"What do you like to do at home?" Gilly asked, as she and Ella wandered through the woods on their free period hike, just the two of them, going somewhere completely unknown. As they stepped through a thicket, making sure they didn't scratch themselves on any rogue branches, Ella thought about the question.
"I don't know...I guess I like to read and make stuff. I make a lot of stuff for my dads garden," Ella said, "Birdhouses and stuff. I like making crafts. What about you?"
"Practicing dance," Gilly said brightly, "I love watching routines on youtube and trying myself, though I know I'll never have the chance to do it for any sort of audience. My parents, when they are around to dictate what I do, have me enrolled in far too many things as it is."
"Do you ever get any time to do whatever you want to do?" Ella asked, and Gilly nodded, chewing on her fingernails.
"Well, yes, I mean I do get some time to myself," Gilly said, "But even then I'm usually doing it alone, and not with any friends or anything."
Ella turned around and saw Gilly chewing on her nails. Ella let go of the branch she was holding out of their way and walked back towards Gilly, taking her hand and looking at her nails, chewed down to the bare fingertip.
"You know, if you put hot sauce on your nails, you won't bite them as much, unless you like hot sauce I guess," Ella said, "That's what my grandmother used to do to me."
Gilly looked down at Ella holding her hand, and then back up at Ella, her face blushing bright red. Ella was starting to notice, and inched closer to her, both of them breathing rather fast when suddenly the music rang out from behind the trees nearby, making them both jump. They both quickly hid behind a bush, down on their knees, catching their breaths and staring at one another, awaiting some more music.
And then it rang out again.
"What is that?" Ella asked, as Gilly crawled over to her bush.
"I don't know the tune, but I think the instrument is a melodica," Gilly said.
Ella pulled the bushes back and they peered through the leaves to see a girl standing in a clearing, indeed playing a melodica. She was barefoot, in a white lacy tank top and blue shorts, with long wavy black hair. Ella could've sworn this was the girl she'd been dreaming about, but she knew that wasn't how reality worked. Still...the resemblance was uncanny. Gilly nudged Ella in the ribs.
"She's really good at playing that," Gilly whispered, "Should we say hi?"
Ella nodded and started to head through the bushes. As she and Gilly approached, the girl stopped playing and smiled at them, waving. They returned the pleasant, friendly gestures as she sat down on a rock nearby the little stream she'd been standing in. Judging from her height, Ella guessed she must've been at least a year or so older than them.
"Hi," the girl said, "I'm Rachel. Are you two from Turtle Cabin?" Rachel asked as she started to clean off the end of the melodica with a handcloth.
"No, we're in Rabbit Cabin," Gilly said, "What're you doing out here?"
"Playing music. Why, is free period over? Did I miss the bell?" Rachel asked, starting to sound concerned.
"No, not at all, we just were on a hike and didn't expect to see someone else out here," Ella said, smoothing her skirt out, blushing, "Um...you're really good at playing that."
"Oh, well my entire school had to play the recorder in elementary school and so in middle school I joined band this year, but I don't wanna play the Flute all the time so I asked my dad for a Melodica, and I've just been playing this for fun."
Ella couldn't stand looking at this girl. Not because of the comparison she'd already made to the girl in her dream, but because she was so taken with her appearance. Her skin was smooth and fair, her long black hair was wavy and shiny, and her teeth when she smiled shone so bright they looked like tiny diamonds. Ella could feel her heart race every time she caught eyes with her.
"I play the piano!" Gilly said excitedly and Ella looked at her, her brow raised.
"You do?"
"Yep. Parents signed me up for classes when I was 6, and I've been playing ever since then," she said, smiling proudly, "But that's all. I can't play anything else. Melodicas are neat though, and you sound like you've been playing a while because you're really good."
"Thanks," Rachel replied happily, brushing her hair back out of her face, "So what're your names?"
"I'm Gilly, this is Ella," Gilly said, introducing them both as Ella waved her hand a bit and wiggled her fingers in a somewhat 'hello' response. Rachel's eyes locked with Ella's and Ella thought her heart was going to explode. They were dark green, and big with long curved lashes. She had to be at least a year or so older than them.
"Nice to meet you guys," Rachel said, "I was gonna head back and have lunch if you guys wanted some company."
