1000 more! :)
“Velvet,” Katie called from the main field. “Cabin 3C decided not to play Capture the Flag today, so instead you’ll be playing it with cabin 4B. The counselor’s name is...”
“Brody,” Velvet filled in before Katie could look in her binder of papers that were spilling over the sides. Katie nodded her head and dropped a load of Capture the Flag materials in Velvet’s arms.
“Don’t you have a co-counselor? Yoda or something?” Katie asked, pushing the unorganized papers into her binder, crumpling the edges. The crumpling bothered Velvet for some reason.
“Yori isn’t…feeling well,” Velvet responded, hating to think back on the horror of the morning. After Yori had called Velvet a ‘bitch’, Velvet knew she had made a big mistake. Whatever was lost or not found in Ghazni, was definitely a bigger deal than some Prada shoes.
“Well, Yori needs to get off her high horse if you know what I mean,” Katie scoffed, her double chin trembling under Katie’s throaty laugh. Velvet wanted Katie to stop talking.
“She’s sick, Katie,” Velvet commented firmly that time.
“Is that so? Sick? Well, she needs to do her job. It is only the second day of fourteen that she’s counseling. She’s unreliable,” Katie replied, trying to regain her composure.
“Then don’t invite her back next year. She’ll be too old anyway to come back,” Velvet returned, purposely averting her eyes from Katie to watch her campers. Tegan and Sapphire were kicking rocks back and forth, waiting for the game to start and Kristina and Mallory were playing hand games, softly chanting the rhymes.
“Good thing she can’t come back next year. I mean she came in to my office to talk about changing courses before registration was even over. Plus, it was a pain in the neck to even get her into the camp as a counselor. Her mom would not stop pestering and pestering! I mean, she signed up to be a counselor one week and two days before the camp started! I barely had time to interview her and see what she was like. Man….” Velvet spotted Brody and his four little boys from across the field with sweat bands strapped around their foreheads and streaks of black Sharpie scribbled against their teeny cheeks. Velvet suddenly wished she had been more spirited with her campers, but how could she when….well, you know.
“I have to go now,” Velvet said abruptly, heading out to the center of the field.
“Fine…but Velvet,” Katie called out, adjusting her brown hat. “I thought you should know that I will be suspending Yori this afternoon. She’ll pack her bags and head home tomorrow morning.” Velvet whirled around.
“What? Why?” Velvet demanded, suddenly feeling weighted down.
“Really it’s been a series of things, but mostly she was found this morning in the woods…in a bath towel, mind you, and for every counselor and camper, the woods are off limits. You learned that in training and in the camper induction ceremony. Not to mention, it has been a hassle to accommodate her,” Katie replied. Velvet couldn’t imagine Camp Sing-Song without Yori. Even though Yori had been difficult and mean and overbearing, she had added something extra to camp. Besides, Velvet was dying to know what the letter from Yori’s mom was about.
But most of all, Velvet didn’t want a relationship, however bad, to end on the wrong foot. Velvet always made sure she never went to sleep mad, never left school with a fight unresolved, and always turned a foe into at least an acquaintance wherever she was. It was not in Velvet’s nature or comfort zone to meet someone and leave someone on bad terms; Velvet didn’t think it was healthy or good for fate later in life. And since Velvet was pretty sure she had made a big mistake in the bathroom that morning, it gave her all the more incentive to make up with Yori before she would have to head home.
“B-but, Katie. You can’t do that to her, she needs something for her…college apps. Yori needs more time to settle…in…don’t you think?” Velvet could tell she wasn’t convincing Katie at all.
“Honey, I’ve seen Yori around. She wears designer clothes and even brought designer luggage. She won’t need to go to college; she’ll be able to support herself on her family money until she’s 100. Yori will be fine,” Katie responded, a haunting look looming from the top of her bushy eyebrows.
“Velvet! Ready to play?” Brody cried out from the other end of the field. Katie turned and left.
“Katie, where is Yori now?” Velvet asked, ignoring Brody.
“Probably in your cabin. I’m going to tell her before lunch, so…” Katie checked her plastic watch. “Two and a half hours.”
“Velvet, ready?” Brody asked, now right next to her. His hair blew in the wind and his tan skin caught the glimpse of the sun.
“Do you know where Yori is?” Velvet asked as quickly as she could so as not to be distracted by Brody’s godly physique.
“Yori?” He seemed disgusted and annoyed. “Does it matter? Speaking of that, I have to ask you something. Yori and I broke up last night because of…stuff and I was wondering—“
“Brody, be helpful please. Where is Yori?” Velvet interrupted him, not sure if she completely wanted to hear what Brody had to say.
“I don’t know,” Brody replied, his face slacking and his nose scrunching up. “Why do you need to know?”
“She’s in trouble and I’ve got to help her.” Velvet started hopping a little to release some of her adrenaline.
“Help her? You’re going to help Yori? Velvet, Yori hasn’t been anything but mean and bratty this whole past week and few days. Honestly, I don’t know why I went out with her for one day. I guess it was because when you didn’t seem interested in me, I thought well, better give up and find someone else. And, you know, there was Yori, so I thought, I might be surprised. I wasn’t. She was exactly who I thought she was at the very beginning—a brat. So, I made a mistake, Velvet. You are really the one I would like to go out with. And if you aren’t interested, I can’t just give up because I’m too much in love with you to take no for an answer…but not in a creepy stalker way, like a romantic way, you know? ‘Cause if that makes you uncomfortable, I’ll back off, but I just meant—“
“Brody, that’s sweet and we can talk later, but I need to find Yori. She might be leaving tomorrow and I need to find her so we can make amends. It’ll kill me if I don’t fix this ongoing fight we’ve been having,” Velvet finally interrupted Brody. She was too all over the place to concentrate on his actual words. Brody went silent for a moment.
“What has the fight been about exactly?” Brody wanted to know. Brody wouldn’t take his eyes off her. Velvet stopped jumping and calmed down. She did have two hours.
“You know, I’m not too sure. I think Yori didn’t like me too much when she first met me, maybe I came off as too…perky?” Velvet started.
“She did tell me yesterday, right before we were about to break up, that she’d rather be complimented on her looks than on her personality. She seemed peeved with me that I was interested in personality; she said I was ‘obsessed’ with it.” Brody laughed, his white teeth shining. His smile reminded Velvet of when Brody sent her a clipping from his city’s local newspaper that had an article written about him. The article told about how Brody raised fifteen hundred for daily teeth cleaning materials for children in Zimbabwe. The article clipping was pinned to her wall right next to the picture of Brody with a group of elderly people that he helped through occupational therapy so they could use their legs to walk again. Velvet started to wonder, did she like Brody from long ago and only realized it when someone else mentioned the possible idea of liking him? Did she have Yori to thank for that? Did Velvet have Yori to thank for realizing and coming in touch with her…love feelings? Snapping herself out of her reverie, Velvet tuned in to what Brody was saying.
“She did? I wonder why she values looks more than personality…either way, I would still feel right to warn her,” Velvet commented. “Will you help me?” Velvet saw Brody’s eyes reflect some light as if he had been waiting to hear those words for a while.
“Of course.”
Thanks for reading!
And remember guys: Be relaxed when you write. Don't rush or have tension. Be calm! It helps the flow.
Everyone is so multi-layered. No one is an obvious hero or villain and it makes it really interesting to read. I had to laugh at all Brody's good deeds...teeth cleaning materials in Zimbabwe and helping elderly people to walk again...who could be more perfect?
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