July Writing Craze: Day 15!!

Today is the halfway mark for July Writing Craze!!! Thank you all soooo much for all your support! :)
Enjoy!

“Go to sleep, you guys,”  Velvet called, titling back the green curtain, giving the four campers a reason to scream and scamper.  “We’ll be playing an early game of Capture The Flag tomorrow.”  Velvet went back into her room where Yori was already laying in her bed, flipping through a People magazine.

            “What are you reading?”  Velvet asked nonchalantly, pulling back her hair into a loose bun.  Yori flipped to the next page in her magazine, scanning through the pictures and captions.  Her manicured nails strummed lightly against the covers of the mag.  The crinkling of the flimsy paper and the muttering of the little troopers in the next room edged at Velvet’s mind.  The mix of negative emotions was getting to her.  She was feeling ire with a twinge of guilt from trespassing Yori twice in one day.

            “I put your mail back where I found it,”  Velvet tried again, grabbing her book from the floor beside her bed.  Yori closed her magazine, reached for her bag under her bed, and selected a nail file, proceeding to file her nails.

            “Okay, I get it.  You’re mad.  I still don’t think you should be doing what you are,”  Velvet commented, fluffing her pillows.

            “Velvet!  Can we go to the rec room for pudding?”  Sapphire cried out from the other room, her little feet appearing underneath the green curtain.  A small hand poked through the slit in the curtain and soon a short-haired head stuck out into the counselor room.

            “Sapphire, we can’t.  It’s time for bed, actually it has been time for bed for the past thirty minutes.  Bed, now,”  Velvet commanded, growing a little tired of the tedious routine of trying to get the campers to sleep.

            “Please, Velvet?  Can we go for tapioca, then?  Please!  Everyone wants to go,”  Sapphire persisted.  Velvet wanted to talk to Yori alone even though chocolate pudding sounded pretty tasty.

            “I’m going to sleep,”  Velvet said simply, demonstrating by tucking herself into bed.  Sapphire sighed in disappointment and turned to leave.

            “Why ask Velvet?”  Yori piped up, throwing her blankets off her legs and standing up.  “I’m up for it.”  Sapphire’s face lit up.

            “Yes!  You guys, Yori is going to take us!”  Sapphire hollered to the other girls, running into the front room.  Yori hurried to her makeup case, rapidly coating her brushes with natural colors and then doing up her face with them.

            “We’re just gonna get dressed,”  Mallory called into the counselor room.

            “Don’t bother.  Just put on some slippers,”  Yori called back, setting down her brushes so she could drape her silk lavender robe over her shoulders.

            “Yori.  They need to go to—“

            “Yori, you’re the best!  Do you think the air hockey table will be plugged in?”  Tegan said, pinning back the green curtain.

            “I don’t know about you, but I know how to plug in a cord,”  Yori responded as she combed through her hair and gave it a messy toss.  Tegan grinned.  Velvet could feel the surge of jealousy creeping up her throat.

            “Yori, did you tell Brody I was sick yesterday?”  Velvet demanded Yori, grasping at something to keep herself from plain exploding.

            “Of course not, Velvet,”  Yori taunted super-sweetly.  “I told him that today.”  Velvet swallowed, hoping her jealousy would go down too.  After spritzing some perfume on her, Yori popped a breath mint in her mouth and looked through the green curtain.

            “Ready to go, guys?”  Yori called.  “Oh, Velvet?  Can I ask you something?”  Yori asked before she left.

            “What, Yori?  What could you possibly want from me?  After you’ve taken Brody from me, you’ve taken my campers from me, you’ve made lies up about me, and you’ve ignored me, taunted me, and insulted me…all because you need to keep a guy for yourself, you want to tell me ask me something!  Oh, pray tell, what you must ask me.”

            Yori’s lips curled up into a tormented little simper, her head falling limply to one side.  She slowly closed her eyes in a blink and when they opened, Yori shook her head, her black hair tossing from side to side.

            “Brody’s in 4B, right?  I think I’ll get him and his little campers to come too,”  she said.  Velvet’s heart burned.  How was it, that all the suck in the world could be bottled up and shoved into one person?  The one person being the one Velvet had to spend the two weeks that were supposed to be the best days of her life with?!

