k

the counsellors stood waiting just beyond the wooden entrance sign, where the dirt road curved through the forest before disappearing behind a wall of trees.

it wasn’t much of a road, just two worn tyre tracks cutting through packed earth, edged by wildflowers and tall grass that swayed lazily in the breeze.

if you looked far enough, you couldn’t actually see where it ended only the bend where the forest swallowed it whole.

everyone kept finding themselves looking there and waiting.

sophia stood nearest the entrance, clipboard tucked beneath one arm, radio clipped neatly to her shorts. every so often she’d glance over the arrival list, then towards the road, then back again. calm as ever and composed like she’d done this a hundred times before.

lara leaned comfortably against the fence, sunglasses resting on top of her head despite the gentle morning sun. one boot scraped absentmindedly through the dirt as she waited, looking entirely unbothered.

manon rocked lightly back and forth on her heels, hands shoved into the pocket of her hoodie, an excited grin she wasn’t even trying to hide tugging at the corners of her mouth.

daniela stood beside them, one hand hooked casually through the strap of her radio, the other resting on her hip. she looked relaxed like she belonged here.

she caught lara saying something under her breath, rolled her eyes with a smile and shook her head before looking back towards the road again like the first day of campers arriving was just another morning.

y/n wished she felt half that calm, she stood beside megan near the back of the group. the friendship bracelet around her wrist peeked out beneath the sleeve of her camp shirt.

her radio suddenly felt heavier than it had during training and the whistle around her neck felt strangely official, everything did because it had all felt like playing counsellor before but today they actually were.

beside her, megan shifted her weight for what had to be the twentieth time in the last minute. arms folded, unfolded hands in pockets and back out again.

she bounced once on her heels before stopping herself “…i think i’m gonna throw up.”

y/n let out the smallest laugh “you are not.”

“i genuinely might” megan kept staring down the road “i’ve forgotten everything”

“you haven’t” y/n smiled to herself but truthfully her own stomach felt no different. it wasn’t fear exactly, more like standing on the edge of something she’d never done before, excited and terrified both at once.

“…hey.” she said quietly and megan looked over. without saying anything, y/n reached down until her little finger found megan’s, she hooked them together gently.

a tiny gesture hidden between them. megan looked down at their linked hands then back up at y/n and the corners of her mouth lifted

“…no matter what?” she asked softly.

y/n gave the smallest nod “…no matter what.”

megan tightened her pinky around hers just once. a silent reminder of the promise they’d made beneath the trees only a few nights earlier.

whatever happened today…they’d figure it out together.

the forest fell quiet as though everything had paused for a breath. then… far beyond the bend in the road a low rumble rolled through the trees.

the sound came again, a little louder this time. engines. everyone’s attention lifted towards the bend almost at once. y/n felt megan’s hand tighten around hers.

the rumbling grew steadily closer as birds scattered from the trees overhead. a faint cloud of dust drifted upwards beyond the bend before anything else appeared.

the nose of the first white coach emerged between the pines, followed by another and another behind it. three coaches, just like sophia had said. before they’d even stopped, small faces were already pressed against the windows.

hands waved excitedly through the glass, little silhouettes bounced in their seats, pointing excitedly towards the cabins hidden beyond the trees.

the first coach hissed as its brakes engaged. a cloud of dust drifted lazily past the windows before slowly settling back onto the road.

then the folding doors swung open with a loud psssht and camp exploded into life.

voices immediately spilled out onto the road. high-pitched chatter, parents calling names, children already trying to push past one another to get off first.

“sit down until we’re parked properly, please.” the driver called over his shoulder it worked for approximately three seconds then the first little face appeared at the top of the steps.

a boy who couldn’t have been older than nine practically bounced down onto the gravel with a backpack almost as big as he was. he stopped, looked around and his eyes widened “whoa…”

another child squeezed past him before he’d even moved then another and another. within seconds the narrow space beside the coaches was filled with children talking over one another.

the quiet entrance to camp disappeared beneath a blur of movement. sophia clapped her hands once, loud enough to cut through the noise “welcome to camp evergreen!”

her voice carried easily across the entrance, dozens of little faces turned towards her. she smiled “first things first, if you’ve got a parent with you, stay with them until one of us calls your cabin.”

“don’t worry, we’ll make sure everyone gets where they need to be.”

almost immediately a little hand shot into the air.

“yes?”

“when do we get to swim?” a ripple of laughter spread through the adults, sophia smiled “not before lunch.”

while sophia continued explaining the check-in process, the other counsellors split off towards their assigned coaches.

lara and megan headed towards the furthest bus. manon followed sophia towards the middle one, already crouching to help a little girl whose backpack straps had somehow become tangled around her arms.

that left the first coach, daniela glanced towards y/n “ready?”

y/n looked at the crowd gathering around the luggage compartment then back at daniela “…ask me again in an hour.”

they walked together towards the coach, the luggage doors had already swung open. there was a little girl hiding between her mom’s legs. “what’s your name?” daniela smiled.

“ava.” her mother replied mirroring her smile.

daniela looked down the little girl hiding almost completely behind her mom’s leg peeked out with wide eyes.

she crouched until they were almost the same height “hi, ava.” she smiled warmly “i’m dani.”

ava stared at her for a long moment “…hi.”

“that’s a cool backpack.” ava looked down at the bright purple backpack covered in little embroidered frogs “…thanks.”

“do they all have names?”

ava’s eyes widened “…yeah.”

“i thought they might.” daniela nodded seriously “you’re going to have to introduce me later.” the tiniest smile appeared.

behind them, y/n found herself helping another family unload two enormous suitcases from beneath the coach.

“careful.” the dad laughed “that one’s heavier than it looks.” he wasn’t exaggerating. y/n almost lost her grip, daniela looked over just in time to see her stumble slightly under the weight.

before y/n could properly steady herself, daniela had crossed the few steps between them “here.” she caught the other handle without a second thought “i’ve got this side”

their hands brushed briefly around the fabric handle before y/n let go “…thanks.”

“told you” daniela smiled “we’re a team.”

“okay, maple cabin?” daniela called, raising her voice just enough to carry over the chatter around them “if your luggage tag has a green maple leaf on it, come over here with me.”

there was a moment of hesitation when children looked down at the laminated tags tied to their backpacks and parents crouched to check them.

then, one by one, they began making their way over within a minute or two there were a dozen children gathered in front of them.

daniela smiled “hi, everyone! i’m dani.” she gestured beside her “and this is y/n.”

every single head turned. twelve curious little faces stared straight at y/n. before she even had a chance to smile-

“are you sisters?” a little girl asked.

“…no.” y/n laughed

another hand shot up “i like your hair.” a boy was looking directly at daniela “it’s really curly.”

daniela smiled “thank you.”

questions flew at them from every direction.

“where do we sleep?” “can i have a top bunk?” “what if i don’t like the food?” “what if someone snores?”

y/n tried answering one then another only to realise she’d somehow missed three more while she was talking.

she turned and noticed one little boy standing slightly apart from everyone else.

he couldn’t have been older than seven or eight. his little hands gripped the straps of a bright red spider-man backpack so tightly his knuckles had gone white. he wasn’t asking questions, wasn’t looking around just staring down at the ground.

y/n quietly excused herself from the conversation and wandered over. instead of standing above him, she crouched until they were almost the same height “hey.”

the little boy peeked up at her through his fringe. his eyes were watery, she glanced at the backpack then lowered her voice “…can i ask you something?”

he nodded once very carefully.

“are you really spider-man?” he looked around quickly as if checking no one else had heard then very seriously he nodded again “…yeah.”

y/n widened her eyes “i knew it.” the little boy blinked “i had a feeling.” she leaned in just a little “that’s actually really good news.”

“…why?”

“because every camp needs a superhero.”she smiled “what if someone needs saving?”

the little boy thought about that “…yeah.”

she lowered her voice even further “don’t worry, i won’t tell anybody your secret.” his shoulders relaxed just a little and the smallest smile tugged at the corner of his mouth “…okay.”

across the group, daniela happened to glance over while answering another camper’s question. she watched the little boy smile for the first time since getting off the coach, watched y/n grin back at him like it was the easiest thing in the world.

something warm settled in her chest.

“miss dani?” a camper tugged on her sleeve, she blinked, dragging her attention back “hm?”

“can i have the top bunk?”

~~~~~

getting twelve excited children from the entrance of camp to maple cabin should not have been a difficult task yet it somehow was.

“stay together, guys.” daniela called over her shoulder, adjusting the duffel bag balanced on one arm.

“you’re my best friend.” one girl said and the little girl beside her beamed “we’re best friends.” they linked arms as though they’d known each other for years.

daniela smiled to herself, kids were funny like that. best friends could happen in under ten minutes.

they reached maple cabin, the wooden steps groaned beneath twelve pairs of trainers as everyone hurried inside.

the second the children stepped through the door every single one froze “…whoa.”

“this is so cool.” someone whispered.

then the spell broke.

“dibs top bunk!” a chorus of footsteps thundered across the wooden floor.

“walking feet!” daniela called, laughing despite herself “walking feet inside.”

“okay.” she clapped her hands once “listen up for me.”

it took a few seconds. one camper was already trying every drawer to see what was inside and another had discovered the window overlooked the lake.

eventually twelve curious faces looked back at her.

“boys.” she pointed towards the left side of the cabin “you’re sleeping over there.”

“girls.” she pointed towards the right “you’ve got this side.”

a hand shot into the air “…yes?”

“what if i wanted to be over there?” the little girl pointed at the boys’ bunks “because my cousin’s over there.”

daniela smiled “then you can see him all day but bedtime’s girls this side, boys that side.”

y/n was already helping a little boy wrestle his sleeping bag onto the top bunk he’d somehow managed to claim before anyone else “there we go.” she pulled it straight “perfect.”

“can you tuck teddy in too?” he held up an extremely well-loved shark missing one eye.

“course.” she carefully placed the shark beneath the blanket “there.”

“thank you.” he smiled “…his name’s pickle.”

“excellent name.”

on the other side of the cabin-

“dani!”

she turned and a little girl was holding up an enormous fluffy rabbit almost the size of her own torso “this is daisy.”

“hi, daisy.” daniela smiled “she sleeps with me every night.”

“well…” daniela nodded very seriously “we’ll have to make sure daisy gets a good bed too.” the little girl immediately looked relieved.

before she could say anything else another voice “dani!” then another “miss!” another “y/n!”

“can i move this?”

“where does my suitcase go?”

“i can’t reach.”

y/n and daniela exchanged one quick look across the room both of them smiled then immediately disappeared back into the sea of tiny voices.

~~~~~

“campers!” sophia called, clapping her hands together twice “everyone over here for me.” it wasn’t immediate, a few came running while others wandered over at their own pace, distracted by absolutely everything along the way.

gradually, thirty-six children gathered in a rough semicircle around sophia. she waited patiently until most of the chatter died down then smiled “first of all…”

she looked around at every excited little face “welcome to camp evergreen.”

a cheer went up from somewhere near the back and sophia laughed “i’m really happy you’re all here.”

“today is your first proper day and i know lots of you have never been here before.” she glanced around “that’s okay, a lot of people feel a little nervous on the first day.”

a few children nodded one little girl quietly lifted her hand.

“…yes?”

“i’m nervous.”

sophia smiled warmly “thank you for telling me and i promise…” she crouched slightly so she was closer to the children’s eye level “by tonight, i think this place will already feel a little bit like home.”

the little girl smiled shyly and sophia stood again “now…” she held up six brightly coloured cards “we’re going to play a game.”

that got their attention immediately.

“a scavenger hunt!”

several children gasped excitedly “does that mean treasure?”

“kind of.” sophia grinned “you’ll all be split into little teams.”

“each team gets one counsellor.” she pointed around at the six of them standing nearby “your job is to walk all around camp together and find the things on your list.”

she held up one of the laminated sheets “some things will be easy like finding the lake and some things might make you think a little harder.” she smiled “and while you’re walking around…”

she pointed towards the different cabins “you’ll learn where everything is, so if tomorrow you need the bathrooms…”

a few children giggled “or you want to find the dining hall, you’ll already know where to go.”

she looked around once more “the best part…” she paused dramatically “…is that your teams won’t be your cabin.”

curious little faces looked up “that means you’ll get to meet new friends from oak…” she pointed one way “…cedar…” another way “and maple.”

she spread her arms “by lunchtime, i want everyone to know at least one new friend’s name.”

another hand shot up immediately “what if i make six friends?”

sophia smiled “then you’ve done an amazing job.”

another “what if we lose?”

“nobody loses.” she replied gently “every team that finishes gets a prize.”

“…what’s the prize?”

sophia tapped the side of her nose “nice try.” a chorus of exaggerated groans spread through the group.

“now…” she picked up a little basket filled with brightly coloured fabric wristbands “when i call your name, come and get your colour.”

almost instantly the children started bouncing excitedly where they stood.

y/n couldn’t help smiling because only an hour ago half of them had been hiding behind their parents now they were practically vibrating with excitement.

the sea of campers slowly broke apart as sophia began calling out colours.

“red!”

a handful of children hurried forwards, peering down at the wristbands already tied around their wrists before finding the counsellor holding the matching card.

“blue!”

another group peeled away.

“green!”

“six at each colour, remember!” sophia called over the growing chatter. “if you’ve got the same colour, you’re a team.”

within a couple of minutes the large crowd had become six much smaller ones scattered around the field. each counsellor stood with their own little cluster of campers.

red with y/n.

blue with daniela.

yellow with manon.

orange with megan.

purple with lara.

green with sophia.

there wasn’t much order to any of it. some children stood neatly in little lines, others had already wandered off two feet to inspect an insect.

one boy had somehow ended up in the wrong colour entirely before being gently redirected by sophia. the little boy with the spider-man backpack wandered over to y/n’s group, his wristband bright red against his tiny arm.

he looked a little less frightened than before still quiet but he smiled when he spotted y/n.

she smiled back “hey, superhero.” he grinned shyly “ready?” he nodded.

“good.” she leaned down slightly “i’ve got a feeling we’re going to need you today.”

around them, the counsellors had already started talking to their teams. sophia crouched down so she was level with her group, speaking softly enough that the children instinctively leaned in to listen.

“remember,” she smiled, “today isn’t about being the fastest.”

“it’s about looking after each other.” she looked around each little face a good team doesn’t leave anybody behind.”

manon, meanwhile had gone in the complete opposite direction. “yellow team!” she shouted dramatically, punching the air and a few of the children laughed “what colour are we?”

“YELLOW!” they shouted back.

“i can’t hear you!”

“YELLOW!”

“LOUDER!”

“YELLOW!”

she cupped a hand dramatically behind her ear “still can’t hear you!”

the six children practically screamed it this time. manon threw both arms into the air “that’s what i’m talking about!”

their cheers echoed across the field and megan looked over then she turned to her own orange team.

“orange!” the children looked at her expectantly “i refuse to let yellow be louder than us.”

a little girl gasped dramatically “that’s embarrassing.”

“let’s show them who the actual best team is” she beamed “on three.”

“one…two…THREE!”

“ORANGE!” the shout rang out across camp.

manon looked over in mock offence “excuse me?”

“beat that!” megan laughed.

purple team had somehow become its own concert. lara stood in the middle of her campers, clapping a steady rhythm above her head and the children copied her immediately.

clap.

clap.

clap clap clap.

lara began singing “purple team…”

the children stared “what comes next?”

she grinned “you tell me.”

one little boy shouted “…is gonna win?”

lara pointed straight at him “exactly.” she started again“purple team…”

“is gonna win!” they all sang back.

again, a little louder “purple team…”

“IS GONNA WIN!”

soon the whole group was marching in place, clapping and chanting together, laughing every time lara changed the tune.

y/n couldn’t help smiling as she watched then she looked back at her own little group. they were much quieter, a few looked excited a few looked overwhelmed.

she crouched so she was level with all six of them “okay…” she smiled “i know we’ve only just met.”

“but…” she glanced around the little circle “i’ve got a really good feeling about our team.”

a little girl smiled “why?”

“because…” y/n shrugged “i think you’re all pretty brilliant already.” the children beamed “we’re not going to worry about coming first.” she continued “we’re just going to have fun.”

she paused then lowered her voice dramatically “…but…” six little faces leaned in.

“…if we did happen to finish first…” the corners of her mouth “that would be really cool wouldn’t it?”

the children burst into giggles “we’re gonna win!” one boy declared confidently.

across the field, another little boy wearing a blue wristband heard him. “no we’re gonna win!” he shouted back.

“you’re gonna lose!”

“am not!”

“are too!”

the two brothers stuck their tongues out at each other from opposite sides of the field. daniela wandered over just in time to catch the end of it she folded her arms with a smile tugging at her lips.

“guys…” she looked between the two groups “it’s not a competition.”

the brothers looked unconvinced y/n nodded thoughtfully “she’s right.” she said very seriously “it’s not…” she paused then glanced sideways at daniela.

“…but if it was…” she looked back at her team “…we’d so win.”

“YEAHHHH!” her entire team erupted into cheers, throwing their arms into the air. the little spider-man boy even let out a tiny fist pump.

daniela let out an incredulous scoff “oh, really?” she laughed, giving y/n a playful shove against the shoulder.

the children dissolved into laughter.

daniela rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she fought back a smile.

~~~~~

the scavenger hunt ended up being far less about the checklist…and far more about the children.

within five minutes, y/n had learnt that noah refused to use the map because he was “good with directions.” he wasn’t they somehow walked in a complete circle before grace quietly pointed out they’d ended up back outside the dining hall.

harper found almost every item on the list before anyone else did, quietly spotting things everyone else walked straight past.

ollie meanwhile was convinced every stick they found was “probably important.”

“can we keep this one?”

“no.”

“…this one?”

“still no.”

“…what about this really cool one?”

y/n looked down at the completely ordinary stick “that’s actually a pretty cool stick.” his face lit up “i knew it.”

the little boy wearing the spider-man backpack, who’s name was lucas, barely left her side all morning. he still didn’t say much but every now and then he’d quietly point towards something on the list “there.” or “i found one.”

each time y/n made just as much fuss over it as the bigger discoveries by the end of the hunt he was pointing things out before anyone else.

across camp, the other groups weren’t faring much better.

manon’s team somehow spent almost fifteen minutes convinced the camp bell was haunted because one camper insisted he’d heard it ring on its own.

lara’s group turned the whole thing into a musical, making up little songs for every clue they found until even the quieter children were singing along.

sophia’s team moved steadily through camp, every child getting a chance to hold the map while she quietly encouraged them to help one another instead of rushing ahead.

daniela had somehow inherited every energetic child at camp. every five minutes somebody was climbing something, running somewhere or asking seventeen questions in a single breath.

by lunchtime she’d gently reminded one camper not to lick moss, twice.

megan’s orange team, however had quietly disappeared around camp with surprising determination.

while everyone else got distracted by frogs, butterflies or particularly interesting-looking sticks…they simply worked through the list.

when the whistle finally called everyone back to the field…orange team arrived first.

every item ticked and every challenge completed. megan looked almost as surprised as the children did “…we actually won?”

six little voices erupted around her “WE WON!” they tackled her in a group hug before she’d even finished laughing.

sophia clapped as the other teams gathered back around “i think every single team did brilliantly.”

she smiled “but…” she held up a small basket “our winners today, even though it’s not a competition and you all did amazing, the team that finished first was…” she looked towards megan “orange team!”

the children cheered loud enough for birds to scatter from the nearby trees. their prize turned out to be first choice from the snack basket before lunch. which, according to the campers was apparently even better than a trophy.

~~~~~

the days settled into a rhythm before any of them really noticed.

every counsellor slowly found their place.

sophia somehow seemed to know exactly where she was needed before anyone even asked, whether it was tying a shoelace, settling an argument over whose turn it was or reminding everyone to reapply sunscreen before heading back outside.

lara became every camper’s favourite storyteller. she could turn a simple walk through the woods into a grand adventure involving dragons, enchanted pinecones and fairies hidden in the trees. the children hung onto every word even the older ones who insisted they were “too old for stories.”

manon somehow managed to turn every activity into a competition. whether it was skipping stones, folding paper aeroplanes or seeing who could collect the most pinecones in two minutes, her laughter carried across camp almost constantly.

megan surprised herself. the nerves she’d carried on the first morning slowly melted away until she barely remembered they were ever there.

the campers adored her especially whenever she accidentally made herself the punchline of a joke. they laughed with her, never at her and somewhere along the way she realised she was laughing just as much.

y/n learnt that children seemed to have a sixth sense for finding whoever looked the safest. if someone scraped a knee, they somehow ended up beside her.

if someone felt overwhelmed, they drifted quietly towards wherever she happened to be. she never quite understood why but she simply welcomed them every time.

on the third evening, she found lucas sitting alone on the porch outside maple cabin after dinner, his knees were tucked up beneath his chin.

y/n lowered herself onto the wooden step beside him they sat for almost a minute before either of them spoke.

“…bad guys?” she asked quietly.

he frowned “what?”

“i’m just wondering.” she looked towards the trees “if there are any bad guys around.”

he looked too “…i don’t think so.”

“hmm.” she nodded thoughtfully “good.”

another little silence. then, so quietly she almost missed it “…i miss my mommy.” his voice wobbled around the words and he looked down at his trainers.

y/n’s chest tightened, she didn’t tell him not to cry and she didn’t promise he’d stop missing home tomorrow instead…“i think she’d be really happy to know you’re being so brave.”

he rubbed quickly at one eye “…do superheroes cry?”

y/n smiled softly “all the best ones do.”

he thought about that for a long moment before nodding, then smiling and accepting the fist bump y/n offered.

~~~~~

by the fourth day…the counsellors had learnt to appreciate every spare minute they could find.

their breaks rarely lasted longer than ten minutes. just enough time to refill water bottles, collapse onto the grass and remember what silence sounded like.

one particularly warm afternoon, megan practically flopped backwards beneath the shade of the big oak tree with an exhausted groan “my legs are actually going to fall off.”

y/n laughed as she dropped down beside her “that’s a bit dramatic.”

“is it?” megan stretched one leg out “i haven’t sat down since breakfast.”

they fell into a comfortable silence, the kind that only really existed between people who didn’t feel the need to fill every gap with conversation.

without thinking about it…y/n leaned sideways until her head rested lightly against megan’s shoulder.

megan didn’t react just smiled to herself and rested her own head gently against y/n’s. the breeze stirred lazily through the trees above and camp continued around them.

“…remember the first morning?” megan asked quietly “when we thought we were going to be terrible at this?”

y/n smiled with her eyes closed “…yeah.”

“i think…” megan looked out across camp “…i think we’re doing okay.”

y/n smiled a little wider “…yeah, i think we are too.”

the peace lasted exactly twenty seconds.

“MEGAN!” a child’s voice echoed across camp “we accidentally kicked the football onto the dining hall roof!”

megan sighed dramatically “…my break’s over. you coming?”

y/n stood, offering her a hand “unfortunately.”

