Confessions of a Band Camp Geek
I can never be myself
How can I when I'm stuck in hell?
Stutt-ing-stutter-in-stutter-en-ing
Wanna tell you how I feel inside,
but every time I go and try
mutterin-mutter-mutter-en-ing
Stutt-ing-stutter-in-stutter-en-ing
-The Friday Night Boys "Stuttering"
Confession #3: I'm Afraid of Scary Stories… and Hojo
I was on a mission to save the world.
It was like in the movie The Knowing, when people started predicting all the disasters on earth. Well, it was my job and the job of all the kids/teens of the world to try and stop the evil people and save the world. I was jumping on a train with the rest of the kid/teen agents while reaching my hand out to help Souta on, but then the train took off, leaving Souta behind only to get crushed by the falling buildings of the city. And then we went on some mission that involved skiing down a mountain slope while 4 Minutes was playing in my head. Since it was a dream, I didn't remember much after that, but at the very end we failed our mission and the entire world blew up with the exact same ending picture as the movie 'The Knowing'. The exact same one.
I'm never watching 'The Knowing' again.
The really weird part though, was that after my dream was over 4 Minutes was still playing. Which is super weird because guess what? The world was already burnt to a frickin' crisp!
"Shut that damn thing off!"
I woke up to the sound of a very pissed off Aimi and realized 4 minutes was actually blasting through the camp. A good question would be, why.
At least it would explain why music was flowing through my dreams. That happens to me a lot, actually. Like that one time when I fell asleep with my headphones in right after finishing Twilight; I had a dream where Bella and Edward were on a boat and Edward was reciting the lyrics to Ray J's One Wish. Guess what song I was listening to in my sleep?
Stories also influence my dreams. For example, in Kindergarten our teacher told us a story on how a troll wouldn't let a little girl cross a bridge because he wanted to eat her—what teacher reads little kids that!?!—and that night I had a nightmare where I was playing hide-n-seek with a troll and if he found me he was going to eat me. When I tried to runaway to Disney World he chased me there while riding on a giant T-Rex. And then the time my friends from Summer Day camp in sixth grade told me the story of how if you treat dolls bad they'll come to life and kill you—The Doll House and The Meanest Doll in the World books didn't help. I swear that night the life sized doll I had jammed in my closet for years was mouthing it was going to kill me. I treated that thing like an angel until Souta threw it out a window and I was finally free. That way if it really does come to life, it will kill Souta, not me.
"What's going on?" Sango asked from below me as she climbed out of bed. I looked towards Aimi who was, in all honesty, throwing a hissy fit. Her hair was disheveled so she looked like a mad woman and she had picked up her pillow and threw it across the room, snarling when it just barely missed a girl's head.
"Well…" I looked at her for a second before looking to Rei and Sango to see they both shared my wide eyed look. "It's pretty obvious you're not a morning person."
"No, I'm fine," Aimi grumbled as she jumped off her bunk. "But waking up in the morning to the worst music in the world, really knows how to make them unpleasant." She sneered.
"So… you hate this song?"
"I despise it." She moved towards her suitcase and started rifling through it. "But the fact that Talent insists on waking us up by blasting music isn't a good idea to start with."
So that's why the music was playing.
"I wouldn't say that," Rei offered sitting up in her own bed. "It's better than my alarm or a bull horn."
"Very true," I agreed, carefully climbing down the ladder. "And the song isn't that bad."
"Well I hate it. And trust me; they play some shitty wake up music." Aimi pulled out clothes and dropped them beside her before pulling out a towel and washcloth.
"What are you doing?"
"What everyone else is doing," Aimi answered, motioning around the cabin of girls slowly rising from the dead and heading for their luggage. "Did you forget that you have to be at the mess hall an hour after the music cuts off? Or that there is one showering house and way too many girls who need to wash?"
