Chapter 2: Reunions
A/N: Hello again, and welcome to chapter 2! Nikki, Neil, and the other campers make their first appearance in this chapter! This chapter focuses more on Nikki and follows her perspective more closely than Max's, and I plan to write the other chapters following either her or Max depending on what's going on. I also plan to take it slow for the beginning to build more of the setting and characterization before moving into the meat of the plot, so expect some slice-of-life-esque chapters for now!
Without further ado, enjoy chapter 2 of I'll Find You Again!
Note: I do not own Camp Camp, and I am in no way affiliated with the show's owners, RoosterTeeth.
Nikki was the kind of girl who got excited far too easily over the strangest things. She'd spot something like a weird worm on the ground and play with it until she got bored. Or she'd talk about her fantasies involving wrestling bears or finding the most poisonous animal on earth. She was also the kind of girl who was easily fascinated by anything bizarre by normal standards. She liked playing and rolling around in mud. She liked to eat bugs. She liked to go adventuring. It freaked other people out, but to her it was ordinary.
So, you could imagine her enthusiasm when Max had responded to her text with a simple "sure."
She had packed her backpack the previous night and had woken up early in anticipation of seeing her two best friends at school again, so she was fully prepared when Max had agreed to meet her in front of the school. Sleepy Peak High was far enough from her house that she was usually dropped off in the mornings by her mom, but Nikki planned to take a shortcut through the woods behind her house that led straight to the school's football field in a hike that would take her around ten minutes if she moved fast enough. Hefting her backpack onto her shoulders, she took one last look around her cheaply furnished room, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything for the first day of classes. Her small bed sat in the corner of the room by the window, her dresser and cramped desk against the wall across from it. A full body mirror leaned against the wall by her closet, which she used far more than the cracked vanity that was placed next to her bed. Dirty clothes hung from the back of her desk chair and decorated her floor in piles of different sizes and colors, and the ceiling fan creaked as it spun, the constant noise helping the green-haired girl fall asleep during long nights. She took a look at herself in her mirror; she decided to wear her hair in a low ponytail for the day, which fell over her shoulder like a waterfall of curly green. A kaleidoscope of colors presented themselves on her tye-dye t-shirt, and a pair of jean shorts hugged her hips while her toes wiggled in the plain white socks she wore over her feet as her eyes wandered to the bottom of the mirror.
It was by no means lavish nor extravagant, but for Nikki, it was enough.
Satisfied, she slipped out into the hallway, quietly shutting the door and casting a quick glance at her mother's room. Her new stepfather had only been in their lives for several months now, but she wasn't quite sure if he would be awake by now. He was a nice man and treated the two of them well enough, so she supposed he wouldn't mind if she left a bit early without telling them. Her mother certainly wouldn't care; after all, she wouldn't have to get out of bed to drive her only child to school.
Shuffling into the kitchen, the teenager jotted down a quick note on one of the sticky notes they always kept in one of the spare kitchen drawers before sliding across the smooth tile to the table. Sticking the paper to the edge, she then made her way to the shoe rack near the front door, picking up her mint-green sneakers and carrying them to the back door in the laundry room. Glancing back into the hallway to make sure no one else had awoken from their sleep, she slipped on her shoes and left, smiling as she planted her feet into the dew-laden blades of grass in her backyard. She could barely make out the sun cresting over the identical roofs of the manufactured homes in her neighborhood, and she began her trek into the woods behind her house.
The small dirt path was soft, wet with the rains from the night before, and her smile grew into a grin as the mud squished and squelched under her feet. The sixteen-year-old took her phone out from her bag, shooting her camp friend a quick text as she continued on her way. [I'm on my way now Max! Don't have too much fun without me!] Clutching the device in her hand, she absentmindedly hummed a tune David once taught her at camp with a skip in her step. She crossed the old bridge over the creek, not minding the sounds of protest the decaying wood made as she moved. The green-haired girl closed her eyes in content, the faint rustling of the leaves in the tall trees surrounding her from all sides bringing back memories of her time at camp and putting her at ease. Being in nature washed away her insecurities about her performance in school and eased her worries about the upcoming track season.