~~~~~

the counsellors had learnt very quickly that putting sunscreen on thirty-six children was less of a task…and more of a negotiation.

all across the clearing, little bottles clicked open as counsellors demonstrated how much sunscreen to use.

sophia knelt beside a picnic bench, squeezing a small blob onto her palm before showing a little group how to rub it over their arms “don’t forget the tops of your shoulders,” she reminded them. “they’re the bit everyone forgets.”

almost immediately three children began frantically rubbing sunscreen onto their shoulders.

manon had somehow turned it into a competition “first person done wins absolutely nothing!” the children shrieked with laughter anyway.

lara was busy trying to convince a boy that sunscreen was, in fact, “cool.”

“even superheroes wear sunscreen.”

“batman doesn’t.”

“…batman absolutely burns.”

“he goes out at night.” the boy added confidently “and he wears a suit”

“good point.” lara nods handing him the bottle “but you don’t, so let’s put this on”

“there you go” y/n smiled to herself as she squeezed sunscreen into one little girl’s hands “little circles just like that.”

the girl copied her movements carefully, concentrating so hard her tongue poked out slightly between her lips “perfect.”

“am i done?”

“almost.” y/n pointed towards the bridge of her nose “don’t forget there.”

“oops.” the little girl giggled before rubbing another tiny blob over it.

“good job.” y/n stood before lifting another bottle “okay, who’s next?”

“me!”

“me!”

“me first!”

she laughed “one at a time.” she’d barely taken two steps before a familiar voice spoke quietly beside her “…bit unprofessional.”

y/n turned “huh?”

daniela was standing with her own bottle of sunscreen tucked beneath one arm, one eyebrow raised ever so slightly “telling the campers how to do it…” she nodded towards y/n “when you’re not even doing it properly.”

y/n frowned instinctively “what?”

daniela lifted one hand and pointed “back of your neck.”

y/n instinctively reached behind herself, her fingers found nothing but warm skin. “your hair’s up.” daniela said simply “you’ve missed all of this.”

before y/n had even properly registered what she’d said, daniela stepped around behind her “hold still.”

she felt the quiet click of the sunscreen bottle opening somewhere behind her then the cool squeeze of lotion against the back of her neck. she inhaled sharply at the sudden temperature.

“cold?” daniela asked, amusement colouring her voice.

“a little.”

“sorry.” except, she didn’t sound particularly sorry. the pads of her fingers spread the sunscreen gently across the back of y/n’s neck in slow, careful movements.

making sure it reached right up beneath the line of her hair exactly the way she’d shown the children only moments earlier.

for reasons y/n couldn’t quite explain, every brush of daniela’s fingertips felt strangely magnified.

she became acutely aware of every small movement, the faint scent of coconut sunscreen, the warmth of daniela standing just behind her, close enough that y/n could hear her quiet breathing over the chatter of the campers.

“…you’ve been standing in the sun all morning.” daniela murmured, more to herself than to y/n “you’d have been bright red by lunch.”

her fingers swept lightly beneath the edge of y/n’s ponytail one last time, making sure there wasn’t a strip of skin she’d missed.

for the briefest second her fingertips brushed the fine hairs at the nape of y/n’s neck. y/n’s shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly and her heartbeat suddenly felt louder than the voices around them.

daniela smoothed one final pass over the sunscreen before taking a small step back “…there.” she said, recapping the bottle “better.”

y/n turned “…thanks.” the word came out quieter than she’d intended.

daniela smiled “you’re welcome.” before either of them could say anything else-

“miss y/n!” they both looked down two little campers had been watching the entire exchange with enormous concentration.

one had somehow acquired far too much sunscreen, the other was now attempting to smear it across his friend’s neck exactly the way daniela had.

she replied with complete confidence. daniela pressed her lips together, trying very hard not to laugh “good teamwork.”

the little girl frowned thoughtfully as she looked back up at y/n “…miss dani?”

“yeah?”

she pointed directly at y/n “you missed a spot.”

both counsellors blinked “where?”

the little girl pointed at y/n’s face “her cheeks.”

y/n instinctively lifted a hand her cheeks felt…very warm.

“…oh no!” another camper gasped dramatically “she’s burning!” three more children immediately abandoned what they were doing.

“quick!”

“more sunscreen!”

“save miss y/n!”

y/n let out an embarrassed laugh, covering her face with one hand “i’m not burning.”

“you are!”

“look!”

“she’s all red!”

daniela looked at her and despite knowing full well it wasn’t the sun…the tiniest smile tugged at the corner of her mouth “…might be a little late for that.” she said softly.

y/n shot her a look that only made daniela’s smile grow a fraction wider.

~~~~~

the football game ended in complete chaos. nobody was entirely sure what the score had been or whether there had ever really been a score to begin with. somehow, everyone still claimed they’d won.

“again!”

“coach, one more game!”

“five more minutes!”

“you promised!”

y/n bent forwards, hands resting on her knees as she laughed between breaths “i absolutely…” she inhaled “did not promise that.”

“you did!”

“when?”

“i don’t know…” one little boy shrugged “but you definitely did.” the campers giggled.

“water break!” sophia called from the other side of the field “everyone grab your bottles.”

a chorus of dramatic groans echoed around the clearing but the children still sprinted towards the coolers anyway.

y/n wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, still catching her breath “…how…” she laughed to herself “are they still running?” she glanced across the field.

every single camper was somehow still bouncing around as though they’d only just started playing.

she, meanwhile felt like she’d run a marathon. daniela was already sitting on one of the wooden benches beneath the trees, leaning back comfortably. one leg stretched out, the other bent slightly, a water bottle rested loosely between her trainers.

y/n wandered over before dropping onto the bench beside her with an exhausted sigh.

she leaned her head back against the bench, closing her eyes for a second “…i’m actually dying.”

“dramatic.”

there was a comfortable silence between them while children’s laughter drifted across the field.

y/n glanced sideways then down, she noticed the bottle resting between daniela’s feet. “…can i?” she asked, already reaching for it.

daniela looked down then back at her “…yeah.”

y/n unscrewed the lid and took a long drink. the cold water felt incredible after nearly an hour running around in the sun, she handed it back with a grateful sigh “…thanks.”

daniela accepted it without really thinking “anytime.”

they fell back into watching the campers, one little girl was proudly showing sophia a daisy she’d tucked behind her ear.

daniela smiled to herself “…they’re cute.”

“they are.”

a minute or two passed. conversation drifted naturally into comfortable silence again. without thinking daniela picked up the bottle, unscrewed the lid and took a drink.

she’d barely swallowed when-

“…OOOOOOOH!”

both of them looked up.

two little girls were standing in the middle of the field pointing directly at them with expressions of absolute horror.

“coach daniela took a sip after coach y/n did!” their voices carried across the whole activity field. every nearby camper stopped what they were doing.

“…what?” daniela blinked.

another little boy gasped dramatically “ewwwww!”

within seconds “ewwwwwww!” the reaction spread like wildfire.

“they have cooties!”

“miss y/n and miss dani have cooties!”

“gross!”

“you drank the same water!”

“that’s disgusting!” one little camper physically covered his own water bottle with both hands.

y/n stared at the children then slowly looked towards daniela. “…cooties?”

daniela looked down at the bottle still in her hand back at y/n then at the sea of horrified little faces.

“…i…” she couldn’t even think of a response.

“coach dani!” one little boy cried “now you’ve got miss y/n germs!”

“i think…” daniela said very seriously “i’ll survive.”

the children groaned louder “nooooo!”

“she’s infected!” another camper pointed accusingly at the bench.

y/n couldn’t hold it together anymore. she burst into laughter, doubling over as the campers continued arguing amongst themselves about whether cooties were contagious through water bottles.

beside her, daniela tried to keep a straight face. she lasted all of three seconds then laughed too, shaking her head as she screwed the lid back onto the bottle.

neither of them noticed lara watching the entire exchange from across the field. she looked from the water bottle to the two of them still laughing beside each other then simply smirked to herself before blowing her whistle.

“alright, cootie club!” she called loudly “everyone line up!”

the entire field burst into a fit of giggles.

~~~~~

bedtime in maple cabin had become something of a carefully choreographed dance.

from the outside, it probably looked like complete chaos. twelve children all trying to do twelve different things at once.

someone was brushing their teeth, someone else was still trying to decide which teddy deserved the top bunk.

two little girls were whispering underneath one blanket despite repeatedly promising they were “definitely going to sleep this time.”

and yet somehow, it always worked.

without ever talking about it, y/n and daniela had quietly fallen into a routine. the first night they’d asked each other what needed doing every few minutes.

“can you grab…?”

“do you mind…?”

“have you seen…?”

now they barely needed to speak. daniela always started at one end of the cabin, y/n at the other.

they’d weave between bunks almost absentmindedly, somehow never getting in each other’s way.

one would remind everyone to brush their teeth, the other would quietly start collecting tomorrow’s dirty laundry bags.

they moved through the cabin like they’d practised it. they hadn’t it had simply just happened.

“miss y/n?”

she turned immediately, a little girl was holding up a friendship bracelet “…i can’t get it off.”

“lemme see.” y/n gently took the tiny wrist in her hands, carefully loosening the knot without snapping the threads “there.”

“thank you.” the little girl smiled before immediately running off to put it somewhere ‘safe’

by now the bathroom had become its own little queue.

“i had the blue cup!”

“no you didn’t!”

“did too!”

“guys…” daniela called gently without even looking up from helping another camper squeeze toothpaste onto their brush “everyone’s cup has their name on it.”

immediate silence.

“…oh.”

y/n couldn’t help laughing under her breath, she caught daniela’s eye across the room, who looked up at almost the exact same moment.

they shared one amused smile then both looked away again.

the rhythm continued. one camper couldn’t find their pyjama top and before y/n had even started looking beneath the bed, daniela was already reaching into the cubby where she’d noticed them leave it after swimming that afternoon.

another camper wandered over rubbing sleepy eyes “coach…”

y/n crouched immediately “what’s up?”

“…can you tuck me in?”

“course.” while y/n carefully tucked blankets around the little girl, daniela quietly walked past the bunk.

without interrupting she reached up and switched on the tiny night light above the bed and the little girl smiled sleepily “thank you.”

later, the last toothbrush was finally put away, the last teddy had been found and the last “one more drink of water, please” had been granted.

the cabin lights dimmed until only the warm glow of the little night lights remained.

the chatter softened almost instantly, whispers replaced excited voices, blankets rustled and beds creaked.

y/n made one last slow walk between the bunks making sure everyone seemed settled. at the other end of the cabin, daniela was doing the same.

they reached the middle aisle at almost exactly the same time.

“…everyone?” y/n asked quietly.

daniela glanced back over the cabin, a little nod “…everyone.”

they stood there for a second, listening to soft breathing and the occasional sleepy mumble.

neither of them mentioned that they hadn’t needed to ask each other what to do once that evening. they hadn’t noticed because it had simply become the way bedtime worked.

like everything else between them, it had become routine.

y/n closed the door to their room quietly behind them, careful not to let it click too loudly.

“i think that was our quickest bedtime yet,” she murmured, slipping her radio from her waistband and placing it on the little bedside table. daniela let out a tired hum of agreement.

they smiled to themselves before naturally splitting off into their now familiar routine.

y/n disappeared into the tiny bathroom first, washing her face while daniela wandered around the room collecting the things she’d absentmindedly left lying around that morning.

by the time y/n emerged, her face was still damp from rinsing away her cleanser, sleeves pushed up as she rubbed moisturiser between her palms.

daniela had changed into an oversized camp t-shirt and a pair of loose shorts, sitting sideways on her bed with one leg tucked beneath the other.

she reached down absentmindedly, her fingers brushing over the side of her calf. her nails scraped lightly across the skin once.

she frowned and rubbed at it again, another little scratch. she stopped for a second, only for her hand to drift back almost immediately.

“…you okay?” y/n asked, glancing up from her bed.

daniela looked down “hmm?”

“your leg.”

she followed y/n’s eyes before letting out a quiet little laugh “oh.” she rubbed at it again, this time with the heel of her hand “bug bite.”

“it’s honestly not that bad.” she tried ignoring it which lasted about three seconds.

her fingers wandered back again, scratching around the little red mark with an expression somewhere between annoyance and defeat.

“why…” she muttered more to herself than to y/n “…does scratching it actually feel good?”

y/n smiled to herself “because your brain tricks you.”

“well my brain’s stupid.” another absent-minded scratch “i know i’m making it worse.”

“then stop.”

“i’m trying.” she wasn’t. before she’d even finished speaking, her hand had drifted back again, chasing the itch despite herself she groaned quietly “it’s impossible.”

y/n watched her for another moment, the amused smile still tugging gently at the corners of her mouth.

without saying anything else, she leaned over towards the little wash bag resting beside her pillow.

the zip slid open, she rummaged through it absentmindedly, moving bottles aside with soft little clinks against one another until her fingers found what she was looking for.

she pulled out a small tube and she simply climbed down from her bed. daniela looked up just as y/n wandered over “…what?”

“hold still.” y/n was already kneeling on the wooden floor beside the bed.

the old floorboards creaked softly beneath her knees as she unscrewed the cap, squeezing the smallest amount of cream onto the tip of her finger “show me”

daniela shifted her leg slightly towards her.

y/n leaned in, studying the little red bite with the same concentration she seemed to give absolutely everything. “…i told you.” she murmured “you’ve irritated it now”

“i know….” daniela sighed sheepishly.

almost automatically, she rested one hand lightly against the back of daniela’s calf, just enough to keep her leg steady.

the cool cream spread gently across the bite beneath careful fingertips. small circles, slow enough that it wouldn’t sting.

y/n’s attention stayed completely fixed on what she was doing. her brows pulled together ever so slightly, that tiny crease appeared between them again.

the loose strand of hair she’d missed when tying it back slipped forward, brushing against her cheek. she puffed out a quiet breath to move it away without letting go of daniela’s leg.

it fell straight back again. daniela watched it happen then watched y/n try exactly the same thing a second time.

the corner of her mouth lifted almost without permission. she’d never noticed how focused y/n became over the smallest things like somehow a bug bite deserved the same care as everything else.

the room had become so quiet. outside, the wind stirred through the trees, carrying the distant sound of the lake against the shore.

“…there.” y/n said quietly after a moment, she smoothed one final pass over the cream before instinctively checking the edge of it with her thumb.

satisfied, she nodded to herself “don’t…” she started, lifting her head. the rest of the sentence never arrived because daniela was already looking at her.

their eyes met so suddenly that y/n almost forgot what she’d been about to say. for a heartbeat, neither of them moved and y/n became quietly aware that her hand was still resting against the back of daniela’s leg.

she swallowed “…don’t…” her voice came out softer this time “…scratch it.”

daniela’s gaze lingered for another brief second before she seemed to remember herself “…i won’t.” she smiled.

y/n returned it almost instinctively before finally drawing her hand away. she recapped the tube, turning it over in her fingers for no real reason other than giving herself something to do.

“…there.” she said quietly “all fixed.”

“thanks.”

“mhm.” y/n stood, brushing imaginary dust from her knees before climbing back onto her own bed.