Time is waiting
We only got four minutes to save the world
No hesitating
Grab a boy
Grab a girl
Time is waiting
We only got four minutes to save the world
No hesitating
We only got four minutes huh four minutes
"Looks like the music has finally stopped," Aimi looked at us with eyes gleaming mischievously. "The war begins."
"What?" Sango was frozen with shock, but I was already grabbing clothes out my trunk as the entire cabin seemed to go into a frenzy. I have serious patience issues, as in, I don't have any patience.
"Wouldn't it be more productive if they scheduled certain times for each cabin?"
"If you haven't realized, there are a lot of issues with this camp." Aimi threw her towel over her shoulder and stood back up. "Besides, a lot of the girls wash before the wake up calls for privacy reasons and then the cold water usually makes showering a rushed process. But there are scheduled times for the night wash."
"It doesn't matter," I grabbed my towel and started for the door. "I am not waiting in a long line for a bunch of girls to shower."
-x-
Okay, so maybe whether the shower is hot or cold really does matter, because having to take a shower in what feels like freezing rain, really knows how to bring on a crappy mood. I bet they do it on purpose to make sure you're awake for the day of hell they plan on throwing at you. And I thought I was going to enjoy camp.
"Turn that frown upside down!" Aimi sang as she moved down the line beside me, surveying the breakfast options that all seemed so good it was hard to choose. I had decided to take a little bit of everything.
"It's good to see your mood has made a turn for the better," Sango yawned. She was more like me; not liking early mornings or cold showers. "You seemed like a bitch earlier."
"Ah, just first day blues," Aimi waved off, reaching for a plate of French toast. "It happens all the time."
For some crazy reason, Aimi wakes up as a bitch, but after a freezing shower she is as happy as Ms. E. aren't cats supposed to hate the water?
"You threw a pillow at a girl."
"It didn't hit her. Besides, now I am happy and can't wait to get on with trial day!"
"Trial day?"
"Yeah, you know; when you try out a bunch of different courses to figure out which ones you want to take for the first week. You go with your cabin and each activity is with a group of cabins mixed together." Aimi grabbed a bowl of fruit. "You look for which 'artsy' class you want to take that involves what you were recognized for, one extra 'artsy' class and then after lunch you look for your outdoor activity."
"Do they have swimming?"
I am still absolutely, positively in love with swimming despite how much I complain about practice. It's going to be kind of hard to go practically an entire summer without getting in the water. And it would be a lie if I said that competition last year didn't boost my ego to the sky because it did. It really did. Now it's my job to show my mad skills to the world.
"They have swimming in the lake but don't go at night." Aimi gave me a serious look. "That place is haunted. Two years ago this one girl went at night and—"
"Stop!" I gave them a serious look. "Do not start talking about disappearances of girls because not only am I a girl at this camp, but I've learned that stories influence your dreams and I really don't need a nightmare about being kidnapped at band camp."
"Its art camp Kagome," Sango corrected.
"Whatever, it's run by musicians according to Aimi so I can call it band camp."
"The politically correct name would be Talent though."
"Sango, would you stop making me feel like an idiot, because I am honestly feeling like an idiot."
"I just pointed out the fact that you always overlook things, Kags. Like basically everything that was said in the assembly last night." She said it with her head tilted and a knowing smirk on her lips. Typical Sango… acting so… mature.
"Whatever." I lifted my tray from the rail and headed for the back end of one of the long wooden tables where the condiments were set up. It was where we sat yesterday; now Bank and Jakotsu wouldn't have to look for us.
Sango sat beside me and Aimi took a seat across from me and…
"Damnit!" I looked around me for a head of black and purple hair. "Where is Rei?"
"Maybe she got tired of us," Sango shrugged as if this wasn't a big deal even though it was. I thought we had all made a connection and it sucks to think that Rei didn't feel that. It really sucked. And it made matchmaking a whole hell of a lot harder.
