I figured that I would end the year with a chapter.

If you read the sneak peek for this story in Campfire Stories, this is a chapter I referred to there.

XIX: Smile For the Wilderness School Brochures

For the stunt they pulled, it was a miracle they didn't get in trouble with Coach nor did the Headmistress speak to them. In fact, she didn't even bring up the issue. Rumour had it that some rambunctious students messed up her office but nobody knew who. Instead, the trio awoke at sunrise as per Coach's orders and he told them all individually that they only had to make up for "breaking curfew," which meant they had to dress "presentably" and meet in the courtyard in 30 minutes.

Jason didn't know what "presentable" meant since he barely had clothes. He puts on the pair of jeans he first showed up in and a colour block sweatshirt he acquired from the lost and found. He didn't know why the pattern in question was orange and purple, but they looked better together than he thought they would.

He also didn't know why they were meeting in the courtyard so early.

Jason walks out of his room just as Leo exited his, wearing a dark blue hoodie with dark jeans and sneakers. His pockets still jingle with each step.

"You know who else they tell to look pretty and meet up incognito with no context?" Leo whispers as they walk down the hall. "Bait for human trafficking."

"Why would they traffic us?" Jason asks.

"I'm the one who should be questioning it for myself. You just have to look in a mirror."

The sunrise greets them on the way out and they head to the centre of the schoolyard where they see Piper chatting with Coach, aka she was talking and he was just nodding and grunting as he was fixing a camera with his baseball bat (somehow). He was hunched over which made him look even smaller.

Piper looks their way and smiles. Jason's heart skips a beat and he waves back, oddly enough. He isn't sure why he would do that but it happened and he can't take it back now. At least she doesn't seem weirded out by the gesture. If anyone asked him, which nobody would, he would say that Piper looked the most presentable out of them in her maroon long-sleeve with thumb holes, black yoga pants, black vest, and dark brown runners.

"Look," Coach says, still poking around the camera, "I don't want to be here as much as you cupcakes."

"Let me," Leo says, taking the camera. He pulls a butterknife out of his pocket and starts prodding around.

Coach looks at him for a moment before letting Leo be, well, Leo. "As for your file, Grace, I don't know. Administration ain't my thing. Maybe they're still transferring your paperwork."

"It's been over a month," Piper says. "My paperwork was here before me."

Coach shrugs. "If anything, I don't care why you're here. Just be grateful."

"I'd use a different word but okay," Piper mutters and Jason laughs a little.

"Hey, Coach," Jason says, "thanks for not telling Headmistress."

Coach waves a hand, dismissing him. "I've caught kids doing worse after hours. Besides, I'm in charge of you. Look, Headmistress wants new photos for the brochures so I picked you three since it's either that or I'll snitch."

Leo scoffs. "Yeah, right."

"Can it, Valdez, you're already here."

"You could just say we're your favourites." Leo grins as Coach ignores him. "Or you wanted those two as your pretty kids and me as the token diversity third wheel."

"I could be both the pretty kid and token diversity," Piper beams, batting her eyelashes exaggeratedly. "Two-for-one deal."

"Valdez," Coach states.

"Fixed the camera," Leo says.

Coach takes the camera from Leo and holds it up to his eye to test it out. Leo throws up a peace sign for the test picture but when Coach snaps the picture, the camera emits a party noise maker sound. Leo laughs at Coach's frown as he takes the camera back but uses a whisk from his pocket this time as the apparatus.

"You got a kitchen in there?" Coach asks.

"Maybe," Leo responds.

As Coach watches him to make sure that Leo actually fixes the camera, Piper turns to Jason and fixes some strands of his hair that fell out of place.

"You look nice," Jason tells her.

Piper purses her lips. "So do you. You know how to smile, right?" Jason grins a little and Piper puts her thumbs on the corners of his lips. "There you go."

They smile at each other for a bit. Jason almost reaches for her hands but she lowers them when Leo clears his throat. They turn to him and see that the camera is now fixed.

"You know I'm here too," Leo says. "Don't I look pretty, Coach?"

Coach cringes as Leo crouches to his height and bats his lashes. "You have to be."

Leo stands again. "Taking that as a yes."

"You'll be immortalized in these pictures."

"Living forever isn't a power when your life is a tragedy. I've seen so many kids grow messed up."

"Same," Piper says, "adults too."

Coach grunts. "Yeah, yeah just don't show that in the photos. Now go over there."

The trio walk over to the fence as per Coach's direction. They stand in front of the forest border and "pose." They weren't sure what to do with Coach's weird arm gestures. They ended up standing in a line. Jason is in the middle with his arms around Leo and Piper and they were pretending to be enjoying themselves and not as if they were forced here against their wills early in the morning.

Piper overacts a fake laugh for the camera. "This is the worst thing I've done here."

"Even worse than being locked in the gym for two days?" Leo asks through gritted teeth.

"Debatable."

"When was that?" Jason asks, looking over at her when Coach waves at him to act candid.

"A week or so before you got here." Piper looks at him and grins. "It's how I got into your cohort."