somehow…the little room felt just a touch quieter than it had a few minutes before.

~~~~~

“left! left! she’s going left!”

“don’t tell them!”

the field had dissolved into complete chaos. children darted between trees with coloured bandanas tied around their arms, shrieking loud enough to send birds scattering from the branches overhead.

“coach!” a little girl grabbed onto y/n’s hand, pointing urgently towards the opposite side of the field “the flag!”

y/n followed her finger, three campers had almost reached it. “okay…” she crouched beside them, lowering her voice as though they were discussing classified information “who’s our fastest runner?”

five tiny hands immediately shot into the air.

“…right.” she smiled “that’s not helpful.”

the little girl beside her grinned “ollie’s fastest.”

“i am!” ollie nodded confidently.

“okay.” y/n pointed towards the trees “you distract them.” then towards another little boy “you stay with him.” finally she looked at the smallest camper in the group.

“and you…” she leaned in dramatically “…you’re our secret weapon.”

his eyes widened “really?”

“really.”

he stood up a little straighter then all four of them sprinted off before y/n had even finished saying “go.” she laughed to herself “…they never wait.”

across the field, whistles echoed every few seconds. lara was pretending not to notice three campers hiding behind the same tree, loudly announcing to anyone who would listen

“i definitely haven’t seen anyone over here.”

the children dissolved into giggles.

manon had somehow become involved in a chase she’d definitely started herself while megan was jogging backwards, trying to herd six campers into vaguely the same direction.

“guys!” she called, laughing “same team!”

one little boy pointed accusingly at another camper “he tagged me twice!”

“i only tagged you once!”

megan sighed dramatically “alright.” she clapped once “everyone take one giant step backwards.”

they all did “good.”

“now…” she pointed at the boy “you’re unfrozen.” another point “and you’re apologising.”

“…sorry.”

“can we go now?”

they were gone before she’d finished nodding.

“getting easier?” y/n asked as she jogged past, slowing beside her for a second.

megan glanced sideways “i’m either getting better…” she bent slightly, hands on her knees for half a breath “or i’ve just accepted chaos.”

“probably both.”

for a second they simply stood there, catching their breath while thirty-six children sprinted around them.

megan nudged y/n lightly with her elbow “remember when we thought training was hard?”

y/n let out a breathy laugh “i’d happily go back to racing you in a canoe.”

“same.”

they shared a look, one of those little ones that didn’t really need anything else said.

“coach y/n!” they both looked up, two campers were sprinting towards them at full speed.

“they’ve got our flag!”

“what?” y/n turned instinctively, half their team was already chasing after a little girl twice their size who was somehow carrying the flag above her head like it was an olympic torch.

“…how did that happen?”

megan watched them disappear across the field “…i genuinely have no idea.” she looked at y/n “you wanna go save them?”

y/n smiled “…thought you’d never ask.”

without another word they were both running again, the conversation forgotten as they threw themselves straight back into the madness.

“coach! coach! this way!”

“no, over here!”

“they’re stealing it!”

y/n barely had a second to think before she was being pulled in three different directions at once.

one little hand grabbed her wrist while another tugged gently at the back of her camp shirt.

“they’re gonna win!”

“not if you stop shouting where our flag is,” y/n laughed, jogging alongside them.

the game had completely fallen apart. whatever strategy the campers had started with had dissolved into children sprinting in every direction, counsellors trying to keep up and the occasional whistle from sophia reminding everyone not to tackle one another.

one of the younger campers from the opposite team suddenly tripped over a tree root. it wasn’t a dramatic fall, more of an awkward tumble onto her hands and knees.

she blinked for a second before her bottom lip started wobbling. without thinking, y/n changed direction, she crouched beside her immediately.

“hey…” she smiled gently “you alright?”

the little girl sniffed, nodding despite the tears threatening to spill “i tripped.”

“i saw.” y/n brushed the grass from her knees before checking her palms “nothing broken.” she smiled “that’s the important bit.”

“you’re helping me?..” the little girl looked up “…even though i’m on the other team?”

“especially because you’re on the other team.” y/n grinned “can’t have our competition ending because somebody scraped their knee.”

“there.” she helped her back onto her feet “good as new.”

before the little girl had even run off-

“coach!” one of y/n’s own campers had stopped dead a few metres away, hands planted dramatically on his hips “that’s cheating!”

“yeah!” another immediately agreed “you helped the enemy!”

y/n looked between them, trying not to laugh “she fell over.”

“but she’s blue team!”

“but we’re all still friends aren’t we?”

“…oh.” the little boy considered that“…okay.” then he pointed dramatically across the field “they’re still gonna lose.”

“that’s the spirit.” y/n laughed.

the game exploded back into motion. campers scattered across the field once more, weaving between trees and picnic benches, little trainers kicking up clouds of dry dust as they ran.

“coach!”

“they’re behind you!”

“run!”

“faster!”

y/n sprinted after a group of them, ducking around one of the wooden obstacle posts near the edge of the field.

one of the flags had become tangled beneath a low wooden fence. she reached down instinctively, grabbing hold of the fabric to free it.

“…come on…” the flag caught. she pulled a little harder and it suddenly came free.

“…ow- shiiiii…” the word caught halfway out as she looked up a tiny little girl was staring at her with enormous eyes.

y/n’s mouth snapped shut “…shoe.” she finished far too quickly “…ow. my shoe.”

the little girl frowned “…your shoe?”

“…yeah.” y/n nodded a little too enthusiastically. she turned her hand over, a tiny splinter sat buried near the side of her thumb “…oh.”

before she could even decide whether to pull it out the little girl gasped dramatically. her face filled with genuine concern “miss sophia!” she cupped both hands around her mouth.

“leader!” every counsellor instinctively looked up “coach y/n has a boo boo!”

the shout echoed across the entire field, conversation stopped, children froze.

sophia blinked before immediately making her way across the grass “…what happened?” she asked, already kneeling beside y/n.

the little girl answered before y/n had a chance “she hurt herself.”

sophia looked down at y/n’s hand at the tiny splinter then back at y/n “…that’s your boo boo?”

y/n looked mildly embarrassed “apparently.”

the little girl nodded solemnly “it looked really sore.”

sophia’s expression softened into a smile “well…” she reached into the little first aid pouch clipped to her belt “good thing we’ve got first aid trained counsellors.”

lara wandered over, immediately trying to peer over sophia’s shoulder “…is she going to make it?”

megan finally reached them too, slightly out of breath “…i genuinely thought someone had broken a bone.”

y/n held up her thumb “…splinter.”

megan stared at it then at y/n “…that’s the emergency?”

before y/n could answer, the little girl folded her arms “all injuries matter.”

there was a beat of silence then every counsellor smiled “…she’s got us there,” sophia admitted as she carefully reached for the tweezers.

sophia smiled warmly before taking y/n’s hand. “let’s have a look.” she turned it over carefully, her thumb brushing gently across y/n’s palm until she found the tiny splinter lodged just beneath the skin “…right.”

y/n watched her face carefully “…how bad is it?”

sophia looked up “…it’s a splinter.”

“…a bad splinter? like out of ten?”

sophia let out a slow breath through her nose as she inspected the splinter “i’d say…” she turned y/n’s hand “…about a one.”

a few more campers had wandered over by now, curiosity getting the better of them.

“is coach okay?”

“does she need a bandage?”

“is she bleeding?”

“i can’t see any blood.”

“maybe it’s inside blood.”

“…be gentle.” y/n said her eyes widening as sophia approached with the tweezers.

“i always am.”

“i know, but-

“y/n.”

“…yeah?”

“it’s a splinter.” sophia steadied her hand, bringing it a little closer “don’t move.”

y/n immediately squeezed one eye shut “i don’t like this.”

“nothing has happened yet.”

“i’m preparing.”

“for…” sophia raised an eyebrow “…a splinter.”

around them, a couple of the older campers giggled.

“coach y/n’s scared.”

“i’m not scared.” y/n protested immediately.

she lined the tweezers up with the tiny sliver of wood. y/n took a deep breath “…ow.”

sophia stopped, she slowly looked up ““…i haven’t touched it yet”

y/n blinked “…oh.” another wave of laughter spread through the children.

sophia met y/n’s eyes, she didn’t say anything she didn’t need to because she simply gave her a look.

the look.

the one that said, there are twelve children watching you right now. pull yourself together.

y/n pressed her lips tightly together “…right.” she nodded once “being brave.”

“thank you.” sophia pinched the end of the splinter with one quick pull “…there.” she held up the tiny splinter between the tweezers “all done.”

y/n cautiously opened both eyes “…already?”

“already.”

“…that’s it?”

“that’s it.” she placed the microscopic splinter onto a tissue. one of the campers leaned forward “…that’s tiny.”

“it was.” sophia agreed “coach y/n survived.”

“see?” y/n looked around proudly “i was brave.”

“you flinched before i even started.” sophia replied as she cleaned the little mark with an antiseptic wipe.

“that was just anticipation.”

“that was just unnecessary.” she peeled a tiny dinosaur plaster from its wrapper and pressed it gently over y/n’s thumb “there. good as new.”

y/n admired it “…i got the dinosaur.”

“you did.”

“…worth it.”

sophia laughed quietly as she packed the tweezers away. before she could zip the pouch shut, lara peered down dramatically at y/n’s hand.

she leaned in, narrowing her eyes at the plaster “…you want me to kiss it better?”

without missing a beat, y/n reached over and shoved her shoulder “oh fuc- fudge off.”

lara stumbled sideways with an exaggerated gasp, one hand clutching her chest. the campers all burst into giggles.

one little girl frowned thoughtfully “my mummy kisses my boo boos.” lara immediately pointed at her “finally, somebody understands.”

sophia shook her head, smiling to herself as she clipped the first aid pouch back onto her belt.

“alright.” she stood, dusting off her knees “doctor’s orders.” she pointed at y/n “no more dramatic injuries.”

“i’ll do my best.”

“and you.” she turned to lara “no kissing the patients.”

lara sighed dramatically “this place gets stricter every year.”

the campers immediately remembered they were in the middle of a game and scattered in every direction again, laughing as they ran.

lara lingered beside y/n for just a second longer before nudging her lightly with her elbow “…seriously though.” she nodded towards the tiny dinosaur plaster “looks cute on you.”

the game resumed almost instantly.

children scattered back across the field as though the great splinter emergency had never happened, little legs carrying them in every direction at once.

except…not all of them. one of the little girls who’d watched the whole thing unfold stood completely still for another second, her eyes darting between y/n and lara.

her mouth slowly fell open. then, with all the urgency in the world she gasped.

she sprinted past campers chasing flags, ducked around a picnic bench and skidded to a stop beside another little girl standing with daniela and manon. she was breathing so hard she had to grab onto her knees.

“guess…” pant “…what!”

her friend blinked “what?”

the little girl looked around dramatically before leaning in to whisper. except it wasn’t really a whisper “coach lara and coach y/n said they were going to kiss!”

the words carried far louder than she’d intended. manon’s head snapped around so quickly she almost gave herself whiplash.

beside her, daniela looked up from helping a camper retie the ribbon around their arm, she’d only caught the last few words.

coach lara…

kiss.

her eyebrows pulled together before she even realised they had.

the little girl nodded enthusiastically “i heard it!”

another camper nearby scrunched up his nose “ewwwww…” he announced with complete conviction “…coooooties.”

within seconds, three more children had abandoned whatever they were doing.

“cooties?”

“who’s got cooties?”

“coach lara!”

“and coach y/n!”

another little girl looked absolutely horrified “…are they gonna get married now?”

before anyone could answer-

a little boy standing beside daniela frowned thoughtfully “…no.” he shook his head with complete confidence “miss daniela and coach y/n are already married.”

daniela blinked “…what?”

the little boy pointed towards maple cabin, visible through the trees “because they live together.”

his logic seemed completely sound so another camper gasped “they do live together!”

“…does that mean…” a tiny girl slowly turned towards manon “…miss manon…” she tilted her head “…are you and leader sophia married too?”

manon stared at her for exactly half a second then burst into laughter, the kind that made her bend forwards slightly as she tried to catch her breath.

“what?” she managed between laughs “…no!”

“but you live together too.”

“that’s because we’re counsellors.”

“my mom and dad live together.”

“yeah…” manon grinned “…but sophia would absolutely hate being married to me.”

“i heard that.” sophia called from somewhere across the field without even looking up from the group she was helping. manon laughed harder “…see?”

the children seemed to accept that explanation for approximately three seconds then another little voice piped up.

“but…” the first little girl frowned “…why are coach lara and coach y/n kissing then?”

manon’s laughter faltered just enough for her to glance sideways at daniela only then did she notice…daniela hadn’t laughed.

she was still crouched beside one of the campers, fingers absentmindedly tightening the knot she’d already tied. her eyes had drifted across the field without seeming to realise it.

y/n was laughing at something lara had said, the tiny dinosaur plaster still wrapped around her thumb. lara nudged her shoulder again and y/n shoved her away with a grin.

the little girl’s question lingered in the air.

daniela looked back down “…why…” she asked quietly, more curious than anything else “…why are miss lara and coach y/n kissing?”

the little girl looked at her as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “coach y/n got really hurt.” she nodded very seriously “and miss lara said she was gonna give her the kiss of life.”

there was a beat of silence then manon made a noise somewhere between a snort and a laugh.

“the kiss of life?” she repeated, trying desperately to keep a straight face.

the little girl nodded earnestly “that’s what she said.”

the whole group fell into a very serious discussion over whether a splinter was severe enough to require “the kiss of life.”

manon had to turn away completely, one hand covering her mouth to hide another laugh “…lara’s unbelievable.” she muttered under her breath.

beside her…daniela’s eyes wandered across the field once more the words echoed quietly in the back of her mind.

“coach lara and coach y/n said they were going to kiss.”

she knew it wasn’t true, she knew children misunderstood things all the time so why had her chest tightened anyway?

manon was still shaking her head as she watched the children disappear back into the game “…kiss of life,” she murmured rolling her eyes.

daniela didn’t answer, her eyes had already drifted back across the field again, y/n was standing beside lara near the edge of the boundary rope,

y/n laughed head tipping back slightly and lara laughed too. they were standing close enough that every now and then one of them would gesture and the other would lean in just enough to hear over the noise of the game.

daniela frowned without realising as something about the sight settled awkwardly beneath her ribs.

before she’d really thought about what she was doing, her hand had already reached for the radio clipped to her waistband.

click.

“mei?”

a burst of static answered first.

“go ahead.”

“can you cover my side for a minute?”

there was a short pause “yeah, course.”

daniela’s eyes stayed fixed on the field “i just need to sort the drinks out before everyone finishes.”

“got it.”

click.

she clipped the radio back onto her shorts. only afterwards did she realise…the drinks didn’t actually need sorting yet, they still had another thirty minutes left.

the thought barely registered as her feet were already carrying her across the grass.

children darted around her, weaving in and out of the trees. someone shouted that they’d found the flag, someone else insisted they definitely hadn’t.

daniela hardly heard any of it as she slowed only when she reached them “…y/n.” both y/n and lara looked over.

“hey.” y/n smiled “everything alright?”

“yeah.” daniela nodded once “i need a hand setting up the juice boxes and water for when the game finishes.”

y/n glanced towards the field “…already?”

“i’d rather get it done now.”

“…okay.” y/n looked back at lara “one sec.” she lifted a finger with an apologetic smile “you were saying?”

lara opened her mouth to continue the story before she managed more than a word daniela stepped just a little closer.

her fingertips rested lightly against the middle of y/n’s back, just enough to catch her attention. a brief, gentle touch through the fabric of her camp shirt.

“now.” she said quietly.

for the smallest moment, y/n blinked then looked over her shoulder. daniela had already started walking away, clearly expecting she’d follow.

y/n glanced between the two of them “…i’ll be back.” she said to lara before jogging the couple of steps needed to catch up.

lara watched them go, the corners of her mouth lifted “…interesting.”

the walk to the dining hall was quieter than the field behind them.

the sounds of capture the flag faded with every step they took down the worn dirt path. whistles still echoed faintly between the trees, followed by the distant shrieks of campers arguing over whether someone had been tagged or not.

y/n matched daniela’s pace easily, hands tucked into the pockets of her shorts as they wandered between patches of afternoon sunlight filtering through the pines.

she glanced sideways, daniela was looking ahead. one hand absently adjusted the radio clipped to her waistband before falling back to her side again.

“…you alright?”

daniela hummed “yep.” it came a little too quickly.

y/n’s eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, she knew that answer. it was the same one daniela gave every time something was on her mind but she hadn’t quite figured out what it was herself.

she let it sit. if daniela wanted to talk, she would and if she didn’t…she wouldn’t push.

they reached the dining hall a minute later. the back doors stood propped open, letting the warm breeze drift through the otherwise empty building.

rows of picnic tables sat waiting for the campers, the afternoon sun casting long rectangles of light across the wooden floor. boxes of juice sat stacked neatly against one wall beside two large coolers waiting to be filled with water bottles before the game ended.

daniela walked over to them immediately. she crouched down, lifting the first box onto one of the tables before beginning to line the little cartons into neat rows.

y/n watched her for a second “…you know we’ve still got ages before they finish.”

“mhm.” daniela didn’t look up, she reached for another box “thought we’d get ahead.”

“…right.” y/n picked up another carton anyway, helping arrange them without another word.

all that could be heard was cardboard scraping softly against the tabletop and the occasional clink of bottles as daniela filled one of the coolers. it was comfortable not awkward just quiet.

daniela broke it first. “…heard you got hurt.” she said it casually still facing the cooler as she twisted another bottle upright.

y/n looked down at her thumb before smiling to herself “…oh yeah.” she nodded “the emergency helicopter’s actually on its way.” she held her hand up dramatically, presenting the tiny dinosaur plaster like evidence “…they said i’m lucky to be alive.”

daniela finally looked over her eyes landed on the plaster then on y/n’s completely serious expression. she held it for exactly two seconds before the corner of her mouth betrayed her.

daniela let out a quiet laugh through her nose, shaking her head as she reached for another bottle. the strange tightness that had been sitting in her chest since the children started talking seemed to loosen, if only a fraction.

“…did sophia at least give you a sticker?” she asked.

“no.” y/n sighed dramatically “i was hoping for one.”

“at least you got a dinosaur plaster.”

“true.” she admired it again “i think that’s why i survived.”

another smile tugged at daniela’s lips before she could stop it. there it was again. that ridiculous, effortless way y/n had of making even the smallest things seem funny.

it was infuriating especially because she’d only been annoyed with herself five minutes ago.

y/n reached for another crate at exactly the same moment daniela did. their hands brushed lightly against the cardboard both instinctively pulled back.

“…sorry.” they said together, they looked at each other then both laughed quietly again.

y/n was still absentmindedly turning her thumb over, inspecting the tiny dinosaur plaster as though it were some kind of battle scar.

daniela glanced at it again “…so.” she picked up another bottle “was it the dinosaur plaster that saved you…” she paused just long enough to twist the cap straight.

“…or lara’s kiss?”

it was supposed to sound light, a joke. she’d meant it as one but the words landed a little flatter than she’d intended, a little shorter and the last part clipped off before she’d softened it.

y/n looked over immediately then laughed, she held her thumb up dramatically again “…hard to tell.” she smiled “i think it was a combination of both.” she shook her head, still chuckling to herself.

daniela let out a quiet hum, the smile she tried to give never quite reached her eyes. she turned back towards the cooler, busying herself with bottles she’d already lined up once.

her jaw tightened. it was ridiculous, she knew it was ridiculous. lara flirted with everyone, she’d seen it every day since arriving at camp. it didn’t mean anything so why had that answer bothered her?

she frowned faintly at herself before she realised what she was doing, she’d picked up the same bottle she’d already put down twice.

“…i…” the word slipped out before she could stop it.

y/n looked over “…what?”

daniela hesitated, she stared down at the cooler for another second “…nothing.” she reached for another juice box instead

“…just…” she exhaled quietly through her nose “lara flirts with everyone.”

she kept her eyes on what she was doing, straightening one of the rows that hadn’t actually needed straightening.

“she doesn’t mean any of it.” her fingers paused briefly against one of the cartons.

“…she just…” she searched for the right words “…she just likes getting a reaction out of people.”

another carton with another tiny adjustment.

“that’s kind of her thing.” she finally closed the last box “…so…” she brushed her hands together “…don’t let it get to you.”

y/n frowned ever so slightly before she had a chance to answer one of the juice boxes tipped sideways near the edge of the table.

y/n reached for it on instinct “…whoa-“ she caught it just before it slipped off the edge when she looked up again…she realised she’d stepped much closer without thinking.

close enough that she was standing almost shoulder to shoulder with daniela. she rested the juice box back into place before looking sideways at her. the little smile that had been on her face a moment ago hadn’t disappeared but it had softened.

there was something more curious in it now, something quietly observant. “well…” y/n said quietly, the smallest hint of a smile lingering at the corner of her mouth.

“…she certainly got one out of you.”

the words landed so lightly they almost shouldn’t have carried any weight at all. for a heartbeat, daniela simply stared at her. her fingers remained resting against the edge of the table where she’d been straightening the juice boxes, but she’d stopped feeling the cardboard beneath them. the movement she’d been making only a second earlier faded away without her even noticing.

it took a moment for her brain to catch up with what y/n had actually said.

she certainly got one out of you.

the sentence repeated itself somewhere in the back of her mind. her stomach tightened…had y/n noticed?

the thought arrived so suddenly it almost knocked the breath out of her. she hadn’t meant to react, she hadn’t even realised she had reacted until y/n pointed it out.

her heartbeat, which had finally settled after chasing campers around the field for the better part of an hour, suddenly lurched back into life.

not fast enough to panic just enough that she could feel it. one beat then another a little heavier than the last.

she looked at y/n properly, like really looked at her. not the quick glances they’d grown used to sharing across camp or easy smiles from opposite sides of the football field.

this was different she searched y/n’s face instinctively, as though the answer might already be written there.

was she teasing? had she figured something out? was she just making an observation?

y/n stood opposite her, one hand still resting lightly against the juice box she’d caught before it’d fallen. her shoulders were relaxed, her expression open. there wasn’t a trace of accusation in it.

if anything she looked curious like she’d noticed something without entirely understanding what she’d noticed.

daniela’s eyebrows pulled together ever so slightly. she opened her mouth, closed it again.

say something. anything. make a joke. tell her she was imagining things. tell her lara annoyed everyone.

the words lined themselves up somewhere in her head but none of them seemed willing to leave “…i…” it came out barely louder than a breath and she stopped herself before she’d even begun.

y/n’s smile shifted, the teasing little curve at the corner of her mouth relaxed into something quieter. she watched daniela carefully now just… patiently waiting.

the silence stretched just long enough for both of them to become aware of it.

daniela became suddenly aware of how close they were standing. close enough that she could see y/n’s expression changing in real time, the smile had almost disappeared now replaced by something more thoughtful.

her head tilted ever so slightly, almost unconsciously, as though she was trying to work daniela out. daniela’s chest tightened, she was still looking still trying to read whatever was happening behind y/n’s eyes.

and somewhere in the middle of doing that… without meaning to…without even realising she’d done it…

her focus slipped.

her eyes dropped from y/n’s gaze, past the bridge of her nose, past the little crease beginning to form between her eyebrows.

until they settled-

on y/n’s lips.

softly parted, as though she’d been about to say something else before deciding to wait. y/n saw it. at first she thought she’d imagined it, the shift was so small she almost missed it entirely.

daniela’s eyes, which had been fixed so intently on hers only a heartbeat before, didn’t stay there.

they simply… slipped as though they’d lost their footing. y/n stopped breathing her lungs simply forgot what they were supposed to do.

for a fraction of a second she just watched daniela watching her.

there wasn’t anything brazen about it, if anything it looked almost accidental like daniela herself hadn’t realised where she’d ended up looking.

and yet…she didn’t move, she stayed there completely still.

the dining hall suddenly felt impossibly quiet. the breeze drifting through the open doors stirred the loose napkins on the table beside them.

somewhere outside, children shouted over one another, their voices carrying faintly across camp.

it all sounded impossibly far away as though somebody had slowly turned the volume down on the rest of the world.

y/n’s heartbeat thudded once against her ribs hard enough that she could feel it. she should have looked away she knew she should instead her own eyes betrayed her.

they followed the exact path daniela’s had taken slowly. her gaze slipped from daniela’s eyes, the way a damp curl had escaped, resting softly against her temple, the rise and fall of her breathing.

before she could stop herself her eyes settled on daniela’s lips too.

she noticed how slightly parted they were as she noticed the tiny breath she’d just taken.

oh.

the thought hit her all at once, her chest tightened as heat crept slowly up the back of her neck. she also became acutely aware of how close they were standing.

then almost like they were both waking from the same thought at exactly the same moment…their eyes began to lift slowly. lingering for the briefest second before continuing upward.

their gazes climbed inch by inch until they met.

it wasn’t the easy eye contact they’d shared all week, it wasn’t accompanied by a laugh or a teasing smile or one of lara’s sarcastic comments drifting between them.

this felt… different.

their eyes caught and simply held. y/n couldn’t look away, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to. there was something so unguarded in daniela’s expression that it made her own heart stumble.

like they’d both accidentally stepped over a line neither of them had realised was there.

no words came, they weren’t needed. the silence between them had changed it no longer felt empty, it felt full.

full of questions neither of them knew how to ask. full of thoughts neither of them had admitted to themselves yet.

kssshhhht.

the sharp burst of static exploded from daniela’s radio. they both jumped, the moment shattered so suddenly it almost felt physical.

y/n stumbled back half a step on instinct, her shoulder catching the corner of the table just enough to make one of the juice boxes wobble.

her heart slammed against her ribs far harder than it should have. she reached automatically for the carton before it could topple over, setting it back into line with hands that suddenly felt clumsy.

she straightened another then another. none of them needed straightening she just needed something to do. anything except look back up.

beside her, daniela blinked hard, as though she’d only just remembered where she was. her hand flew to the radio clipped to her waistband for a split second she simply stared at it.

sophia’s voice crackled through “dani, you all set up?”

daniela swallowed, her throat felt strangely dry as she pressed the button “y-yeah…” the word caught ever so slightly before she cleared her throat “…yeah. send them in.”

“…copy that.”

another burst of static then silence. the radio clicked back onto her waistband.

the dining hall suddenly felt much too big.

y/n kept her attention fixed firmly on the rows of juice boxes in front of her, nudging one of them a fraction of an inch to the left before immediately deciding it had looked better where it’d been originally.

daniela busied herself lifting bottles into the cooler. one. two. three. she’d already counted them, she knew they were all there but her hands were simply giving her mind somewhere else to be.

the silence stretched between them like neither of them quite knew what to do with it. almost against her own will y/n glanced up at that exact same moment so did daniela.

their eyes met again just for a heartbeat both of them immediately looked away.

another second passed “…sorry.” they spoke at exactly the same time, the words overlapped.

both of them stopped looked back up then let out the same small, awkward laugh. just enough to break some of the tension sitting between them.

y/n rubbed the back of her neck “…i…” she started then stopped, she wasn’t even sure what she’d been about to say.

daniela shook her head slightly “…yeah.” another tiny laugh escaped her, her cheeks felt warmer than they had any right to.

she reached for another bottle simply because it gave her somewhere else to put her hands.

y/n looked back down at the table again the little dinosaur plaster on her thumb caught her eye, she smiled to herself without really knowing why.

a moment later she looked up again and daniela was already looking at her. she’d only meant to glance over just to check to see if y/n was…she didn’t even know.

the instant their eyes met, daniela looked away again. a smile tugged unwillingly at the corner of her mouth. y/n noticed it and she felt one threatening to appear on her own face too.

before either of them could say another word the dining hall doors slammed open. the quiet disappeared in an instant. a wave of children flooded inside, filling every corner of the room with excited voices.

“juice!”

“i’m starving!”

“coach y/n!”

“coach dani!”

little trainers thundered across the wooden floor. someone was already asking for a second juice box before they’d even been handed the first.

y/n stepped away from the table, smiling as a little girl immediately tugged on her sleeve.

daniela did the same, crouching down to help a camper who couldn’t quite reach the cooler. for just a second across the crowd of children their eyes found each other one last time then, almost shyly they both smiled and turned back to camp.

juice boxes disappeared almost as quickly as y/n and daniela could set them out. the counsellors spread themselves naturally around the room. sophia drifted between tables, checking everyone had something to eat.

manon had somehow ended up mediating a debate about whether dinosaurs could swim.

daniela crouched beside one of the younger campers, patiently twisting open a stubborn water bottle while he watched with complete fascination.

lara leaned casually against one of the serving tables, laughing at something a camper had said before looking around the room.

y/n found herself doing the same her eyes landed on daniela almost immediately.

she was smiling at the little boy now, handing him the bottle with a quiet, “there you go.” the boy beamed as though she’d just performed actual magic.

y/n smiled without thinking then immediately frowned at herself.

what is wrong with me?

she looked away but found herself looking back almost instantly. her stomach flipped again and before she’d really thought about it, she was already moving.

she weaved between campers carrying juice boxes and half-eaten bananas until she spotted megan heading past with an armful of empty cartons.

“mei”

megan glanced over “hm?”

y/n reached out automatically, catching her lightly by the forearm before she walked past “i need your help.”

there was something in her voice that made megan stop straight away she shifted the cartons against her hip.

“…yeah?” her eyebrows knitted together “with what?”

y/n opened her mouth but nothing came out. she stared at megan for a second, searching for words that simply weren’t there.

instead her hand slowly slid down megan’s arm, over her wrist until her little finger found megan’s.

she hooked them together, the same pinky promise, the same one they’d made by the campfire.

megan looked down at their hands then slowly back up at y/n. the flush sitting across y/n’s cheeks hadn’t faded. if anything…it had spread. she wasn’t really looking at megan, her eyes kept drifting somewhere over her shoulder.

megan frowned and she turned her head following y/n’s gaze across the dining hall to daniela.

still beside manon now, the two of them listening to a little girl passionately explain something. daniela laughed quietly and manon laughed too. before megan had time to think anything of it-

lara looked up.

her eyes flicked across the room, they settled briefly on manon and daniela just for a second. a knowing little smile tugged at one corner of her mouth before she looked away again then she raised her voice.

“y/n!” the name carried easily over the chatter “come here a minute.”

almost instantly manon’s head snapped towards lara. daniela’s did too, so quickly it was almost identical. the same tiny furrow between their brows, the same questioning look both waiting to see what lara wanted.

lara caught both expressions and her smile widened just enough that only someone watching closely would’ve noticed.

megan did, she watched lara then manon then daniela then looked back at y/n.

whose eyes had followed daniela almost automatically. megan blinked once then again, she looked back across the room.

lara.

manon.

daniela.

back to y/n.

the pieces clicked together so suddenly it almost made her dizzy.

“…ohhhhhhhhhhhhh…” she breathed, her eyes grew wider with every passing second.

“…shit.” she hadn’t even realised she’d said it out loud.

a tiny gasp came from somewhere beside them.

“miss leader sophia!” the little boy’s voice rang through the dining hall. every counsellor instinctively looked over, he pointed dramatically towards megan.

“coach megan said a bad word!”

a/n : aaanddd the slow burn is burrrningggggg hope you all enjoyed this <3 the pace is finally picking up 👀

the staff rec room was empty when they stepped inside. just the suitcases sitting where they’d left them earlier that afternoon. it felt strange seeing them there like a reminder that they’d only arrived a few hours ago even though it felt significantly longer.

megan immediately dropped onto one of the sofas “i think i need twelve business days to recover.”

“same.” y/n grabbed the handle of her suitcase, the wheels rattled across the wooden floor as everyone began heading back outside.

the camp looked different now. most of the other staff hadn’t arrived yet, leaving the pathways quiet beneath the glow of scattered lampposts. the evening air felt cooler against their still-damp clothes.

“showers.” megan muttered “that’s all i want.”

they followed sophia down a narrow path behind the main buildings. their suitcases rattled over the path behind them as sophia led them further into camp.

the cabins sat tucked amongst the trees, separated enough to feel private but close enough that voices could carry between them. warm light glowed from the windows, after the lake and the forest, they looked ridiculously inviting.

sophia stopped first in front of the cabin furthest to the left “this is oak.” she gestured towards it. immediately manon stepped up beside her and slung an arm around her shoulders “the best cabin.”

lara deadpanned “starting the lies early i see .”

“they deserve honesty.”

“that’s not honesty.” manon looked offended “yes it is.”

before the argument could continue, daniela walked forward “actually.”

“maple is the best.” she popped the ‘p’ dramatically. she stopped directly in front of the middle cabin, the lights from the porch illuminated her grin.

“according to who?” lara asked.

“me.” daniela said flipping her hair over her shoulder.

lara crossed her arms “they’re all liars.” she nodded towards the last cabin sitting to the right back amongst the trees “cedar is the best.”

“cedar is shit.” daniela replied.

for a second y/n and megan just watched them, it felt like listening to siblings argue.

sophia eventually stepped in before it could continue “anyway.” she looked between the two newest counsellors.

“one of you will be staying with daniela.” then towards lara “and one of you will be staying with lara.”

immediately both y/n and megan looked over. lara straightened slightly and so did daniela. “do we pick?” y/n asked “or is there some challenge involved?”

“no challenge.” sophia replied immediately “no race, no canoe, no whistle, you just choose.”

that somehow made it more awkward, both girls looked towards lara, then daniela then at each other.

“this feels weird.” megan finally admitted.

“thank you” y/n immediately nodded “i was thinking that.” she lowered her voice slightly “i feel like i’m choosing my starter pokemon.”

megan let out a snort then shoved her shoulder “stop.”

lara let out a long dramatic groan and before anyone could continue, she held up a hand “okay.” everyone looked at her. “i’m bored.”

she pointed directly at megan “i choose megan.”

megan blinked “what?”

“too late.” lara grabbed the handle of her suitcase “you’re cedar now.”

“that’s not how choosing works.”

“it is tonight.” lara started walking towards her cabin, completely confident leaving megan standing there looking bewildered while everyone else laughed.

which left y/n and daniela looking at each other and somehow that felt significantly more dangerous “i guess that means you’re with me.”

y/n looked up, daniela was smiling and before y/n could answer, daniela hooked her arm through hers and started pulling her towards maple.

it caught her off guard enough that she nearly stumbled.

“come on.”

behind them she could hear megan protesting something to lara while the others laughed.

the sound faded quickly as daniela led her up the small wooden steps. y/n found herself looking down at where their arms were linked, it was such an easy thing like daniela hadn’t thought twice about it.

which somehow made it worse or better, she hadn’t decided. all she knew was that her heart did an annoyingly noticeable little flutter.

thankfully daniela seemed completely unaware.

the front door swung open and warm air immediately greeted them. maple was bigger inside than y/n had expected.

the main room looked more like a small lodge than a cabin. worn wooden floors, a sofa pushed against one wall. a coffee table covered in old camp photos and forgotten card games.

a small kitchenette occupied the far corner. everything looked lived in and comfortable. “home sweet home.” daniela waved her hands around as y/n stepped further inside, her gaze wandering.

framed photos covered parts of the walls, past counsellors, camp events, summer groups from previous years.

there were enough of them to suggest decades of history. a hallway stretched off from the main room.

“the camper rooms are down there.” daniela pointed “when staff training starts properly we’ll have campers assigned.”

y/n nodded following her. the hallway held several bedrooms. rows of bunk beds waiting for campers who hadn’t arrived yet.

neatly folded camp blankets sat at the end of each mattress.

their footsteps echoed softly on the wooden floor as they continued further down towards the back of the cabin. eventually daniela stopped outside the final room.

“and this is us.”

she pushed the door open, the room was smaller than the others. more personal and clearly separate from the camper spaces.

two single beds sat opposite each other with a small gap between them. each had a wooden bedside table and a lamp. a large window overlooked the trees behind the cabin.

the curtains were pulled open, leaving only darkness beyond the glass and the occasional movement of branches in the wind.

one side of the room was obviously occupied already, photos pinned above the bed, a hoodie hanging from the bedpost, makeup stacked messily on the bedside table.

the other side was empty. daniela dropped her phone onto her bed before turning around.

“you get first choice.”

y/n looked between the two beds then laughed “there’s literally only one free.”

“exactly.”

“very generous.”

“thank you.” daniela gave a small bow and y/n rolled her eyes but she was smiling. the room felt surprisingly cosy.

“welcome to maple.” daniela said, dropping backwards onto her mattress “best cabin.”

from somewhere outside came lara’s distant voice. “LIAR.”

y/n couldn’t help laughing. for a while, neither of them did much.

daniela had kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto her bed almost immediately, one arm tucked behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling.

meanwhile y/n had opened her suitcase and was slowly unpacking or at least pretending to. most of the time she found herself getting distracted by the room. it felt strange, this morning she’d been at home.l now she was standing in a cabin in the middle of nowhere unpacking her life for the next few months.

a towel landed on the bed, then a hoodie, then a pair of trainers. daniela watched the whole process from her bed.

“you know.” she said eventually “most people unpack faster than this.”

y/n glanced over “most people didn’t almost die in a lake today.”

daniela laughed quietly, the sound made y/n smile despite herself.

for a moment the room fell comfortable again. the open window let in the sound of distant voices somewhere outside. a door shutting. laughter from another cabin, camp settling down for the night.

“so…” y/n folded another hoodie “how does camp actually work?”

daniela turned her head slightly “what do you mean?”

“like…” y/n shrugged “everything.”

that earned a laugh “very specific.”

“i know.” she sat down on the edge of her bed “i just realised i have no idea what i’m actually doing tomorrow.”

“neither do i sophia will tell us properly in the morning”

y/n rolled her eyes then looked over again “does this mean i’ll spend all day with you?”

the words were out before she thought about them. daniela immediately lifted herself onto her elbows, a smile appearing “why?”

y/n’s stomach dropped “what?”

“you wanna spend all day with me?” her grin widened.

“n-no.” y/n felt heat rush straight to her face “that’s not what i meant.”

daniela looked delighted which only made it worse. “i just meant because we’re in the same cabin and-“

“relax.” daniela laughed dropping back onto the mattress “i’m messing with you.”

a few seconds passed before daniela answered properly “no, it rotates.”

“what does?”

“everything.” she gestured vaguely towards the ceiling, towards camp and whatever invisible system apparently existed “activities. schedules. groups.”

y/n looked over actually interested now “so we won’t be together all day?”

“not usually.” daniela shook her head “every week the schedules change around depending on who’s needed where.”

“oh.”

“but everyone sort of has their thing.”

that caught y/n’s attention “what’s yours?”

daniela smiled immediately “talent week.”

“what does that mean?”

daniela sat up slightly now, actually engaging in the conversation “dance classes.” she shrugged “helping kids prepare performances and teaching routines.”

“that sounds terrifying.”

“for them or me?”

“both.”

“fair.” the smile never left her face “some of them are amazing though…and some aren’t…actually most aren’t.”

they both laughed.

“but they get really into it.”

“there’s a talent show at the end of the summer and everyone performs something.”

“everyone?”

“everyone.”

“absolutely not.”

“absolutely yes.”

“daniela.”

“you’ll survive.”

y/n wasn’t convinced, not even slightly “what about sophia?”

“water sports mostly” daniela nodded “canoes, swimming, nature activities.”

“the outdoor stuff.”

y/n immediately thought about the initiation, that made sense “lara?”

“she runs songwriting and team bonding stuff”

that surprised her “really?”

daniela nodded “once a week. kids write songs or poems or whatever they want. some perform them at the talent show and some just sing them around the campfire.”

“that’s actually kind of nice.”

“it is.” for a second daniela’s expression softened like it was one of her favourite parts of camp.

“what about manon?”

daniela laughed immediately “manon’s thing is sports. football, basketball, volleyball.” she waves her hand around “basically if it involves running around and yelling, manon’s probably in charge.”

“that is exactly what i would’ve guessed.”

“she takes it weirdly seriously.”

“i gathered.” the memory of manon screaming from a canoe floated back into both their minds. judging by daniela’s laugh, she was thinking the same thing.

outside, the camp had grown quieter. the last of the evening sounds drifting through the open window. inside, y/n found herself relaxing for the first time all day.

they’d been talking for so long neither of them realised how late it had gotten. it wasn’t until daniela picked up her phone from beside her bed and checked the time that she sat upright “oh.”

y/n looked over from where she was attempting to organise a drawer “what?”

“we should probably eat.” she held up her phone “before they stop serving food.”

y/n didn’t need to be told twice. the thought of actual food suddenly sounded incredible.

within a few minutes they were heading back outside. the air had changed completely since earlier. the last traces of daylight had disappeared, leaving the camp lit by porch lights, path lamps and the occasional glow from cabin windows.

the gravel crunched beneath their shoes as they started towards the dining hall. for a little while neither spoke, not because it was awkward just comfortable.

eventually daniela started talking again “last summer one of the kids tried to keep a raccoon.”

y/n looked over immediately “a raccoon?”

“an actual raccoon.” there was already a smile tugging at the corner of daniela’s mouth.

they walked side by side along the path, the warm glow from the camp lights appearing and disappearing between the trees as they moved.

“he found it near the dining hall bins and decided it was his now.”

y/n laughed “please tell me somebody noticed.”

“that’s the thing.” daniela shook her head “nobody noticed for like two days.”

“how do you hide a raccoon for two days?”

“i genuinely don’t know.” she laughed “but somehow he managed it.” as she talked, y/n found herself glancing over again.

the path lights caught daniela’s face every few seconds as they walked beneath them.

her curls had mostly dried now, falling around her shoulders in loose waves. every now and then she pushed one back absentmindedly when it fell into her face.

“…he’d been sneaking food from the dining hall for it.”

y/n smiled looking at her, the way she spoke with her hands. the way she laughed halfway through the story before she’d even reached the funny part.

her eyes caught the light when she turned her head. warm brown and darker in the shadows, lighter whenever they passed beneath a lamp “…and lara’s the one who found out.”

“how?” y/n asked.

“the raccoon stole her sandwich.”

that made her laugh “a sandwich?”

“half a sandwich.” daniela corrected “she was walking past one of the cabins and just sees this raccoon run out carrying it.”

y/n laughed harder and daniela was laughing too now “so she follows it and it runs straight under this kid’s bunk.”

the image alone was ridiculous, y/n found herself watching daniela as she told it.

watching the smile that appeared every time she remembered another detail.

watching the way her lips curved around certain words, the way her mouth moved when she laughed.

then y/n immediately looked away, straight ahead, at the path, at the trees or at literally anything else. heat rushed into her face, she hadn’t even realised she’d been staring.

“…and then sophia had to radio maintenance.” daniela continued “because apparently none of us knew what to do with a raccoon.”

y/n nodded far too quickly, hoping she looked normal and that she didn’t look like she’d just spent thirty seconds staring at daniela’s face instead of listening.

“…right?” daniela asked.

y/n blinked. shit. she’d missed whatever the last part had bee completely “what?”

daniela laughed immediately “you weren’t listening.”

“i was.”

“you weren’t.”

“i was.”

“okay.” daniela pointed at her, still smiling “what happened after the raccoon got under the bunk then?”

“…” y/n stared as daniela’s grin widened “exactly.”

“i was listening.”

“you absolutely weren’t.”

“i got distracted.”

“by what?”

for a second y/n thought she was going to combust. thankfully daniela kept talking before she had to answer “anyway.” she laughed saving y/n from herself “the raccoon eventually got out and the kid cried.”

the dining hall appearing through the trees ahead. warm light spilling from the windows and thankfully for y/n, the conversation moved on before daniela could ask what exactly had been so distracting.

the closer they got, the louder it became, voices, laughter and the clatter of cutlery. after spending half the evening in a forest, the noise felt strangely comforting.

daniela pulled open one of the doors and held it for y/n, warm air immediately hit them, along with the smell of food.

for a second y/n thought she might cry. the dining hall was bigger than she’d expected. long wooden tables stretched across the room, most of them empty this time of year while staff training was still underway.

a few people were scattered around, eating late dinners or talking amongst themselves. at one of the tables near the back sat the others. by the time they reached the table, everyone else was already eating.

y/n set her tray down beside megan. the food was nothing fancy. just pasta, garlic bread and salad but after everything they’d done that evening it might as well have been a five-star meal.

megan was eating like it was her first meal ever not even pretending to participate in conversation first. she took one bite, then another, then another.

manon stopped mid-sentence and stared “oh my god.”

megan didn’t even look up “what?”

“slow down.”

“no.”

“did somebody feed you at any point today?”

that finally made megan pause. she pointed her fork vaguely towards the window. “lake.” another point “forest.” then back to her plate “food.”

lara laughed into her drink while sophia shook her head. across the table, daniela looked equally amused. for a few minutes the conversation died down again while everyone focused on eating.

the comfortable kind of silence that only happened when people were genuinely hungry.

eventually sophia glanced up from her plate. her gaze landing on y/n “so.” she swallowed “how was maple?”

y/n looked up then instinctively looked across the table where daniela was already watching her. one eyebrow raised, not saying anything just waiting.

y/n immediately knew there was a correct answer. she covered her mouth while she finished chewing “the best cabin ever.”

daniela’s expression changed immediately a pleased little smile appearing as she leaned back slightly in her chair and a satisfied hum escaping her like she’d just won something “good answer.”

“biased answer” lara corrected.

beside y/n, megan finally looked up from her food “did you get interrogated too?”

lara’s fork froze halfway to her mouth slowly she lowered it “i did not interrogate you.” the offence in her voice was immediate.

which only made megan smile “lara…”

“i was getting to know you.” she pushed her hair over one shoulder still looking personally attacked by the accusation.

“it was like twenty-one questions on steroids.” megan retorted. around the table, everyone started laughing.

lara placed a hand dramatically against her chest “wow.” she shook her head “i open my heart to someone and this is how i’m treated.”

“open your heart?” megan laughed “you were conducting research.”

that got a louder laugh from the table lara looked horrified which only made everyone laugh harder.

after they finished eating, nobody seemed particularly interested in leaving.

the plates were gradually pushed towards the middle of the table, drinks replacing them as the conversation drifted from one topic to another. the dining hall had quietened around them, most of the other staff either heading back to their cabins or lingering at other tables.

somewhere during the conversation, daniela let out a yawn. without really thinking about it, she leaned sideways until her head came to rest against manon’s shoulder.

manon barely reacted just continued scrolling through her phone while talking. across from them, lara was speaking about something camp-related while absentmindedly playing with a strand of sophia’s hair, wrapping it around her finger before letting it fall and doing it again.

y/n noticed it and so did megan, they exchanged a look but apparently not subtle enough.

“we’re not in a cult if you’re thinking that, we’re just very…” manon trailed off, frowning as she searched for the right word.

before she could find it, lara threw both hands out “we just all like… touch each other… like-“ she didn’t even get to finish the sentence before everyone burst out laughing.

lara immediately groaned dropping her head backwards “no no i didn’t mean it like that i-ughhh.”

“I didn’t know it was that type of camp” megan laughed. lara immediately reached across and swatted her shoulder.

“shut up.”

“hey i’m not complaining.” megan lifted her drink, grinning “i love a cuddle”

“good.” sophia nodded “you’ll fit right in.” then she looked towards y/n “what about you?”

“what about me?” y/n looked around, confused.

“are you a touchy person?” sophia asked.

“yeah do you wanna touch each other with us-“ manon started then immediately broke, that ridiculous dolphin laugh escaping before she could even finish the sentence.

lara closed her eyes “i’m gonna kill her.” she mumbled, glaring across the table.

“uhhh i guess?” y/n shrugged. suddenly aware everyone was looking at her “i don’t really do… hugs or whatever.”

“it’s okay.” manon said, picking up her phone “dani will break you in.”

y/n’s face immediately turned bright red and across the table, daniela’s head shot up.

“manon!” sophia said immediately, trying not to laugh. “what?” manon looked up completely confused “wha-“ then it clicked “oh!” she folded in on herself laughing “i didn’t even mean it like that.”

which only made it worse because now everyone else was laughing too. lara had buried her face in her hands, megan was practically crying and sophia had completely given up pretending not to laugh.

y/n could feel her cheeks getting hotter by the second.

“I DIDN’T!” manon wheezed “i swear i didn’t.”

across the table, daniela was still staring at her in disbelief then she looked towards y/n, a smirk slowly appearing “ i mean…”

there was a glint in her eyes “you didn’t object to it.”

“oh my god.” y/n rolled her eyes immediately, trying very hard not to smile which wasn’t helped by the fact daniela looked entirely too pleased with herself.

“sophia.” y/n pointed across the table “where do i submit my cabin change form?”