"Or maybe she's allying with the enemy," Aimi offered, her blue eyes narrowed at someone behind me. I looked over my shoulder and then turned around completely to gape at the sight of Rei hugging some tall guy with shaggy brown hair and a silver hoop through one of his ears, wearing a pair of light wash jeans with rips and a white t-shirt. Somehow in that simple clothing he looked amazing.
"Oh my god," Sango gasped as she stared too. "Who is that?"
"The devil's spawn," Aimi snarled and I looked back over my shoulder to see her still glaring at him while stabbing her eggs. "Teshima Ichiro, pianist and singer who is the king of camp. He was here last year and he has the biggest stick up his ass. He thinks he's higher than everyone here. Bastard…"
In other words, he would be a Prep.
"And somehow he's obviously friends or more with Rei," Sango said slowly, trying to wrap her head around the fact only to give up. Shaking her head and turning it back around I followed suit. "The world is a crazy place."
"This sucks!" I declared slamming my fist down on the table. "This is going to completely crush Bank's fragile heart. When he comes in here to see that," I pointed over to my shoulder in Rei and Ichiro's general direction. "He's going to completely give up on love all together. It's going to be tragic how Bank falls into depression and grows up to be lonely and then will commit suicide and I'll be there crying over his grave and then—"
"Considering she doesn't even know his name, I highly doubt all that is going to happen if Bank see's them together," Sango rationalized as she poured syrup on her waffles. "Also, Bank is saner than you and probably won't jump to the conclusion of them being an item until he gets all the facts. Honestly Kagome, you should start getting the facts first."
"I'll think about it." I looked back over my shoulder to see Rei and Ichiro now sitting together laughing at something some other inhabitant of that table had said. I turned back around and looked down at my overflowing plate suddenly having lost my appetite. "God, this sucks."
"Good morning, Kagome!" Jakotsu sang as he slid into the space beside Aimi and gave me a bright, good morning smile. "Doesn't the fresh outdoor air just make you smile?"
No.
"Where's Bank?"
"He was getting some orange juice a second ago. I think he's—"
"Here." Bank's deep voice interrupted Jakotsu's sentence and he dropped down in the seat beside me. His hair was a mess and his shirt seemed extremely wrinkled and he was wearing the dirtiest pair of shoes he owned. That idiot, he can't walk around looking like that when his competition is a frickin' Greek God.
Bank yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes motioning to Sango he said "Please pass the syrup." Sango handed it over. "Thanks."
We all sat in silence for a while, just eating. I nibbled on a piece of bacon, trying to be patient before I delivered my verdict on Bank's obvious apathetic attitude towards his wardrobe. About twenty seconds of just the sound of eating, I lost it.
"Alright. You can't—"
"Bank!"
"Bankster!"
"Bankie-poo!" The two voices who had interrupted me said in unison before cracking up. Bank's fork froze about an inch away from his mouth and he forced a smile onto his red face as the two guys slapped his back and then sat down at our table with us.
I looked over to Sango and Aimi who just shrugged their shoulders. I then turned back to Bank, waiting for him to introduce us, but he just kept eating. Finally I cleared my throat demanding attention. Bank looked up at me and it was like a light finally went off in his head.
"Oh! Right." He swallowed his food and then motioned to the two guys who joined our table. He pointed to the red head with the tall wiry frame that could barely see through his long bangs. "This is Sho and he's," He pointed to the guy in the gray sweats and a white tank that showed off his muscled arms. He had jet black hair, green eyes, and a little stubble that gave him that mature edge. "Raiden. Sho plays the bass so he can take Suikotsu's place in the band and Raiden is a break-dancer. They're in our cabin and just happened to overhear Jak." Bank glared at his brother who just shrugged. "Sho, Raiden; this is Kagome, Sango, and Aimi."
"Hello chickadees," Raiden offered a smile with a small wave and Aimi's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Victim number two of Higurashi Kagome's matchmaking plans for the summer.
"Hey," I smiled back and Sango and Aimi waved.
