"Oh my god,"

"Yeah,"

The two looked over the paperwork in disbelief. In their entire time working at Camp Campbell, they never thought a child would be signed up for that. It didn't sit right with them. Not one bit.

"I didn't know we still advertised this," David remarked quietly, a sadness beginning to form in the pit of his stomach.

"I didn't know you advertised it in the first place," Gwen replied, folding the paper back up and placing it snugly inside the envelope. "Do we… really have to go through with it?" They looked at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say or do next. David did break the silence after a bit.

"I think we don't. It may be what he was signed up for, but it wouldn't make him happy. And Camp Campbell isn't about making children sad. Or at least I'm not, and Mister Campbell isn't here to say otherwise," He put on as best a smile he could, reassuring himself that this was the right call. "We just don't let the other campers know for his sake. Do the camp activities on Saturdays, alone. We'll do the opposite. Let him know that everything will be okay and that we support him for who he is. That nobody cares about who he decides to kiss." Gwen kept eye contact, now with a smile.

"That's a great idea, David. I'll figure out a space to hide this where no one can find it. We just let him mingle with the others like Max does, and everything should turn out okay."

"Yeah. That's a good idea too." Gwen went off to do just that, to hide the envelope. David went to bed, knowing that the boy would be coming tomorrow, and he'd have to get everyone up to prepare to welcome him. And gosh darn it, they'd make him feel so welcomed. They'd make him so happy. It's what he needed.

"Alrighty, Campers! Say a big hello and welcome to our newest Camp Campbell Camper, Ben!" David announced as the bus door opened. Walking out was a slim boy, blonde hair that was longer on top - sort of like David's, but brushed to the side instead of up - and short on the sides and in the back. His large, brown eyes had a bit of a hazy glow to them like they needed help but didn't have glasses to do that. He smiled and waved, seemingly quite happy with where he was. Most of the other campers chirped up with a "hello!" and "welcome to our camp!" They seemed happy to have a normal looking new addition. Well, except for Max. He was skeptical, as always, about the idea of a new camper. He had experienced this skepticism when Neil and Nikki joined, so it wasn't abnormal to experience it now. The thing that bugged him the most was Ben's clothing. A black hoodie with light jeans that had holes in the knees. It was similar to his own, which meant that he couldn't exactly place him into what camp he was signed up for. With most everyone else it was easy to place them at a short glance. This was tougher.

"Hey, nerd!" This came from Nurf, who was standing in the back of them all. The bully could easily spot someone who would be perfect for unloading emotional baggage, and Ben was just that. He reminded Nurf of most of the other boys here, who were all nerdy in their own ways and easily bullied. "What stupid nerd camp are you signed up for? Edgy clothing camp?" While it wasn't his best of quips, he still confidently laughed and got a few others to giggle with him. Ben, surprisingly, was one of these few to giggle. But just when he was about to talk, David jumped in front of him.

"Nurf, is that really the proper way to welcome Ben? I think that you should apologize."

"No, sir," Ben said patiently and happily, "I don't mind it. I get teased a lot for my fashion anyway; I'm kinda used to it." David turned to him with a smile.

"That still is no excuse to be bullied here. Now, how about we go get the rest of your paperwork filled out and ready. Then you can come back and the others can introduce you to their camp activities." Without allowing the boy one moment to answer, David was already pushing him over and away. Ben soon saw that there was no getting out of that, and cooperated with just walking next to David instead of being pushed. He even began to make conversation with him, about how excited he was to be at a summer camp for the first time.

"Wow, I wonder if he'll be interested in science." Neil thought out loud, rubbing his chin in a very professional way.

"Come on, Neil. Everyone knows that only a loser like you could be interested in something as boring as science. Adventure is where he'll shine through, I just know it!" Nikki exclaimed, always optimistic that someone new would go with her on her whacky adventures.

"I don't trust him," Max said, a little suspicious of how the ordeal had gone so far.

"What? Why?" The other two asked, not quite understanding what he meant by that.

"He didn't tell us at all what camp he was signed up for. He was cut off by David when he was about to. Isn't that weird?" Nikki and Neil looked at each other, then shrugged.

"I dunno, Max. Seemed just like David being his usual self,"

"Yeah. You are being a bit hypocritical by saying that. Plus promoting the stereotype that everyone has to say the exact thing they're doing by looking or acting a certain way,"

"Oh shut it with the technicalities, Neil. I don't give a fuck about whatever you just said. I need to know what camp he's in. That way, I can see if he deserves any of my time or not," That seemed to be fair enough for the other two, and they went off about their day. While Max would have loved to go and snoop on what Gwen and David were talking about with Ben, Dolph was just diagnosing Space Kid with some pretend disease and he just had to go see what trouble that would cause.