~~~~~

by the time they reached the cabins, everyone looked tired. they lingered for a few minutes between the three cabins, nobody quite ready to end the night yet.

“nine o’clock.” sophia reminded them “don’t make me come drag you out of bed.”

“that’s a threat.” megan pointed out “it’s a promise” sophia replied.

lara laughed “goodnight.” she called, already walking backwards towards cedar.

“night.”

“goodnight.”

“sleep well.”

a few final goodnights were exchanged before everyone split off. megan followed lara towards cedar, still talking about something. manon immediately hooked an arm through sophia’s and started dragging her towards oak.

daniela nudged y/n’s shoulder lightly “come on.” the two of them headed towards maple. inside, the cabin was quiet. most of the lights had been switched off, leaving only the warm glow from a lamp in the hallway.

they made their way back to their room, closing the door behind them, for a while neither spoke much. the comfortable routine of getting ready for bed taking over.

y/n dug through her suitcase for pyjamas. daniela disappeared briefly into the bathroom before returning a few minutes later with damp curls and an oversized t-shirt.

the room felt smaller now and quieter without everyone else around. y/n sat on the edge of her bed, folding her clothes for tomorrow.

across from her, daniela was climbing under her blanket, propping herself up against the headboard. for a second y/n found herself looking over, just watching her. the way she’d tucked one leg underneath herself, the way her curls fell over one shoulder.

completely relaxed now compared to the energetic counsellor who’d spent the evening blowing whistles and yelling from canoes. before she realised she’d been staring, she looked down again “can i ask you something?”

daniela looked up “yeah.” y/n hesitated then nodded towards the door or more accurately, towards the rest of camp “you guys.”

a smile immediately appeared on daniela’s face “what about us?”

“you’re all really close.”

“we are.” there wasn’t even a second of hesitation just certainty.

“i was wondering…” y/n searched for the right words “were you all friends before camp?”

daniela shook her head “no.” she smiled “i met them here.”

“all of them?”

“yeah.” she settled back against the pillows, thinking “my first summer.”

“manon was the first person i met which should’ve been a warning sign.” that made y/n laugh. “then sophia, then lara and that was it really.”

“you just became friends?”

“kind of.” daniela shrugged “it’s hard not to.”

“you’re together all day, every day for months.” she paused thinking back “you work together, eat together, live together.”

daniela smiled “they’re my best friends.” she said it simply “we still try to meet up outside camp too.”

“even during the year, whatever we can manage i mean it gets harder when everyone’s busy but we try.”

the room fell quiet for a moment, the only sound coming from the trees outside the window. “that’s nice.” y/n said quietly and daniela nodded “it is.”

for a second she studied y/n then smiled a little softer this time “who knows?” she shrugged “maybe by the end of the summer you and megan will be friends with us too.”

y/n found herself smiling, the thought was surprisingly nice.the camp suddenly feeling a little less temporary “i’d like that.”

daniela’s smile widened “yeah.” she reached over and switched off her lamp, the room immediately darkening. only moonlight filtering through the window now.

“night, newbie.” there was something cheeky in the way she said it, the smile still obvious in her voice. then she disappeared beneath her blanket leaving y/n smiling to herself in the darkness.