            “Can I ask you something Yori?”  Velvet said, surprised by how calm her tone was.

            “Go for it,”  Yori replied, taking a deep breath, her smile still goading.

            “How do you live with yourself, being so…mean and…difficult?”  Velvet spat out, staring at Yori’s feet, fearing she would slap Yori if she looked her in the eyes.

            “Live with myself?”  Yori asked, in a completely serious and sober voice.  “It’s harder than you would think.”  Velvet snapped her head up to meet Yori’s eye level,  expecting to see a disgustingly smug, obnoxiously righteous, and utterly sarcastic expression.  Velvet did a retake when she saw how solemn Yori appeared, her wavering eyes darting within Velvet’s.

            “Don’t be so hard on yourself,”  Velvet heard herself say.  Her body suddenly felt very achy as if all the fighting and tension between her and Yori had lifted off of Velvet’s body, leaving a painfully sore repercussion.  Was it over?  Was all the fighting done?  Could Velvet finally relax after all the guilt and jealousy and betrayal and immoral undertaking she had to go through?  Was Yori coming around to be—

            “So, it is 4B?  Oh, never mind.  I’ll find him, you get some rest, I can see the bags under your eyes forming already.  C’mon girls!  Who’s the best counselor?”  Yori interjected, whirling around and flouncing off in her nightgown, robe, and slippers, looking more like a Grecian goddess than someone who just hopped out of bed.

            Velvet flopped down on her bed, cursing herself for thinking anything had been resolved, especially as the cheers and praise for Yori echoed through the cabin.

Thanks for reading!  And thank you for coming halfway with me! :)

And remember guys:  "Most of the material a writer works with, is aquired before the age of fifteen."    -Willa Cather
ABC 123,
                Maddie

July Writing Craze: Day 14!!

Hi everyone!  Before we get started, I would like to devote this writing day to J.K Rowling!  It is the midnight premier for the last Harry Potter movie ever!!! J.K Rowling is such an inspiring and beautiful writer and I hope someday to be just like her!! Check out the sidelines for a link to her new Harry Potter website, pottermore.com!
Happy reading!

Leading the campers to dinner, Velvet could hardly wait until she saw Yori and Brody.  Velvet didn’t see the couple until all the troopers had gotten their food, picked a spot to sit, and had started in on their food.  Velvet was too anticipatory to eat.

            “It’s unhealthy not to eat,”  Sapphire told Velvet, stabbing a piece of grated corn with her plastic fork.

            “I will, I just need to talk to Yori and Brody.  If you see them, tell me, okay?”  Velvet said, scanning the big field full of hyped up kids and tired counselors.  She didn’t see either one anywhere and Velvet was starting to get worried.  She smoothed down her Camp Sing-Song counselor uniform, straightening out the cuffs on her cargo shorts.  If only the uniforms were a little more flattering for the situation she was about to confront.

            “Hi Velvet,”  a voice from behind her said.  Velvet twirled around, coming face to face with Brody.  Stepping back, Velvet waved and smiled.

            “Are you feeling better?  You seemed a little mad after Water Sports,”  Brody commented. 

            “I’m fine, thanks.  Where’s Yori?”  Velvet asked, looking around for any trace of the rat.  The one time Velvet wanted Yori to be there (really, the only time), she wasn’t.  Just Velvet’s luck.

            “Oh, she’s changing into her uniform.  She’ll be down soon,”  Brody replied, sitting down on the ground next to his boy campers and Velvet’s girl campers.  Velvet immediately plopped down next to him, crossing her legs, and then extending them, and then crossing them, undecided on what looked cuter.

            “Everything okay with your legs?”  Brody asked, peering at her manic limbs.  Velvet finally crossed her legs and nodded her head, hoping the cold wind would cool her hot, embarrassed cheeks.  As Brody talked with a few of his campers about Pokémon, Velvet thought about how she could introduce the boyfriend topic when Yori came down from changing into her—uniform!  Yori would be in a Camp Sing-Song uniform?!  Baggy, cargo shorts and an awkward blue polo?  Velvet almost laughed out loud, but Brody said something before she had the chance to.

