Well, summer camp is nearly over. We’re about ready to return to the real world. But before you pack your sleeping bag, we have some loose ends to tie up. This month I’ve shared a short story I wrote through the Short Story Summer Camp class offered by The Habit Membership. If you write, or ever thought about writing, there’s no better place to grow in your skills and find sweet fellowship!
If you missed last week’s episode, catch up here! Now we reach the exciting conclusion of our tale…Will Summer get back her father’s binoculars? Will Abbi’s lip ever stop bleeding? Will the boys ever recover from the stink bomb? What did Ruby Skinner steal from the lockbox inside the boys’ fort???
“Skinner, just hand over what you took. Give it to Thompson. She’ll hand it to me. And then we’ll give her the binoculars,” Pollack smiles.
Pollack doesn’t just want what I have. He wants everyone to see what I have.
“Ruby, just do it,” Abbi whispers, her lower lip bleeding.
The breeze vanishes. Even the birds are silent. Summer holds her breath. This is it. It’s over. I reach into the back pocket of my jean shorts. I hold it up and hand it to Summer.
Summer examines it for a moment, “It’s a Polaroid. You broke into their lockbox to steal a picture?”
“Just look…” I say, voice quaking.
Abbi walks over to Summer, peering over her shoulder, “It’s a picture of you…holding hands…with Preston J. Pollack…at the Roller Rink? What is this?”
Ham, Peter, and Nick start to chuckle. Preston practically radiates. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and tilt my head back.
“Ugh, okay. Yes. I’m holding hands with Pollack. He asked me to skate during the Couple’s Skate during last night’s session at the Roller Rink. And in one moment—a moment in which I was having some sort of out-of-body experience—I said yes. And stupid Ham Hands over there took the picture,” I confess.
“You skated the Couple’s Skate with Preston J. Pollack?” Abbi asks, eyes wide.
“Yes! And I had to get the picture back. I had to because if this picture got out, it would ruin…it would ruin our reputation. It would…”
I run out of words. Summer, smiling, walks over to me, pauses, and hugs me.
“Ruby, I get it. It’s okay.”
Summer then takes the picture back to Preston. Slick Nick gives her the binoculars. Everyone was trying very hard to control their laughter. Ham’s laugh burst from him, and he farted at the same time.
“Sick, Ham. That’s worse than the stink bomb,” Peter whines.
Abbi and Summer double over laughing. Peter and Nick join in.
“Come on everybody. We’re going to set up a painter’s tarp for a slip-n-slide,” Nick says, turning to the path that leads out of the woods.
Summer follows, “Yeah, you guys are going to need it to get that smell out of your clothes.”
I stay behind, my eyes cast to the worn path at my feet. When I glance up, I see Preston smiling. He walks closer, lime green eyes shining. That stupid dimple in his left cheek.
“You know, Skinner, I wasn’t planning to use this picture against you. That’s why I kept it in the lockbox,” he says, holding out the Polaroid to me.
“Then why didn’t you destroy it?” I ask.
I hope he can’t hear how loud my heart is beating. Seriously, were his eyes always that green?
“Honestly…I just like looking at it,” he grins.
“Well, Pollack…” I snatch the picture from his hand, “I’ve gotta tell you, that’s super gross.”
I skate past him, thinking of all the ways I could get rid of photo. Instead, I slip it into my back jean pocket and race to catch up with my friends. When I know he’s not looking, I let myself smile.
Awh, that’s sweet! I got attached to your characters. Our childhood was precious.