“night.”

outside, the trees rustled softly in the wind as the camp settled into silence, the room gradually settled into silence. after a while, even the occasional rustle of blankets stopped.

y/n lay curled beneath the covers, staring up at the faint patch of moonlight stretching across the ceiling. the day replayed itself in pieces, arriving at camp, meeting everyone, the lake, the race, the forest and the dinner table.

across the room, daniela’s breathing had slowed into the steady rhythm of sleep. outside, the trees shifted softly in the night breeze, branches brushing against one another, crickets chirping somewhere beyond the window.

her eyes grew heavier, the sounds outside blurred together and the darkness became softer around the edges. eventually sleep pulled her under, the kind of sleep that only came after an exhausting day.

~~~~~

FHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT!

the whistle pierced straight through the room. y/n shot upright so quickly she nearly fell out of bed.

for one completely disoriented second she had absolutely no idea where she was, her heart hammered against her ribs and she blinked into the morning light spilling through the curtains, hair a complete mess as she tried to force her brain awake.

standing at the end of her bed were daniela and manon. both already dressed and wearing matching dark green camp evergreen t-shirts.

daniela still had the whistle between her lips as manon grinned “riseeeee and shineeeee!” she sang dramatically, throwing both arms out like she was performing to an audience.

“wakey wakey, camper!”

y/n just stared at them, completely speechless “…what?” her voice came out hoarse, barely louder than a whisper.

daniela lowered the whistle, trying and failing not to smile. y/n mumbled, rubbing both hands over her face. she looked between the two of them. still trying to wake up “…what time is it?”

“morning.” manon answered unhelpfully “obviously.” daniela reached behind her back “look!” she held something up excitedly, a neatly folded camp evergreen t-shirt. the same dark green one she and manon were already wearing. right over the left side of the chest, embroidered in neat white stitching, were y/n’s initials.

daniela pointed at them with far more excitement than seemed necessary “how cute!”

still half asleep, y/n took the shirt from her.

the fabric was soft and brand new. she looked down at the initials for a second before glancing back up. only then noticing properly that daniela and manon were wearing identical shirts. the only difference being the initials stitched onto each of theirs.

she looked from one to the other then back down at the one in her hands “…okay.” she admitted quietly. “a little cute.”

daniela looked ridiculously pleased with herself “i knew you’d like it.”

“everyone gets one.” manon said “official counsellor uniform.”

y/n ran her thumb over the stitching, a small smile appearing despite herself. it was such a tiny thing, just a shirt yet somehow seeing her own initials embroidered onto it made everything feel that little bit more real.

“five minutes.” daniela pointed towards the bathroom “then breakfast.”

“five?” y/n looked at her in horror.

“you’ve already used one.” manon replied cheerfully. then, before y/n had the chance to argue, daniela lifted the whistle back towards her mouth. y/n pointed immediately “don’t you dare.”

daniela smiled and the whistle paused just short of her lips as a grin spread slowly across her face.

FHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT!

~~~~~

by the time y/n had brushed her teeth, pulled her hair back and changed into the new camp shirt, she felt considerably more awake.

she paused in front of the mirror for a second. the dark green shirt fit perfectly and she couldn’t help smiling. after pulling on her trainers, she stepped outside.

the morning sun immediately warmed her face. the pine trees glowed golden where the sunlight filtered through them, birds chirped overhead and the lake shimmered faintly through the gaps between the trees.

everything felt calmer than it had the night before. daniela and manon were already waiting outside maple.

manon was sitting on the porch railing while daniela leaned against one of the wooden posts.

“morning.” daniela smiled as y/n walked over.

“morning.” she glanced around the clearing “where’s mega—”

FHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT!

the whistle ripped across camp from somewhere near cedar and y/n physically jumped.

“JESUS CHRIST!” megan’s voice echoed across camp. followed almost immediately by “LARA, GET UP!” sophia shouted.

“i am up!” came lara’s sleepy voice from inside the cabin.

“you’re literally still in bed!” another whistle blast echoed through the trees.

FHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT!

“MEGAN!” sophia called “YOU TOO!”

“i’m awake!” megan shouted back.

“prove it!”

“…give me a minute!”

“you’ve got thirty seconds.”

there was the unmistakable sound of somebody stumbling into something.

a muffled thud.

then-

“ow!”

megan.

“that’s why i needed the minute!”

daniela covered her mouth, trying not to laugh and manon wasn’t even pretending anymore.

“lara!” sophia called again “set a better example!”there was another crash from inside the cabin.

y/n blinked looking towards cedar “…does this happen every morning?”

manon took a slow sip of her coffee in her hand completely unfazed “more or less.” she smiled “huh.” another sip “it’s actually kind of nice not being the late one for once.”

daniela nodded thoughtfully “i was just thinking that.”

the front door of cedar suddenly flew open.

megan stumbled outside first, she’d managed to get dressed, somehow. the new camp evergreen shirt was on, her initials stitched neatly over her chest just like y/n’s, but it looked like she’d put it on in approximately three seconds. one trainer wasn’t tied and she was rubbing sleep from one eye while using her other hand to clamp over her ear.

“i’m awake!” she called dramatically “you don’t have to keep doing that!”

behind her, sophia stepped out onto the porch. without missing a beat-

FHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT!

megan flinched “OW!”

sophia lowered the whistle “thirty seconds, lara.” she called back into the cabin “or i’m coming in.”

“that’s a human rights violation.” lara’s voice floated back from somewhere inside.

“twenty-nine.”

“you’re unbelievable.”

“twenty-eight.”

there was the sound of hurried footsteps, a drawer slamming shut, muttering something under her breath then lara appeared in the doorway.

unlike megan… she somehow looked like she’d had an hour. the exact same camp shirt sat perfectly on her, sleeves casually rolled once at the arms. a pair of sunglasses rested on top of her head despite the fact she’d only been awake for about forty-five seconds and she somehow managed to look put together before she’d even stepped off the porch.

she walked out with a sigh, adjusting the sunglasses onto her face “sophia…” she huffed “please.”

she descended the steps with far more confidence than anybody had a right to possess before breakfast “it is way too early for that.”

~~~~~

the morning sun had climbed higher by the time breakfast was over.

and after being sent back to their cabins to grab notebooks and water bottles, the six of them found themselves standing outside the main lodge.

the windows were thrown open to let the morning air through and somewhere inside y/n could hear the quiet hum of a projector warming up.

sophia unlocked the front door before turning back to the group “all right.” she clapped her hands together once “welcome to staff training.”

manon let out an exaggerated sigh.

“come on.” sophia held the door open “inside.”

the main hall was bigger than y/n had expected. rows of chairs had been set out facing a projector screen at the front, though sophia ignored them completely. instead, she walked over to a large whiteboard already covered in neat handwriting.

emergency procedures.

first aid.

safeguarding.

waterfront orientation.

the day’s schedule.

she picked up a marker “today’s mostly theory.”

immediately, megan groaned “already?”

“yes, already.” sophia smiled without looking up “because before i let any of you loose with forty children, i’d quite like to know everyone knows what they’re doing.”

sophia uncapped the marker “we’ll start with emergency procedures.” she underlined the heading “after that we’ll do a first aid refresher.”

another line “then safeguarding.” she looked over her shoulder at y/n and megan “after lunch, we’ll be at the lake”

both of them looked up and she nodded towards them “we’ll go through canoe procedures, life jacket checks, rescue equipment, boundaries, all the exciting paperwork that stops people drowning.”

she put the marker down “right.” her expression became a little more serious “before we get into all the practical stuff, i want you to imagine it’s the middle of july.”

she leaned back against the table “it’s lunchtime.”

“there are campers everywhere, you’re running activities then the fire alarm goes off.” she looked around the room.

“what do you do?”

nobody answered immediately. megan looked at y/n who looked at daniela, who looked very deliberately at the floor.

sophia folded her arms “interesting.” she nodded “we’re already dead.”

daniela finally raised a hand “i’d get my group together first.”

“good.” sophia nodded “then?”

lara answered next “head count.”

“manon joined in “radio the other staff?”

“yes.” sophia pointed at her “see?” she looked back at y/n and megan “that’s the goal.”

“by the end of today i want those answers to be automatic.” she smiled reassuringly “because if something ever does happen, you won’t have time to stop and think.”

y/n found herself sitting up a little straighter. the room suddenly felt less like an orientation and more like real responsibility.

sophia picked the marker back up “okay.” she wrote one word in large letters across the whiteboard.

fire.

“let’s start with the easiest emergency.”

megan quietly leaned towards y/n “…she said that like there’s a harder one.” without looking away from the board, sophia spoke “there is.”

megan slowly sat back in her chair “…she heard me.” daniela bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh. sophia uncapped the marker and turned back to the whiteboard.

“first rule.” she wrote it in capital letters.

your campers come before the activity.

she underlined it once “i don’t care if you’ve spent two hours setting something up.”

she turned back towards them “i don’t care if it’s the talent show, the canoe race or capture the flag.” she rested the marker on the tray.

“if something isn’t safe anymore, you stop.”

everyone nodded

“straight away.” she looked around the room to make sure everyone was following.

“you don’t try and finish the activity, don’t try and see if it’ll sort itself out you stop. get everyone together, count your campers then radio another counsellor.”

she picked up a handheld radio from the desk behind her “these stay on you all day.” she held it up “they’re not decorations.”

“a lot of new counsellors panic because they think they’re bothering somebody.” she shook her head “you’re never bothering anybody by calling something in.”

she pressed the button on the side “if you’ve got a missing child.”

click.

“radio.”

“medical emergency.”

click.

“radio.”

“storm rolling in.”

click.

“radio.”

“even if you’re unsure.” she placed it back down “i’d rather have twenty unnecessary radio calls than one emergency nobody reported.”

the room was completely quiet now, the joking atmosphere from earlier had faded.

“another thing.” she walked over to the large camp map pinned to the wall. different coloured pins marked activity area “every activity has a meeting point.” she pointed to small green circles scattered around the map “if you ever have to evacuate an area, that’s where you take your group.”

she looked over her shoulder “and before anyone asks-“ she looked directly at manon “yes.”

“you count them.”

manon sighed dramatically “i wasn’t even going to ask.”

“you were thinking it.” another small laugh travelled around the room. sophia smiled before continuing “head counts happen constantly.”

she tapped the map again.

“when you leave the cabin.”

“head count.”

“when you arrive somewhere.”

“head count.”

“before lunch.”

“head count.”

“after lunch.”

“head count.”

“before you leave the lake.”

“head count.”

“i know it feels repetitive.” she shrugged “but you’d be amazed how quickly a child disappears when they see a squirrel.”

for the next twenty minutes they went through radio procedures, emergency codes, where the first aid kits were kept around camp, who carried emergency medication, where the defibrillator was stored and which counsellors were first aid qualified.

sophia explained everything calmly, occasionally stopping to ask questions instead of simply talking at them.

every answer led to another scenario, another discussion, another reason why something was done the way it was. by the end of it, y/n had pages of notes.

finally sophia capped the marker “okay.” she clapped her hands together once “let’s see if any of that actually went in.”

“you’re getting a scenario.” she looked around the room “work out what you’d do.”

she looked between everyone “there isn’t always one perfect answer.”

“i’m more interested in how you think.” she pointed across the room.

“megan.” then towards manon “you’re together.” manon immediately saluted “yes boss.”

“don’t call me boss.”

“yes boss.”

sophia ignored her “daniela.” she looked towards lara “and y/n.” the three of them moved their chairs closer together while megan dragged hers over beside manon’s.

sophia glanced down at the sheet in her hand “all right.” she read aloud “your group is running an afternoon scavenger hunt.”

she looked at daniela, lara and y/n “you’ve got twelve campers, you’re halfway through the activity when one of your campers comes running over.” she paused “‘i can’t find josh.’”

the room fell quiet, sophia folded her arms “what do you do?”

“you’ve got ten minutes.” sophia reached beside the whiteboard and wheeled two smaller portable whiteboards into the middle of the room, handing each group a marker “write down exactly what you’d do.”

she looked between them “in order.”

“don’t just write ‘find the kid’.” that earned a few laughs “i want every step.”

she rolled one board towards manon and megan before pushing the other towards daniela, lara and y/n.

“off you go.” the room immediately filled with conversation.

lara caught the whiteboard before it rolled too far she looked at daniela then at y/n then held the marker out “newbie writes.”

y/n laughed, taking the marker anyway before kneeling beside the whiteboard.

daniela sat cross-legged on the floor opposite her while lara leaned against one of the chairs.

“right.” daniela rubbed her hands together “missing camper.”

“what’s the first thing?”

“panic.” lara replied immediately. “don’t write that.” daniela laughed.

y/n uncapped the pen “okay…first thing i’d do…” she looked between them “is get everyone together?”

“yeah.” daniela nodded almost instantly “your first priority is the other eleven campers because if you go looking straight away…”

“…you’ve suddenly got eleven unsupervised children.” lara finished.

y/n wrote:

1. gather the remaining campers together.

“head count.” lara added “make sure it’s definitely just josh who’s missing.”

“good.” daniela nodded “write that.”

y/n added another line.

2. complete a head count. confirm only one camper is missing.

“then radio.” she looked up “right?”

“yeah.” daniela smiled “but be specific don’t just say ‘someone’s missing’.”

“say where you are.” lara added “who’s missing, what they’re wearing if you know and how long they’ve been gone. the more information everyone has, the quicker they can help.”

y/n scribbled it all down. the board was already beginning to fill.

“then…” she paused “do we all go looking?”

both daniela and lara shook their heads immediately. “never.” lara answered “one counsellor stays with the group.”

“always.” daniela nodded “kids notice when someone’s missing.”

“if all three counsellors disappear searching you’ve now got eleven scared children.” lara said “which creates another problem.”

y/n nodded slowly “so…” she tapped the marker against the board “one stays.”

“one searches nearby and one…” she frowned “helps organise?”

“exactly.” daniela smiled “i’d probably stay with the group, lara would search because she’s quickest and you’d stay on the radio updating everyone.”

y/n nodded as she wrote.

3. radio the situation to all staff.

4. one counsellor stays with the remaining campers.

5. one begins searching the immediate area.

6. maintain radio communication and continue updating staff.

she looked over what they’d written “anything else?”

“don’t promise the campers everything’s fine.” daniela said after a second “because you don’t know that.”

“but don’t scare them either.” lara added “just reassure them that everyone’s looking.”

y/n wrote another point beneath it. she stepped back to look at the board. it looked surprisingly… organised.

“that’s actually not bad.” lara admitted “for a newbie.”

“thank you…”

“don’t let it go to your head.” daniela laughed.

across the room, manon and megan’s conversation was significantly louder.

“WHY WOULD YOU SPLIT UP?” manon was laughing.

“BECAUSE WE’D FIND HIM FASTER.”

“OR YOU’D LOSE ANOTHER CHILD.”

sophia wandered slowly between the two groups, reading over shoulders but deliberately saying nothing just observing, letting them work it out themselves before stepping in.

when she reached y/n’s group, her eyes scanned the whiteboard she nodded once “good.” she tapped one of the bullet points with her finger “now tell me…” she looked between the three of them “what if josh isn’t lost?”

“what if he’s hiding because he doesn’t want to go home?” the three of them looked at each other.

and immediately realised…the scenario had just become a lot more complicated.

“if he’s hiding because he doesn’t want to go home…” y/n repeated quietly, tapping the marker against the board.

“then sending everyone running around camp shouting his name probably isn’t going to help.”

“exactly.” daniela nodded “he’s still missing but now it’s a different kind of missing.”

lara leaned forward in her chair “you’d probably start thinking about where he’d choose to hide.”

“somewhere quiet or somewhere he feels safe not necessarily somewhere random.”

y/n nodded, reaching up to add another point at the top of the board.

find out why the camper left.

she frowned “actually…that’s worded badly.” she rubbed at the writing with the sleeve of her shirt before stretching up again to rewrite it higher on the board.

the movement pulled the hem of her t-shirt up slightly just enough to expose a strip of skin above the waistband of her shorts.

she didn’t notice but lara did. she let out a long, low whistle “…damn.”

y/n paused halfway through writing “what?”

lara tilted her head shamelessly, still looking in y/n’s direction. “sophia.” she called across the room “i’m gonna need a radio.”

without looking up from manon and megan’s group, sophia answered automatically “why?”

“got an emergency to call in.” that caught everyone’s attention. sophia turned “what emergency?”

lara nodded towards y/n with complete seriousness “that.”

y/n frowned for a second completely confused then followed lara’s gaze downward. “…oh.” she immediately dropped her arms, tugging the bottom of her shirt back into place so quickly she nearly smacked herself with the marker.

heat rushed straight into her cheeks “lara.” she muttered, half embarrassed, half blushing.

across from her, daniela had suddenly become intensely interested in literally everything except the whiteboard. the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but y/n. which somehow made it even more obvious she’d noticed too.

lara sat back with the smallest, most satisfied smirk. before she could say another word-

thwack.

sophia’s clipboard connected lightly with the back of her head. “ow.” lara rubbed the spot dramatically.

“behave.” sophia said her voice calm, though she was very obviously trying not to smile “and don’t joke about emergency calls.”

“worth it.” lara mumbled.

“what was that?”

“nothing.” lara replied far too innocently.

sophia gave her one last look before shaking her head and walking back towards the other group “carry on.”

the moment she’d gone, there was a beat of silence. y/n still refused to look at anyone instead uncapping the marker again with far more concentration than necessary.

lara simply folded her arms, looking entirely too pleased.

by the time they’d finished the emergency procedures session, the whiteboards were covered in scribbled notes, arrows and half-erased diagrams.

sophia stepped back to look at both groups’ answers one last time before placing the marker back on the tray.

“overall…” she nodded thoughtfully “i’d trust all of you with a missing camper.” she paused “eventually.” that earned a chorus of groans “i’m kidding.”

“you all picked up on the important parts.” she tapped y/n’s group’s board with the end of her marker “keeping the rest of the group together.”

another tap.

“communicating, not making assumptions.”

then she looked over at manon and megan’s board “and despite whatever this diagram is…” she frowned at a large stick figure manon had drawn “you got there in the end.”

“it’s a map.” manon defended.

“it’s definitely not.” lara muttered.

“i knew what it meant.” megan shrugged.

“because you drew half of it.”

sophia laughed, shaking her head “right.”

she started wiping the boards clean “fifteen-minute break.” the words had barely left her mouth before chairs scraped backwards.

megan stood first “finally.” she stretched both arms above her head until her back clicked “i can’t believe sitting in a chair is tiring.”

“that’s just because you never stopped talking.” lara replied.

the group slowly filtered outside. the cool morning air felt refreshing after spending the last couple of hours inside the lodge.

sunlight filtered through the trees surrounding camp, and somewhere in the distance came the familiar sound of paddles hitting water as maintenance staff prepared the lake for the summer.

y/n stepped onto the porch, taking a long drink from her water bottle. she hadn’t realised how much information they’d covered until now. it suddenly made the responsibility of the job feel… real.

behind her, sophia locked the training room before slipping the key into her pocket. “all right.” she glanced around the group “next up after the break…” a small smile spread across her face “first aid.”

manon sighed dramatically “can i be the casualty?”

“absolutely not.” sophia replied without missing a beat

“meet back here in fifteen.” sophia started walking towards the medical cabin “and somebody stop manon from pretending to fracture something before i get there.”

“no promises.” daniela said and manon looked delighted “i’ve already got ideas.”

“that’s exactly what i’m worried about.”sophia called over her shoulder.

y/n laughed quietly to herself as they all wandered off in different directions for a few minutes before the next session began.

the first day of training was only just getting started.

~~~~~

the fifteen-minute break quickly turned into everyone gravitating towards the same picnic table outside the lodge.

someone had left out bowls of fruit for the staff. grapes, apple slices, bananas and a few cereal bars. nothing particularly exciting, but after sitting through training all morning nobody complained.

everyone settled around the table. megan immediately reached for an apple while y/n picked at a handful of grapes. there was something nice about sitting outside, the conversation wasn’t forced, it drifted naturally between whoever happened to speak first.

sophia had disappeared back into the lodge to sort out equipment for the next session, leaving the five of them alone.

megan took another bite of her apple “so…” she swallowed “what actually happens in the first aid training?”

“yeah what do you actually learn?” y/n asked, she genuinely had no idea beyond the basics.

daniela leaned back slightly on the bench, thinking “the usual stuff.” she counted on her fingers.

“cuts, burns, sprains, what to do if someone’s having an asthma attack, allergic reactions, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, how to deal with broken bones until an ambulance arrives.” she shrugged “basically all the things you hope you’ll never need.”

y/n nodded, listening carefully watching daniela as she spoke. she always seemed to explain things so easily without making them sound overwhelming.

a curl had fallen forward again, catching against her cheek whenever the breeze picked up. absentmindedly she tucked it back behind her ear before carrying on.

“…and obviously recognising when something’s beyond first aid and needs emergency services.”

y/n found herself watching her, the way she smiled slightly between sentences. the way her hands moved while she explained things.

then her eyes drifted lower, towards daniela’s mouth only for a second before lara suddenly leaned across the table right into y/n’s personal space.

“mouth-to-mouth too.” she said, lowering her voice dramatically with the most shamelessly flirtatious expression imaginable.

y/n jumped her head snapping towards lara so quickly she nearly dropped the grapes she’d been holding. lara didn’t move just sat there with the tiniest smirk watching the exact moment realisation crossed y/n’s face.

daniela looked between the two of them “…lara.”

“what?” lara asked innocently “it’s true.” manon burst out laughing. y/n, meanwhile, was suddenly finding the grapes in her hand incredibly interesting. anything to avoid looking at anybody else, especially daniela.

lara sat back in her seat looking entirely too pleased with herself. “training’s suddenly sounding much more interesting.” megan said which only made manon laugh harder.

“what are we laughing about?” sophia’s voice came from behind them. she walked over carrying a stack of laminated first aid guides tucked beneath one arm, a clipboard balanced on top. judging by the organised pile in her hands, she’d clearly spent the last fifteen minutes actually preparing the next session while everyone else had been sitting outside eating fruit and winding each other up.

manon looked up immediately “oh, lara was just telling y/n that we learn mouth-to-mouth now.” she leaned across the picnic table with a smirk. under the table, lara’s trainer connected with manon’s shin “ow.” manon frowned “what?”