"That'd be nice," Gilly said, and so Rachel packed up her backpack, threw it over her shoulders and the three of them headed back through the bushes, side by side. While walking, Ella continued to steal glances at Rachel, and after a bit noticed Gilly looking at her. When Ella looked at Gilly, she just looked away, seemingly somewhat sad or something.
"It's so nice and quiet out here," Rachel said, "The camp is always so loud, which is fine, that's what camp is for, but ugh, it's nice to get away from it. So you guys are from Rabbit Cabin huh? Rabbit Cabin's kinda cool I guess. I like their counselors. Charlie's really funny."
"Who's the leader of Turtle Cabin?" Ella asked, finally breaking her silence.
"Um, it's this guy named Beck. He's cool I guess, he's from New York and does like, gallery shows up there and stuff, so I guess his dad's super rich and owns an art gallery."
Just then a bird flew overhead through the trees ahead of them, and Gilly took off, holding the binoculars hanging around her neck steady as she tried to catch up with, disappearing into the bushes ahead of them. Ella now found herself alone with Rachel, but terrified to say anything, in case she embarrassed or bored her.
"So Ella, what do you like to do here?" Rachel asked.
"I...don't know..." Ella said, "Hike, I guess. I like how pretty it is, seeing animals and stuff. I usually stay in my room at home and read or look at fashion blogs or something. I don't really have any friends at home."
"That's okay, neither do I," Rachel said, and this surprised Ella.
"Really? But you're like...musical and...pretty and stuff," Ella said, making Rachel chuckle.
"Well, that doesn't mean you have friends. I just don't want any, I like being alone or being with my parents. I don't know. If people talk to me at school, they're nice and I will talk back to them, but usually I'd rather do my own thing. Boys give me attention because I'm pretty, but who wants that?"
"...what do you mean?" Ella asked.
"It's annoying, I don't want it, and they don't deserve my attention just for saying I'm pretty or something, as if that magically unlocks my romantic feelings for them. Besides, it's never nice, sweet stuff. It's always gross stuff. It's rude. Besides, boys are gross," Rachel said, "I mean, my cousin who's in elementary school says boys are gross too, but she doesn't mean it the way I do."
"...do...do you not like-" Ella started to ask, but then Gilly came crashing back through the bushes at them, waving her hands at them frantically.
"Guys! Come here! Come here!" she said, panting, nearly out of breath, before turning and tromping back through the brush, Rachel and Ella on her heels. As they crashed through the bushes and past the trees, she eventually lead them to a big tree where they saw Gilly starting to kneel over a bluejay, sitting on the floor, chirping quietly, one wing outstretched. Gilly reached out and started to pet its wing softly, looking at them and smiling.
"Wow," Rachel said, "He looks injured. We should wrap him up in something and take him back to camp so somebody there can do something for him. If we leave him out here, he'll just get eaten or something."
"Okay," Gilly said, taking her shirt off, wrapping the bird up safely and holding him close to her chest, "He's so soft and he makes the cutest chirps. I wanna keep him as a pet, but I know it's not fair to take him out of nature."
"Somebody at camp will know what to do," Rachel said, "They deal with hurt animals every summer."
The girls continued their trek back to camp. When they arrived, Gilly bid them goodbye and rushed off to the main office to inquire about the bird, while Rachel and Ella headed to the cafeteria. Ella looked at Rachel's hands and noticed her nails were painted soft pastel pink, and of medium length. She had a few bracelets hanging around her wrist that jingled as they walked.
"I like your haircut," Rachel said as they got in line to get their food, "It frames your face really well."
"Th-thank you," Ella said, stammering, blushing and Rachel smiled, "I like your bracelets," Ella continued.
"Oh, yeah! They're from my mom," Rachel said, holding her arm up a bit, "They're turquoise I think. It's my favorite color."
After getting their food plopped on their trays, Rachel grabbed Ella's hand and lead her out of the cafeteria and around to where the lake was. Ella didn't even know eating outside was allowed, but apparently it either was or they were breaking a rule. Rachel sat down on the dock and patted the wood next to her, prompting Ella to take a seat across from her, both of them sitting cross legged. Rachel started to eat while Ella remained too anxious and nervous to start eating, and all she could manage to do was watch Rachel eat. Her lips, and how....perfect they were.
