Chapter Eleven
Summary: Fun on the lake, Emma and Xander have an important conversation, and the first movie night of summer!
Evie's Notes: Happy Sunday! I hope you all are having a wonderful week ! As always, thank you so much your support of this story, it really and truly means the world to me 💜! I hope that you all enjoy the this new update 🌺.
"Man I love summer," commented Lou as she laid out on her towel the sandy lake beach. She was dressed in a pretty navy blue swimsuit. The Woodchuck girls were swimming in the lake for their last afternoon activity.
"Same here" grinned Emma, perking up when she spotted Ravi and Xander approaching with their campers.
"Hey ladies" greeted Ravi as the grizzly campers pushed past him in their efforts to be the first in the water.
"Hi Ravi" grinned Lou, her eyes sparkling with joy at seeing her friend.
Ravi and Xander laid down their towels as well before taking off their shirts. Lou couldn't help but sneak a glance at Ravi's chest, the young man had become quite handsome during his college years. Which wasn't to say he wasn't cute before, but now… there was no other word for it, Lou's friend was HOT. It just sucked that he would never be into her. Lou knew he just saw her as his sister's best friend, despite the fact that it was Ravi she talked to more during the off season and was honestly closer too.
Emma frowned when she noticed that Xander had set his towel up beside Ravi's, placing Lou and her brother between them. There was a perfectly good spot next to her, why hadn't he taken it? Her boyfriend had been acting so weird ever since she had arrived at camp.
"So guys, how was your morning?" asked Lou.
"Pretty good, we took a hike up Rattlesnake mountain and had a packed lunch which is why we weren't in the mess hall" explained Xander.
"That sounds fun. We had High Ropes today along with a double block of arts and crafts" shared Emma.
"We just got back from a canoe trip but the girl's weren't ready to be out of the water" laughed Lou, looking fondly at the water where Zuri, Anna Kat and Tiffany were swimming.
"Heads up!" warned a loud voice as a crowd of Bunny and Owl cabin campers came racing down to the dock, throwing their towels and clothes at the seated counselors before jumping into the lake.
A moment later Maya, Zay and Farkle appeared with their C.I.T.'s panting and out of breath.
"Gosh those kids move fast," panted Farkle.
"You're telling me" grumped Zay plopping down beside Emma with Maya and Farkle quickly following suit. Liv and Jackson opted to join the kids and Mick in the water.
"The little ones tiring you out?" teased Xander.
"Fuck off, McCormick" grumped Farkle.
"Minkus here is not taking well to early camp mornings" laughed Zay.
"It definitely is an adjustment now that the kids are here" agreed Maya, "but I love my girls".
"I'm so glad" smiled Lou, squeezing the blonde's hand. "I know it can be difficult especially if the kids do not all get along right away".
"Shockingly, the girls have all adapted amazingly. They took to Liv faster than me, but I can't compete with a celebrity after all" grinned Maya. "Rose and Maria have become almost inseparable and Charlie seems to get along with Chloe pretty well".
"Aww, I'm glad to hear Mia is making friends, though it is sad we can't monopolize her time now" commented Zay. All of the counselors who had been there for training nodded.
"Well it is far too hot to just sit on the beach, last one in the water is a Kikiwaka egg" shouted Xander, jumping to his feet and racing down the dock. The other counselors were not far behind.
*Journey to Happiness - Journey to Happiness - Journey to Happiness*
Friday evening's evening program / campfire was the official Kikiwaka kick off to summer. Francesca was sitting with Lou, Ravi, Xander and Emma at the campfire.
Gladys exited her owner's cabin and came to join the campers around the fire pit. Blowing her whistle she began her yearly speech: "Campers, welcome to Camp Kikiwaka! Let us begin with our customary opening ritual" Hazel passed her aunt a bear skin which the woman put on as she chanted"Ki-ki-wa-ka!" while stomping and shaking a tambourine.
"Ki-ki-wa-ka!" echoed back all of the returning campers. The new counselors and campers just sat wide eyed, shocked and a little scared of the scene in front of them.
" Ki-ki-wa-ka!"
"Ki-ki-wa-ka!" shouted the campers as they spun in a circle.
"We pay homage to Kikiwaka, the giant, ravenous demon beast who roams these woods!"
"Say what now?" asked Oliver.
"Ki-ki-wa-ka! Hear me and leave these campers in peace!" continued the Camp Owner.