“you know what.” lara muttered.

sophia frowned “mouth-to…” she glanced down at the papers in her hands, flicking through them absentmindedly “…we don’t do that.”

nobody said anything. “lara?” she looked genuinely confused “where did you get that idea?” she looked back down at the paperwork “we absolutely wouldn’t teach counsellors anything like that.”

still silence. “our job is to keep a child safe until the emergency response team arrives.” she continued matter-of-factly “we’re not doctors, we’re not paramedics and we’re not trained to carry out advanced medical interventions. if somebody needed that level of care, we’d be calling emergency services immediately while providing the first aid we’re actually qualified to give.”

she paused “…why would you…” finally she looked up. her eyes landed on lara then y/n then back to lara. the pieces clicked together almost instantly.

her expression slowly flattened as lara smiled awkwardly and sophia slowly raised the clipboard. lara immediately flinched “okay, okay.” she held both hands up “yes.” a sigh “sorry.”

sophia gave the back of her shoulder a light tap with the clipboard “behave.” that earned a laugh from daniela, who’d been trying very hard not to get involved.

sophia looked back towards y/n her expression softened “just so we’re absolutely clear…” she rested the clipboard against her side “there won’t be any mouth-to-mouth training.” y/n nodded.

“what you will learn is how to assess a situation safely, how to recognise when something is an emergency, how to contact emergency services, how to use the camp radios correctly and how to monitor someone until professional help arrives.”

she smiled “the aim isn’t to turn you into healthcare professionals.”

“it’s to make sure that if something happens, you stay calm, keep everyone safe and know exactly what to do until the people with the proper training get here.” she glanced sideways at lara “…which does not involve flirting your way through first aid.”

lara placed a hand against her chest dramatically “i wasn’t flirting.” five pairs of eyes landed on her.“…all right.” she sighed “maybe a little.”

“thank you.” sophia nodded “now finish your fruit before i have another emergency to deal with.”

“what emergency?” manon asked and sophia looked directly at lara “her.”

“oh, so you can joke about emergencies but i can’t?” lara mumbled under her breath, rubbing the back of her shoulder where the clipboard had caught her.

without even looking back, sophia replied “correct.” that earned another round of laughter.

“that’s favouritism.” lara called after her.

“that’s experience.” sophia shot back over her shoulder as she disappeared into the lodge.

lara sighed dramatically “one day i’m going to be appreciated around here.”

“unlikely.” manon said, standing and brushing the crumbs from her shorts. everyone slowly started getting to their feet. water bottles were picked up, empty fruit bowls were stacked together.

y/n had just slung her water bottle over her shoulder when lara wandered over beside her. “for the record…” she began casually “if you did want to practice-“

“ow!” manon reached over and smacked her squarely on the arm before she could finish. lara immediately clutched it dramatically “what was that for?”

“preventative measures before you scare our newbie off” manon replied, completely unapologetic. lara pouted, rubbing her arm “you’re all so mean to me.”

“because you don’t know when to stop.” daniela said with a small shake of her head. her voice was light, almost amused, though there was the faintest edge to it this time. barely noticeable but just enough to earn a quick glance from lara.

before the moment could linger, daniela looked towards y/n instead “come on.” she nodded towards the lodge “before she starts another conversation sophia has to explain.”

y/n laughed quietly “good idea.”

“hey.” lara called after them “i’m just trying to create a positive learning environment.”

daniela held the door to the lodge open, waiting for y/n to catch up before following everyone else back inside. behind them, lara was still muttering to herself “i’m misunderstood.”

~~~~~

the rest of the day seemed to disappear before y/n really had the chance to think about it. once their break was over, sophia led them into the medical cabin for the next session.

the room was smaller than the main lodge, shelves lined with neatly labelled first aid kits, emergency blankets, splints, ice packs and rows of medical supplies.

it wasn’t about memorising every treatment. instead, sophia focused on recognising problems early. they learnt how to identify the difference between a minor injury that could be dealt with on camp and something that needed an ambulance immediately.

she demonstrated how to clean and dress cuts properly, what should and shouldn’t be kept in a first aid kit, how to deal with nosebleeds, burns, sprains and insect stings.

~~~~~

after lunch they moved back outside for safeguarding. there were no practical exercises this time. instead, they sat beneath the shade of the trees while sophia talked them through the responsibility that came with looking after children.

it wasn’t the funniest part of training but it was probably the one that made y/n realise just how much trust parents placed in the camp every summer. by the middle of the afternoon, sophia clapped her hands together “right.” she looked towards y/n and megan “waterfront.”

the six of them wandered down towards the lake together. the next hour was spent learning everything there was to know about the waterfront. how to properly fit and check life jackets, how to spot one that was too loose, where the rescue throw bags were kept.

how to safely lift and carry canoes without damaging them or each other, what the different whistle blasts meant around the lake, the swimming boundaries, how to get somebody safely back into a canoe if they fell out.

by the end of it, both y/n and megan had practised flipping a canoe back over from the water, thrown rescue lines at floating targets and learnt how to secure paddles correctly before campers climbed in.

there was far more to it than either of them had expected and by the time sophia finally checked her watch, the afternoon sun had already started dipping lower through the trees.

the final part of the afternoon was spent at the edge of the lake. the novelty of being back there had worn off hours ago now it was mostly repetition. and sophia insisted repetition was exactly what they needed.

“again.” she nodded towards y/n “check the life jacket.” y/n crouched in front of megan, tightening the shoulder straps before slipping two fingers beneath them.

“not too tight.” sophia reminded her “they still need to breathe.” y/n loosened it slightly “better.” they swapped over, then again. checking buckles, adjusting straps. making sure every jacket sat correctly before moving on.

after that came rescue throw bags. they practised throwing weighted ropes across the shallows, aiming for floating markers bobbing gently on the water. none of them were particularly accurate, especially manon.

“that wasn’t even close.” lara laughed as the rope landed several feet away from the target “i was accounting for wind.” manon replied.

“there is no wind.”

“…future wind.”

sophia pinched the bridge of her nose “please don’t account for future wind if somebody’s actually drowning.”

finally, sophia gathered them back together near the end of the dock. she picked up the bright orange rescue tube lying at her feet.

“last thing.” she looked around the group “before anybody enters the water, what do you do?”

there was a pause. “assess?” daniela answered.

“exactly.” sophia nodded “people’s first instinct is to jump in.”

she shook her head “don’t.” she rested the rescue tube against the dock “if you become another casualty, you’ve made the situation worse.”

she pointed towards the water “look, think, call for help then decide.” she was about to continue when-

“help!” lara’s scream tore across the lake. everyone spun around, she was twenty or thirty metres from shore, arms thrashing wildly above the water.

“help!” she spluttered.

another scream, this time from behind them.

“ah!” daniela had somehow ended up on the ground near the canoe rack. one hand gripping her ankle tightly, her face twisted in pain “my leg!” she hissed through clenched teeth “i can’t stand!”

for one frozen second… nobody moved. y/n looked from the lake to daniela back to the lake again. megan did exactly the same.

their brains simply stopped.

FHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT

manon’s whistle split through the air “move!” she shouted. at the exact same time, sophia’s voice cut across the shoreline “don’t stand there!” she pointed towards them “do something!”

for half a second, neither of them moved. their eyes darted frantically between the lake and the shore.

lara was still splashing wildly, disappearing beneath the surface for a second before resurfacing again. daniela was gripping her leg, breathing heavily through gritted teeth.

“help!” lara cried again.

“my leg!” daniela winced “i can’t stand!”

“move!” sophia shouted. the panic hit both of them at exactly the same time.

y/n and megan lunged forward straight into each other.

“ow!”

“shit-“

they stumbled sideways, both trying to go in opposite directions before freezing again “what do we do?!” megan shouted.

“i don’t know!”

“there’s two of them!”

y/n’s eyes flicked between the water and daniela again.

think.

think.

think.

she grabbed megan’s shoulders “you take daniela!”

“what?!”

“you take daniela!” she gave her a small shove towards the shore “i’ve got lara!”

before she could second-guess herself, y/n ran. her trainers pounded against the wooden dock before she launched herself into the lake. the cold swallowed her whole and water rushed over her head.

for a split second there was nothing but bubbles and muffled sound before she kicked hard, breaking back through the surface with a gasp.

she immediately remembered what sophia had said.

don’t panic, don’t rush straight to them. assess.

“lara!” she shouted, treading water “look at me!”

lara’s arms were still thrashing “I’m trying!”

“stop kicking!” y/n called “i’m here!” she forced herself to stay calm, swimming towards her with steady strokes instead of rushing. the distance closed quickly “i’ve got you.”

she reached the rescue tube that had been floating nearby and pushed it towards lara first “hold onto this!” lara grabbed it immediately.

y/n moved around behind her just like sophia had demonstrated earlier. one arm supporting her from underneath while keeping both of their faces above the surface.

“good.” she breathed “keep breathing.”

“i’ve got you.” slowly, carefully, she started kicking them both backwards towards the shore. every movement deliberate, exactly as they’d practised.

behind them, megan dropped to her knees beside daniela so quickly she nearly slid across the grass.

“okay…” she breathed “okay, okay…” daniela was still clutching her ankle, her face scrunched up in pain “it hurts.”

“don’t move.” megan said immediately then paused “i think?” her eyes shot towards sophia for half a second before returning to daniela “can you tell me where it hurts?”

“my ankle.” daniela hissed “i twisted it.”

“okay.” megan nodded quickly, trying to remember everything from the morning “don’t… don’t try and stand.” she looked down at the ankle then back up “can you move your toes?”

daniela nodded slowly “a little.”

“does that hurt?”

“yes.”

“okay.” megan swallowed trying to keep her own breathing steady “i’m just going to keep you still until… until…” her mind completely blanked.

behind her, y/n was only a few metres from shore now, still supporting lara against the rescue tube. both of them soaked and breathing hard.

by the time y/n’s feet touched the lakebed again, her arms were burning. she kept one arm around lara until they were standing in the shallows before carefully helping her the rest of the way onto the dock.

the second they were both safely out of the water, lara let go of the rescue tube, stood up completely normally and smiled.

“well done.”

y/n blinked up at her, still sitting where she’d climbed onto the dock. water dripped from the ends of her hair onto the wooden boards beneath her as she tried to catch her breath.

her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heart was still hammering so hard she could feel it in her throat “..w-what?”

“you did good.” lara smiled, offering her a hand “you didn’t panic once you got to me.”

y/n stared at her for another second still trying to process the fact she’d suddenly made a miraculous recovery “…you’re kidding.”

“training scenario.” lara shrugged “realistic, wasn’t it?”

y/n let out a long breath before dropping her head into her hands “if that was all to get me to do mouth-to-mouth too…” she panted between breaths “…i swear to god.”

lara laughed “worth a try.”

“lara.”

“i’m joking…mostly.”

across the dock, megan was still kneeling beside daniela. looking significantly more stressed than she had five minutes earlier.

“okay…” she said for what felt like the tenth time “don’t move.”

“i wasn’t planning on it.” daniela winced dramatically, clutching her ankle “i think it’s broken.”

“i thought you said you twisted it.”

“…it’s evolving.”

megan looked horrified “can ankles do that?” before daniela could answer, sophia crouched down beside them.

“talk me through it.” she said calmly.

megan took a breath trying to organise the whirlwind of thoughts in her head “i…” she swallowed “i kept her still, asked where it hurt, checked if she could move her toes and didn’t let her stand.”

sophia nodded “good.”

“what next?”

megan frowned, thinking “support the injury…and wait for medical help?”

“exactly.” sophia smiled “you don’t have to fix everything yourself.” she glanced at daniela “especially when you’re not qualified to.”

after another few questions, sophia nodded once “okay” she stood back up “scenario over.” almost instantly, daniela dropped the pained expression, sat up normally then smiled at megan.

“well done.”

megan just stared at her “…you’re fine.”

“i am.”

“completely fine?”

“yep.”

megan slowly sat back on the edge of the dock, her shoulders dropping all at once and she looked oddly pale like all the adrenaline had finally caught up with her.

“i actually thought…” she laughed breathlessly “…i actually thought you’d broken your leg.”

daniela smiled apologetically “that’s kind of the point.”

megan let out another shaky laugh before rubbing both hands over her face “i need a minute.”

“take one.” sophia said kindly, she looked between both new counsellors. one soaked through and still dripping onto the dock. the other sitting in stunned silence, trying to recover from the last five minutes then she smiled “good work.”

“both of you.”

“you panicked.” she admitted “which is normal but neither of you froze, you communicated, you split the situation and once you started acting…” she nodded proudly “you both remembered far more than you think you did.”

