"I mean, she's the perfect height for it you know?"
"It would be interesting to see though if she went insane during it though. You could have her be vanilla and kinky in just one night."
"What I wouldn't give to have a truly blessed girl like her. Damn."
Maddie really wished that her ears didn't work most of the time. Her stomach twisted into a painful knot and she ducked her head, trying to hide from their staring eyes and wolvish grins. It was nothing she hadn't dealt with before. She had heard their words and seen their stares a thousand times before. She just needed to get back to her cabin and she'd be fine. She'd be fine. Her thoughts reeled just as they always did when she heard similar comments. She didn't understand what they meant but she knew she didn't like it. At times like these though she always wondered if it was better if she understood their secret language or if it was a blessing that she had no clue. Either way, she hated the way her skin crawled and her hands balled into fists as she tried to get away as soon as possible.
The minute she stepped through the doorframe of her cabin and slammed the door behind her she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Gods it was hard walking around camp by herself. More and more each day she was more aware of the ways people stared at her. No one dared to say anything or gape openly when she was with Marcus or Kelly or Thomas but the days when none of her friends were available, when no one else was next to her, people became more daring and sinister. She wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed her stomach, trying to calm herself down and release herself from the thoughts that plagued her.
Maddie had maybe ten minutes to herself alone before a knock came from outside. Maddie hopped off her bed and opened the door, to find herself being greeted by Kelly and Alicia's smiling faces.
"There you are Maddie! Can we come in?" Kelly beamed.
"Yeah! Of course! Did you guys just back?" Maddie asked.
"Yep. Marcus and Hunter are handing out the rest of the goods right now."
Maddie had learned after a lot of prying that the group had started taking trips outside of camp to gather items for campers they couldn't necessarily get. Phones and electronics were obviously banned due to monsters being able to track such things but specific clothes, toys, and other miscellaneous objects could only be brought in from the outside world and Chiron refused to let anyone leave camp.
With permission at least.
So the team of friends had started taking requests from campers and making trips into the city to grab the various requested items all to bring a smile to other camper's faces. Maddie had been amazed at their bravery and thoughtfulness when they first told her and, while it had stung at first, she had agreed not to tag along. She knew she wasn't as stealthy as the rest of them and would only be dead weight and a potential hindrance. However, it was worth being separated from them for a couple of hours if it meant that they were bringing joy to the others.
"How are you holding up?" Alicia asked, sitting down next to her on her bed and absent mindedly looking at the polaroid photos that covered her wall.
Maddie hesitated before she spoke. She hated bringing things on her friends, especially silly things like people just saying weird things she didn't understand. "What does kinky mean?" She settled on.
The two girls stared at her before glancing at each other.
"Uh...well...it…" Kelly fumbled over her words for a moment as she looked at Alicia for help.
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh...I...well...overheard it…"
Kelly and Alicia spared another glance at one another and Kelly sat down next to Maddie. Her face was full of concern and she wrapped her arm around Maddie, pulling her close.
"Was it directed at you?"
"K-kind of…? I heard it as I passed by...b-but I didn't know who they were talking about exactly...they...they were doing the thing again...where they...s-stared at me though...so maybe…" Maddie mumbled against Kelly's shirt, embarrassed about how stupid this all sounded. How weak and pathetic she felt. How much it bothered her when it shouldn't at all because she didn't even know for sure if it was about her but just the fact that she overheard it made her stomach turn.
"People need to mind their own goddamn business. Can't they find someone else to have fantasies about?" Alicia practically spit.
Kelly sighed and squeezed Maddie's shoulder. "Sorry you have to deal with all of that Maddie...but hey! We got you a gift!"
Kelly released Maddie and held up a box she had brought in with her. Maddie's eyes widened and she cautiously took it.
"B-but...I...why? It's not my birthday."
"Just because it's not your birthday doesn't mean we can't get you a gift. We thought it would help." Alicia moved closer to Maddie, eagerly awaiting for her to open it.
"T-thank you...you didn't have to…"
"Just open it Maddie."
Maddie nodded and slowly lifted the top of the box. Inside was a plain green hoodie, two sizes too big for her. It was a little worn and smelled of mothballs but it looked cozy all the same. Before Maddie could respond, Kelly took it fully out of the box and handed it to her.
"It's not the perfect solution but Alicia and I…well us being girls we understand more then the guys to say the least. We figured it would help with the staring. It can hide your chest pretty well, or at least more so than just a t-shirt would. Obviously it won't help in the summer time since it's pretty warm but-"
Maddie took the hoodie out of Kelly's hands and immediately pulled it on, letting it wrap around her like a protective blanket, a barrier, a shield.
"Wait Maddie, you don't want to get overheated-"
"I love it." Maddie wrapped her arms around herself and smiled. As she looked at her two friends her eyes began to fill with tears. "I...I...thank you."
"We're glad you like it." Kelly said, her smile softening. "But again, it's not the best to wear in the summer."
"I'll get used to it." Maddie said, her mind made up. "I'll force my body to get used to the heat. I...I don't want to take it off...ever...n-not only b-because it'll s-stop people from staring at me b-but...it's the first gift...the first gift I've ever gotten from a friend." Maddie pulled Kelly and Alicia into a hug and tears began to fall from her eyes.
"Thank you...thank you so much."
"You're welcome Maddie. And if you ever need us to beat up any guys for you on the days you pass out from heat exhaustion we got you covered!" Alicia declared proudly.
Kelly laughed and hugged Maddie back. "We got your back Maddie. Through thick and thin, you can count on us."