Friday night, the Girls went camping to celebrate Clare retuning to Our Lady Immaculate College, plus lodging with Orla. Thanks to Orla's outdoorsy expertise, they found an ideal site to set up the tents and other supplies they acquired courtesy of Jim from across the road. It was still light out by they time they finished setting everything up, and Orla something else she wanted to show her friends.
"I've been wantin' to show ya girls this for a while now, I have," Orla said with her usual big smile. "Remember when I mentioned takin' up archery?"
The rest of them thought back, they recalled her mentioning it at the joint birthday party, right before James and Erin admitted their feelings.
"Aye, right, I think I recall ye mentionin' it," said Clare.
"I just thought you were sayin' some random shit like usual," shrugged Michelle, which made Erin pinch the bridge of her nose.
"Ye're too funny, Michelle," chuckled Orla. "I'll show ye all my equipment!"
The ever chipper girl pulled out a bag from the car that contained a quiver with several arrows in it, then her bow which appeared to be a standard recurve model, and some target sheets.
"Where the hell did ye get all this?" Erin asked.
"Jim from across the road gave 'em to me as an early birthday gift a few months back," Orla explained. "I felt like gettin' some practice in b'fore showin' ye what I could do."
"What kind of archery do you practice?" James asked.
"The kind with bows, arrows, n' a target, Dicko," Michelle chimed in. "What the fuck do ye think?"
"There's more to archery than that, Michelle," James retorted.
"That is correct, James!" Orla exclaimed with a big smile. "I went with Olympic Recurve style."
"Then where're ye gonna show us yer skills?" Clare asked.
"There's a field nearby," Orla explained. "Been usin' it a while now."
They made their way to an open field that was fairly flat. Each was carrying different items that would be used in Orla's archery demonstration.
"How far away do you typically shoot from?" James asked, holding a tape measurer typically used in landscaping.
"Well, first of all, term used for that is loose," Orla explained. "Standard Olympic archery goes 90 yards."
"That's a hell of a distance," said Erin. "I 'spose that makes sense fer Olympic level athletes."
"I guess we can start at that distance," Orla nonchalantly shrugged.
"Start?" James asked. "How far do you usually stand from the target?"
"Oh, it varies I 'spose," Orla shrugged again. "I don't always properly measure like I should. But I got my first competition comin' up next Saturday, so I should probably pay more attention to that."
"Why didn't ye tell us ye had a competition happenin' so soon?" Erin asked.
"I did, just now," replied Orla, as if it were obvious.
"What are the distances they use in amateur competitions?" James asked.
"I think 'round 45 to 50 yards," answered Orla.
"But, ye wanted to start at 90?" Erin asked.
"It's what I've been doin' fer a while now," Orla said casually.
Everyone else had clear surprises on their faces.
"So then why are ye startin' out in an amateur competition?" Michelle asked.
"Regulations cuz it's my first competition," Orla said disappointingly.
"Then, I suppose we should go with 50 yards," suggested James. "So you'll be better prepared at the actual competition."
"Aye, I 'spose that makes sense," Orla agreed.
While getting the targets set up, Orla put on what she needed and got her equipment put together. Once everything was ready, everyone stood behind the amateur archer while she took her stance. None of the others knew what the bow weighed, but the way Orla pulled back on the bowstring it seemed very clear it was tightly bound. They'd never really seen Orla exercise much (unless you count her step aerobics), or do much in the way of athletics. But if she qualified to compete in an amateur competition, she must have some decent upper body strength required to loose an arrow.
Many of Orla's interest seemed odd or silly to those who didn't know her (well, those who did also found them odd or silly). But it was clear when she focused on something that interested her, she put her all into it. She did a few arm rotations, then straightened out her left arm which was holding the bow. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver, put in in place, then began pulling back. Pulling back on the bowstring didn't seem to cause her any strain. She then aimed the bow ever so slightly, took in a deep breath, releasing the arrow as she let go. In mere the seconds the arrow hit the bullseye. It wasn't quite dead center, it it was still directly on target.
"Holy shit!" Erin exclaimed.
"Bloody hell!" James exclaimed.
"Amazin'!" Clare exclaimed.
"Fuckin' savage!" Michelle exclaimed.