Her phone vibrated in her hand, snapping her out of her reverie and making her smile as she read Max's reply. [I wasn't planning on it.] She giggled at her friend's everlasting apathy and resolved to move faster to not keep him waiting. The leaves rustled in the trees as a faint breeze blew through the air, and Nikki couldn't be farther from her element at that moment.
The dirt path she walked on winded around thick tree trunks, and she found herself stepping over fallen logs and muddy water puddles as she checked the time on her phone. Nearing half past five, she picked up the pace, moving at a brisk jog and watching the leaves of the trees turning into a blur of green and brown as she ran by. Birds chirped overhead as the forest gave way to a wide open area, the school building visible just past the bleachers before her. Nikki scaled the fence of the football field effortlessly, an enormous grin spreading across her face as she made her way across the turf. She eyed the track that encircled the fake grass and separated it from the bleachers on either side of the field, making a mental note that she should get back into shape for the upcoming track season later in the year. She continued her jog across the field, her feet eventually making contact with the harder pavement on the path that led directly to the school. A sudden gust of wind blew against her, causing goosebumps to form on her skin briefly despite the humid air and warm temperatures. As she neared the doors, she spied a figure clad in a blue hoodie reclining on a bench by the curb. Their hood was drawn up and shut tightly, almost as if they were trying to block out any light, sound, and human contact they would encounter. A tuft of curly black hair and a tan pointed nose protruded from a miniscule opening at the front, giving away the person's identity almost immediately.
A simple hood would be no match for Nikki.
The green-haired girl bounded over to Max's sleeping form, plopping down on the bench beside him and hoping her excessive movement would rouse him from his nap. When it didn't however, she frowned and resorted to more drastic measures. Leaning over, she outstretched her hand and poked her finger into the tiny hole, wiggling it around in the most aggravating way she thought possible.
"Max, wake up already!" She whined, pressing her fingertip into the boy's soft skin. He flinched, slowly lifting his hands up and pulling on the hood to loosen it and reveal his face.
"Nikki, when did you get here?" He asked, his words slurred as a result of his drowsiness. She beamed at him, swinging her legs around as she pulled herself up farther onto the bench to let them dangle over its edge.
"Just now. You looked kind of like a homeless dude, so I thought it would be best to wake you up. You never know around these parts!" She joked, eyes practically sparkling in the low early morning light. Max rolled his eyes and pulled off his hood, and she watched as his face transitioned from a tired look to his more common scowl. He muttered a sarcastic and half-hearted "gee, thanks" and promptly pulled out his phone, causing the girl beside him to frown. "Aw, Max, I walked all this way from my house, and this is how you greet your best friend you haven't seen in a while?" She teased, wrapping her arms around him in a crushing hug. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head from the force she applied onto his body, and he turned his head to face her, the scowl on his face indicative of his discomfort.
"Nik, we hung out for the entire day yesterday," he struggled in her grip, and his voice was strained as she crushed his chest against hers.
"I know Max, but it still feels like so long ago!" She gave a small laugh and squeezed the boy harder than before, and his face reddened as he struggled to breathe.
"Nikki, stop!" Max grunted out, pushing her away a bit more forcefully than he meant to. She could see the look of guilt that flashed across his face, but thankfully it disappeared when she made the right call to shoot a wide grin at him. His frown returned, and he huffed as he turned away from her. "You know, people tend to mature after seven years, but I'm not so sure that applies to you."
"Liar! I've changed plenty!" Nikki countered, pouting and running her fingers through her long hair. Maybe Max was too aloof to see it, but she had grown a fair bit, nearly keeping up with him in terms of height. She had also toned down her crazy antics such as biting people as well, though a few of her quirks such as cross-species communication and her love of mud had remained. She liked to think she wasn't quite as rowdy as before, however.
"You know what Nikki? I think you're right. Your periods have gotten worse over the years," Max said in a sarcastic tone, his eyes glued to his phone once more. Nikki gasped, brows furrowing as her face contorted in anger.