"Did she just say "in pieces"?" squeaked Flynn Jones, one of the new Eagle campers.
"With the blessing of the Great Kikiwaka, let our summer revels commence!" shouted Gladys before suddenly dropping the act and returning to her surly mood. "Remember to pick up your trash and lights out at ten".
"So Frannie? Are you scared of the Kikiwaka?" asked Lou.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Xander will protect you" teased Ravi.
Francesca glared at her best friend. "Thanks Rav, but I'm sure I'll be fine"
Xander leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Bummer, I was looking forward to protecting you".
Fran blushed bright red and was glad of the evening's darkness which hid her embarrassment.
The moment was broken up by Emma clearing her throat loudly. "Xander, why don't we sing some campfire songs?"
"Uhh sure, good idea Emma. In fact I have the perfect song I have been working on these last few weeks" grinned the man, strumming his guitar and starting to sing.
"If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you…
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you…
We'll find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need…
You can count on me like one, two, three
I'll be there…
And I know when I need it, I can count on you like four, three, two
And you'll be there…
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh, yeah…"
Frannie danced along with her fellow campers as they listened to Xander's song. Once they finished 'Count On Me', the group sang some camp favorites including the official Camp Kikiwaka song. Before they knew it, it was time for lights out.
Pressing a kiss to Maria's tired head, Fran waved goodbye to the bunny campers and led her own campers back to Fox Cabin for some much needed sleep.
*Journey to Happiness - Journey to Happiness - Journey to Happiness*
"Can someone pass me the glue?" asked Fran as she laid out a variety of seashells on a picture frame. The young woman had chosen to join some of the campers for arts and crafts in the mess hall during afternoon free time.
"Here you go Frannie," said Charlie as she passed over the bottle of paste.
"Thanks Charlie. Where are the rest of your cabin mates?"
"Chloe is hanging out with Maya and Lucas on the Great Lawn. And Maria and Rose wanted to go play with Mrs. Kipling and Chuck"
"Man-eating Lizards and wolves not your thing?" asked the counselor sympathetically.
"No way!" shuddered Charlie.
"That's understandable. Those pets certainly aren't for everyone. Luckily camp has a bunch of other fun things for you to do instead"
"Yeah, I'm really liking camp. I wasn't so sure about coming here"
"Really?"
"Yeah, I've never been away from my family and friends for so long before. And yeah, I've got my stinky brothers here… but I still miss Colorado" shared the blonde girl.
"I'm sure your brothers are happy to have you here with them, especially Toby".
"Yeah, even if he is a baby," laughed Charlie.
"Can I see what you're working on?"
"Sure!" Charlie spun her notebook around to show a picture of six girls in the woods. From the two redheads in the picture Francesca guessed that it was a portrait of Bunny Cabin.
"Aww, so cute!"
"Thanks. I added extra glitter on Liv. You should see how much makeup and hairspray she brought to camp!"
"Yeah, sparkles seem to be a big part of the celebrity lifestyle," laughed Fran.
"I like the picture frame you are making… but do you know what will make it better?" asked Charlie with a silly grin.
As one the pair exclaimed "GLITTER!"
*Journey to Happiness - Journey to Happiness - Journey to Happiness*
Xander headed down to the lake hoping to relax and fish for a bit before he had to round up the campers for cabin clean up and dinner.
Unfortunately when he got down to the dock he spotted the last person he wanted to see… Emma. It seemed that his luck had finally run out and he was no longer able to avoid the beautiful blonde.
"Finally! I was wondering when you would get down here" grinned Emma.
"You were waiting for me?" asked Xander.
"Like duh. You love to fish, and we haven't had a chance to properly catch up yet. This seemed like the perfect time for us to talk" grinned Emma, pulling off her cover up to reveal her pink bikini top before hopping in a canoe.
Xander took a deep breath to steel himself, he knew he needed to talk to Emma and set the record straight. It wasn't right to lead Emma on when he wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with her anymore. He was just a little (well a lot) worried about how the girl would respond to what he was sure she would take as him breaking up with her… despite the fact that they hadn't been together since last summer. It was probably a good idea to have this conversation away from the campers in hopes of avoiding any gossip.
Loading his tacklebox and fishing pole into the canoe he joined Emma in the boat and began rowing out to his favorite spot.
"I'm so glad we finally get to catch up, Xander; these new rules are so stupid. The only time we get to hang out is during activities with the kids" whined Emma.