"Aye, that was pretty good, I 'spose," Orla replied with her usual big smile.
"Pretty good?" Michelle chuckled. "Christ, Orla! At this rate ye'll be competin' in the Olympics in no fuckin' time at all!"
"Aye, that'd be pretty excitin'!" Orla shrugged.
"Can ye hit the other ones?" Michelle asked, pointing at the other 2 in between the one she hit.
"If ye wanna see it, sure," Orla nodded.
Like the before, she hit the bullseye of the other targets with ease, which was followed by a round of applause by her friends.
After a few more impressive shots (all bullseyes), the Girls put the archery equipment away and headed back to campsite. They lit the fire, roasted marshmallows, and made small talk.
"So, Clare, what's up now with ye n' Laurie now that ye're livin' back in Derry?" Michelle asked.
"Well... I think... we're a proper couple now," Clare blushed brightly.
"So why didn't ye invite her along on this campin' trip?" Orla asked.
"I figured you'd all be fine with it," explained Clare. "But I... I wanted this to be more our thing. Laurie is absolutely cracker! But, I was so excited to be finishin' school with all ye, that it felt right to just be us on this night. Hopefully we'll get other chances to do things together with her along."
"Aye, absolutely!" Orla exclaimed. "Ye can go campin' more than once, ye can."
"I think Clare meant other things sides that, Orla," said Erin. "But this has turned out better than expected."
They all nodded in agreement, as they never expected to enjoy a camping trip.
"Been meanin' to ask, but there's only two tents," Michelle pointed out. "I seriously doubt us four can fit in one." It just hit her as she saw Erin and James blushing. "Catch yerselves the fuck on right there! Abso-fuckin'-lately not!"
"Come on, Michelle," sighed James.
"That's exactly what I wanna avoid happenin' between ye two!" Michelle exclaimed.
"Jesus," Clare squeaked.
"Nothin' like that is gonna happen, Michelle," argued Erin.
"Ye really expect me to believe that shit?" Michelle scoffed.
"Seriously, Michelle!" Erin exclaimed. "We're not gonna do anythin' with our friends in a tent right next to us!"
"Fine!" Michelle conceded. "But, I swear to Christ! I hear any suspicious shit comin' from that tent and I'll jam an arrow right up yer dic..."
"We get it!" Erin and James exclaimed in unison.
"Ye know, Michelle, sooner or later it's gonna happen," said Orla. "Mind ye, I would also prefer them not havin' sex with us inches away."
Everyone just stared at Orla, mouths agape, as she casually downed another toasted marshmallow.
"I'm feelin' sleepy now, I am," she said in a muffled tone, still chewing her sweet treat.
Alone in their tent, Erin and James were of course snuggled up with each other.
"That was quite shocking what Orla said," chuckled James.
"Aye, never expected that," agreed Erin. "Never been to sure how much she notices things. Then again... she made a very poignant observation at our birthday party."
"Which was?" he asked.
"Well," Erin began, gulping a little. "First, she randomly asked why the two of us weren't together romantically."
"Really?" he asked.
"Really," she answered. "So, I explained the whole situation up to that point an' why it didn't seem possible for us to be together in that way. Then she said it didn't seem possible we'd ever break up... cuz of how ye look at me."
"And how does she think I look at you?" he asked.
"The same way Daddy looks at Mammy, or Granda looks at a pic of Grandma," she explained, shyly tilting her head to meet his gaze. "Like... I'm the most special thing in the whole wide world. As if nothin' else matters 'cept me."
"Sounds very accurate to me," he agreed with a loving smile.
The two embraced each other tighter, then shared a tender kiss, and just lied there waiting for sleep to take hold.
In the other tent, Clare and Michelle struggled to get comfortable, while Orla appeared to be sound asleep. They swore she was part cat, it's like she could sleep comfortably anywhere.
"Fuck's sake this is annoyin'" Michelle groaned. "This is why I hate campin'."
"I'm still glad we decided to do this," said Clare. "Once we graduate, who knows how many chances like this we'll get. We'll probably end up at different universities. Then we may never move back to Derry."
"Christ, but that's a depressin' thought," said Michelle.
"Ach, ye're thinkin' too much about it," Orla chimed in, although her eyes were still closed. "Nothin' will ever keep us apart fer long, let alone permanently."