"What did you just say!?" She roared, raising her hand threateningly while leaning forward. Max looked up just in time to see a hand flying towards his face, and he screamed briefly before a loud smack reverberated through the quiet morning air.
"Ow! Nik, what the hell?" He turned to face her, his glare quickly morphing into a look of fear as he shrank away from his friend's fury.
"What the hell? You're seriously gonna ask that?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "You might think jokes like that are funny, but they're really not." She watched as he rubbed his cheek, the skin already turning a bright red in the vague shape of her hand.
"Jesus, alright. I won't say something like that again," the black-haired teen said, grimacing as he saw the hand print on his face in the phone's camera. "Let's head inside. I'm tired of waiting around out here." He stood up from the bench, throwing his backpack over his shoulder and watching as Nikki did the same.
"Aren't you excited, Max? It's the first day!" She grinned, her wrath from several seconds ago seemingly evaporating into thin air as it was replaced by her usual cheery self. Her friend scoffed as they walked side-by-side past the double doors into the school.
"As if. School sucks. It's worse than camp. At least we could do whatever we wanted there; it's like a prison here. Do this, do that, this is due Monday, you have a test Thursday, team up with three random-ass people you don't know for this project due in two weeks. It's the same stupid bullshit." They made their way past Sleepy Peak High's trophy case, filled with various awards earned by the students through the years. Nikki glanced over, eyeing the track and field trophy she and her teammates won at regionals last year before shifting her focus back to Max, giggling at his usual irritable attitude.
"Don't be so grumpy, Max. I think school is a great way to spice up our lives! Summer is great and all, but now that we don't go to camp there isn't much to do around Sleepy Peak." She gave him a toothy grin. "There's always stuff happening around here, you know? Every day is different."
Max groaned. "You sound like David. It's too early for this," he grumbled, rubbing his face into his palms as they walked. Nikki tilted her head quizzically as they passed by several staff members and teachers whose rooms were on the first floor.
"David? Nah, he'd sound more like this!" She straightened her back and her grin stretched wider than what Max thought was physically possible. Her voice increased in pitch, cracking a bit as she spoke in a voice that was eerily similar to his father. "'Oh son, don't be so negative! This year's going to be great, I just know it! You're going to make so many new friends! Oh, and maybe you'll find a club that you like!' And then he'd give you a big hug and then you'd push him away!" She giggled as she mocked David the best she could. Though he had certainly mellowed out over the years, there was always the cynical, sullen side of Max that would never go away. She liked it though- it was what made him, well, him. What she didn't tell him was that she liked the other side of him- the gentler, more compassionate side that rarely appeared.
He grumbled something that she didn't quite catch and rounded the corner into another hallway, where he went through a set of doors and began ascending the flight of stairs before them. She followed behind him, the two arriving at the second floor and walking into the hallway where David's class was located. She could see his tall, lanky figure at the other end, standing and leaning against the doorframe as he chatted with the teacher next door. He turned and saw the two teenagers approaching, and he gave a friendly wave. "Hey you two! I wasn't expecting you guys to be coming here this early. Where's Neil?" Max cocked an eyebrow at his father.
"We got here at like five David," he said, acid laced in his tongue. "And he's not going to be here for the next fucking hour or so because unlike you, he's a normal person who gets up at a normal time." David laughed while the other teacher, who Nikki recognized as Mr. Smith, the statistics teacher, cocked an eyebrow at her best friend's foul language.
"Well, you know what I always tell you, Max! The early bird gets the- "
"Jeez, I get it already! The early bird gets the worm, or whatever!" Max shouted, exasperated. He shrugged off the hand David had placed on his shoulder and he trudged into the room.
"Don't you think you should do something about his behavior?" Mr. Smith questioned, and David chuckled.
"Don't worry, that's just Max being Max. There's no changing that about him," he reassured, his eyes following his son's retreating form with a fond smile on his face as Nikki gave him a wide smile and chipper "good morning" and followed after Max. She found him sliding into a seat in the corner of the room furthest from David's desk, and she sat in the desk beside him. A beat, and he sighed, rubbing his temple.