            “There’s Yori,”  was what Brody said, pointing to the pavement winding down from the cabins to the main field.  Yori was more than halfway down, strutting as usual.  Velvet dropped her jaw when she saw Yori.  Her camp uniform looked…good.

            Yori had ripped the collar from the polo and cut the scoop neck into a V-neck; her cargo shorts were missing a couple of the side pockets and looked like they were clothes-pinned in to look like skinny jean-style shorts.  And lastly, Yori had flipped her Camp Sing-Song cap backwards, allowing her flowing hair to spill over her shoulders quite nicely.  Even though most of the clothes were messily cut and ripped, they gave off a…gringe look?  A fringe look?  A grungy look?  Either way, Velvet glowed with envy, especially when Brody went up to meet Yori and give her a hug.  Mostly, Velvet steamed because during Yori’s hug, over Brody’s shoulder, Yori smirked at Velvet.

            Matt and his campers ended up joining them for dinner and they all had a nice time talking and laughing.  Except Velvet was plotting her plan very carefully.  When there was a break in the conversation, Velvet seized her ultimate chance.

            “Yori, did you open your mail yet?  What, do you have a letter from your…boyfriend or something?”  Velvet “teased.”  Everyone chuckled except Yori.  She stared at Velvet for a moment later than is normally socially acceptable and then let out a little giggle.

            “Boyfriend?  I don’t have a boyfriend,”  Yori said, nervously flipping her hair over her shoulder.

            “Really?  Have you ever had a boyfriend?”  Velvet asked, “out of curiosity.”

            “Well, yes, but that is kind of an awkward topic, don’t you think?”  Yori remarked, side-glancing at Brody who was trying to engage his campers in spoon-flicking food.  Velvet wanted Brody to hear this!

            “Oh, well you’ve never had a boyfriend, ever?!”  Velvet tried to raise her voice without seeming obvious.  Brody and Matt looked at Velvet before quickly diverting their stares, seeming to feel strange.  Yori grabbed Velvet’s elbow and turned her body away from the guys, forcing Velvet to twist away, too.

            “What is your problem?!”  Yori hissed, glaring at Velvet.

            “I know you have a boyfriend, Yori!  I opened your mail and I saw a letter from Steven!”  Velvet hissed back, her anger growth level going off the charts with just a look at Yori.

            “How dare you!”  Yori snapped, tightening her long-nailed grip on Velvet’s elbow.

            “Of course, I dare!”  Velvet snarled back.

            “Who do you think you are?!”  Yori growled, her grip only tightening as the conversation went on, but Velvet wasn’t going to end the discussion because of a little cut elbow skin.

            “You deserve it, Yori!  You took Brody from me when you knew I liked him!  All because you can’t have any competition!  Isn’t that right?”  Velvet brusquely remarked.

            “Wrong, actually.  I got him.  All because he liked me.  Brody likes me, Velvet.  Not you!”  Yori lashed, finally yanking her grip from Velvet’s trembling arm.  Velvet felt her face grow hot, not with embarrassment, but with anger.

            “Fine.”  Velvet tried to level out her shaking voice.  “Steven broke up with you.”  Velvet twisted back around and smiled a forced and slightly tense smile at the two guys who were obviously listening in.  Yori slowly turned back around, too and giggled a little.

            “Is everything okay?”  Matt asked, his eyes darting back and forth like a chicken trying to cross the road.

            “Peachy,”  Velvet replied, this time having her chance to smirk at Yori.

            “Are you sure?  Was there something about a boyfriend?  Sorry, I couldn’t help but hear,”  Brody commented, staring at Yori.  Velvet had finally gotten somewhere!

            “Boyfriend?”  Yori asked.  “Oh no!  Velvet thought I had a boyfriend back home, but I was just telling her that we had already broke up a long time ago.  Actually, I think I accidentally brought the letter.  How funny!  I think it got stuffed down in my purse from a while ago,”  Yori responded, her voice smooth and her eyes calm.  Lies!

