* 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 / 𝙨𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮

“  THE SANDALS COMPLETE THE LOOK. i won’t apologize, a guy drinking pbr at my cousin’s graduation party said it looked cool, and he just seemed like the guy who’d know a thing or two,  ” he says, almost some kind of definitively. justin smiles, playing at the clip on his clipboard while she speaks. it’s comforting, to hear that what he’d done wasn’t going unnoticed, and he takes a moment to be proud of himself before he replies. “ yeah, well. she’s had too many casualties. i couldn’t let another good frog die on my watch, it was part of my platform when i campaigned for a spot in admin. i was tired of having their glaze on my hands, ” he explained with a false sense of intensity. “ but enough about me. how’re you ? how’s school ? you gotta be close to finished, right ?  have you given anymore thought to pursuing a career in adult summer camp staff ? ”

    HIS FACE FALLS momentarily, boyish features twisting around as he tries to make sense of what Micah was saying. “Wait, hold on — you’re not a fan of the pizza scale or you’re not a fan of pizza.” Darcy’s a little afraid to hear her answer, practically pouting on behalf of pizzas everywhere. “Because everyone likes pizza, Mikes, that’s why the pizza scale was invented. I don’t think you can not like pizza.” He chews on the thought while watching the water running out of the faucet turn pink on its way down the drain, he’s probably leaning a little too much on the whole pizza thing but having strong opinion is practically one of his job descriptions at the station. Darcy grabs a paintbrush from the cup, still careful lest he catch the wrath of an angry visual arts kid, and covers it in the amount of soap Micah had. “I’ve been to a lot of parties, so, trust that I know a good time when I see one.” He laughs softly, jutting the soapy brush under water and admiring the light blue paint staining his fingertips. “Not all parties are good, there’s definitely not a party scale. Anyway, I could find like so many people to bother.” Darcy steps a little closer to Micah so he can nudge her with his shoulder, complete with an eyebrow wag and everything. “But I choose you — you’re my pikachu tonight.” He mimes throwing a poke ball at her with his free hand because that’s a thing cool guys did, shaking the brush dry when he was satisfied it was clean. “You don’t really party, huh? I can’t picture you going wild. That’s cool, you’re not missing out much. Same people, same red cups … well — not the same red cups, I hope.”

          “ pizza.  but  i  guess  by  proxy,”  she  mimics  his  voice  there.  purposefully  poorly.  “that  includes  the  pizza  scale.”  it’s  a  side  effect  of  having  very  nonconformist,  upper  echelon  parents.  a  childhood  filled  with  clean  eating  and   largely   plant-based  foods,  she  never  really  got  the  chance  to  have a  proper  take  out  pizza  until  a  random  kids  birthday  parties  --  and  they  almost  always  sucked.  always  hard  cheese  and  cold  in  the  middle. camp  pizza  night  tended  to  be  micah  picking  off  the  toppings  and  throwing  out  the  rest.  “it’s  just  not  good.  overrated,  if  you  ask  me.”   she  watches  the  other  grab  a  brush,  washing  it  with  so  much  care  --  she  could’ve  thought  he  was  handling  fine  china.  micah  would’ve  laughed,  if  she  weren’t  so  hell  bent  on  not  seeming  overly  happy  around  darcy.  instead,  she  carries  on  washing  her  brush,  moving  onto  the  next.  there’s  a  spread  of  pink  flushing  her  cheeks,  though  she  does  her  best  to  ignore  it  --  keeping  a  flat  expression.  a  stupid  pokemon  line,  a  nudge, and  a  brow  wag  should  not  make  her   blush.  she  simply  refused.  “ that  has  to  be  the  lamest  thing  you’ve  ever  said.  you’re  out  doing  yourself,  darcy.”  she  remarks.  maybe  another  side  effect  to  nonconformist  parenting, red  solo  cup  parties  seemed  like  a  waste  of  time.  “ yeah  i  imagine  that’d  be  pretty  unsanitary.”  micah  says,  a  short  laugh  leaving  her -- despite  her  best  efforts  not  to.  “and  you do?  go  wild,  i  mean?  i  actually  can  picture  that.”   

“well yeah,” juliet said with a smile. “pre teens are hard, but you manage to charm them, micah, so i gotta hand it to you.” juliet nodded at micah mentioning robin’s brother. they’ve both spent so many years at this camp, and getting returning kids who are just as excited to see them really warmed juliet’s heart. “yeah, definitely. it’s a lot better now that i ran into you. i was going to say we should do something - me, you, and elliot. we could tell ghost stories at night like we did when we were kids. or we could go to the art cabin and you could both model for my portfolio.” juliet offered. she paused on the path and pretended to click the camera at micah as if she were paparazzi and micah was a celebrity walking the red carpet. juliet laughed, actually snapping a photo of the trees in the distance, before relinking her arm with micah’s and continuing to walk. “so, whaddaya say?”

✈️- beach holiday or city break?

