Page 15 of Ring Around the Rosie

“Alright, settle down!” Willie walked to the front of the cafeteria. I looked over my shoulder and noticed Sabbath leaning against the cafeteria wall. He was staring straight at me with a sinister smile. My scar ached, and I forced my eyes away. “Before our counselors begin their roll calls, I wanted to make an announcement. We have a few new counselors joining us this summer! Aster.” I stood and smiled. I noticed Tabitha in her seat. She waved at me, and I waved back. “And Sabbath.” My smile dropped, and my heart sank.

Wait. What?

“Give them a big round of applause and a Camp Redwood welcome!” My head snapped back. Sabbath was clapping and smiling. He nodded in my direction, and I turned away from him. “Alright, now. Let’s do some roll calls!”

Sabbath wasn’t just here, he was staying. As a fucking counselor.

After each counselor called out their group names, the campers grouped together and introductions began. It was hard to focus between the insanely loud noises the kids were making, and the fact that Sabbath was standing in the same room as me. I was half out of it, trying to fake my way through the motions. Kaila, Sandy, and I led our individual groups of girls down to our shared cabin, and they all stormed in, rushing to claim their beds. I plopped down on mine and threw my pillow over my face.

I wanted to scream.

“Aster?” I lifted the pillow to see Tabitha standing there. She had a little hand stitched, green dinosaur in her arm. “Can Isleep up here?” She pointed to the bunk above my bed with a smile.

I couldn’t help but to smile at her sweetness. “Of course, Tabitha.” I poked her little dinosaur. “I love your friend.”

She held it close and squealed. “His name is Reggie. Reginald Kingsworth, to be exact.” We both laughed.

“My, what a regal little dinosaur Reggie must be.” Tabitha nodded and climbed to the top bunk.

Kaila and Sandy approached me. Kaila shook her head and watched Tabitha as she began to make her bunk. “You’re going to get no sleep.” She laughed.

Sandy nudged her arm, and the two looked over at their own bunks, now filled with children. Kaila groaned. “Oh, dammit! I really thought we’d get lucky this year.”

Sandy laughed. “That’s karma for giving me such a hard time last year when I had those twins sharing a bunk above me!” Kaila made a face. “Yeah, whatever.” The two smiled.

I stood from my bed and joined them. “Now that the campers are settling in, what’s next?”

Sandy looked around. “Well, we have some time before dinner. Normally, the campers get to sort of roam the camp for a bit and get familiar with everything before dinner in the cafeteria. After that, they all head out to the lake for orientation with Willie and Nurse B. Us counselors typically hang back and do our traditional bonfire shit.”

Kaila adjusted her glasses. “Yeah, really from now until dinner we just hang out and help keep an eye on everything. After dinner, we sneak away and hangout while we can. Get ready, Aster. We’re about to be run ragged.”

I laughed slightly. “These campers can’t be that bad.”

Sandy and Kaila tried not to laugh. “No, babe.” Kaila touched my arm. “Nurse B is the one who’s going to run us ragged.”

Sandy shook her head. “That woman runs one tight ship, Aster. Get ready.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about their statement. Or if I was ready. Only one way to find out.

Kaila and Sandy hit the nail on the head. The rest of the day felt as though it had dragged on forever, and I was beyond exhausted by the time dinner came along. Keeping up with the campers was one thing, but following Nurse B’s rules and jumping at her every whim was exhausting. When we finally sat down for dinner, I wanted to just slam my head down on the table. The other counselors laughed and joked at my fatigue, as if they’d known all along what was in store for me and were eagerly waiting for me to fizzle out.

“Hey, Aster.” Doug’s voice made me lift my head. He was stuffing his face with meatloaf. “Is it true that the new guy is really your brother?” He snorted while he licked his fork. “I mean, you two don’t even look alike! He’s like a total badass and you’re well… you.”

Kaila made a face. “Wow, Doug, way to open your mouth and lower everyone’s IQs. They don’t look alike because their half siblings, you dumbass!” She flung a spoonful of potatoes at him. Sandy and her chuckled. Rodney shook his head and scooted a bit away from Doug to avoid any more incoming food.

“Who’s a dumbass now?” Solomon asked as he and Wolfe joined us. He looked straight at Doug, who was trying to wipe the potatoes from his camp shirt but desperately failing. “Oh, come on, Dirty Doug. You couldn’t even make it one day withoutmaking a mess on yourself?” Everyone laughed, and Doug shot Sol a death glare. “Oh, relax. I’m sure Beatrice would be more than happy to help you clean yourself up. Again.” The table ruptured into laughter.

Doug mocked us all. “Ha-ha. So funny! You fucking perverts act like you never touch yourselves, but I know you do. Isn’t that right, Wolfe?” We all looked at Wolfe. He turned bright red and tried to look down. “Yeah, I caught Wolfe beating it the other day, just outside your woodshop, Sol.” Solomon’s face hardened. “But am I sitting here calling him names, making fun? No.”

Solomon noticed how embarrassed Wolfe was getting. “Leave him alone, Doug.”

Doug made a face. “No! Why should I? You guys don’t leave me alone when I ask! Hey, Wolfe! Tell everyone here how I caught you squirting your cum all over the side of Solomon’s shop. How you were howling like a fucking animal as you came!” Doug laughed, but everyone else just looked at one another. “What? It was hilarious! Wolfe was howling? Get it?” He then howled like an animal and Wolfe jumped.

“I said knock it off!” Sol kicked Doug under the table and made him yelp.

Doug and Sol seemed like they wanted to fight, but everything halted as Nurse B walked up to our table. “Counselors.”

“Nurse B.” We all greeted her in an odd unison.

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