"Wait a second," Bank looked back up from his plate and looked at each of our faces carefully. "Where's Rei?"
"She's uh…" I struggled to find a good excuse. "She's—"
"Fraternizing with the enemy," Aimi seethed her eyes once again narrowed in their direction. We all looked over and they were cracking up at something again. I saw Bank's face fall a bit and I immediately felt the need to put some hope in him.
"They're just friends," I hurried to say as we all looked away again. "Just friends."
"You and Inuyasha were just friends."
Touché.
"You and I are just friends," I countered placing a comforting arm around Bank's shoulders. "Aimi said he's a real ass so Rei will see his true colors sooner or later and that will be you're in. You shouldn't just jump to conclusions without the facts anyways." I purposely looked at Sango who just shook her head.
"Turn that frown upside down!" Aimi sang again.
"Yeah Bankster," Sho spoke up through a mouth full of pancakes. "Don't' let some girl bring you down."
"What are y'all talking about?" Bank spoke in a defensive tone. "I didn't even like her. I didn't even know her."
"You knew her name," Jak pointed out.
"I know Pete Wentz's name, but I don't know him," Bank pointed out. "The point is I can't just like someone in one day. It's ridiculous. And stop telling everybody stuff, Kagome."
"I didn't tell them anything." I just dropped some very unsubtle hints. But, I never said, 'Bank is in love with Rei.' Never.
"Didn't tell them what?"
We all tensed up at the sound of Rei's voice present. We all looked over to the girl purple streaks and I kind of smiled while Bank's face went beet red and he looked like he had stopped breathing. Yeah. He really didn't like her.
"Hey Rei," Sango spoke up. "Where do you keep disappearing off to?" she asked as if we weren't staring at her just seconds ago. A better question would be how she got here so fast.
"Oh, my friend from back home came here last summer and he's back so I've been with him for a while." Sango gave me a smug look but I ignored it, turning to Bank to give him the smug look and he just rolled his eyes.
"But, um, some girl came over and was all over Ichiro and she seemed really bitchy so I left. Can I sit?"
"Of course." I deliberately slid over closer to Sango and kicked Bank so he would move over so there was room for Rei to sit between us.
Rei placed her tray down and sat in the space on the bench between us. She turned to Bank and smiled and he looked like he went into cardiac arrest.
"Hey Bankie," She smiled and Bank went beet red. "So, am I ever going to learn your real name?"
"I-I-It's um… It's B-B-Bank. I-I Mean, it's…"
Bank you idiot! You're ruining everything! Learn how to speak for God's sake! Does Bank not see who his competition is? He really needs to man up.
"His name is Bank—"
"My name is Bankoutsu," Bank said in one straight sentence, cutting me off, and he shot me a glare. What the hell? "But everyone calls me Bank because Bankoutsu is too much to keep saying."
"Alright then." Rei placed the cup she was sipping down and held out her hand to Bank. "It's nice to finally meet you Bank." Bank took her hand and she gave him a blinding smile and Bank all but melted.
"I thought you didn't l—"
Bank was smart enough to elbow Sho in the ribs before he kept going with that sentence. My phone buzzed to life then and I pulled it out of my back pocket and flipped it open, reading the notification that I had received a text from Inuyasha (about time). I opened it up and smiled as I read it.
G'morning
So simple and sweet.
Perfect.
-x-
"Hold on there, Lover boy," I stopped Bank, pulling on his long braid like a leash and reeled him back into me. We were about to split up with our cabins for 'Trial Day' but I had some things I wanted to run over with Bank first.
"What?" Bank asked, looking over to the retreating backs of Jak, Raiden, and Sho. "We're about to split up, Kags. Hurry up."
"Why did you glare at me in there?" I demanded to know. "I was trying to save your stuttering a—"
"I wanted to be the one to tell her my name," Bank cut me off. "It makes it more memorable that way."
"Awww, you are a romantic," I teased, jabbing him in his side, Bank squirmed just a bit.