for the first time since the whistles had blown… both y/n and megan finally allowed themselves to breathe.

~~~~~

they packed away the rescue equipment in comfortable silence.

the bright orange rescue tube was hung back on its hook, throw bags returned to their storage box and life jackets stacked neatly along the rack.

only once everything had been put away did sophia finally clap her hands together. “all right”she looked between them “good work today.” she reached into the equipment shed before pulling out a thick fleece blankets, she handed it to lara while looking at y/n.

both of them were still soaked through from the scenario. “go on.” she smiled before one of you catches pneumonia.”

lara immediately threw the blanket around her shoulders before lifting one side “come here.”

y/n laughed quietly before stepping underneath it beside her. the blanket was just wide enough to wrap around both of them, instantly warmer.

“better?” sophia asked.

“a lot.” y/n admitted. they started making their way back up the path towards camp.

the late afternoon sun filtered through the trees, but not enough to dry y/n’s clothes. every now and then a cool breeze drifted through the woods, making her shiver despite the blanket.

after a minute, sophia spoke again. “i know the scenario probably felt a little cruel.” she glanced back at y/n and megan “but that’s exactly why we do it.”

everyone listened.

“when something goes wrong for real, your brain doesn’t politely give you a minute to think.” she smiled faintly “it panics, you’ve got children crying, people shouting, someone might be hurt it’s loud and it’s confusing.”

“and you’ll feel like you don’t know what you’re doing” she looked between the two new counsellors “today lets you feel that.”

“because i’d much rather your first panic happens with us pretending than with thirty campers looking at you.”

nobody spoke for a moment because it made sense more sense than it had while lara was pretending to drown.

ahead of them, manon turned around so she was walking backwards down the path instead. she looked at y/n and lara sharing the blanket “you’re cosy.”

beside her, megan laughed then looked towards y/n over her shoulder. “so…” she grinned “i got a broken leg and you got mouth-to-mouth with lara?” manon immediately burst into laughter the kind that made her shoulders shake.

“shut up.” y/n rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t stop herself smiling “i nearly had a heart attack.”

“worth it.” lara mumbled with a smirk, pinching y/n’a hip under the blanket.

“i heard that.” sophia called from the front.

“nothing.” lara replied innocently.

the conversation drifted on around them. manon and megan were already laughing about something else and lara was defending herself for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

for once…daniela wasn’t saying much. y/n noticed after a while. she was walking just ahead, hands tucked into the pockets of her shorts.

as if she could feel y/n looking, daniela glanced back and their eyes met. just for a second. long enough for y/n to catch the small smile at the corner of her mouth then daniela looked away again like nothing had happened.

before y/n had the chance to wonder why she’d been so quiet, sophia stopped walking and turned to face them all.

“okay!” she smiled “training’s done for today.” a chorus of relieved cheers echoed through the trees “you’ve officially survived day one.”

“barely.” megan sighed.

“tomorrow…” sophia grinned “we do it all again.”

a/n : i hope u all liked this chapter and tysm for all the love on this. also shoutout that one anon who said they ship lara and y/n hope you enjoyed this LMFAO

Smoking is bad. You knew that, naturally. But when everything is just too much, you can’t help but crave it. The immediate comfort it brings is indescribable. And the taste of smoke, it’s… something.

It’s been years since you’ve developed this unhealthy obsession with cigarettes. When times are rough and you feel alone, smoking is your best friend, making you never feel truly alone during challenging days. 

Despite the relief it brings, you’re trying to stop for the sake of your health even if you don’t see the point of living a long life. But Sophia wants you to live a long, happy life. Maybe that’s the reason why you’re even willing to quit in the first place. She would give you that disapproving, disappointed look she has if she sees you currently reaching into your pockets for the box of esses that’s always on you.

Revisions of your script are going quite poorly and the deadlines are nearing. No matter what you do, the right words just don't seem to appear in your mind and the scenes felt lacking. Writer’s block is a dick, and it has you placing the last cigarette in between your lips at the university’s parking lot, your go to place to “relieve stress”.

The urge to feel the smoke enter your lungs is greater now with the filter in your mouth. Immediate frustration and annoyance rushes through your veins upon seeing the empty box of matches, making it impossible for you to light your cigarette. 

It feels like fate betrayed you after teasing you with the smell of tobacco, making your mouth water. Never giving you the proper satisfaction of smoking it. 

The world seems a little bit kinder to you today though. After loudly groaning and shoving the empty match box back into your pocket, a soft-feminine voice invades your senses.

“Need a light?

The voice startles you at first, whipping your head towards her direction. Upon landing your eyes on her figure, you recognise her familiarity. She’s one of Sophia’s friends. Before you could open your mouth to reply, she already has her lighter out, sparking a flame to light your cigarette. 

It didn’t even take a second for you to inhale through the filter, feeling immediate relief once the nicotine enters your bloodstream. “Thanks.” You mutter right after blowing the smoke out of the corner of your mouth. 

You could tell that she isn’t one of those people who smoked because it looked “cool” as you watched her effortlessly light her own cigarette. The tension in her shoulders visibly melted away after exhaling the addicting fumes out. She seems to be here at the same time as you for the same reasons.

“You smoke here often?” She casually asks you. “Sometimes.” 

Turning to look at her properly, she has her curly hair tied up haphazardly to ensure that she could move freely without her hair bothering her and she looks really beautiful regardless. You have seen her from time to time when she’s with Sophia but you never got the opportunity to properly look at her.

“You’re one of Sophia’s friends, right?” You ask just to make sure.

“Yeah. Name’s Manon.” She introduces herself with a smile. You’d be lying to yourself if you said that her smile didn’t make you feel things. 

“I’m-” She cuts you off. “y/n. I know. I heard quite a bit about you.”

You quirk your eyebrow up in both amusement and wonder, not expecting for the Manon Bannerman to know about you. “Really?”

“Sophia talks about you from time to time.” Of course she heard about you from Sophia since she was the type to yap someone’s ears off. “That girl can’t really shut her mouth, can she?” Your comment made Manon giggle so you give yourself a mental pat on the back.

Unfortunately for Manon, her plan to keep conversing with you gets cut short as Sophia’s car appears from the corner and stops right in front of you. “I guess that’s my cue.” You give her a polite smile as you look at her. A disappointed look flickers in Manon’s eyes while watching you step off the grass and into the pavement. 

Sophia’s timing could’ve been better as her arrival also meant that you aren’t able to finish your cigarette. It breaks your heart a little bit when you decide to drop the half-smoked esse into the ground and crush it with your shoe’s toe box to kill the embers. 

“I’ll see you around.” Manon says from behind you, giving her a wave goodbye before you enter Sophia’s car.

The scent of Sophia’s floral perfume hits your senses as soon as you enter her vehicle. It is enough to mask the smell of tobacco that clings to your clothing of which you are thankful for.

“You and Manon, huh?” Sophia teases you while you’re putting the seatbelt on. “Oh don’t be like that. She just lit my cigarette.” The teasing smile the other girl has immediately drops as you mention the word. 

“Didn’t I tell you to quit already? Smoking’s bad for you.” Her tone is now serious as she drives off. “Yeah well it’s the only thing keeping me sane right now.” Your reasoning makes her sigh.

“You’re impossible.” 

“You love me though.”

“Unfortunately.” You gleam, feeling like you’re the winner of the argument. Sophia sees your expression at the corner of her eye, making her smile while she’s focused on the road in front of her. 

“Where are you taking me today, my chauffeur?” She’s already immune to you calling her your chauffeur because you do it so often  there’s no point in getting annoyed by it anymore.

“Home.” She replies casually. “Mom and Dad miss you so we’re eating dinner there. Dad says he wants you to try something.” 

“Ooh. I bet it’s the gnocchi I mentioned to him before.” Sophia’s brows furrow in confusion. “Before?”

“Yeah, he called me a few days ago and I mentioned that I was craving some gnocchi.”

Due to you and Sophia’s closeness, she had introduced you to her family almost a year ago and her family instantly took a liking to you. Her Dad even calls you an honorary Laforteza because of how fond they are of you. So it isn't a strange occurrence for her Dad to randomly call you after work hours to check in on you. 

“Huh. No wonder why he was so insistent on cooking for tonight.”

—

You and Sophia have known each other since the start of your college lives and frankly, she’s your first friend here. Ever since then you two have been inseparable. Wherever you are, Sophia’s trailing behind you. When you’re studying in the library, she’s there, when you're out to buy some coffee, she'll insist on paying for you, and when you need some groceries, she'll go out of her way to drive you to the nearest store.

So it isn't unusual for your friends to have suspicions about the nature of your relationship of which they are conversing about now. They can clearly watch you and Sophia talk and laugh about random things while drinking yakult through the diner's windows as the two of you lean against the hood of Sophia's car.

"God they look like one of those annoying couples." Lara points out after taking a picture of you two to tease Sophia later.

"They look kinda cute." Daniela says before taking a sip of her milkshake.

"I still don't get why they don't want to confess to each other." Megan admits as she stares out of the glass, her elbow placed against the table while resting her chin on her palm.

"Because they're cowards."

"Yoonchae!"

Everyone at the table gasps in shock due to the youngest's blunt words. "What? It's true." Silently, they collectively agree with her.

"But don't you think they'll both regret it if they decide to not confess to each other?" Daniela asks, looking at the girls. "Like what if someone else hits on y/n or something." She continues.

"I think Sophia would lose her mind." Lara honestly replies followed by Megan, "Same. She might finally confess to y/n if that happens." Yoonchae also agrees with them, "I think so too."

Noticing that Daniela hasn't heard from Manon yet, she asks the older girl.

"Manz, what do you think?" But she's met with silence. "Manz?" She seems to be staring off into thin air towards the direction of the glass with a small smile present in her lips

A few seconds of silence from Manon passes by and Daniela decides to snap her fingers right in front of her face to catch her attention.

"Huh?" She finally stirs from her little daydream.

"Where did you go? Damn."

"Who were you looking at? Girl you're about to drool." Manon instinctively wipes the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand as Lara teases her. "Nothing."

"Didn't seem like nothing." Megan adds to the teasing with a sneer.

"Were you thinking about the girl at the parking lot again?" The girls except for Manon livens up at Yoonchae's question. "You're right Yoonchae!" Daniela almost jumps up from her seat in excitement.

"Wha- No!"

"You're a bad liar, Manz." While Daniela clocks Manon, Yoonchae is trying to figure out where the latter was staring at. Her gaze lands at one of their dear friends outside.

"Is y/n unnie the parking lot girl?"

Lara gasps in an exaggerated way, earning a glance from a waitress but she ignores it. "Are you going to steal y/n from Sophia?"

"I'd pay to watch that happen." Megan says before taking a sip from Daniela's milkshake, making the latter lightly smack her on her shoulder.

"I-"

"You better not lie, Manon." Daniela tries to intimidate her while everyone looks at her expectantly. "Okay, fine."

"y/n is the girl I met at the parking lot."

Megan cheers while Lara snaps her fingers in the air. The girls are happy to finally have something going on in their friend group since they were having a drought due to their respective school works.

"It hasn't even been a week and you're already whipped for her." Lara recalls the time when Manon kept on rambling about the girl she met at the parking lot a few days ago. Saying how she's so pretty and looks even more attractive while smoking thin white cigarettes.

"The Manon I know doesn't believe in love at first sight." Megan looks at the older girl like a detective sniffing out clues. "Unless…"

Lara catches on her drift, asking, "So, how long have you had a crush on y/n?"

"It might be that time when they screened their little movie." Yoonchae once again strikes, making Megan pipe up, "I forgot about that!"

"Wasn't that like, a semester ago?" Daniela questions, her brows knit in confusion.

Manon sighs. "Yes…" She loves her friends despite how chaotic they can be. But during these times, she wishes that her friends didn't have such a keen eye on things.

Her defeated look is a telltale sign for the rest to confirm that they are right with their assumptions and their satisfaction can be seen clearly from the wide grin plastered on their faces.

"And you two casually found each other at the parking lot? You're meant to be." Megan comments and Manon can feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She quickly thanks all the gods for blessing her with a skin tone that perfectly hides her blushed cheeks.

"Turns out something good comes out from smoking." Daniela jokes earning giggles from the girls.

"Are you going to pull a Sophia or are you going to make a move on her?" Lara asks the important question. "I'm planning on saying something to her."

Manon admits and it feels like a breath of fresh air for the girls because they're all used to the hide and seek of feelings that you and Sophia constantly play.

"You already beat Sophia by talking to her."

"Yoonchae's out for blood today." Lara comments while Yoonchae smiles, enjoying the Sophia slander that's happening.

"So, what are you planning, Manz?"

—

"Sophia, wait up!"

Manon is not entirely sure whether or not this is a good idea. But this is a killing two birds with one stone scenario for her.

By asking Sophia about y/n, she could confirm if she's single and willing to date or if she's labelled as off limits by Sophia. It's genius, really. But the girls think that this is a bad idea.

"Make it quick, Manz. I'm gonna be late to class." Sophia says without stopping to look back at Manon.

"Can you help me, please?"

"If this is about your essay, I already told you that I can't help you with that."

"It's not about my essay." Manon pauses for a second. "It's about y/n."

Sophia seems to buffer for a second at the mention of your name but she continues to walk.

"What about her?"

"You two are close, right? Do you know if she's into someone right now? Or like, what's her type, do you think she'll like me-" Manon can feel her cheeks heat up as she rambles like her confidence decided to jump out of the window.

Thankfully for Manon, Sophia stops walking and cuts her off before she could say something embarrassing.

"Whoa Manz, pause, take a breath." She follows Sophia's instructions and inhales deeply. "What the hell are you saying?" She continues.

"I like y/n."

"For like, a while now."

"I think that she's really beautiful, smart, kind… so I need your help."

Manon can hear her heartbeat in her ears, impatiently waiting for Sophia to say something as she seems to take her time processing whatever Manon had just confessed.

"No."

"Ye-" Her celebration gets cut off quickly, not expecting for Sophia to bluntly reject her. "Wait, what?" Before she could process the rejection even further, Sophia starts walking again. This time with a faster pace.

"Sophia, wait!" She jogs after her. "Come on, Fia, please? Look, I really like her but I just don't know how to approach her."

"You're the resident campus crush, figure it out." Sophia surprises herself with how nonchalant she sounds despite the wild beating of her heart. "Plus, I don't want to get blamed if the two of you don't work out." She adds.

"It's just going to be one time, Sophia."

"I said no, Manon." Even with Sophia's refusal to help her out, Manon is not going to back down. She isn't desperate, she's willing to do anything for you.

"What if you help me with y/n and I'll help you get Glinda." The sudden suggestion made Sophia's eyes widen in shock.

"Seriously? Are you really bribing me right now?" She halts her steps and turns around to face Manon.

"Uh… yes?"

Sophia gets back to walking, "I don't know what made you think that I'll hand my best friend over to you because of a role."

"Please, Sophia." Manon begs with her best pleading voice.

"I'll follow you to your class if you still don't want to help me." Sophia already knows how stubborn Manon can be so she releases a tired sigh. "God you're so annoying." She whispers underneath her breath.

"Fine!" Sophia reluctantly agrees.

"Yes!" Manon almost jumps up and down in pure joy.

"But this is only for one time." The other girl's stern voice cuts through Manon's air of excitement but she doesn't let it faze her.

"I'll wait for you after class at the diner."

"You're the best, Sophia!"

Before she could protest to Manon's plan, the latter already runs away, practically skipping with every step she takes.

"What did I just get myself into?"

—

Sophia couldn't focus on her class after Manon basically ambushed her on the quad earlier. She didn't know why she agreed to it either. Having second thoughts and doubts as soon as she enters the diner.

By agreeing to this whole ordeal, Sophia feels as if she betrayed you, she didn't really want to accept Manon's offer because she already knows that it won't be that tough for her to get cast as Glinda. Sophia merely wanted for Manon to stop following her at that moment because it would be embarrassing to make a scene in class.

But, an even bigger issue keeps plaguing her mind- Manon likes you. Never in her whole life Sophia could expect that Manon could take a liking on you and it makes her stomach drop for reasons unknown.

She doesn't know why she feels dread slowly creeping in. You two are only friends but why does she feel the immense need to keep you from Manon?

It didn't take a couple minutes of waiting for Manon to arrive. Surprising Sophia as she hears her voice from behind. "So, I already talked to Jen." She slides into the booth in front of Sophia.

"She said that you don't have to worry about not getting the part because you were their first pick." Manon says confidently, a smile playing on her lips.

"What? So I basically agreed to this for nothing?" Her smile drops.

"You don't want your dear friend, me, Manon, to be happily in love?" Manon places a hand dramatically over her chest.

"Ew." She gasps at Sophia's blatant remark.

"I thought we were friends!"

Sophia playfully rolls her eyes, "Whatever, I'm leaving." She stands up abruptly, making Manon shoot out from her seat to stop her. "No no no no no wait!"

"Can't you help a girl out, please?" This time, Manon tries to plead even harder than before, amusing Sophia making her sit back down. "Thank you." She releases a sigh of relief once Sophia settles into her seat.

"What do you want?"

"I just want to know what y/n is into."

The FIlipina furrows her brows in confusion because Manon had gone through unnecessary lengths for something so simple.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"You do know that you can literally ask the others, right?"

"Yes but you've known her longer."

She blinks at Manon for a while. She then inhales, mentally gathering the things she knows that you like.

"If it isn't obvious enough, she loves movies. She can go on whole rants about them." As soon as Sophia starts speaking, her previous annoyance instantly disappears and is replaced by admiration with mirth clearly swimming in her eyes.

"She also really likes nature. She likes to hike and stuff like that."

Of course Manon can clearly see the difference in Sophia's mood. It's so obvious that Manon feels a little taken aback from it.

"I don't really know why but she rarely drinks. I'm not sure if she just doesn't like the taste of alcohol or the hangover-"

"Are you sure that you don't like her?" Manon cuts her off.

"What?" Her sudden interruption catches Sophia off guard, not realising that she's rambling about you.

"You say that she's only your friend but the way that you're talking about her seems like you do like her."

"Manon, you're already on thin ice. But if it makes you feel better, I don't like her. She's all yours, Manz." Sophia's heart starts to beat faster and her hands become sweaty like she just spit out a blatant lie through her teeth.

It takes a second for Manon to talk. "If you say so."

"You don't believe me?" Manon shrugs.

"I'm just saying don't come for me after I make a move on her." She pauses before continuing, "I really like y/n and I have no intentions of sharing her with someone else."

It's rare for Manon to become this serious. She's infamously known for barely keeping a straight face during moments that require focus and formality.

"Geez, okay. No one's stealing her from you."

"They better not." Manon mumbles more to herself before she changes the subject of the conversation.

"So what do you think I should do when I ask her out on a date?"

Faced with no other choices, Sophia sucks in a breath. Trying her best to ignore the gnawing sensation in her stomach.

"Hmm…"

—

Several sheets of paper are scattered all around your desk. It's filled with rushed handwriting and crossed out sentences accompanied with eraser dust and pencil shavings that are carelessly pushed away near the edge of the table.

You have been stuck in your room all day and it shows. Your fingers and wrist are fatigued with a mix of a dull pain and your back and neck hurts from hunching over your desk. You're gently massaging your tired hand while staring up at the ceiling, trying to piece words and scenes together but ultimately, nothing ends up making any sense.

The tunes of the new cupid echoes throughout your room and it fades away as you close your eyes, trying to imagine and live in the world of your ongoing script.

After seconds of making still images in your mind, your head starts to throb and when you open your eyes, a singular bottle of yakult appears on your desk. Seemingly out of nowhere.

You turn your head to the side to see Sophia standing right beside you. Her arms are casually resting by her side, yet her eyes tell a different story. You catch her gaze, seeing it carrying the weight of worry and a hint of disappointment. It's Sophia's nonverbal way to tell you that you know better than this.

You were thinking so deeply that you didn't hear the door opening and closing followed by the footsteps that slowly approached you.

"I didn't hear from you all day so I figured you were overworking yourself again." Sophia's voice is soft, calming. It's a balm that immediately soothes your headache once it reaches your ears.

Taking a quick glance over to your window, you see that the skies are already dark. You had drawn open the curtains earlier in the morning to let in some natural light. The hours passed quickly but you've barely made any progress.

You sigh, feeling your shoulders slump down from exhaustion.

"You don't have to do this every time I act like a goblin." You joke to lighten up the room a little.

"Well, I actually like taking care of you. So if I were you, I'd get used to it." You only blink at her figure, your brain is already a mush after thinking too much, too tired to think of a comeback.

With the lack of response, she steps back. Silently looking around your dorm. Sophia's impressed because despite the chaos on your desk that clearly reflects the current status of your mind, everything is neat and tidy.

Your bed is neatly made, there's no clothes haphazardly strewn around, nor a single dirty laundry on sight. Instead, it looks and feels comforting. The lights give off a relaxing vibe while the aroma of your lavender incense still lingers in the room.

Sophia looks back at you, seeing you still unmoving.

"Change your clothes, I'm taking you out. You need some fresh air." She watches as you finally take the little foil off the small bottle. "You've been sitting here all day."

"Fine." You reply after chugging the yakult.

"Are we going out to the park?" You stand up and stretch, your joints popping after sitting all day. Sophia plops down on your bed, "Yep."

A glint of mischief can be seen in your eyes before asking, "Can I smoke later?" You pout at her, giving Sophia the best puppy dog eyes you can pull off as if you're trying to audition for something.

She shoots you a stern look.

"Please?" You plead. "I haven't had one all day, you can even smell me if you want to." She sighs. Knowing deep inside that she can never say no to you. Especially when you look so cute that she wants to squish your cheeks.

"Fine." She huffs in a defeated manner. "But you're not smoking near me." She continues.

Your eyes immediately light up like a kid opening huge gifts during Christmas. "Yay!" You sprint towards her.

"Thank you, Fifi!" You then embrace her in a tight hug and place a firm kiss on her cheek that lasts for a few seconds before you stand up and head to the bathroom to freshen up.

Sophia can feel her heart beat wildly in her chest. Forgetting for a little while of her and Manon's conversation at the diner yesterday.

—

You immediately light up a cigarette after you two exit the car. You let Sophia walk ahead of you, not wanting for her to smell and to be near the nicotine she despises.

The night's breeze provides the perfect chill, soothing the warmth of your body as you blow the smoke out of the corner of your mouth for it to travel behind you instead of towards Sophia's direction.

You can feel the stress and fatigue slowly dissipate away each time you take a drag of your bitter menthol while looking up at the twinkling stars above.

"You shouldn't rely on smoking for stress relief, y/n." Sophia voices out from up ahead.

"I know. You already told me that like a million times already."

"I'm serious y/n."

"I don't smoke that much anymore. A pack lasts me two weeks now. It used to be one per week y'know?"

It's true and Sophia noticed it a couple of months ago. You smell much lighter now and your perfume over powers the musk of the tobacco. It's such a distinct scent that she could immediately tell each time you enter a room with her in it. Now, she could barely tell if you were walking beside her if it weren't for your signature perfume.

"At least you're making progress."

It was almost a deal breaker for Sophia when she found out that you're a smoker. But she likes your company and humour too much to break off your precious friendship due to your unhealthy vice.

In the distance, Sophia is already by your little spot and you've only burned halfway through your cigarette. But you know better than to keep her waiting just to finish your smoke.

She sees the disappointment in your eyes when you snuff out the cancer stick on the mouth of the bin before tossing it in and sitting down next to her. So, she hands you a strawberry lollipop that she keeps in her purse for situations like this.

"Thanks." You immediately unwrap the candy and place it in your mouth, humming as the sweet makes you salivate.

"What made you get into smoking anyways?"

"A friend of mine offered me my first cigarette back in high school." A comfortable silence befalls the two of you after you reply.

You can still feel the heavy thumping of your heart in your chest after she handed you the lollipop. You have been contemplating on finally confessing to her for days now. And this quiet moment is the perfect time for it.

Just you and Sophia sitting next to each other underneath the stars.

"Fifi?"

"Yeah?"

You try your best to gain courage.

"I-"

But you decide against it.

"Thank you for always taking care of me." You can feel your whole face heat up in both shyness and embarrassment with your "almost" confession.

"Of course." She gleams. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Ouch.

—

As soon as everyone is on the call, your loud squeal echoes in your room. The pillow you have to cover your face barely did anything to muffle your heartbreak.

"What happened? Are you okay?" You hear Lara's concern on your phone as you push your head further into your pillow.

"It's y/n so she's probably freaking out about Sophia again." Daniela states, already used to your antics because this little breakdown of yours happens bi-weekly.

"Did you finally confess to her?" Lara questions.

"We went out to the park, she gave me a lollipop because I guess she felt bad that I didn't get to finish my cigarette. It was quiet for a while so I thought, what if I confessed because I've been thinking about it lately." With your emotions all haywire, you end up rambling about what happened earlier.

"So, did you?" Yoonchae asks, almost in annoyance because you still have your face in the pillow. Making it hard for them to understand anything you said.

"No. I chickened out." You finally lift your head from the pillow. "I said, thank you for always taking care of me and she said, that's what friends are for."

"Friends!" You repeat to emphasise the word as you yell it out in frustration.

"Oh y/n." Megan reacts, trying to sound as if she felt really bad for you. "Well Sophia kinda sucks anyways." Not even a second later, she drops her act.

"Megan!" Daniela scolds her. "What? She's always so serious, she's no fun."

"Don't you go to her when you need help with something?" If you can only see Yoonchae right now, you'd see her looking at Megan with one eyebrow tilted upwards.

"Yes? How would I know that she's boring if I didn't see it myself?" Megan replies in an "if it's not obvious already" tone.

"Did something happen after that?" Lara asks once again, not wanting for their conversation to go astray.

"Nothing. She drove me back to my dorm." You mumble, clearly feeling defeated as you lay on your back to face and stare at the ceiling.

"You could always date other people, y/n." Megan says casually. So casually that you almost didn't catch the certain inflection in her voice.

"No I'm not dating you, Megan." You playfully shut her down immediately. "Hey! I didn't even say anything!"

"You were about to." A small giggle erupts from you.

"Seulgi unnie is single, she's your type, right?"

"Unfortunately, Chae, my heart still belongs to Sophia." Despite the confirmation of Sophia's feelings for you earlier, you still yearn for the Filipina. And it probably won't go away anytime soon.

"You should move on already, y/n. It's been years." As if you didn't know, Daniela reminds you of how long you have been pining for Sophia. You sigh, "It's easier said than done."

"Just try, okay?"

"Okay."

"Finally!" Megan interrupts the quiet moment.

"That's still a no for me, Megan." You hear her groan loudly making laughter erupt.

—

Once again under the shade of the tree in the parking lot, a thin white esse rests in between your lips while you light it with a newly bought lighter at a nearby convenience store. You lean your back against the tree as you fish your phone out of your bag. Now backreading the messages sent in the group chat while absentmindedly flicking the spark wheel using your thumb with your other hand.

You're about to send a reply to the meme that Megan sent but a familiar voice catches your attention.

"Didn't think I'll see you here again." Your thumb hovers over the spark wheel as you look up at Manon who's standing a few feet across from you.

"Stressful day?" She questions you, placing her hands into the pockets of her baggy jeans.

"You can say that." A few seconds of silence pass as Manon looks down at your sitting figure. She looks like she's thinking about something.

You're about to ask her if she needs anything from you but she suddenly speaks.

"I know a relaxing spot about 30 minutes away from here." She takes a brief pause. "Do you want to come with me?"

The sudden invitation catches you off guard. You and Manon are barely friends, merely acquaintances. It makes you wonder why she would want to invite you to join her. Yes you two are basically in the same friend group but you and Manon's paths rarely cross each other.

There's a hopeful look present in her eyes which tugs at your heart's strings. Who are you to reject her offer anyways when the Manon Bannerman is inviting you to hang out with her.

"Sure." You agree. A bright smile appears on her lips. You look down while you stand up, hiding your blushed cheeks from her.