"You know Nik, I still don't know how I ended up living with him and Gwen of all people."
"I mean, you ended up with them because you ran away from your own family when you turned thirteen and had no one else to go to?" She shrank back slightly when he gave her a scathing look. "Sorry."
He grunted and pulled out his phone again, and she watched as he scrolled through memes, something she found he did when he was bored. She bit her lip, sitting in silence as she struggled to find something to talk about and potentially lighten Max's mood. Looking around, she took in all of David's decorations; from the small bookshelf displaying the man's knick-knacks, the neatly laminated inspirational quotes hung up on the walls, the guitar leaning against his desk, the small pine trees made of green construction paper he taped to the shelves and cabinets, and the green and yellow Camp Campbell flag that he proudly put up on the wall just above the chalkboard. She stared at it intently, feeling a wave of warm nostalgia washing over her as she recalled the many memories she made at camp.
"Do you miss camp?" She asked suddenly, her eyes widening as she realized she had asked the question aloud. Looking at Max, she found he didn't bother looking up from his screen despite giving her a response.
"What?"
"I said, do you miss camp?"
He looked up at her then. "What makes you ask all of a sudden?" He cocked an eyebrow at her question, and the green-haired girl tugged at the hem of her t-shirt under his gaze.
"Well, uh, I saw the flag your dad hung up above the board," she said, pointing up at the large swath of fabric. He glanced at it, and she caught the ghost of a smile on his lips before it morphed back into its usual frown.
"I mean, if I'm being honest, yes and no." She did a double-take at his response, expecting him to immediately reply with a curt "no" like he often did to questions regarding his time at summer camp. He casually tossed his phone onto his desk, which landed on its side before falling flat with the screen face-down. "Don't get me wrong, that place was shitty as all hell. It was always hot and sticky, the food sucked ass, the stupid platypus always bothered me, Gwen and David were always nagging me, and you and Neil were always dragging me into some stupid shit you guys were doing when I wanted to relax." Nikki cracked a smile at Max's words, the time when she and him were forced to take care of the platypus egg replaying in her mind prominently as he continued.
"But... it's because of that camp that I have friends. It's because of that camp that I have a real family now. It's where I met Neil and everyone else. Hell, it's where I met you, Nik," he finished, rubbing the back of his neck and looking rather sheepish. "God, what am I saying? Gwen was right, maybe I really have gone soft," he lamented. Nikki was taken aback, a wide smile forming on her face as she processed the words that had just come out of his mouth.
"Aw, Max, you big goof," she giggled, throwing her arms around his shoulders in another one of her bone-crushing hugs. Despite them hugging many times in the years that they had known each other, he still flinched at her touch, and his face flushed red as he stiffened and rolled his eyes.
"Whatever. Don't look too deep into this," he said, though after a pause he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame. They sat in the hug for several more seconds before he let go, and she found herself missing his warmth as she pulled away and sat back in her chair. "Sorry for getting all sappy on you," Max apologized. "I think David might be rubbing off on me."
Nikki chortled. "Heh, don't apologize, dummy. It's a bit weird since you're always so angry all the time, but I kinda like this side of you more," she said, smiling as the shade of red that dusted his cheeks deepened.
"Shut up."
With Max's mood restored, the two conversed further about their time at camp and their past summers for a time before shifting the conversation to their classes, friends, and their future plans for the new semester. She had even seen him crack a smile as they momentarily digressed into a debate about whether tomatoes were a fruit or vegetable, something she and him had argued about with Neil many times over. He had just asked her about how she was feeling about the track and field season when the first bell rang loudly, interrupting them.
"Rude..." Nikki muttered, turning back to her friend after shooting a glare at the speaker grate on the ceiling. "Anyways, I'm pretty excited. Track is the perfect way to use up all my energy. It's the only thing I've found that actually makes me super tired."
