in all morning and into the late afternoon to their cabins and Lizzie and Miranda had eight girls. All of them were in the seven and eight year old range. Gordo and Larry, on the other hand, had eight boys that were the same age as the girls. This would seem like an ideal situation for them all to get along, but unfortunately it was quite the opposite.
Boys and girls pretty much were enemies of war at this age. Sure, there were a few boy crazy girls and a few guys that didn't mind having friends that were girls, but those seemed few and far between.
Besides that, Gordo got the one camper that he dreaded. In his cabin, he got the now eight-year-old Jason Snapp, who was notoriously known as "Stinky," to all the counselors and campers. Last year, he refused to take a bath everyday because he hated baths. The camp had to call him mother, and that helped, but not for long. He was one person no one wanted, even though he was other wise a fairly nice kid. He didn't even want to swim.
Lizzie and Miranda weren't let off too easily, either. They had one girl, Lilly, who decided that she was homesick and wanted to go home as soon as her mother left her and then there was Natalie who liked to ask ten million questions to everyone and not even listen to their answer. She was curious, and although curiosity was encourages there at Camp Grovepike, asking a trillion questions wasn't.
Everyone was settling into the girls' cabin when Larry appeared at the wide open door, causing most of the girls to scream, "There's a boy in the room! AHHH!" as they ran around.
Larry glanced at the girls and gave a small smile as he looked at Miranda and Lizzie, who was busy dealing with Natalie, so he turned to Miranda, "Hi," he said, "I see you have your hands full."
"Yep," she said, "What about you?"
Larry nodded his head, "Yeah. They are wild and crazy."
Miranda smiled. Over the past two days she decided her small crush on Larry Tudgeman had turned into a larger crush on him and decided he was cute.
"Actually," Larry said, "I was wondering where your first aide kit is. We have one kid who had already fallen down and scrapped his knee and we don't have any large bandages. Do you have any?"
Miranda nodded as she went near her bed to get the first aide kit and got Larry a large bandage. Larry took it from her and grinned, "Thanks," he said, "See you later at the camp fire."
"Yeah," Miranda said, watching him go, "See you later."
Miranda hardly noticed that Natalie was two feet away from her and starring at her with her large, blue eyes and blonde hair pulled into a pony tail. Miranda was going to glare at Lizzie, thinking she had urged Natalie to go bother her, but then she noticed that Lizzie was dealing with Lilly, who was crying.
"You like him, don't you?" Natalie asked.
"Like who?" Miranda asked.
"That guy who was in here. Do you think he's cute?"
"Well…"
"My mom says I can't date until I'm sixteen. How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Do you want to date him?"
"I don't…"
"What's you're name again?"
"Miranda."
"Can I call you Amanda?"
"Why would you call me Amanda?"
"I like that name better. Do you think Natalie's a pretty name?"
"Sure," Miranda said, but she had had enough of this, "Natalie? Why don't you get ready for this evening?"
"What are we going?"
"We are having a barbeque."
"What's that?"
"They cook food."
"I don't eat corn."
Miranda sighed. She hated to admit it, but she wished she was dealing with Lilly, "You don't have to eat corn."
"Where are you from again?"
"California."
"Where?"
"Up north."
"Oh. Have you ever been to West Virginia?"
"Nope."
"That's where I'm from."
"No wonder your parents sent you to the other side of the country," Miranda thought.
This was the beginning and already, Miranda felt like she was going to have a nervous break down.
~*~*~
That evening, after the Camp Barbeque, all the campers went to the camp site, where there was a fire already blazing in the middle. Everyone was instructed to sit down as the camp director welcomed everyone into a new year of camp. Lilly sat in Lizzie's lap as she became accustomed to the idea of being here for two weeks. No one could deny that Lilly was cute, as she had short sandy hair that went down just above her shoulders that were set in pig tails and the most curious brown eyes that concentrated so much on whatever she was looking at, whether it was the director or the sky.
In the mean time, Gordo and Larry's group of guys didn't want to sit anywhere near the girls. They ended up sitting in front while the girls were in the back.
After the director spoke, they sang a few songs and told a few stories and were dismissed. The girls and boys, being one of the youngest in the camp, had an earlier bed time. They didn't have to do to bed just yet, though, because they first had to gather in a circle and get to know themselves. They were to do this every night before they went to bed.
It took a while, but after circle time, everyone got ready for bed and went into their beds as the lights were turned out.
After everyone was settled, Lizzie went out to go to the bathroom, but on her way back, she ran into Gordo.
"Hey," Lizzie said.
"Hi," Gordo said.
Silence lingered, as this was not a planned meeting and it was admittedly awkward for the both of them.
"Well," Lizzie said, smiling, "see you tomorrow."
"Yeah," Gordo said, watching as she headed back to the cabin, "See you."
Chapter Three
Two days passed that occupied the counselors and the say came that the campers would arrive.
Lizzie only talked to Gordo on breaks and during meals, but the conversations weren't very private, so they didn't really talk about what could happen with them.
Last year, Lizzie and Gordo started the year hating each other, but as time passed on, Gordo learned that Lizzie wasn't as helpless as he thought she was and he basically saved her life one night when it was raining and Lizzie fell off of a slippery cliff and almost died.