"I like eating here," Rachel said, "Sometimes you'll see fish jumping, it's cool."
"Uh huh," Ella said, managing to nod a little before forcing herself to start eating. She couldn't get the feeling of Rachel's hand off hers the rest of the day. Laying in her bunk that night, staring at the ceiling above her, she kept replaying that first second seeing Rachel turn around in the clearing, the way the sun struck her face as it broke through the leaves overhead, and how fast her heart was beating. Gilly climbed up onto the bed and sighed, reaching into a bag of chips she had opened, shoveling them into her mouth.
"...Gilly, some girl when we first got here told me that...she told me to be careful around you because you've tried to kiss other girls at camp before," Ella said, and Gilly looked embarrassed, but she finished chewing and sighed.
"Yeah...well...don't worry, I won't try and kiss you," Gilly said.
"But...it's true?"
"Yes."
"...did you...did you think Rachel was pretty?" Ella asked, and Gilly shrugged, as Ella sat up on her elbows, looking at Gilly, "...I've been having dreams the last few weeks where I'm....where I....I kiss a girl, and then I wake up and it...when did you first wanna kiss a girl?"
"I guess it was like last summer," Gilly said, "That was the first time I did it anyway. It was during truth or dare, so it wasn't anything real, but I really liked it...I guess Rachel is pretty, but not like you are. Every girl is pretty in their own way."
Ella looked at her hands as Gilly set the chip bag to the side of the bed and crawled closer to her. Ella looked up, feeling that warm feeling again, like when she'd held her hands briefly in the woods earlier, and soon their faces were less than an inch apart and Ella could feel Gilly's breath on her skin. After a few seconds of looking at one another, Gilly put her hand behind Ella's neck, and kissed her. It only lasted for a minute or so, and after it ended, Gilly just sat back the way she was when she first got on the bed and continued eating chips.
"Well?" Gilly asked.
"...that was nice," Ella said, "I've never been kissed, so I didn't know what to expect. Also you taste salty from those chips and now I'm thirsty."
They both laughed as Ella got up and they sat on the bed, backs against the wall, eating chips and talking deep into the night about when they first started to like girls. Finally Ella didn't feel so alone about this, and it felt nice.
Maybe camp wasn't so bad after all.
"I don't know...I guess I like to read and make stuff. I make a lot of stuff for my dads garden," Ella said, "Birdhouses and stuff. I like making crafts. What about you?"
"Practicing dance," Gilly said brightly, "I love watching routines on youtube and trying myself, though I know I'll never have the chance to do it for any sort of audience. My parents, when they are around to dictate what I do, have me enrolled in far too many things as it is."
"Do you ever get any time to do whatever you want to do?" Ella asked, and Gilly nodded, chewing on her fingernails.
"Well, yes, I mean I do get some time to myself," Gilly said, "But even then I'm usually doing it alone, and not with any friends or anything."
Ella turned around and saw Gilly chewing on her nails. Ella let go of the branch she was holding out of their way and walked back towards Gilly, taking her hand and looking at her nails, chewed down to the bare fingertip.
"You know, if you put hot sauce on your nails, you won't bite them as much, unless you like hot sauce I guess," Ella said, "That's what my grandmother used to do to me."
Gilly looked down at Ella holding her hand, and then back up at Ella, her face blushing bright red. Ella was starting to notice, and inched closer to her, both of them breathing rather fast when suddenly the music rang out from behind the trees nearby, making them both jump. They both quickly hid behind a bush, down on their knees, catching their breaths and staring at one another, awaiting some more music.
And then it rang out again.
"What is that?" Ella asked, as Gilly crawled over to her bush.
"I don't know the tune, but I think the instrument is a melodica," Gilly said.
Ella pulled the bushes back and they peered through the leaves to see a girl standing in a clearing, indeed playing a melodica. She was barefoot, in a white lacy tank top and blue shorts, with long wavy black hair. Ella could've sworn this was the girl she'd been dreaming about, but she knew that wasn't how reality worked. Still...the resemblance was uncanny. Gilly nudged Ella in the ribs.
"She's really good at playing that," Gilly whispered, "Should we say hi?"