Coach lowers the camera and gestures for them to the centre of the worn-out baseball diamond. He passes Jason his bat and makes his stand in the batting position. Piper is behind him with a glove as the umpire as Leo is the pitcher with a ball he got from his pocket. Coach stands to the side and ushers for them to play.

"Time for an action shot," Piper mutters as she crouches behind Jason.

Jason holds up the bat as Leo winds the pitch. Coach gave him his bat so he has to make the man proud, or else this miss will forever be immortalized in photos.

So when Leo pitches, Jason hits the ball as hard as he can. He doesn't run because there's no point when nobody else is playing opposition. He watches the ball soar up in the sky, feeling Piper stand beside him also looking up. When it's out of sight, Coach whistles and Piper exhales a laugh.

"That was literally the only baseball I had so the only one that the school had," Leo says.

"Whoops," Jason responds.

Coach wipes a tear that they didn't see fall. "I'm so impressed. You can use my bat anytime, boy."

-o-

"This is false advertising," Piper states.

"I don't care," Coach responds, "just look like you're having fun."

"Ah, my natural state at this school."

Piper smiles as she continues planting flowers with Jason and Leo. It's an activity they've never done in the history of the school since they barely have fertile soil that'll grow anything on school grounds, but people looking at the brochures don't need to know that little detail. At least it looks rehabilitative.

Coach lowers the camera after a few shots. "You three are dismissed. Just in time for breakfast."

Leo gags. "Usually those words would excite me but I heard we're having canned omelettes."

"Gross," Piper shudders.

"Meet me inside," Jason tells them. "I'm gonna ask Coach something about my blank file."

Piper and Leo stay for a second longer before rushing inside to get to breakfast first. Canned omelettes aren't good in any case, but getting the first serving of anything here is better than the scraps (which is a different kind of sad).

"Not hungry, Grace?" Coach asks. "Growing Boy like you has to eat. Between you and me, the actual cans taste better than the eggs."

Jason exhales a laugh. "Coach, can I ask for something?"

"Maybe. No to anything with my bat, though. For now."

Jason smiles. "Not that. Can I get a copy of the photos? Any of them?"

Jason rubs the back of his neck. If Coach wouldn't let him use his beloved baseball bat after getting his blessing (in some form) to use it anytime, what were the chances of getting photos that administration needs? It's not like they'll use all the pictures, though. Coach took a lot and there are certainly some that won't make the final cut.

Coach shrugs. "I'll see what I can do."

-o-

Just before curfew, Jason steps out of his room to head to the bathroom but sees Coach standing outside Leo's opened door with Leo standing there. When they meet eyes, Leo almost slinks back inside his room since his face immediately reddens. That's the moment Coach turns his way and sees him.

"Grace, get over here," Coach orders.

Jason walks over and Leo is already shaking his head for reasons unknown.

"Don't listen to the small man," Leo tells him. "He thinks I'm being sentimentally cheesy, which I'm not, by the way. I had a reputation to keep around here."

"Because you are and that's not the reputation you should be concerned about," Coach responds blatantly. "Ain't nothing wrong with that." He looks at Jason. "Valdez wanted the picture by the forest wall."

Leo laughs nervously. "Yeah, it was cool. You might think this is dorky of me but you and Piper are my friends and I haven't really had real friends before. I don't have a lot of things of value or things in general. You've seen stuff I carry in my pockets. I have bottle caps on me right now for no reason. I barely have the clothes on my back. I stay packed and pack light because I'm ready to leave. This photo is a reason for me to stay here and I wanted it on top of my duffel. In the case I do leave, I don't want to forget the photo here."

Leo looks at them shamefully. Coach softens a little, patting Leo on the arm which was probably more awkward than the gush of feelings.

"I asked Coach for a photo too," Jason admits. "That's really why I stayed behind outside."

"Oh, that makes more sense." Leo laughs. "Piper and I thought you were skipping out on lunch which I wouldn't have blamed you on because I was right about the canned omelettes."

"Delicious cans," Coach comments, "but anyways, McLean already got the flower one so you get the baseball picture."

Jason accepts the glossy picture. "Piper asked for one?"

"She found me after lunch and asked. She can be very persuasive and she was when saying I could just print more copies. I went to her first with the options. Ladies first, as you two should know. Now get to bed. It's past curfew."

Coach nods at them before heading out, the halls clearing as their cohort mates close their doors for the night. Leo and Jason wave goodnight to each other with their photos.

Jason walks back into his room and closes the door. He looks at the photo of them on the baseball diamond. He just hit the homerun and Piper was gasping from behind him, the glove nearly covering her whole face. Leo was off to the side watching the ball disappear into the skyline.

He can look at it forever and he wants to. It's one of the warmest memories he has at this school to date. When he has the time, he should ask Piper and Leo to show their photos since they all asked for one. They probably have the ones where they're smiling through the pain of posing or laughing at their inside jokes.

Jason puts the picture against his bedside lamp, looking at it for a moment more before turning the light off. The image still rings clear in his mind in the dark.