            “You’re strong,”  Brody said admiringly to Yori, but Yori barely acknowledged the compliment.  In fact, Yori looked almost annoyed.

All right guys!  I'm off to the midnight premiere!  Good night :)

And remember guys: J.K Rowling rocks!!!

July Writing Craze: Day 10!!

Hi everyone!
  Thank you sooo much for posting your comments and giving me feedback!  You are all so supportive and  very auspicious.  Anyway, here is Day 10!

The next morning, like normal, Velvet woke up after Yori, missing her completely in the bathroom and in the cabin.  Velvet couldn’t have wanted anything more than that.  Velvet didn’t think she could face Yori in the morning.  It wasn’t because she was afraid or guilty, but it was because Velvet wanted to wear some of Yori’s clothes.  And Yori couldn’t take them from Velvet when she was already wearing them.

            After showering, Velvet hurried into cabin 2A and sifted through Yori’s sides of the drawers.  She found mini skirt after short shorts after one-strap blouses, not picturing herself wearing any of that.  Finally, Velvet found a summery dress that was brightly floral and a halter top.  Velvet didn’t usually wear anything like that, but if she liked Brody, she liked Brody and in order to surpass her feelings she would need to do something to change.  And that would start with her clothing, she guessed.

            The dress was a little tight around the waist, but Velvet sucked it in and went to put on her shoes.  She started lacing up her blue high tops before she realized the summer dress and the Converse might not work so well together.  Kicking her regular shoes under her bed, Velvet looked through Yori’s shoes that were lined up neatly by the drawers.  There were pink heels and boots and wedge heels and strappy, heeled sandals.  Velvet picked a pair of yellow, heeled, and strappy shoes, spending a good five minutes trying to figure out how to put them on and wincing when they finally fit tightly on her big feet.

            Once Velvet was dressed, she delved through Yori’s makeup case, secretly weeping over all her morals of not stealing nor trespassing.  Velvet found a beige, lipstick looking cosmetic that’s words were scratched out on the side.  All she could read was something about pores or pares…whatever it was, Velvet uncapped it and spread it generously over her chapped lips.  Confused at the style, but not questioning it, Velvet kept on the brightly beige and somewhat bumpy lipstick.  Maybe it was one of those lip-liner things.  After delicately spreading a little pink blush on her eyelids and outlining her eyes with the eyeliner stick, Velvet had had enough and put away Yori’s makeup.  Glancing once in the mirror, Velvet shrugged, not really getting the whole makeup fashion and headed out.

Velvet carefully made her way out of the cabin and down the porch which was much more hard to maneuver in the heels.

            Velvet made clicking noises all the way down the pavement, wincing at each loud step.  She hated making an entrance, but the results would be worth the sacrifice.  Finally, Velvet found Brody, Matt, and Yori all sitting on a couple of logs with their plates of food.  Matt was talking and looking directly at Yori who kept the corner of her eyes on Brody.  Velvet smoothed down her hair and walked up to the group.

            “Hi guys,”  Velvet said as smoothly as she could, smiling lightly.  Brody looked up, flinched a little, and lost his balance, slipping off his log and spilling his food onto the grass.

            “What did you do to your face?”  Yori asked, looking intently at Velvet.

            “You have something on your lips,”  Matt commented, gesturing to her lips.  Velvet snapped her hand to her lips, covering them as much as she could.  Had she done something wrong?  Yori started laughing.  Brody even began to chuckle.  Matt just sat there, confused, and analyzing her face.

            “Wait!  Is that my dress?”  Yori snapped, standing up and feeling the material on Velvet’s dress.

            “No…”  Velvet started to feel strange.  She obviously had missed something and that something was apparently what would have impressed Brody because he was not in awe at all.

            “Yes, it is.  Those are my heels, too.  Why are you wearing my things?”

            “These are my things,”  Velvet stumbled, swiping the back of her hand across her lips.

            “Obviously, none of it is,”  Yori started.  “Because, honey, you’re lipstick is for covering up pimples.”  Matt’s turned his face, placing his hand over his nose.  Velvet’s face turned red and her palms started getting sweaty.