That changed their relationship for good. They became really good friends and then, on a night off for them, they shared a kiss and decided to start dating.
But that was then, and this was now. They were a team now, and it was all for one and one for all for Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda. Miranda hung around both of them, but they had a way of including her as much as possible and she wasn't a third wheel. She was the third element.
This year was full of possibilities, though. Lizzie and Gordo were single, but other counselors who returned from last year had made wagers as to how long it would take them to start dating again.
Not at this point. Kids filtered in all morning and into the late afternoon to their cabins and Lizzie and Miranda had eight girls. All of them were in the seven and eight year old range. Gordo and Larry, on the other hand, had eight boys that were the same age as the girls. This would seem like an ideal situation for them all to get along, but unfortunately it was quite the opposite.
Boys and girls pretty much were enemies of war at this age. Sure, there were a few boy crazy girls and a few guys that didn't mind having friends that were girls, but those seemed few and far between.
Besides that, Gordo got the one camper that he dreaded. In his cabin, he got the now eight-year-old Jason Snapp, who was notoriously known as "Stinky," to all the counselors and campers. Last year, he refused to take a bath everyday because he hated baths. The camp had to call him mother, and that helped, but not for long. He was one person no one wanted, even though he was other wise a fairly nice kid. He didn't even want to swim.
Lizzie and Miranda weren't let off too easily, either. They had one girl, Lilly, who decided that she was homesick and wanted to go home as soon as her mother left her and then there was Natalie who liked to ask ten million questions to everyone and not even listen to their answer. She was curious, and although curiosity was encourages there at Camp Grovepike, asking a trillion questions wasn't.
Everyone was settling into the girls' cabin when Larry appeared at the wide open door, causing most of the girls to scream, "There's a boy in the room! AHHH!" as they ran around.
Larry glanced at the girls and gave a small smile as he looked at Miranda and Lizzie, who was busy dealing with Natalie, so he turned to Miranda, "Hi," he said, "I see you have your hands full."
"Yep," she said, "What about you?"
Larry nodded his head, "Yeah. They are wild and crazy."
Miranda smiled. Over the past two days she decided her small crush on Larry Tudgeman had turned into a larger crush on him and decided he was cute.
"Actually," Larry said, "I was wondering where your first aide kit is. We have one kid who had already fallen down and scrapped his knee and we don't have any large bandages. Do you have any?"
Miranda nodded as she went near her bed to get the first aide kit and got Larry a large bandage. Larry took it from her and grinned, "Thanks," he said, "See you later at the camp fire."
"Yeah," Miranda said, watching him go, "See you later."
Miranda hardly noticed that Natalie was two feet away from her and starring at her with her large, blue eyes and blonde hair pulled into a pony tail. Miranda was going to glare at Lizzie, thinking she had urged Natalie to go bother her, but then she noticed that Lizzie was dealing with Lilly, who was crying.
"You like him, don't you?" Natalie asked.
"Like who?" Miranda asked.
"That guy who was in here. Do you think he's cute?"
"Well…"
"My mom says I can't date until I'm sixteen. How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Do you want to date him?"
"I don't…"
"What's you're name again?"
"Miranda."
"Can I call you Amanda?"
"Why would you call me Amanda?"
"I like that name better. Do you think Natalie's a pretty name?"
"Sure," Miranda said, but she had had enough of this, "Natalie? Why don't you get ready for this evening?"
"What are we going?"
"We are having a barbeque."
"What's that?"
"They cook food."
"I don't eat corn."
Miranda sighed. She hated to admit it, but she wished she was dealing with Lilly, "You don't have to eat corn."
"Where are you from again?"
"California."
"Where?"
"Up north."
"Oh. Have you ever been to West Virginia?"
"Nope."
"That's where I'm from."
"No wonder your parents sent you to the other side of the country," Miranda thought.
This was the beginning and already, Miranda felt like she was going to have a nervous break down.
~*~*~
That evening, after the Camp Barbeque, all the campers went to the camp site, where there was a fire already blazing in the middle. Everyone was instructed to sit down as the camp director welcomed everyone into a new year of camp. Lilly sat in Lizzie's lap as she became accustomed to the idea of being here for two weeks. No one could deny that Lilly was cute, as she had short sandy hair that went down just above her shoulders that were set in pig tails and the most curious brown eyes that concentrated so much on whatever she was looking at, whether it was the director or the sky.
In the mean time, Gordo and Larry's group of guys didn't want to sit anywhere near the girls. They ended up sitting in front while the girls were in the back.
After the director spoke, they sang a few songs and told a few stories and were dismissed. The girls and boys, being one of the youngest in the camp, had an earlier bed time. They didn't have to do to bed just yet, though, because they first had to gather in a circle and get to know themselves. They were to do this every night before they went to bed.
It took a while, but after circle time, everyone got ready for bed and went into their beds as the lights were turned out.
After everyone was settled, Lizzie went out to go to the bathroom, but on her way back, she ran into Gordo.
"Hey," Lizzie said.
"Hi," Gordo said.
Silence lingered, as this was not a planned meeting and it was admittedly awkward for the both of them.
"Well," Lizzie said, smiling, "see you tomorrow."
"Yeah," Gordo said, watching as she headed back to the cabin, "See you."