"Stop it, Kags." Bank smiled as he pushed my hands away. "Now, I gotta go so—"
"Wait!" He sighed impatiently. "It's quick."
"I'm waiting."
"Well, no offense, but did you see Rei's friend? Given they're just friends, he may have ulterior motives and you can't compete with him looking like…" I motioned to his clothing. "This."
"Kagome."
"No, no, I'm not trying to be a bitch about it, but as your matchmaker, I'm going to tell it like it is. There may be some tough competition and you need to step up to the challenge. You're a good looking guy, Bank, but you—"
"Hold up a sec." I stopped talking. "Matchmaker?"
Did I say that out loud?
"I better go catch up before they leave me behind." I started turning away from him but Bank grabbed my hand, laughing. "Let me go!"
"Is this why you're suddenly taking an interest in my love life? Your summer activity is matchmaking this year?"
"I've always taken an interest in your love life. It was just nonexistent at the time. So now that you are actually taking an interest in someone I just have to jump on the opportunity. This is what friends do."
"I think it's best if you just stay out of—"
"Well too bad for you because you can't tell me what to do." Bank was about to say something else when I offered him my pleading look. "Please, please, pleeeease? I can help you get to know her, I'll be your inside man." Or woman. "Come on Bank, please."
"Kagome—"
"This is something I never got to experience with Inuyasha because I was in love with him, but this could be part of my quest in becoming a great best friend. Please."
"Ka—"
"Puh-leeeeeeeease."
"Just don't screw it up."
"Thank you!" I squealed as I hugged Bank around his torso and pulled away. "You won't regret it, I promise. By the end of the week…" I trailed off. I really don't like saying stuff considering if it doesn't happen Bank has a tendency of shoving it in my face. "I won't let you down."
"I know."
-x-
By the time the Crazy Frogs had made it to their first art activity I was exhausted. We had done photography. That I don't plan on ever taking because there are way too many buttons to remember which did what and the dark room was just so… dark. Then we did a whole bunch of different music courses, but I wasn't choosing which one of those I was picking until I found out what Bank was taking. Then we just had a 45 minute dance class with Kiyoko and I was about to pass out twenty minutes into the class. Then she kept yelling at me because I was off beat and always stumbling and that just does a lot to a person's self esteem, I mean I already know I can't dance. She doesn't have to announce it to the world. In short, I will never take that class, ever.
Now though, picking through paints in the back of the art cabin, all seemed right in the world. This, this, is why I chose to spend six weeks away from home to come to Talent.
"Hey Kagome!" I looked over my shoulder to look at Aimi who had called me from her seat beside Rei and diagonal from Sango. "Grab us some red paint too!"
"'Kay!"
I went back to picking through paints, grabbing practically every color of the rainbow, going happily about my business. That was until some massive jerk pushed me from my back, almost making me spill all the paint bottles.
"What's your problem?" I snapped, turning around, struggling to keep the bottles in my arms. "Can't you see I'm standing here?"
It was a guy from a different cabin and he had short brownish red hair with straight bangs that hung right above his eyebrows. He was wearing basketball shorts and white t-shirt. He wasn't hot, but not ugly. I'd say he was… moderately cute. Yeah, that's how I'd describe him.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, offering a sheepish smile. "I'm kind of a klutz and tripped over my own two feet. I really didn't mean to push you."
"Oh…" Great, now I felt bad for being a bitch and overreacting. "I'm really sorry I flipped on you like that. I was just… caught off guard."
"No problem. Oh! My name's Hojo by the way." Hojo offered his hand and I took it to shake.
"My name's Kagome… by the way."
Hojo laughed and held my hand for a second too long. "Wow, you have really soft hands."
I eased my hand out of his grip, getting uncomfortable. "Yeah, well I hear that happens to hands that aren't worked. I haven't had a job since I dumped ice tea all over one of the customers." It's still such a touchy subject to bring up most of the time.