            “Why are you wearing heels, Velvet?  The campers are coming today and you’re going to need to run when they come,”  Brody said.  “Even Yori is wearing tennis shoes.”  Velvet immediately directed her eyes from Yori’s smirking face to her feet.  Velvet’s tanning tennis shoes were placed loosely on Yori’s feet and Velvet could see Yori was even wearing a second pair of socks.

            “Those…”  Velvet tried to push some kind of words out of her mouth, but couldn’t complete her sentence.  Velvet was so embarrassed, she hadn’t made Brody smile and she hadn’t shown up Yori.  Instead, she had made a fool of herself. 

            “Why don’t you go change?”  Yori said in a horribly sweet tone.  It was so sweet, Velvet could see the sugar grains glistening on Yori’s lips, or maybe that was just her lip gloss.  Either way, Velvet needed time alone and she abruptly turned away.  In her sharp turn, Velvet’s ankle gave way and she fell sideways, hearing a deafening crack. 

            “You didn’t!”  Yori screamed, running over to Velvet.  Velvet’s ankle burned from her  sudden fall from the three inch heels and her knees stung from the impact, as well.  Velvet tried to get back on her feet, feeling strangely off balance.  Yori, next to her, was holding a cracked high heel and looking down, Velvet saw that her right high heel was now a flat.  Velvet instantly felt awful.  She looked like a clown, she had been caught stealing Yori’s clothes, and to top it all off, she broke Yori’s heel because she didn’t know how to walk.

            Velvet stood up uneasily and started walking up to cabin 2A, not having any humility to apologize.  Yori ran up to meet her and glared her down.

            “Congratulations, Velvet.  You have officially made Brody laugh.  Too bad, it was at you.  Well…I guess this means, the ball is in my court, now, doesn’t it?”  Yori hissed, her smug look haunting Velvet’s soul.

Thanks for reading!  I got it up earlier today!! :)

And remember guys:  Try writing all different kinds of writing.  You might surprise yourself!

July Writing Craze: Day 8!

Happy Friday, everyone!  Day 8-here it is!

            “Come on in, Yori,”  Katie said, signaling her in from her wooden desk.  “Take a seat and tell me what is going on.”

            “I accidentally signed up for On Wheels when I meant to sign up for Water Sports.  I would like to switch over, but Water Sports is all full.  You’ll need to move someone out,”  Yori said bluntly, smoothly down her skirt before she sat down on the black leather chair.

            “We can’t just do that,”  Katie replied.  “If they’re both full, they’re full.”

            “Wasn’t there anyone who chose Water Sports as their second choice and might want to do On Wheels instead?”  Yori asked, shifting in her chair, crossing her legs.

            “No, Yori,”  Katie said, stressfully putting her tan arm under her pointy jawbone.

            “What about someone who wants to switch into Pottery?”  Yori pressed.

            “Yori, not everything can be adjusted to your wishes,”  Katie droned, fingering through some of her files on the desk.  Taking out a chewed-on pencil like it was a piece of bubbly gum, Katie began writing out a few notes on the papers on her desk.  The door of Katie’s office opened and Jane Webster’s moussed down head of hair poked in.

            “Pottery’s booked.  There’s also someone waiting out here to see if there’s room in the Pottery class.  Do you want me to send her in once you’re through with her?”   she asked.  Yori raised her right eyebrow at Katie, smirking a little.  Katie narrowed what would be her eyebrows, although they were penciled in with a brown marker, and told her to send the other person in then.

            A few moments later, a short girl with bright red hair walked in and sat down in the chair next to Yori, side-glancing her nervously.

            “I didn’t know this would be a group conference,”  the girl squeaked after the door closed behind Jane.

            “What would you like to switch out of?”  Katie sighed, flinging her chomped on pencil onto her desk.

            “Gardening,”  the girl responded.  Yori bit her lip, disappointed that it wasn’t Water Sports.

            “Katie.  Can we focus on my problem before we get to Green Thumb over here?”  Yori snapped, getting more and more irritated as the time passed, time that she could be spending with Brody.

            “Yori, there isn’t anything I can do,”  Katie snapped back.