When Ben did eventually rejoin the rest of the Campers, they all took turns asking him questions. Most questions were about his possible interest in all their camps, but a few asked about himself. To everyone's surprise, he seemed interested in all the camps they were a part of. He said he had a passion for art, and that included painting, theatre, role-playing games, and magic tricks. He also believed heavily in the sciences, which covered Space Kid and Neil's concerns. When Nurf asked if we would be willing to be picked on, he said not really. However, he was great at listening, so if Nurf wanted to let out some emotional baggage verbally instead of physically, he was willing to help with that. And lastly, who could say no to adventure or learning to skateboard? Everyone was respectively delighted to hear about that, and they were eager to whisk him away to whatever activity they wanted him to help them with. This sudden social butterfly did irk Max, though, who found it odd that one kid could be interested in everything at once.

Yet, throughout the days of constant activity from everyone, not one word about which camp Ben was signed up for was said. It seemed like nobody cared, so it wasn't really important. But it was important. It was important to Max. All of a sudden, trouble and mischief wasn't the plan everyone had. They were doing what they signed up to do, and that was worrisome. What was it that Ben was hiding? What was it that nobody cared about? Why were Gwen and David never really focusing on his camp activity? To be fair, Max always hated it when the whole group did an activity meant for one camp. But this was different. Why was there none for Ben?

"Hey, dickwad," Max called, sliding up next to Ben who, at the time, was sitting after taking time with Ered to skateboard. He seemed to have been having fun with it, even if he was bruised and bumped, and did show extreme focus. Max neither cared, nor intended to catch him on his break. He was just busy until then.

"Oh. Uh, hey, Max. My name is Ben, not… Nevermind. What did you need?"

"What dumb camp were you signed up for?" Ben hesitated. He didn't want to say. At least not now.

"Um, that's not important. Everyone is happy with me doing what they want, and I'm happy doing that too. What I was signed up for isn't nearly as fun as all of this. Why do you ask?" Max raised his eyebrows in suspicion.

"It's just that David always forces us to do our own activities sometime during the day, and I have yet to see him enforce that on you. So, what do you do? What's your secret?" The boy laughed nervously.

"I don't want to say,"

"C'mon, Ben. We're all friends here. There are so many nerd camps, and you already fit right in. No need to be embarrassed,"

"I'm not embarrassed, Max. I just don't want to say," Max got frustrated but saw there was no use in pushing it further. He'd have to get his information from outside sources. So off he went, to the Counselors office. He knew where all the paperwork was, surely he could find what camp Ben was signed up for.

Surprisingly, after the days of free time Max spent sneaking into the office and trashing it while looking, he never found it. He was able to see everyone else's, including his, but Ben's wasn't there. Which was odd. It meant that the secret was big enough for the Counselors to keep it within themselves, and for David to be comfortable hiding it. And that was odd too. David was always very honest and was visibly uncomfortable lying or keeping something to himself. So this was different. Obviously.

Max also looked through Gwen's quarters when he couldn't find anything in the office, and still didn't find anything. It wasn't like the counselors to hide anything this well. So what was going on? Max needed to figure it out. What was this boy here for? Why was his camp hidden and not enforced? What was going on? His questions remained unanswered for the moment. He needed another outside source. But what would that be?

He walked out of Gwen's quarters, with his hands tucked in his hoodie pocket, and sighed. That's when he looked over and spotted it. Ben looking nervous, and walking out of Nurf's tent. And a few seconds after he walked out, Preston left alongside Nurf. Nobody else walked out after that. This was what he needed. This was what he was going to use to get the information he needed.

"No can do. I made a promise to keep it secret, and I will respect that until he is ready," Nurf responded, eating the mash of shit potatoes laid in front of him. Max was upset with it.

"What?! But you're the bully! You're supposed to tell everyone his secret to get them to laugh at him!"

"Max, I may seem untrustworthy, but to him I am. And I am honored to keep what he needed to get off of his chest safe. I will not just give up that kind of trust. You aren't going to get anywhere with me," He took a bite of the potatoes and gave Max a glare.

"Fine, okay! I'll just go ask fucking Preston,"

"Whatever you want. You won't get anything out of him, though, either. We made a pact. A triangle of trust, if you will. And we will do anything to- you're gone," Indeed, Max had already left. He didn't seem like he wanted to keep listening to Nurf talk. Off he went to go interrogate Preston.

"Hey, Preston. I noticed you were talking to Nurf and Ben earlier. What did they tell you? What did Ben say?" Max inquired, feeling a bit fed up with the lack of answers he had been getting thus far.

"I'm sorry, Max, but I'm afraid I can't tell you. It's too personal to him for me to just give away," Preston remarked, taking a break from writing to talk.

"Really? I thought you loved drama. Surely you'd love to see what would happen if any others knew about it,"

"It's true, I do like anything that portrays large enough emotions. However, in this case, I think it would be better for all of us to leave it as it is. We're all having fun without knowing, so therefore it doesn't matter what he told me. Now, please, leave. I have a screenplay to finish," Max left with a groan, frustrated and too curious for his own good.

Fine, he thought to himself, then I'll just have to force it out of him.