"You're funny too!" He laughed a little too loud and I forced a smile. He stopped laughing and squinted at me for a second. "Wow. You're really pretty too."
Well, that's kind of… random. And uncomfortable.
"Thanks."
"A pretty girl like you must have a boyfriend."
Well that explains a lot. He's trying to hit on me. FYI though, he should try better things than some corny, overused lines he got off of T.V. Really? where's the creativity!?
"Actually, I do have a boyfriend." And if he were here he'd stomp you ten feet into the ground before threatening the use of your arms if you ever touch me.
If only I had the guts to say that out loud.
"Guess that makes me lucky," he gave me an unsettling grin. "I can admire your beauty without getting killed."
I'd like to see how that plan of his works on Visitors' Day. Or when Bank get's a load of this creep.
"Yeah…" I trailed off not exactly sure what to say. "So, I'm going to go back to my group now." I turned around and then looked back over my shoulder and forced another smile. "Nice meeting you Hojo."
"You too, Kagome."
I hurried back over to my easel in front of Aimi's and distributed the paints before leaning over to my left just a bit to see Aimi around my easel.
"Hey, Aimi."
"I think I'm going to do hip hop as my extra course this time," Aimi spoke, not even bothering to ask me what I was about to ask.
"What!?" It would be a lie to say I wasn't shocked. "But we both sucked at that and couldn't breathe after a while. And what about Kiyoko and the Strict Bitch and your hate for dancers and musicians because they rule the camp?"
"Hey," Rei joined in. "I'm insulted by that comment."
"Ditto," Sango agreed.
"I don't hate all dancers and musicians and I wasn't out of breath once during that session. Demon, better endurance, remember?"
Oh. I guess I was the only one who couldn't breathe.
"I'm sorry, why are you taking that course again?"
"Because Raiden is a break dancer and will most likely take that class too, duh!"
Well, that's a good reason to go tire yourself out everyday then.
"Aimi's got a crush!" Sango sang, snickering with Rei as she slapped random colors on her sheet.
"And I'm not ashamed to admit it." Aimi smiled proudly at herself and she looked in my direction. "You were going to ask me something before you went off on that tangent."
"Oh! Right, I was." I craned my neck over the top of my easel and saw Hojo looking right at me. I whispered, "What's up with that Hojo guy?"
"Who?" Sango asked and I pointed to him; she and Rei both looked at him.
"Oh, Hojo. He's nice." I let out a sigh of relief. "…enough."
So much for relief.
"What do you mean by enough?" I demanded to know.
Aimi just shrugged her shoulders. "He's not evil enough to gain any enemies and he's a good artist, does portraits. He'll probably take this art class" I waited for her to continue. "He's been here since… forever and he's really well known."
"I'm still not getting the enough part."
"It's just that every year he's been here he's broken that no fraternizing rule… twice each summer."
How does a 'moderately cute' guy pull that off?
"Good to know."
"Why the sudden interest?" Sango asked. She then whipped her head around to pin me with a hard glare. "You're not going to leave Inuyasha for him are you?"
"No! Are you crazy?" After all that crap I went through last year to get Inuyasha, it's going to take a lot more than some creeper with corny pick up lines to break us up. "I just think he was hitting on me a second ago."
"Ooh."
"That's not good."
"Inuyasha is going to flip."
I looked at them as they all shook their heads in disapproval. "It's not like I was asking for his attention!"
"But you got it," Aimi pointed out. "Look, my advice is to just steer clear of the creeper guy who is still probably staring at you." We all looked back around. Yep. He was still staring. "I know you don't want him, but Hojo has issues with seeing obvious boundary lines when he's going after his prey."
Well this is just great. Not only do I have to hassle 'artsy' classes and making sure Bank is more presentable in front of Rei, but now I have to fend off some massive creep who doesn't get the meaning of: no.
Summer fun my ass.
-0-0-0-0-0-