Max snorted. "That's because you still have the energy of an eight-year-old, even though you're sixteen. I still can't believe you eat as much as you do and aren't obese already." She laughed, waving a hand at him.
"What can I say? Girls like me need their energy, Max." He cracked a smile at her as she heard someone approaching from her left.
"It's called high metabolism, Nikki." Neil tossed his backpack onto the ground, a loud scraping sound filling the room as he pulled out his chair from under the desk in front of Max and sat down.
"No one cares, Neil. What took you so long? The first bell rings at seven and you said you leave your house at six-fifty. It's ten after and I know for a fact that you're at your dad's house and you drive yourself so you don't have to wait for your parents and that the drive doesn't take twenty minutes," Max questioned, and Neil faced him, huffing irritably as he fixed the collar of the plaid button-up shirt he wore.
"First off, don't talk in run-on sentences. I thought your dad would've taught you that, since he teaches English and all." Max growled at him as he continued. "And I got here at almost seven, but then some asshole took my parking spot in the student lot! Then I argued with him and had to find another spot in the very back!" He threw his arms into the air angrily. "And then it was just my luck that Tabii happened to see me walking into the school, and I had to deal with her until I told her I needed to use the bathroom!"
"Wow Neil, you're off to a great start today," Nikki snickered. "How'd you get out of the bathroom though? I mean I figured that she'd stand and wait for you outside."
"Oh, you won't believe this, but I flipped open the window in the corner and crawled out into the courtyard," he replied, a smirk on his face. "Then I came here."
"Huh, that's actually pretty crafty. I'm sure Harrison would be proud of your disappearing act," Max commented as the boy in question walked through the doors of the classroom with Nerris at his side. "Speak of the devil."
"Hey guys! Long time no see!" Harrison grinned, taking a seat next to Neil and in front of Nikki.
"Hi Harrison! Hey Nerris!" Nikki greeted, grinning at her two friends.
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Nerris said, adjusting her glasses further up her nose. Neither of them had changed much since their days at Camp Campbell; Harrison had let his hair grow out slightly longer than before and traded the old outfit Nikki remembered him wearing so frequently for a polo and cargo shorts, while Nerris had gotten rectangular glasses to replace her old round ones. Her hair fell freely from her head down her shoulders from under the beanie perched atop her head, and her smile revealed teeth free of braces.
"You guys act like the last time we saw each other was a lifetime ago, but we hung out multiple times over the summer," Max pointed out, but his comment went unnoticed by the others as Nikki pointed a finger at her dark-skinned friend.
"I forgot! You got your braces off this past summer, Nerris!" The girl blushed slightly as the focus of the conversation shifted to her.
"Yeah, it's definitely freeing. Now I don't have to worry about what I'm eating and stuff like that." She twirled her hair between her fingers.
"Don't forget about your lisp, too," Harrison laughed, but was quickly silenced by the withering glare she sent his way.
"A-Anyway," Neil cut in before the two could escalate things further. "What classes do you guys have after this?"
"I have history with Ms. Johnson, and Nerris has precalculus. What about you guys?"
"I have anatomy next. Ugh, I hope Tabii didn't sign up for that class just because I did," Neil whined as they all turned to Nikki and Max. It took a moment before Nikki realized the question was now being directed at her, and she blurted out her answer quickly.
"Art!" She then turned to Max, who sighed as he focused on his phone again.
"Yeah, me too. I think. I dunno, my next class was with one of you two," he said, lazily gesturing to her and Neil.
Dolph and Preston arrived next, followed by the Wood Scouts, who marched in wordlessly and took their seats on the opposite side of the room in the corner as the second bell rang loudly through the halls of the school.
"Hi Dolph!" Nikki greeted the smaller boy with a wave and was given one in return as Nurf entered the room behind him.
"'Sup losers?" The football player greeted affectionately. Since they began high school, Nurf had decided to join the football team, and quickly rose to become one of the top players. Like Nikki, he was also slated to become the team captain next year, and though a few of them had their doubts considering his anger issues, he had done a remarkable job of restraining his temper and redirecting it to push himself in the school's workout room.