Over the next two weeks or so, Max applied manipulative tactics. Saying in the range of Ben how he wasn't thrilled about how little time he had willingly spent with Max, and then angrily telling Ben to leave immediately when he did wander up to hang out. He enlisted Space Kid to go find Ben just to bring him back and tease him. He acted friendly enough to Ben around other people, and then teasing and threatening once they were gone. And the tactic that seemed to have the biggest effect: telling Ben that some minuscule action he had done caused Max to feel sad, or angry, but never telling him what that action was. And, over time, Ben began to look and feel more down. He didn't want to engage in activities with the others as much. He didn't want to eat much, skipping breakfast and having a light lunch and dinner. He even saw Dolph once or twice because he wasn't feeling all too great. Max was satisfied with these results. He knew that even if he was being an asshole, at least he was going to get what he wanted. And none of the others even noticed this as being intentional. They just thought it was Max being selfish again, which wasn't unusual.

Eventually, Max was able to Corner Ben. He smiled and leaned to the left of him to say something in his ear, in a dramatic fashion.

"If you want me to stop, tell me what you were signed up for. Tell me why the fuck you're here," Ben gulped, stuck between a rock and a hard place. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came. And it closed again. Max backed off a foot or two, looking expectantly at the blonde-haired boy. "I won't ask you again after this. Why are you here? What shit reason do you have to be here?" Ben's hand curled into fists, and he looked around. The other kids were just taking notice of what was going on. And, like people are too, they were intrigued by the situation.

"I… I don't want to," Max shrugged with a sly smile.

"Alright. Whatever you'd like. But do know that if you keep that up, I'll be doing whatever I can to make you feel so bad, you'll have to tell me eventually," Ben swallowed hard, feeling his eyes sting with tears. But he kept them in.

"I... um…"

"I um," Max mocked. "Just spill it now. What could possibly be bad enough to keep from all of us for this long? Nerd camp? Please. All of us are signed up for this, so just tell me," Ben mumbled something in response, but it couldn't be heard. "What was that, pussy boy?" And Ben repeated what he said, this time yelling.

"I was signed up for FUCKING CONVERSION THERAPY CAMP, MAX!" Everything went silent as Ben felt the tears begin to fall out on their own, and quickly. "I'm here… for conversion therapy…" And with his fists still balled up, he walked away. Towards the counselor's office. He went in and was welcomed by a concerned David.

"Wow. Good job, Max," Max turned around to see Nurf looking at him disapprovingly. Preston was there too, along with most everyone else. It seemed like Nikki wasn't there. They all seemed upset.

"Wait- guys. I think that you have the wrong idea. Um… I didn't think that uh… There was some miscommunication with uh…Shit," He couldn't find a good way to explain what just happened. And after some stumbling over his words, he ended up just walking away. Off to his tent. He knew that David and Gwen would be coming in there to get him to apologize. And you know what? He thought that maybe he would end up doing that. It was something he could do to try and make the situation less shitty.

Gwen and David did end up coming into his tent after a few minutes, looking a little more tired than usual. Perhaps Max just hadn't noticed it until now, but they did have slowly increasing dark circles under their eyes. He sat up, on his cot, and faced them, wordlessly. None of them spoke for the first bit. It was like they didn't know how to start the conversation, yet knew what the others were thinking based on their expression. It was Gwen to finally break the sentence.

"Max. What the fuck?" That was all she had to say. That was all she had to ask. She looked into the eyes of the little boy, whose own eyes were darting from hers to David's, back to hers.

"Max," David continued, "I know you've always been the curious kind but… But manipulating someone into doing something they're uncomfortable with just isn't okay. We've tried our best to make Ben feel welcome, knowing where he was coming from, and we hoped that the rest of you would do that without question. So, why were you so interested in something nobody else was?"

"Jeez, you don't need to make me feel worse than I already do,"

"Sorry, sorry. I don't mean it,"

"I know you don't, David. I know you don't," Then it was silent again, as Max tried to find the right words to say. The two adults sat down on the floor, looking up at him. They waited patiently, knowing rushing him wouldn't help anything.

"Fuck, guys, I'm sorry. I really don't know what made me do all that. He was just so much different from all of us from the get-go, it was hard to relate to him if there wasn't anything to hold onto. But I guess by doing that, I looked over the idea that maybe he was here not for himself like all the others. I don't think there's anything I can do to make him believe me after today." He looked over to the side, the thought of eye contact making him nervous. He really messed up this time.

But David smiled.

"Thank you, Max. I appreciate the apology. And although it may take Ben a while to forgive you, I'm sure he will with time. It may be best for you to steer clear for a while, though, while he cools off," Gwen looked at David for a short time, her own smile beginning to form.

"It's not hard to be an asshole when people are assholes to you," She remarked, "but at least you're a good asshole. I think that idea is finally beginning to set in for you." She stood and helped David up. "We'll leave you alone now."

"But know that we're proud of you." Max didn't reply. And they both left, stopping for a little bit outside the tent, and then heading into the Mess Hall to ask dinner to be prepared. And Max got up and took a peek outside. He saw Ben, wiping away his tears, laughing, and surrounded by the other Campers all willing to help him in his time of need. He hadn't been there long, but he made an impact on everyone.

And Max smiled.