            “You are telling me, CupCakery’s daughter, that you can’t move anyone out of Water Sports?  Or, even easier, just add me in.”

            “Yori, with a course like Water Sports, we can’t just get more equipment!”  Katie was growing angrier and angrier.

            “Water Sports?  I’m signed up for that…” the small girl commented.

            “I’ll pay you 100 dollars if you switch into Pottery and out of Water Sports,”  Yori offered, her eyes brightening with anticipation.

            “Yori!  You can’t bribe someone like—“  Katie started to bark.

            “I’ll take it,”  the girl cut Katie off.  Yori unzipped her black Prada purse and dug out her alligator-leather wallet.  Taking two fifty dollar bills out of her wallet and handing it to the girl, both counselors stood up and headed for the door.

            “Oh, and Katie?”  Yori said, turning at the doorway.  “Everything can be adjusted for me.  See you at the lake for training after lunch!”  Yori was already thinking about the second suit she had brought and what earrings she could match with it as she waltzed out of Katie’s office, the main office, and back toward the field. 

            She spotted Velvet at the Activities booth, scheduling the extra recreations with Brody standing beside her.  Turning her stroll to a catwalk speed, Yori pushed her way through the crowd of people to catch up to Velvet and Brody.

            “Hi!”  Yori blurted out, tapping Velvet on the shoulder.

            “Are we in?”  Velvet asked eagerly.

            “Done, done, and done!”

            “What’re you talking about?”  Brody asked.

            “We’re in Water Sports!”  Yori exclaimed.

            “Fun!  Velvet, I can finally teach you how to wakeboard!”  Brody replied, smiling at Velvet.

            “I’d love to learn too,”  Yori interjected, smiling.  “We’re going swimming, right?”  Yori inconspicuously poked Velvet’s hip.

            “Yeah, Brody wants to come,”  Velvet said, smiling a knowingly smile back.

            “Grassome—I mean…”  Yori tripped up her words, her pink blush turning to a natural red.  Brody chortled, covering his mouth with his hands.

            “Grassome?”  Velvet asked, laughing a little.

            “I meant great and awesome…”  Yori started, pleading Velvet with her big eyes.

            “Can Matt come?”  Brody interrupted, bored with Yori’s mistake.

            “Of course!”  Yori piped up, winking at Velvet.  Brody gave Velvet a funny look, then left to find his friend.

            “Okay, Yori.  Before we go through with anything…I think you should know that I do not like Matt.  He’s just a friend.  I’ll still help you with Brody, but stop trying to set me up with Matt,”  Velvet stated, holding Yori’s shoulder before she got away.

            “Velvet, I know how it is…well, actually I don’t know how it is to like a geek, but it’s okay.  I already don’t think terribly high of you.  But I was just thinking you knew Matt was coming, so why did you bring that bathing suit?”  Yori asked, simply not able to fathom Velvet’s reasoning.

            “Let’s just go suit up,”  Velvet responded, turning in the direction of cabin 2A.

At the lake where the water was freezing, but felt like a hot tub with Brody there, Yori, Velvet, Brody, and Matt all dunked and jumped before lunch.  Well, Yori mostly waded her feet in the water on the side of the dock, occasionally splashing Velvet.

            “You should come in,”  Velvet called as she waded next to Brody and Matt, her blonde hair dripping across her face.

            “No, I’m fine!”  Yori called back, perfectly content with her view.  Yori daydreamed a little, mesmerized by the rippling water and Brody’ tan biceps, letting the time pass as the three others swam and swam.  When an hour was up, everyone dried off and started the trek back to their cabins to get ready for lunch.  Matt and Velvet fell behind as Brody walked up ahead and Yori got caught awkwardly in between.  Yori jogged up to meet Brody.

            “Hi,”  Yori said breathlessly, slowing down from her little workout.  “Lucky we got Water Sports together, right?”

            “Yeah…” Brody replied, a little uneasy at first from the sudden conversation.  “I’m totally psyched to teach Velvet something.  I hope she’ll be impressed with my skiing and boarding.” 