“ city break. not a fan of the beach, sand gets everywhere.” 

🌻- what’s your summer aesthetic?

  glasses of lemonade with mint and lush green forests surrounding crystal clear lakes. 

⛺️- camping or road trip?

“ camping.  but, depending on where the road trip is headed i wouldn’t mind a road trip either. as long as it’s somewhere cool.” 

🗒- do you have a summer to-do list?

“take  photos  to  bring  back  home,  mostly. you  don’t  really  get  these  types  of  views  from  my  dorm  in  portland  so  --  i  try  to  get  plenty  of  shots.” 

greene knows firsthand how full the schedule of a cabin counselor is, and how exhausted they are. this is just another thing for them on a never-ending to do list, and he puts his pen down on the desk, clearly listening. “you can relax. we’ll be here for a couple minutes, miss…” he searches for her name in his head, quiet for too long as he clearly draws a blank. putting faces to names is half of his job, but there’s just so many staff. he glances down so briefly at the notes in front of him. “miss moore. so, you’re a cub counselor, and part of the visual arts major. is that something that you study or have studied in school? early education or fine arts? where do you see yourself in five years?”

“i don’t have the time to go over the scope of the meeting with you.” even now, his tone was clipped. despite it being precisely none of his business, he ran a finger over the surface of the table and looked at it, as if he was checking to see if she had really been cleaning. it came away none the worse for wear, and he wiped his hand off on his cargo shorts. “i have to say, this is out of character for you. have you decided to turn over a new leaf this year? staff changes serving as inspiration?”

Why was it his job to go find Micah and fill her in on what she missed? Actually, he wanted to know why it was okay that she got to blow off the meetings with absolutely NO repercussions for such behavior. He did that one time and they had raked him over the coals for it, even implying that he could lose his position at the camp. Now that he was head staff, the male doubted they would go any easier, too. But no, noooo, when someone else decided to flip off the head people and ignore their duties around the place, nothing ever happened to them. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t cool. He was so sick of being singled out and picked on. This year was going to be different. As Logan entered the arts cabin, it seemed Micah was already prepared to defend herself. Which, honestly, just made her look all the more guilty and make it glaringly obvious that she’d skipped the meeting on purpose. “Personally, if I was going to act like I just happened to forget there was a staff meeting because I was cleaning up after the campers, I’d at least feign the shock of being told there was a meeting you just missed,” he suggested, crossing arms over chest as he observed her. “Those meetings happen for a reason and you missed some important stuff,” Logan said, exhaling a quiet sigh and looking as if he didn’t really want to be there. He just didn’t see why it was his responsibility to now give her the cliff notes version of what she missed and help her out, when she made zero effort to even bother in the first place. Logan felt like he was back in school, handing over homework and reports he’d been forced to do for other students who didn’t feel like putting in the work (or were too stupid to, honestly), or else he’d wind up with a black eye and sore arm for the rest of the week. Why did he have to pick up their slack? It just wasn’t fair and in that moment, he really disliked Micah.

juliet genuinely thought micah was one of the coolest people alive. it’s what drew her to micah in the first place, and knowing that under the walls there’s a heart of gold is why juliet never stopped being best friends with her. she loved that she felt so unbelievably herself around her too. “you’re a champ for supervising fourteen year olds. that has to be up there with one of the most difficult age groups,” juliet said with an easy smile. “yeah, poor robin in the cubs cabin decided to eat food his mom packed for him a few days late and has had food poisoning ever since. he finally started feeling better in the afternoon, so i went on my little adventure right after. he was very happy with the smiley face sticker i put on his arm even though he had no cut. i think it’ll make the other kids think he’s tough, but he was a sweet little one,” juliet babbled. she was never really this open with anyone besides micah and elliot - they truly brought out the best in her. it’s probably why her nonna always packs juliet extra snacks for her best friends. 

             “ y’think  so,  really?”  micah  shrugs  softly.  being  a  camp  counselor  was  just  the  by  product  of  wanting  to  be  able  to  spend  entire  summers   with  her  friends  still  as  a  twenty-something  now.   but,  while  a  bit  too  tough  to  outwardly  admit  it,  micah  fell  in  love  with  the  job.  though  rowdy  fourteen  year  olds,   micah  was  the  cool  counselor  who  rarely  reprimanded  them  --  and  for  that,  they  liked  her.  “ i  don’t  know.  they’re  cool.  i  think  what  you  do  is  a lot  harder.”  she  remarks.  micah  frowns  softly.  “yeah,  i  know  robin.  dylan’s  brother. “  it  still  surprises  her  how  many  kids  names  she  has  remembered.  “well,  i’m  glad  he’s  okay.”  micah  chuckles,  with  a  small nod. juilet’s  one  of  the  few  people  micah  will  continue  to  listen to  no  matter  how  long  winded.  she  cared  to  hear  about  what  the  other  might  have  to  say.  “not  too  bad  of  a  day then.  that’s  good.” 

