Finally, Camp Campbell was in view. The lake, the mess hall, the forest. It was all as David had left it. In the passenger seat sat Max, pretending to look annoyed, but David was starting to understand Max's expressions better and knew that he was actually happy to be back. He had enough fond memories of the place, and David had promised him first tent pick if he helped set them up.
Neither Gwen nor Quartermaster were there yet, so it was just Max, David, and their trailer full of supplies that needed unloading.
"Okay Max, lets put on some smiles and get these boxes into the Mess Hall!" David was already dressed in his camp counselor get up complete with his yellow bandana.
"Yeah, fine, whatever." Max said rolling his eyes. He carried one box of canned goods into the mess hall and then, as slowly as he could, put them away. David frowned as Max dragged his feet, but because he was technically helping, didn't scold him for it. Even a little progress was progress.
An hour later, everything was out of the trailer and in the mess hall.
"Okay Max, I'm going to take some of these boxes to the counselor cabin while you get started on the tents."
"Do I have too..." he whined.
"If you don't set up the tents, then you get last pick," David threatened.
"Finnnnne," Max droned before grabbing a tent and dragging it outside.
David unlocked the counselor cabin and the smell of dust hit him in the face. He opened all the windows and doors to let the place air out as he set up for the summer.
Outside, Max had dragged his tent to the edge of the camping green and started to unpack it. He struggled with the poles for a bit and pinched his finger before giving up and looking for the instructions, which had long since been thrown away.
"David! Get over here!" Max called annoyed.
"What is it Max?" David appeared out of nowhere.
"I can't set this fucking thing up."
"You mean you don't know how to set it up?" David asked perplexed. 'Who didn't know how to set up a tent?' he thought to himself
"How the hell am I supposed to know how to put up a fucking tent?" Max grumbled.
"It's not that hard. Here, I'll show you."
Max muttered to himself as David demonstrated how to put the poles in the sleeves and secure them with the hooks.
"Now you try it Max," David gestured to the last pole. Max managed to get it into its sleeve and hooked on one end, but when he went to bend it down to the last corner he lost his grip and the pole snapped back striking him in the face.
"OW, FUCKING POLE, STUPID TENT, FUCK THAT HURTS!" Max cursed as he held his face.
"Let me see Max," David knelt next to the boy and pried his hand off his face. A angry red line went in a diagonal across Max's face across the bridge of his nose. It'd managed to miss both his eyes but had broken skin on his left cheek. Max inhaled sharply when David touched the scratch.
"Oh, it's not that bad," David said, but he still sounded worried. He lead Max inside the counselor cabin and had him sit on the couch. After digging around in a box for a bit David came over with a first aid kit. He cleaned the cut and bandaged it while Max blankly stared at the wall.
"There," David said as he put the finishing touches on the bandage. "Now let's get back out there and show that tent who's boss." David started to march outside before he realized Max wasn't following him. He turned around and looked at the boy who was rubbing his cheek.
"Are you okay Max? It doesn't hurt too bad does it?" David asked softly.
"What?" Max said, jolting out of his thoughts. "No I'm fine." He jumped off the couch and marched out the door.
They fell into a silent rhythm, Max opened and unrolled the tents and David dealt with the dangerous polls. As they finished the last tent, Gwen rolled up in a beat up pick up truck.
"Gwen!" David called as he ran to give Gwen a hug. Gwen, however, stuck out her hand pushed David away by his chest.
"I'm so happy to see you again," David said still being held at arm's length.
"Well I'm not," Max said coming up behind David.
"Manners Max," David said.
"Fuck you," was Max's reply but David ignored him and instead asked Gwen how her drive had been.
"Terrible, I got a flat an hour out and had to stop to change the tire myself." Gwen grabbed her duffle bag out of the truck. "What happened to you?" she asked looking pointedly at Max.
"A fucking tent pole," he said lamely.
"Yeah, those'll get ya."
"Max, why don't you go get a juice box while Gwen and I prepare for the rest of the campers to arrive?" David asked kindly. Max rolled his eyes before wandering off mumbling something, but the only worlds David caught were, 'fucking David… juice box...not a kid."
"How's he doing?" Gwen asked once Max was out of earshot.
"Better I think," David said proudly. "Although sometimes he gets lost in his own head and I don't know what he is thinking about." Gwen nodded like she understood and the two adults headed off to finish prepping the camp.
Latter that day the bus arrived dropping off a slew of familiar faces and a few new ones. David happily greeted them all as they stepped off. He took a few steps back however when Nikki and Neil stepped off and held his hands behind his back, having learned from the last time he greeted the green haired child.
"Yo Nikki, Neil, what the fuck are you doing back here!" Max called, not unhappy, as his friends walked up to where he stood away from David.
"I could ask you the same thing," Neil said suspiciously. "I thought you hated Camp Campbell."
"Still do," Max said avoiding the question.
"Well I don't," Nikki said. "This place rocks! See?" she picked up a rock and threw it as hard as she could at David's back. David yelped in the most girly way when the stone struck the small of his back. Max burst out laughing as he lead his friends to their tents.
"Whoa, you picked out a pretty good spot Max," Neil complemented, walking around the perimeter of tent.
"Of course I fucking did. I not going to settle for that subpar tent like last year." Max said sticking his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. Neil tossed his bag onto the cot that Max hadn't already claimed.
"And that is your tent Nikki," Max said pointing to the tent right next to his and Neil's that had a net top that you could see the sky through.
"Aw, Max, it's perfect!" She sqweeled.
After the three had settled into their tents, they went to scout out the new campers. Space kid, Preston, Nerris, Dolph, Harrison, and Ered had returned. The only one missing from last year was Nerf, but no one was upset by that. There were however three new campers. A scrawny boy with coal black hair named Nico, a girl dressed in a hot pink and teal dress with bright red hair named Sara, and a kid with short bright blue hair in a plain t-shirt and jeans that was named Alex.
"What the fuck are you three here for?" Max asked the new kids when they entered the circle of tents.
"Astronomy camp?" Nico said, looking around and obviously starting to realize that this wasn't really astronomy camp.
"Fashion camp of course," Sara said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Nikki made a gagging motion to Neil who ignored her.
"What the fuck does it matter?" Alex said.
"Oh, I like you," Max said holding up his fist which Alex happily bumped.
"Like, why is there all this dirt?" Sara complained. "And why is that girl covered in it?" she pointed at Nikki.
"Because here at Camp Campbell we love nature and doing all kinds of wonderful camptivities," David said, appearing out of nowhere as he tended to to.
"You got scammed," Max translated. Sara gasped over dramatically. Alex shrugged and wandered off.
"Well, at least out here you can see the stars without any light pollution," Nico said before tossing his bag in Space Kid's tent.
"So...was that blue haired one a boy or a girl?" Nikki asked.
And there we have it! Sorry it it's not my usual quality, I've been struggling with the pacing. But anyway, the more you review the faster the next chapter will come out!