Ella nodded and started to head through the bushes. As she and Gilly approached, the girl stopped playing and smiled at them, waving. They returned the pleasant, friendly gestures as she sat down on a rock nearby the little stream she'd been standing in. Judging from her height, Ella guessed she must've been at least a year or so older than them.
"Hi," the girl said, "I'm Rachel. Are you two from Turtle Cabin?" Rachel asked as she started to clean off the end of the melodica with a handcloth.
"No, we're in Rabbit Cabin," Gilly said, "What're you doing out here?"
"Playing music. Why, is free period over? Did I miss the bell?" Rachel asked, starting to sound concerned.
"No, not at all, we just were on a hike and didn't expect to see someone else out here," Ella said, smoothing her skirt out, blushing, "Um...you're really good at playing that."
"Oh, well my entire school had to play the recorder in elementary school and so in middle school I joined band this year, but I don't wanna play the Flute all the time so I asked my dad for a Melodica, and I've just been playing this for fun."
Ella couldn't stand looking at this girl. Not because of the comparison she'd already made to the girl in her dream, but because she was so taken with her appearance. Her skin was smooth and fair, her long black hair was wavy and shiny, and her teeth when she smiled shone so bright they looked like tiny diamonds. Ella could feel her heart race every time she caught eyes with her.
"I play the piano!" Gilly said excitedly and Ella looked at her, her brow raised.
"You do?"
"Yep. Parents signed me up for classes when I was 6, and I've been playing ever since then," she said, smiling proudly, "But that's all. I can't play anything else. Melodicas are neat though, and you sound like you've been playing a while because you're really good."
"Thanks," Rachel replied happily, brushing her hair back out of her face, "So what're your names?"
"I'm Gilly, this is Ella," Gilly said, introducing them both as Ella waved her hand a bit and wiggled her fingers in a somewhat 'hello' response. Rachel's eyes locked with Ella's and Ella thought her heart was going to explode. They were dark green, and big with long curved lashes. She had to be at least a year or so older than them.
"Nice to meet you guys," Rachel said, "I was gonna head back and have lunch if you guys wanted some company."
"That'd be nice," Gilly said, and so Rachel packed up her backpack, threw it over her shoulders and the three of them headed back through the bushes, side by side. While walking, Ella continued to steal glances at Rachel, and after a bit noticed Gilly looking at her. When Ella looked at Gilly, she just looked away, seemingly somewhat sad or something.
"It's so nice and quiet out here," Rachel said, "The camp is always so loud, which is fine, that's what camp is for, but ugh, it's nice to get away from it. So you guys are from Rabbit Cabin huh? Rabbit Cabin's kinda cool I guess. I like their counselors. Charlie's really funny."
"Who's the leader of Turtle Cabin?" Ella asked, finally breaking her silence.
"Um, it's this guy named Beck. He's cool I guess, he's from New York and does like, gallery shows up there and stuff, so I guess his dad's super rich and owns an art gallery."
Just then a bird flew overhead through the trees ahead of them, and Gilly took off, holding the binoculars hanging around her neck steady as she tried to catch up with, disappearing into the bushes ahead of them. Ella now found herself alone with Rachel, but terrified to say anything, in case she embarrassed or bored her.
"So Ella, what do you like to do here?" Rachel asked.
"I...don't know..." Ella said, "Hike, I guess. I like how pretty it is, seeing animals and stuff. I usually stay in my room at home and read or look at fashion blogs or something. I don't really have any friends at home."
"That's okay, neither do I," Rachel said, and this surprised Ella.
"Really? But you're like...musical and...pretty and stuff," Ella said, making Rachel chuckle.
"Well, that doesn't mean you have friends. I just don't want any, I like being alone or being with my parents. I don't know. If people talk to me at school, they're nice and I will talk back to them, but usually I'd rather do my own thing. Boys give me attention because I'm pretty, but who wants that?"
"...what do you mean?" Ella asked.
"It's annoying, I don't want it, and they don't deserve my attention just for saying I'm pretty or something, as if that magically unlocks my romantic feelings for them. Besides, it's never nice, sweet stuff. It's always gross stuff. It's rude. Besides, boys are gross," Rachel said, "I mean, my cousin who's in elementary school says boys are gross too, but she doesn't mean it the way I do."
"...do...do you not like-" Ella started to ask, but then Gilly came crashing back through the bushes at them, waving her hands at them frantically.