You look like you need to be hit every once and awhile, Micah decides … and Elliot is awash in sudden guilt; a huff of uncomfortable laughter tumbling past his lips as his gaze drops from that of his best friend’s. Because despite the way the words are delivered in good humor … there’s an overwhelming sense of truth that accompanies the simple sentence as well. A truth in which neither want to acknowledge. That he’s been absent, and distracted … that he’s ignored her in favor of Jules. ( In favor of going on dates, and making out on the couch, and having dinner with her grandparents. ) The dynamic of their inseparable trio suddenly different … because of him; because of his stupid big mouth, and stupid incessant feelings. He’d do anything to make it better. He’s trying. He’s really – Micah has to see that he’s trying. Unable to imagine a life without his best friend. Elliot simply not himself with Jules or Mikey. A beat of silence lingers between the two. “— Unfortunately for the rest of us, we can’t all be so cool and artsy like you,” He teases finally. His eyes filling with a specific sort of warmth for the other as he lifts his gaze once more. “Like – I’m Mikey,” Elliot mimics, raising his voice in a pathetic attempt to sound like the girl. “I don’t participate in organized sports. I like to brood, instead. And be all – mysterious. With my sketch book, and my pastels.” He chuckles. Finally nodding towards the piece she’s working on as he leans over in order to see. “’s nice,” He tells her genuinally, observing all the colors. “– Kinda thought it might be me with a dodgeball for a head, but. Y’know. This is good, too.” 

             “ brood? ” she  gasps  in  laugh,  shaking  her  head  softly  at  the  mediocre  impression  of  her  voice.  she’s  never  spoken  up  about  how  she  felt  --  but,  she  doesn’t  have  to.  things  between  them  felt  different  lately.   micah’s  sure  they  both  probably  felt  it  too.  it  makes  her   a  little  uneasy  catching  half  mentions  of  dinners  with  jules’  grandparents  (  that  micah  obviously  wasn’t  invited  to ),  and  seeing  the  two  just  a  little  too  close  for  comfort.   out  of  everyone  in  the  world  that  she  expected  to  overlook  her,  she  never  thought  her  best  friends  would.  even  if  she  knows  they  might  not  mean  any  harm  by  it.  “knock  it  off.  i  don’t  sound  like  that.”  she  complains,  jokingly  nudging  at  his  side  with  his  shoulder. “thanks.  could  be  better.”  she  replies  with  a  small  smile,  proudly  looking  over  her  pastel  drawing  of  a  flower.  not  too  far  off  from  her  usual  subjects  --  nature  tends  to  be  a favorite  of  hers.   “maybe  i’ll  do  that  next.  but  i’d  need  to  see  you  with  a  ball  in  your  face,  though.”  she  jokes.  “enough  about  dodgeball,  what  else  has  been  going  on  with  you?  feels  like  i  haven’t  seen  you  all  day.”    

  DARCY SHRUGS AT the question, shoulder rising and falling in the practiced but easy way he does almost anything. “I don’t know actually, I guess I just kind of assume all cookies I eat are good. — by proxy.” He watches Micah save some brushes just in time to keep them from falling as he shrugs out of his bomber jacket. Darcy isn’t totally convinced that Micah doesn’t find him annoying but that’s never stopped him before, if anything he just wants to charm her more. “ —  It’s kind of like the pizza scale, you know? There’s no such thing as a bad slice of pizza, even at it’s worst it’s pizza.”  And everyone likes pizza, right?  Darcy nods dutifully and grabs the cup of dirty brushes and walks it over to one of the wide sinks. “You are the life of the party, duh, that’s why I’m here.” He leans against the cool metal of the sink and sighs at Micah’s question. “I mean, one of the new counselors offered to sell me molly but that is not a road you wanna go down post twenty five. Take it from an old man.” Darcy shakes the cup of brushes at Micah. “Is there anything I gotta not do so I won’t fuck these up?”

“i can see that,” juliet said with a laugh. “just didn’t expect to see anyone on the trail, mikey, which i guess is kind of silly in itself,” she walked over to micah and linked their hands together, instantly feeling more at ease in the presence of one of her best friends. micah was someone juliet had opened up to fairly early in their friendship, especially because juliet could tell that micah was similar to her in some ways, and not to mention she was insanely talented and a really good friend. spending time with her over the summer and having time to hang out with her and elliot as their infamous trio was something juliet held close to her heart. “how were the kids today?” she asked as they started walking, her eyes still wandering the trees absently to find another photo. 

it had been sam’s meeting, called to distribute the schedules for the next week and discuss an incident that had happened between two campers– standard boilerplate. and the trouble with the 24/7 nature of their work was that, obviously, not everybody could come to all-staffs. instead he had a folder with him full of the remaining schedules, and he left it on one of the smooth art tables as he walked into the room. “well, thank you for getting some cleaning done. we could use more of that around here. did feray ask you to do this instead of the meeting?”