"Hey Nurf," Neil smiled as the ginger occupied the seat next to Preston.
"Isn't this exciting? All of us, back together again!" The actor chuckled, running a hand back through his hair. Unlike Nurf, Preston hadn't found immediate success in high school- he struggled somewhat as an actor onstage, being overshadowed by the upperclassmen and their years' worth of experience. He had made headlines the past year however, when the theatre program found they couldn't afford the royalty payments to put on a rendition of a show. He quickly wrote out an entire script for a play of his own creation, and since opening night he became an integral part of the program.
"Yes, indeed! It's been awhile since we've all been able to share a class together!" Dolph agreed with Preston's statement. The young man looked as if he was a grade or two behind the others, but he tended to focus more on his art than anything else, which paid off when he won the art competition hosted by the school last summer.
The second bell rang at the exact moment Ered slipped into the classroom, sliding into the seat beside Nikki. "Yo," she addressed her friends, who welcomed her in their own quirky ways.
"Lookin' slick," Nurf complimented, and the blonde flipped her hair. Of the Campbell campers, Ered had probably changed the least- she still wore her leather jacket over a rock band shirt, ripped jeans and boots completing her ensemble.
"Hi, Ered," Nikki had stars in her eyes as she greeted her role model, who responded without missing a beat.
"Hey Nik. Didn't know I had this class with all of you guys."
"Trust me, I didn't either. What is this supposed to be, some sort of high school reunion? I thought those weren't supposed to happen until after graduation," Max sneered. Nikki giggled.
"Aw, Max, don't act like you're not happy to see everyone again! I mean, you did say that you missed camp a couple of minutes ago," she teased, causing his spine to stiffen and his face to resemble a tomato.
"What? Nikki, I didn't say that!" He shouted, clenching his fist and pounding it on the desk. Neil raised an eyebrow while the others leaned forward in anticipation, wide grins on their faces as they prepared to tease their ever-grouchy friend. Before any of them could get out another word, the Flower Scouts strode into the room, led by none other than Sasha. Max quickly glanced over and took the opportunity to deflect the attention of his peers, pointing a finger at Tabii.
"Hey Neil, look who it is! Say hi to Tabii!" He grinned as the blonde turned her head at the mention of her name, and immediately stomped over.
"Dude!" Neil scowled, narrowing his eyes at his friend before he found his face in Tabii's hands.
"Where did you go this morning!? Do you know how long I was waiting in front of that smelly bathroom for you? You know it's not polite to keep a lady waiting! You better not have gone to see another girl! You know what happened to Rachel, don't you!?" Her sentences flew from her mouth rapid-fire as she shook Neil furiously, his friends laughing at his misfortune and Max and Nikki cackling in the back of the room. Space Kid stumbled into the room just as the final bell rang, collapsing into the seat in front of Neil as Tabii let go of the poor boy's face and took her seat near the front of the room with Sasha and Erin, grumbling along the way back to her friends.
"Hey guys! Whoa, Neil, what happened to you?" Space Kid snickered as Neil adjusted his afro, its shape having been damaged after the blonde's wild antics and excessive screaming.
"Tabii happened," Nikki tittered, and the wannabe astronaut broke into a fit of laughter. He still preferred Space Kid partly because of the memories he associated with the nickname since camp but also so no one would be confused about which Neil they were talking about. He was still on the pudgier side, though not nearly as large as Nurf, and surprisingly became one of the best students of the group, even if his common sense was still lacking.
Wrapping up his conversation with Mr. Smith, David zipped into the room, standing at the front of the class and facing the chalkboard. Picking up a small piece of chalk, he quickly scribbled out his name in large block letters, followed by a cartoony drawing of a pine tree next to it. Dusting his hands off on his pants, he strode over to his desk, picking up the clipboard and pencil that he had placed there earlier in the morning and stood again in front of the class. His eyes surveyed his students, and he grinned as he spied his son in the back.
"Good morning, kiddos! Who's ready to start?" He asked cheerily, and Nikki heard Max groan beside her.
"Ah fuck."