"How can ye be so confident in that, Orla?" Michelle asked.
"Cuz of all we've been through so far," Orla retorted, opening her eyes. "We thought James was gonna leave Derry, but he stayed. We had that bit of drama b'fore the birthday party, where ye n' Erin weren't speakin' to each other, but then ye made up. Erin n' James didn't think they could be together, now look at 'em. Even Clare came back to Our Lady Immaculate. We're bound to each other, so we are. I don't know if it's by the grace of God, some other cosmic force, or just a lot o' luck. But given all that's happened, I firmly believe nothin' can keep us apart."
"Jesus, when did ye get so fuckin' smart?" Michelle asked with a chuckle.
"I did get higher GCSE scores than Erin," Orla replied with a grin.
"We got the same scores, Orla!" Erin shouted from the other tent, making everyone laugh. "But I agree with stuff she said before that. Nothin' can keep us apart."
"This is all gettin' a bit too emotional for my likin', Girls," groaned Michelle, not a fan of being overly touchy feely. "Let's shut out mouths now and get some sleep."
Nobody said anything else at that point, all drifting off to sleep. Michelle wouldn't openly admit it, but she also agreed with the sentiment that nothing would keep them all apart.
Orla was the first to wake up, chipper as always as she yawned.
"Nothin' like sleepin' on the ground!" she exclaimed with a big smile.
Michelle and Clare groaned as they struggled to sit themselves up.
"Fuck, but my back is killin' me!" Michelle groaned. "Until we get a caravan of some shit, I am not doin' this again!"
"Aye, I have to agree," grumbled Glare.
"Maybe I can afford one with the prize money I'll win at my competition," Orla smiled.
"That confident in yerself, are ye?" Michelle smirked.
"I think those bullseyes speak fer themselves, they do," Orla smiled.
"Fair nuff," shrugged Michelle. "We better check on Erin and Dicko."
Erin was just waking up from a grand sleep. James had his arms wrapped around her, eyes still closed, but he was sporting a loving smile. She in rerun smiled lovingly at her wee English fella, wondering if he was dreaming about her; she knows she did. It was their first time sleeping together like this, it all felt incredibly romantic. She then suddenly felt something... stiff, rubbing against her leg.
"Um... James," she whispered. "James!"
"Mmmm... what?" he groggily asked as he slowly opened his eyes. "Morning, beautiful."
While Erin loved when he called her beautiful, she had a more pressing matter to attend to.
"Is that... a torch I feel pokin' at me?" she asked with a gulp.
James's eyes shot right open as he realized what his girlfriend was talking about.
"I'm guessing you wouldn't believe me at this point if I said yes," he said nervously.
The two then burst out laughing. Erin was certainly flattered she had that effect on her boyfriend, but given their tent was right next to everyone else, it wouldn't be good if...
"Oi! Erin! Dicko!" Michelle shouted from outside their tent. "Rise n' Fuckin' shine, ye eejits! Better not be up to any funny business!"
Erin unzipped the flap of the tent and fumbled out a little before gaining her footing.
"What's James doin'?" Michelle asked, arching an eyebrow.
"He's foldin' up the sleepin' bags," replied Erin, nervously tucking some hair behind her hair.
"Wasn't pitchin' his own tent, was he?" Michelle smirked.
"Shut up!" Erin exclaimed, walking past Michelle while blushing brightly.
James fumbled out of the tent a moment later. Michelle shot him a knowing smirk, making him blush.
"I'm famished, Girls," said Michelle. "Where's the rest of the food?"
"We ate all the marshmallows last night, Michelle," replied Orla.
"Then what the fuck are we gonna eat?" Michelle asked.
"Whatever we can catch, I s'pose," Orla replied matter of factly.
"I'm not killin' some animal for food!" Clare exclaimed.
"Aye, fuck that," Michelle agreed.
"I'm definitely not doing that," agreed James.
"We can always go get some food, an' just come back to the campsite after," Erin pointed out. "It's not like we're far from town an' we have a car."
"Well, if ye want to get food the easy way," sighed Orla.
"As opposed to guttin' and roastin' some random fuckin' animal, I think I'll live," retorted Michelle.
And with that, they went into town for some food, bought a few extra snacks for later, and camped out for one more night.