Santana fiddled with the radio for a few minutes before giving up hope that she could find a decent station so far from the nearest city. She was less than an hour away from camp, which meant she was in the middle of nowhere and could barely get cell phone service, let alone a top 40 radio station. She resigned herself to enjoying the winding roads in quiet solitude. The quiet enveloped her as did the trees, growing close enough together to form a shady canopy over the road.
This would be her 2nd year working at camp, and she was looking forward to seeing her old camp friends again. They had kept in touch over the school year, but nothing compared to actually being at camp together. Especially since her camp friends rarely got on her nerves like kids at school did. Santana was also excited to have more responsibilities this summer. Last year she had been a "junior counselor" (which had really just made her the senior staff members' bitch), but this year she was a full-fledged member of the waterfront team. More specifically, part of the life guarding crew.
Santana found something peaceful in being a lifeguard, even though most found it a stressful job. She loved to swim and the idea of protecting a bunch of kids gave her a sense of importance she struggled to find elsewhere. And of course, the awesome tan she got from sitting out in the sun all day didn't hurt, either.
The paved road turned to dirt and after a few minutes Santana pulled into the gravel parking lot. She tucked her car in a back corner of the lot and stepped outside for the first time on her four hour drive. The humid air was an unpleasant shock after the coolness of her air conditioned car but she soon adjusted. She stretched smooth legs and toned arms, rubbing her back and neck to rid them of stiffness from having sat for so long. Leaving her stuff in the trunk (and a bag in the backseat that hadn't fit with the rest), Santana made her way to the main office to check in. Camp seemed quiet, and she wondered who else was here already.
After checking in with the chronically unpleasant woman in the front office, Santana had her assigned cabin number along with a list of other staff members working this summer. Her cabin was along a main path in camp so she would be able to drive her car up to the door to drop off her bags.
She drove slowly through camp, smiling as she passed memorable points from last summer. There was the softball field, where she had gotten her first base hit ever (after much coaxing to even step on the field); the dining hall, where she had prevented her fair share of food fights (ones she used to start herself when she was a camper); and then the lake, where she had enjoyed many swims and boat outings, and where she would be spending most of her summer. Santana pulled up to a cabin that was designated for staff only. Each small room housed two staff members – only for those who weren't directly in charge of campers.
Santana threw her hair up in a messy ponytail and started unloading her bags, excited not to be sleeping in a bunk with another counselor and 20 middle school girls. Each staff room also came with its own bathroom, a mark of luxury revered throughout camp. Santana smiled, remembering many summers of listening to her own counselors complain about not getting staff housing.
"Need help with those?" A smooth voice asked, startled Santana out of her memories. She looked up at the tall, dark boy already lifting the other end of a large duffel.
"Yeah, thanks" Santana smiled, as they lifted the bag up the stairs and into her room.
"I'm Dan" the boy offered his hand after dropping the bag at the foot of one of the beds.
"Santana" she responded, giving his hand a firm shake. He smiled at her before turning to go grab another bag.
The pair finished unloading the rest of Santana's things quickly, making small talk about what they were doing at camp this summer. Dan had also just turned 17 and would be working with the sports staff as an assistant basketball coach. He went to a high school Santana had never heard of, and was looking to land a college basketball scholarship next year. Santana couldn't help but notice how Dan's deep green eyes seemed to light up when he spoke about basketball. She also couldn't help but notice when he let his hand linger an extra second or two whenever their hands accidentally met going for the same bag.
She smiled to herself, well aware of the affect she had on guys. None seemed able to keep up with her though, possibly explaining the rotating door that seemed to be her dating life. Rousing her from her musings, Dan placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"C'mon, it's time for dinner"
Santana looked out the window and saw the sun was already getting lower, casting a gorgeous orange hue across the sky. Dan headed out towards the dining hall and Santana followed shortly after giving a quick glance back at her semi-unpacked bags. I'll have to move the car back to the parking lot after dinner, she thought to herself as she locked it, even though it wasn't really necessary.
Once inside the diner, Santana left Dan's side to say hi to a couple of her friends. She frowned inwardly at the fact that not as many of them had returned as she had expected. She knew a bunch of girls who were back, but really only considered Jen and Samantha to be among her good friends. The girls caught up on their school years as they dished out their first camp meal together, smiling and laughing at their adventures.
A lanky blonde girl Santana didn't recognized approached the table and Samantha waved at her, patting the empty spot on the bench next to her.
"Guys, this is Brittany, she's a dance instructor this summer. We go to school together."
Brittany placed her plate down and Jen introduced herself, shaking hands. Santana swallowed a big swig of her fruit punch and extended her hand.
"Santana" she said, more curtly than she had intended.
"Hi" Brittany gave a small nod as they shook hands.
Santana marveled at how light Brittany's hand felt in hers. She felt like she was shaking a feather, even though she could clearly see the muscle that rested under pale arms, connected to strong shoulders exposed via a white tank top. Santana realized she was staring and looked up to find Brittany's light blue eyes watching her curiously.
The darker girl cleared her throat and returned to her dinner, falling back into the playful banter with her friends that she had truly missed over the school year. Brittany ate her dinner in silence, only chiming in here and there when Jen prompted her.
Later that night Santana was unpacking her last bag when there was a knock on the door. She had returned her car to the parking lot earlier and had snagged a schedule from the office on her way back. There were some meetings to attend in the week prior to campers arriving, and she had training to go to, but otherwise it'd be a relaxing week.
"Come in" she called.
The door opened and Dan poked his head through.
"Whatcha up to now?" He asked.
"Just finishing up unpacking, then probably passing out. I'm beat"
"No you're not; you're coming out with us!" Dan opened the door fully and stepped into Santana's room, which she was happy to have to herself. A few more staff members had yet to arrive, but she was hoping to luck out and end up with a single.
"Where are you guys even going?"
"Well, we're not going anywhere, but Tom got hold of some booze" Dan grinned goofily, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Jeez it's only the first night. I try to wait until mid-summer before getting fired, Dan – you could too"
Dan made a face at Santana who had plopped down on her bed with a sigh.
"Lame-o" he rolled his eyes at her, taking a second before realizing he wasn't getting the girl to come with him. "Bye then, nerd"
Santana mimed throwing a pillow at Dan on his way out before falling back on the bed. The door closed with a loud slam and the hum of florescent light filled the silence. Santana paused and almost considered going after Dan. Even though her friends knew she was tired, she didn't want to seem like the wet blanket that would be in bed before 12 every night. After a few minutes of chewing her lip, Santana got up and turned off the light. She would have plenty of nights to be stupid later in the summer. She slipped into a baggy t-shirt and boxers, set her alarm for the next morning, and crawled underneath the covers, where she fell asleep within minutes.