"Guys! Come here! Come here!" she said, panting, nearly out of breath, before turning and tromping back through the brush, Rachel and Ella on her heels. As they crashed through the bushes and past the trees, she eventually lead them to a big tree where they saw Gilly starting to kneel over a bluejay, sitting on the floor, chirping quietly, one wing outstretched. Gilly reached out and started to pet its wing softly, looking at them and smiling.
"Wow," Rachel said, "He looks injured. We should wrap him up in something and take him back to camp so somebody there can do something for him. If we leave him out here, he'll just get eaten or something."
"Okay," Gilly said, taking her shirt off, wrapping the bird up safely and holding him close to her chest, "He's so soft and he makes the cutest chirps. I wanna keep him as a pet, but I know it's not fair to take him out of nature."
"Somebody at camp will know what to do," Rachel said, "They deal with hurt animals every summer."
The girls continued their trek back to camp. When they arrived, Gilly bid them goodbye and rushed off to the main office to inquire about the bird, while Rachel and Ella headed to the cafeteria. Ella looked at Rachel's hands and noticed her nails were painted soft pastel pink, and of medium length. She had a few bracelets hanging around her wrist that jingled as they walked.
"I like your haircut," Rachel said as they got in line to get their food, "It frames your face really well."
"Th-thank you," Ella said, stammering, blushing and Rachel smiled, "I like your bracelets," Ella continued.
"Oh, yeah! They're from my mom," Rachel said, holding her arm up a bit, "They're turquoise I think. It's my favorite color."
After getting their food plopped on their trays, Rachel grabbed Ella's hand and lead her out of the cafeteria and around to where the lake was. Ella didn't even know eating outside was allowed, but apparently it either was or they were breaking a rule. Rachel sat down on the dock and patted the wood next to her, prompting Ella to take a seat across from her, both of them sitting cross legged. Rachel started to eat while Ella remained too anxious and nervous to start eating, and all she could manage to do was watch Rachel eat. Her lips, and how....perfect they were.
"I like eating here," Rachel said, "Sometimes you'll see fish jumping, it's cool."
"Uh huh," Ella said, managing to nod a little before forcing herself to start eating. She couldn't get the feeling of Rachel's hand off hers the rest of the day. Laying in her bunk that night, staring at the ceiling above her, she kept replaying that first second seeing Rachel turn around in the clearing, the way the sun struck her face as it broke through the leaves overhead, and how fast her heart was beating. Gilly climbed up onto the bed and sighed, reaching into a bag of chips she had opened, shoveling them into her mouth.
"...Gilly, some girl when we first got here told me that...she told me to be careful around you because you've tried to kiss other girls at camp before," Ella said, and Gilly looked embarrassed, but she finished chewing and sighed.
"Yeah...well...don't worry, I won't try and kiss you," Gilly said.
"But...it's true?"
"Yes."
"...did you...did you think Rachel was pretty?" Ella asked, and Gilly shrugged, as Ella sat up on her elbows, looking at Gilly, "...I've been having dreams the last few weeks where I'm....where I....I kiss a girl, and then I wake up and it...when did you first wanna kiss a girl?"
"I guess it was like last summer," Gilly said, "That was the first time I did it anyway. It was during truth or dare, so it wasn't anything real, but I really liked it...I guess Rachel is pretty, but not like you are. Every girl is pretty in their own way."
Ella looked at her hands as Gilly set the chip bag to the side of the bed and crawled closer to her. Ella looked up, feeling that warm feeling again, like when she'd held her hands briefly in the woods earlier, and soon their faces were less than an inch apart and Ella could feel Gilly's breath on her skin. After a few seconds of looking at one another, Gilly put her hand behind Ella's neck, and kissed her. It only lasted for a minute or so, and after it ended, Gilly just sat back the way she was when she first got on the bed and continued eating chips.
"Well?" Gilly asked.
"...that was nice," Ella said, "I've never been kissed, so I didn't know what to expect. Also you taste salty from those chips and now I'm thirsty."
They both laughed as Ella got up and they sat on the bed, backs against the wall, eating chips and talking deep into the night about when they first started to like girls. Finally Ella didn't feel so alone about this, and it felt nice.
Maybe camp wasn't so bad after all.