Xander sighed, he had hoped that with Hazel happily in a relationship, and on some medication, that he would have a crazy free summer.
"The new rules are there to help with staff bonding and support. There is going to be a lot more work for the counselors this year so it's important that we have a support system in place" explained Xander for what seemed to be the hundredth time. The new rules seemed to be Emma's favorite topic of conversation. If the girl wanted to be a counselor so badly she should have applied to be one. She had plenty of experience as a C.I.T. at this point that she would have gotten the job; Gladys' screening process really wasn't that intense.
"Yeah, yeah. That doesn't mean that we can't still find time to "chat". Honestly it feels like you've been avoiding me"
Moment of truth… here goes nothing. "Look Emma, this is hard to say but I have been avoiding you"
"I knew it!" shouted the girl, rocking the boat in her surprise. "Why?"
"Look Emma, we've had a good run in the past but I am not interested in getting back together?"
"Back together? What do you mean?"
"Emma, we broke up at the end of last summer, remember?"
"No we didn't" argued Emma.
"Em, we haven't spoken since the last day of camp"
"So, we never talk during the school year. We've always just picked back up where we left off".
"Well, I've had some time to think and I don't want us to do that again"
"What are you saying?" asked Emma, honestly shocked at what she was hearing.
Xander did his best to choose his words carefully, "I'm saying that we're over Emma. I would like to still be friends but I am not interested in dating you Emma".
The New York girl sat in shock, this was not how she had seen this boat ride going. She was supposed to be getting her summer boyfriend back and everything would go back to normal. Instead she was getting dumped. This was humiliating!
"Emma, are you going to be ok?" asked Xander worriedly, the girl had been quiet for too long.
"Umm, yeah I'll be fine" muttered Emma. "I think I'm ready to go back to camp now though".
"Of course," agreed Xander, rowing the pair back to land.
As the pair reached the dock Xander said, "Emma, I really do want us to be friends; we have several weeks left at camp and I don't want things to be awkward between us".
Emma looked at him with an unreadable expression, "I'm going to need some time to process this first".
"I get that and I'll give you time" promised Xander, helping her out of the canoe.
"Thank you. I'll see you later I guess" said Emma, making her way down the dock back to camp.
"See you later Em," waved Xander as he paddled back out onto the lake to fish a little more before he had to go meet Ravi and his campers.
*Journey to Happiness - Journey to Happiness - Journey to Happiness*
Francesca found herself cuddled up on a blanket with Maria as the camp watched Moana on the Great Lawn. The sisters had a ton of fun singing along to one of their favorite Disney movies.
Lou had been chosen as the power source for the evening's movie. The girl was pedaling away on the stationary bike in order to run the movie's generator.
"I really should have taken more spin classes this spring to prepare for all the movies we show" grumped the farm girl.
Fran muffled her laughter in Maria's hair, not wanting to offend her new friend.
"Yeah, yeah laugh it up Holloway" snarked Lou, she pedaled harder as Moana offered the heart of Te Fiti to Te Kā.
Francesca stuck her tongue out at the girl. Ravi took advantage of Fran's distraction to throw a handful of popcorn at the girl.
"Ravi Gupta Balasubramaniam Ross!" whisper yelled Francesca, throwing popcorn back at her friend.
Ravi ducked out of the way laughing causing Lucas to get a facefull of the imitation yak butter popcorn.
"Come on, Frannie" whined Lucas as he shook the popcorn off of his cowboy hat.
"Not my fault you choose to live in that hat" teased Frannie, turning back to the movie.
"Leave off, I think it looks good on him. Really brings out his inner cowboy… Isn't that right, Yee Haw?" chuckled Maya, playfully flicking Lucas' nose.
Lucas rolled his eyes and pulled Maya down into his lap and tickled her relentlessly.
"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" shrieked the girl, as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.
"SHHHH" shushed several of the campers, as Maui and Moanna officially met Te Fiti.
"Sorry," apologized Lucas and Maya.
Frannie smirked as she noted that Maya didn't make any effort to move off of Lucas' lap. The blonde seemed quite content to lay in Lucas' lap for the remainder of the movie. Lucas threaded his fingers through Maya's hair, lightly massaging her scalp as he watched the film.
Francesca snuggled Maria close to her and enjoyed the end of her Sunday evening with her little sister.
Evie's Notes 2: I love hearing from y'all! Let me know what you think of the chapter and the story so far in the comments or my Tumblr Find-y0ur-j0y! - Xo Evie 💜