"Great! My car is just over there." She points to a shiny, well-maintained sedan just a little distance away.

"You're not kidnapping me, right?" You playfully ask as you follow her to the car. She giggles, "Well, you're kinda volunteering to get kidnapped by me."

"You're lucky you're cute or else I would've ran away already." You didn't mean to say it out loud, feeling your cheeks become even hotter than before.

"Cute? I'm not cute, I'm smoking hot."

"Mhm sure. Keep telling that to yourself." Manon lets out a laugh at your comment while she opens the passenger side's door for you.

You quirk an eyebrow up at her. "Didn't take you as the gentlewoman type, Ms. Bannerman." You tease before getting inside.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Ms. l/n." She says after sitting in the driver's seat. She turns the ignition, the engine comes alive and purrs softly.

"So, where are you taking me?" You ask, turning your head to look at her while putting on the seatbelt. "To my secret little spot at the end of town." You blink at her.

"You definitely don't sound like a serial killer right now."

"Do you always trust strangers like this?" She revs her engine on instinct before placing her hand on the gear shifter, looking around the area first before driving off.

"You aren't that much of a stranger to me, Bannerman." You say in a teasing way but your words affect Manon more than she would like to admit. She feels her heart skip a beat as she sneakily steals a glance at you.

—

Manon had taken a mental note of everything that Sophia mentioned so she decided to take you on the spot she accidentally found while jogging around the area.

"Is this the part where you lure me into the woods to kill me?" You ask after she parks at the side as you look around, taking in the sight of the forest.

"Sort of. Come one, it's only a few minutes hike." Manon says after taking a backpack out of her trunk.

"This place is really nice." You comment while the two of you walk further down the trail. "Do you usually take other people here or something?"

"No. You're the first, actually." You give her a suspicious look which she sees. "What?"

"Did you just happen to know that I like these kinds of places or you just took a wild guess?"

"Are you stalking me?" You joke, earning a genuine laugh from her. "No." She manages to say in between laughter. "I asked Sophia about the things you like." Manon's revelation leaves you speechless. It piqued your curiosity but you didn't ask her any questions.

It didn't take long for the trail to start being rocky until Manon stops. "Here we are." She places down her backpack while you have your mouth slightly agape at the view before you.

It's as if a giant had carved out a small indent out of a rocky hill to place a lake in the middle of it. The trees surrounding the area act like a curtain shielding the two of you from the rest of the world.

"Holy shit…"

"Right?"

The photos you take of the lake doesn't do it justice. It lacks the fresh air, the sounds of birds chirping, and the distinct earthy smell of the trees that adds to the tranquility of the place.

"Sit next to me." Manon pats the towel that she's sitting down on. You don't hesitate to sit down next to her. Both of your feet are nearly touching the waters.

"I've come prepared." She takes out a small speaker from the bag and sets it down. "There's no signal here. No internet, just peace and some good vibes." She navigates through her phone and a couple of seconds later, the sounds of ice play gently on the speakers.

You take a deep breath. This is the first time in a while that you feel relaxed, the stress of studying and upcoming deadlines takes the backseat in your mind. Nothing truly beats being outside and appreciating nature.

While trying to etch the surroundings in the depths of your mind, you hear the tapping of a pack of cigarettes against a palm. You turn your head to watch her, a fresh, unopened gold marlboros in her hand.

She easily removes the plastic cover and pops the small box open, ripping off the paper to access the sticks inside. Manon then takes one cigarette and flips it over and places it back with the tobacco facing up.

"Want some?" She offers. You take one, taking a whiff of the earthy tobacco before placing the filter in between your lips. "Thanks." You watch as Manon lights her own first before leaning in to burn the end of yours.

"This might be the best smoking spot ever." You comment, making her giggle.

Manon flicks her cigarette to get rid of the ashes at the end of her stick. "So, why'd you choose communications as your major?" She strikes up a conversation.

"I've always been obsessed with movies and media for as long as I can remember."

"Why not filmmaking?" You take a quick drag on your smoke before answering.

"Communications doesn't limit you to one place, I guess. Plus, I like that we're always writing something."

You then switch the subject of the conversation to her. "How about you, why psychology?"

"Honestly? It was just a random pick."

"Interested in something else?" Manon nods even though you're not looking at her. "Yeah. I plan to go full-time on modelling after graduation."

"You model?" Your eyes widen at the thought of seeing Manon on the cover of a magazine.

"Yeah."

"It suits you. You're hot." The sudden compliment erupts a smug smile on Manon's lips. "Didn't you just call me cute earlier?" She teases. "Oh hush."

"I'm flattered that the y/n l/n finds me hot."

"What do you mean? Everyone is practically drooling over you."

"They're not you. You're kind of special to me." Manon looks away, avoiding your gaze.

"Are you flirting with me, Bannerman?"

"What if I say yes?" You shrug at her, immediately feeling shy.

Who would've thought that Manon has a soft spot for you. It seems too good to be true since you're just a normal college student fighting for your life during school hours and burying your face in scripts or research papers when you get to your dorm.

"What made you ask Sophia about me, anyways?" You change the subject, not knowing how to handle that kind of conversation if it continues.

"I have my eyes on you for a while now."

"Are you threatened by me or something? I'm not as popular like you are." Manon laughs.

"No, no. I find you quite interesting, actually." Your eyes dart around the area, like you're expecting for someone to jump out of hiding with a camera in hand.

"Are you serious? Is this some kind of a prank?"

"Oh I'm dead serious." Manon says with no nonsense, looking straight at you.

"Are we on a date right now?" You ask, jokingly.

"Do you want it to be?" You stare at her for a couple of seconds. You should be feeling happy right now, ecstatic even. You somehow managed to catch the eye of the campus' crush. But for some reason, your heart feels heavy.

You smile, hoping that it reaches your eyes. "If someone asks me later where I was, I'm going to say, oh, I was on a date with Manon Bannerman." You joke, not wanting for the lighthearted vibe to disappear.

"You're adorable." You blush since you're not used to compliments. "I- whatever." She pokes your side.

"Don't you want to go for a swim?" She tilts her head towards the lake and attractively inhales smoke from her cigarette.

"Do I look like I have extra clothes on me?" Your sarcasm earns a hearty laugh from her.

"Well you could always skinny dip." She wiggles her eyebrows and whistles, making you push her shoulder. "Ouch!" She overreacts.

"Take me out to dinner first, you perv."

"I'm kidding! I have some extra shirts and pants here." She points to her backpack before getting up and starts taking off her shirt.

You look away, acting like your half-finished cigarette is the most interesting thing in the world. "Aren't you gonna join me?" Manon asks you once she's in the water, tossing the orange filter to her bag.

Without saying anything, you stand up and start to strip down to your underwear, catching Manon's eyes straying from your face and scanning the rest of your body unashamedly. You quickly finish your cig before taking and lighting another one from Manon's freshly opened pack.

You slowly join her on the lake, being careful to not accidentally submerge the newly lit stick under water. You can feel Manon inching closer behind you, the water rippling across the surface of the lake.

"You know, you look really hot when you're smoking." She whispers while gently turning you around and on instinct, you place your hands on her shoulders.

"Really?" You take the stick and grip them between two fingers before once again draping your arm over her shoulder.

The eye contact that Manon initiates is intense. She's hyper aware of your hand that's playing with the little hairs on her nape, goosebumps arising with your touch. She can feel her fingertips tingling as she settles her hands on your waist. Unknowingly, Manon leans in closer to you.

You can feel her breath tickling your skin. With your lips only inches apart, you blow the smoke out onto her face causing her to unexpectedly cough. Giggling, you swim away from her before she splashes you for revenge.

"Get back here you little shit!"

—

While you and Manon are out on another spontaneous "date", the rest of your friends- with the exemption of Yoonchae because she's still in a class, can be found at the campus' field, sitting down under a tree. This isn't the first time both you and Manon skipped out on group hangouts. And quite frankly, they miss the two of you.

"Manon really went for y/n, huh?" Daniela says while munching on a sandwich that Sophia made.

"I'm glad she did, she's whipped for that girl." Lara replies while looking at her reflection on her phone.

"They're always together recently, it feels kinda weird." Megan reveals as she's leaning her back against the tree. "Right? We're so used to y/n and Sophia always being together." Lara finally puts her phone down and looks around to see what her friends are thinking.

"Don't you get jealous of Manon, Sophia?" Daniela asks and everyone looks at Sophia's direction, expecting an answer.

Sophia, who's staring off into thin air, doesn't hear Dani's question. Her mind's a tangled mess because it's been days since she's had a proper conversation with you. You've been busy spending time with Manon and it makes her stomach sour with the thought of you possibly catching feelings for her friend.

"Hellooo~ Sophia?"

Her brain keeps thinking of the what ifs and regrets she has for allowing Manon to get closer to you. But ultimately, she's still in deep denial of her feelings for you.

"Earth to Miss Sophia Laforteza." Lara waves her hand in front of Sophia's face, finally snapping her back to reality. "Huh? What?"

"I said, aren't you jealous of Manon because she stole y/n away from you?" Daniela repeats.

"Why would I be jealous?"

"Oh I don't know, just the fact that you two seems like you're in a relationship." Megan acts like she's clueless of the obvious domesticity between you and Sophia.

"And don't pretend that we don't see how bitter you get when Manon and y/n are together." Lara adds.

Sophia rolls her eyes at the girls. "You guys are delusional."

"We're just stating facts."

"Guys, I only see her as a friend. Nothing more." The three girls share a quick look with each other.

"So, you're telling us, that after years of taking care of her, driving her around, introducing her to your parents, that you've never felt the urge to kiss her?" Daniela lists off the things that Sophia does for you.

Sophia stays silent for a few seconds, taking in what Daniela said. Allowing herself to slowly chip away her walls of being in denial of her feelings for you, yet she denies it to the girls.

"Nope."

The seconds it took for her to respond to them earns an instant suspicion for the girls. Clearly not believing Sophia.

"Sure. You definitely don't like her." Lara casually checks her nails, pretending to agree with Sophia.

"Because you're definitely not jealous of Manon when she gave y/n a bouquet." Megan states.

As you waited for the producer of your group's upcoming project, Megan and Sophia volunteered to keep you company for a while, while waiting at the diner. The two of you are currently engrossed in Sophia's telling of their disastrous dress rehearsals yesterday.

"The costumes kept ripping off, people forgot to turn their mics off backstage, some props were missing, someone slipped onstage-" A voice interrupted her.

"Hey." You all look up to see Manon with a bouquet of tulips in her hands. "I saw this on the way here and it reminded me of you."

"Aww thanks."

Sophia felt her eye twitch and she balled her hand into a fist. Her mood instantly dimmed at the obvious display of a romantic gesture. The smile you gave Manon was enough for her to see red. But she noticed how your eyes lacked the mirth you usually have when you looked at her. It wasn't much but it was enough to quell Sophia's jealousy.

"Also not jealous when y/n turned you down because she and Manon already made some plans."

"Hey n/n let's go out, there's a new restaurant down at-" She didn't even get to finish her sentence before you cut her off.

"Sorry, Fifi, I'm going out later with Manon." Sophia felt embarrassed by the sudden rejection because this is the first time you rejected her in the years you two knew of each other. "Maybe next time?"

"Yeah, sure." She said in a defeated voice before she scowled at the thought of Manon asking you out. Lara raised her eyebrow, interested at the drama that's about to happen in the near future.

"Definitely not jealous when we saw them together at the parking lot."

Lately, you have been hanging out at your little spot under the tree at the campus' parking lot after your classes had already ended. Sometimes you'd study your script or jot something down in your notebook. But this day, you had a visitor.

You had texted Sophia prior to the end of your classes that you'd be hanging out at the parking lot to unwind. It was supposed to be your designated, smoke-free, alone time of your day and when you saw Manon in the distance, you knew that you'd get another "smoking will kill you" talk with Sophia.

By the time Sophia had arrived with the other girls, she felt her blood boil at the smell of nicotine from far away. Her sight zeroed in at you and Manon, having a light-hearted banter with cigarettes in between your fingers.

"Is it just me or do they look hotter when they're smoking together?" Daniela's comment earned her a smack on the arm by Sophia.

"They were so cute that time." Megan pointed out with both Lara and Daniela agreeing to her statement. "They look even hotter when they're together." Lara adds.

"They'd make a great couple-"

After each girl had given an entry of Sophia's blatant jealousy, Sophia snaps. "Okay guys, that's enough!" The three make eye-contact with each other, a smirk present on their faces. "You don't need to rub it in my face."

"Just admit that you like y/n already." Dani quips.

"Okay fine! I like her, happy?" Instead of shocked faces and reactions, Sophia is met with several looks of relief. "Was it that hard to admit that you like her out loud?" Lara says, completely over how in denial Sophia acted when talking about you.

"She's my best friend, I don't want to ruin our friendship over some stupid confession."

"Are you blind, like, actually?" Sophia blinks at Lara in pure confusion. "What?"

"y/n likes you as well, you idiot." Daniela reveals. "Why are the smart ones always dumb when it comes to these things?" She adds.

"No she doesn't."

"So do you think that it's only a coincidence that she's always looking for you?" Megan starts.

Everyone was already at the diner, except for Sophia. Despite being sat down next to Manon, your attention is focused on the girl who hasn't arrived yet.

"Where's Fifi?" You asked the other girls who only shrugged at your question. "Did you miss me?" The sudden appearance of the Filipina immediately brought a smile to your face. Megan nudged Yoonchae under the table and they shared a knowing look.

"You're also the only one she helps with things." Lara adds, taking a bite out of Megan's sandwich.

It was no-brainer that between the friend group, you're the proof-reader since you are a communications student. So every time they had an essay or a case study, they ran to you. But every time they asked you for help, you only say one thing like a broken record,

"Can't, I'm busy. Do it on your own, it's easy. Just look out for some typos or grammatical errors."

So when they heard Sophia asking you for help on her character study, they expected you to turn her down as well.

"Hey, n/n. Can you help me with this?" Sophia placed her laptop with the document open in front of you. "Sure. What is it about?"

When they heard you agree, Megan and Daniela almost choked on their drinks as they coughed like they were fighting for their lives.

Both Megan and Daniela look like they have a personal vendetta against you as they glare at Sophia. Still clearly not over how you instantly agree to help Sophia with anything while you do the opposite toward them.

"Plus, she learned how to cook sinigang just for you."

"Oh what's this?" You handed Sophia a warm lunchbox and you sat down next to her. The girls tried sneaking in a peak inside right away. "Hey this is mine!" Sophia swatted Dani's hand away.

"I made your favourite." You casually said while opening a bottle of water for her.

She finally opens the box to see her favourite ulam tightly sealed so that it doesn't spill and a fragrant, still steaming rice on another container. Sophia felt her heart warm at the sweet gesture.

"Where's our food?" Daniela pouted at you. You reached into your bag to grab the granola bar you always take on the go. "Uh, here."

"I'll make something else for you guys soon."

"-and she never did!" Megan whisper-yells at Sophia. "She doesn't even cook!" Daniela adds to even further their claims.

"You guys think that she likes me back?"

Lara rolls her eyes, clearly exasperated at Sophia's clueless self. "Yes!"

"We're tired of her talking about you, honestly." Megan says, mentally recalling the bi-weekly phone call you have with the girls that goes into detail of the things you like about Sophia. "She talks about me?"

"Our group chat is filled with Sophia's so sweet, Sophia this, Sophia that."

Sophia blinks at the girls, still dumbfounded at the thought of you liking her back. She has noticed the things you do for her but strangely doesn't do to anyone else. Still, she always thought of it as something best friends do and nothing more.

"So, she won't reject me if I ask her out?"

"Girl we don't know. You have competition now."

Sophia forgot about Manon for a second. But she still has a chance with you… right?

—

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Yep. Now hurry up before I change my mind."

For some reason, you have never shown a rough cut of your films to somebody else who isn't involved in the project. It's a little superstition of yours that hasn't been broken ever since you started making these. That is, until today.

From the moment that the rough cut has been sent to you by the editor, you have been getting this feeling in your gut that Sophia should see this before sitting down with the editor for the director's cut.

So here you are now with Sophia, walking to your dorm. It's barely past 8 pm yet the hallways of your building are barren. Like there's no other burned out student like you.

"What happened to you and why are you suddenly letting me watch your unfinished project?" You shrug at Sophia as you're unlocking the door.

"I don't know, Fifi. Just a gut feeling." You admit. "I never took you as the superstitious type." She says while taking off her shoes.

As soon as she drops her bag near the door, she sits down on the edge of your bed.

"What am I going to expect?" She asks while watching you set up your projector that you bought specifically for watching rough cuts.

You swallow, scared to admit the real reason behind letting her watch your little film. Out of everything you have ever directed, written, and produced, this is the most simplest yet personal project you've ever tackled.

"Nothing much, really. Just drama."

"Your specialty." Sophia says with a smile.

"What can I say? They're fun to write and act."

You then plop down on the bed next to her after pressing play. Seeing the intro of your low budget, indie type, short. Feeling nervous, you start to get fidgety. Of course, Sophia notices this.

"You okay?" She takes your hand in hers. comfortingly squeezing yours. You can feel your heart beat quicken instantly once you feel her warmth. You hope whoever's up above that your hands don't start to get sweaty.

"Yeah. Just a little nervous." Sophia doesn't ask any questions any further. Instead, she turns her attention back to the projected video, rubbing her thumb against the back of your hand.

"Don't worry, it's great so far." You nod, hearing her comment honestly. It eases your nerves that Sophia doesn't like to sugar coat her opinions when it comes to critiquing your works. It's also a great benefit that she has a keen eye for details, one that has been honed due to her theatre background and major.

After watching the cut, Sophia takes her time to fully comprehend what she just watched. It's obviously low budget, a far cry from your last two works. The whole short just takes place in a park where you and your screen partner are just having a conversation about your past. It's so simple yet she's intrigued by the two characters on the screen the whole time.

"So… what'd you think?"

The room is now darker with the projector turned off. Only the lamp turned on the desk is your one light source except for the moonlight shining into the room.

"It's literally like one whole scene but why is it so… engaging? You and that guy are just talking, that's it." You giggle at her.

"Y'know, I got inspired by the couple in that restaurant months ago."

"The one where we switched tables so we could hear their conversation?" You hum to answer her question earning a laugh from her.

"I'm wondering, did the guy even like you at one point?"

"Honestly? I don't know." She only stares at you, as if she can see through you. "Well, I think that he does." You don't move. Scared that if you get any closer to her, that she'd be able to feel how fast your heart is currently beating.

You both lay your heads back on the pillows, staring at the white ceiling.

"I think he's scared. That if he says something to you, he'll destroy your friendship." Sophia whispers, using the struggles of your on-screen partner to secretly share her own thoughts.

"But don't you think that he should confess anyways? They're close, I don't think she'll run away from their friendship if she doesn't feel the same way." She turns her head to look at your side profile. Silently remembering the features of your face.

"Maybe." She whispers. "But he chose not to. Now it's up to him to wonder if he missed out on something great."

You turn your head to see that she's already looking at you. Only inches apart, you can see the steady rise and fall of her chest on the corner of your eye. Noticing how her irises dart up to your forehead, down to your nose, and down to your lips. She unconsciously parts her lips and closes them upon realising.

Sophia turns her head back to look up at the ceiling. Wondering if she should finally take the risk and not be plagued with what ifs and regrets throughout her life.

—

Weeks had already passed after the small moment you and Sophia shared at your dorm. And from that day on, Sophia has been treating you differently. In a good way. She has been showing up at your door much more often, giving you little trinkets that reminded her of you, and even managing to steal you away from Manon.

Sophia has always been a dream and she makes it hard for you to not fall in love with her. However as Sophia finally gets the courage to show you how she truly feels, Manon starts to realise how she never stood a chance in the first place.

Don't get her wrong as she already feels lucky enough to be able to take you out. But how can she go up against Sophia when she could clearly see you look at her like she's the entire reason why you're alive.

It wasn't hard for Manon to find you after your classes. You're at the parking lot, once again. Sometimes she'll see you with a cigarette or a journal, maybe even scrolling through on your phone but today, you're fidgeting with the hem of your pants.

"Hey." She sits down next to you.

Manon reaches into her pockets, taking her pack of marlboros out. She opens it, seeing her lighter and the two cigarettes that's left. She takes the one with the filter side up, offering you the one she flipped during the time you two went out to the lake. You take it, letting her light it up for you.

A peaceful silence settles down between the two of you despite the obvious tension in both your figures. You had been secretly wishing for this conversation not to happen but it needs to in order for the two of you to move forward.

"You know, I didn't realise that I like you until I saw you with Sophia celebrating your screening a semester ago."

"I don't know why but every time I try to talk to you back then, something happens. I guess that's the universe's way of telling me that I can only watch you from afar." Her voice is gentle, like she's trying not to scare away a butterfly from a fragile flower.

"And when I came across you here, I thought this was finally it. Maybe I do have a chance with you." She lets out a bitter laugh. "But I thought wrong."

You stay silent, watching her usual glow disappear from her face as she stares out at the nearly empty parking lot.

"It's always been her, isn't it?"

"Sophia." She clarifies.

You swallow, feeling something heavy on the back of your throat. "Manon I-… I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She finally looks at you.

"I guess I've known about it for a while. I just didn't want to believe it."

"You knew?"

"The way you look at Sophia tells me everything that I need to know." She gives you a sad smile.

"I like you, Manon." You look away from her. "But Sophia… I love her."

"I know."

"She makes you really happy. Even a blind person can figure that out." You giggle at her words.

"Manon?"

"Hm?" This time, she looks away from you.

"Thank you for being understanding."

"Well, if Sophia fucks up, you know who to call." You laugh, breaking the heavy tension that filled the air before.

As the two of you linger underneath the tree, your cigarettes start burning away. The once aromatic tobacco now turning into ashes, remembering the memorable yet fleeting moments you and Manon once shared.

You stare down at the cigarette in between your fingers, engraving the sight and memory in your head. Relishing the smooth and refined taste of the smoke for this is the last cigarette you'll ever touch.

—

Because it's been a hot minute since the Laforteza's last saw you, it's only natural for them to invite you over for dinner. To your surprise, Sophia's father, Godfrey, went all out for this dinner. Having dishes that range from Italian to Filipino cuisine. Because he claims that it's always a celebration every time Sophia brings you over.

"How's college treating you, y/n?" He starts a conversation once everyone already has some food on their respective plates.

"Just the usual, tito. Studying, writing, researching, all the stressful stuff." You take a bite of the pasta and as always, tito Godfrey's cooking never disappoints.

Back when Sophia introduced you to her parents, both Carla and Godfrey had insisted for you to call them tita and tito. Saying that calling them sir and ma'am was too formal when they instantly treated you like you were their own.

"Sophia told us that your latest short film was amazing." Your curiosity piques since Sophia is highly critical when it comes to student-made films. You look over to her to see that she's already looking at you, giving you a wink once you two made eye-contact. "Do you have any plans of submitting it to festivals?" He continues.

"We're still thinking about it, tito. Our professors prefer the other one that I produced because it's more technical. But who knows?" You shrug after explaining.

"You know, y/n, I think you'll be able to make it in the industry." Sophia's mother, Carla, who's an actress, comments. "Oh, I don't know about that, tita. There's a lot of talented people out there."

"And you're one of them." The compliment coming from a veteran actress does a good job in making you blush. Carla looks at you with a certain warmth, the look of a proud tita.

Godfrey then clears his throat, "So, Sophia, when are you going to ask y/n out?" Sophia almost chokes on her food. You rub her back gently up and down as she recovers from her coughing fit which made her dad laugh.

"I'm serious, Sophia." He states after wiping the sides of his mouth with a napkin. "When will y/n become our daughter-in-law?" Carla only smiles at her husband's antics because she also shares the same sentiments with him.

You jokingly put your left hand up, "Tito, I'm just waiting for her to put a ring on it." Your joke is approved by the Lafortezas except for Sophia who's embarrassingly red while drinking water. Your words are not helping her flustered state. "Dad!"

"Look, Sophia, we can see how fond you are of y/n. So if you want to pursue her, you have your mother and I's blessings already. Just don't forget to ask for her family's hand when you do." He pauses to have a sip of his wine. "Y/n is great and she has a bright future ahead of her so you should shoot your shot  before someone else steps in, okay?"

Sophia swallows, knowing that her father has a great point. Especially when he basically went through the same experience when he used to court Carla back in the day.

She then turns her head to look at you, her flustered state now nowhere to be seen and is replaced by one of confidence. "Don't worry, n/n. I'll get you that ring soon enough." She winks, turning the tables on you as you blush hard while her father shouts, "That's my daughter right there!" Earning giggles from everyone at the table.

After the filling dinner and the eclectic yet light-hearted conversations that happened at the dinner table, you and Sophia fulfil your mini tradition. Following dinner, the two of you always take a stroll out to their neighbourhood's playground. Having dialogues that last for hours.

The night is still young with the stars visible on the clear skies. Aside from the occasional cars that pass by, the silence is peaceful accompanied by the chirping of crickets in the background. You and Sophia take a seat, side by side, on the swings.

"I'm sorry about my dad earlier." Sophia apologises for the unexpected high jinks of her father.

"It's fine. My dad's kinda like that as well." You look down at your feet, kicking a pebble.

"He's right, y'know?" She looks at you. "My dad." You look at her in wonder, not knowing where this conversation is heading. "That if I don't do anything, somebody would swoop in and steal you away from me." She breaks her gaze from you. "Like Manon." She takes a deep breath, tightening her grip on the swing's chains.

"Y/n I've been such an idiot. I've been trying to convince myself for the longest time that you're just my best friend but all this time, I've been in love with you. And I understand that you like Manon-" You cut her off by kissing her, scooting your feet to get closer to her. Your hand cupping her cheek while the other grips the swing's chain.

Sophia can feel her heart bursting at the seams with her eyes wide open at the shock of your sudden action. She finally closes her eyes a couple of seconds later when you hummed against her lips. She can feel the world slowing down with your mouth against hers, lips tingling the longer it lasts.

You pull away from her, breathless. "I love you too, Fifi." You whisper as she watches the mirth dancing in your irises. Your cheeks lightly dusted with pink.

She blinks, a surge of panic bubbling within her. "What about Manon? I thought you two were together or something." The smile present on your face confuses her.

"You don't have to worry about Manon, okay?" You reassure her, letting your swing go back to its normal position. Sophia stares off into the distance, her head still reeling about the kiss that just happened not even a minute ago.

"I have to tell you something." She bites her lips in thought. "What is it?"

"Manon and I made a deal. That if I told her something about you, that she'd get me casted as Glinda." She feels her nerves bubbling up her throat, turning her head to the side to look at your expression.

"I'm sorry. It felt like I gave you away and betrayed you-" You cut off her rambling, "I know."

"What?" Sophia exclaims, her brows furrowing in pure surprise and confusion. "Manon told me." She exhales out of her nose. "She told you?" You nod in response. "Of course she did." She mutters to herself. "I'm such an idiot."

"Mhm, but you're my idiot." The cheeky smile you give her makes her heart do somersaults like it's the floor exercises in gymnastics.

A moment of silence occurs before you break it. "You do know that I'm holding out for that ring, right?" A teasing smile appears on your face as you watch her face flush in embarrassment due to the earlier incident at the dining table.

Despite her current state, she manages to blurt something out confidently. "I'll propose to you on your graduation and that's a promise." Once again, she turns the tables on you. This time, you're the one shyly blushing. "And you'll finally become a Laforteza." She looks at you so softly that you can spot that she's in love with you from miles away.

"Y/n Laforteza has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" She wonders out loud.