            Yori’s ears suddenly swelled up and the sounds around her mushed into one big smothered mess.  Her eyes turned blurry and she could feel her feet stop moving.  She could’ve sworn Brody said good-bye, but she couldn’t feel her ears working either.  Brody didn’t like Yori, he liked Velvet.  Yori’s world suddenly went into overdrive.

Today was a little hard to get going, but I tried to move the plot along.  Please give me feedback on what you thought of today.  Uggh, I'm having internal mindful conflict of the plot!  Don't worry, though, I'll fix it :)

And remember guys: If you, the author, can stand to read your own writing, it's good :)

July Writing Craze: Day 6!!

Make sure to check out the sidelines of this blog for prompts and writing games!  Don't forget about the poll below, either! Thanks.

Chapter Three: Yori

Crack of Doom

Hearing her iPhone jingle-jangle away, Yori turned over in her French Adeline Andre pajamas, silk on top and antique satin on bottom, hugging her goose-feather pillow.

            “Is that yours?”  Velvet mumbled from the other side of the room, groaning at the incoming sunlight and the noisemaker.

            “I have to shower,”  Yori mumbled back, silencing her iPhone for the time being.

            “Why?!”  Velvet groaned, pushing the sheets and blankets off her bed and sitting up.  “We spent all last night gossiping and you still set your alarm?” 

            “There aren’t any curtains in the shower room,”  Yori snapped, pulling her sheet over her head.  Velvet got out of bed and slipped into her flip flops.  Velvet pulled out her toiletries case, more carefully that time, and headed for the green curtain.

            “Go back to sleep, Velvet,”  Yori said, her voice muffled by the cream white sheets covering her head.

            “I can’t now that I’ve waken up.  I’m getting ready,”  Velvet replied and headed out the cabin.  Yori spent the next few moments just laying in bed, trying to squeeze her eyes shut, but she knew she was just as awake as Velvet was.  Climbing out of bed, Yori grimaced at the early time her phone read, gathered her makeup and various cosmetics, and trailed after Velvet to the restroom.  Yori heard the splattering sound of water running and was surprised to see Velvet already showering, scrubbing her hair with foamy shampoo.

            “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this,”  Yori said aloud.

            “You know, Yori,  I bet I know the reason you aren’t used to it…”  Velvet started, rinsing her blonde hair.

            “I’d love to hear this,”  Yori responded, slamming her things on the sink counter before splashing her smooth skin with icy, cold water.

            “You’re insecure of your own body,”  Velvet said, reaching for her conditioner.  Drying off her face with a cashmere towel, Yori snorted.

            “Me?  Insecure?  You’re the one who--,” Yori teased, looking through her cosmetic case for her hairbrush.

            “Hey!”  Velvet cut her off.  “You have to be nice to me, I told you everything, everything, about Brody.”  Velvet peeked one eye open as she rinsed her hair out for a second time.  Yori rolled her eyes, but gave in.

            “Okay, I take it back.  Sorry,”  Yori said.

            “What?”  Velvet asked, incredulously, soaping up her arms.

            “I said sorry,”  Yori responded simply, brushing through her black mane.

            “I never thought I would hear you say those words,”  Velvet teased, laughing.

            “Okay, okay.  Are you almost done?  I need to shower, too, you know,”  Yori responded, averting the conversation.

            “Let me just blow-dry my hair,”  Velvet responded, twisting off the shower faucet, wrapping her towel around her body, and scuttling over to the sinks where the hair dryers rested.  Velvet did a once-comb-through and gave her hair a quick drying before throwing it up into a high ponytail.

            “All yours, diva,”  Velvet faux-goaded and left the bathroom.  Finally, Yori carefully peeled off her attire and folded them neatly on the sink counter before turning the shower faucet.  As the water heated up, Yori grabbed her hair products, soap, and razor, and went through her head convo topics she could share with Brody.

            He likes ending hunger….Yori thought, fishing through her bag for her towel.  He’s into wakeboarding and waterskiing.  He hates driving a boat, though.  Brody’s favorite place to shop is…Gap, ugh!  And…Yori continued her thought process as she stepped into the stream of water.

            Letting out a high-pitched scream, Yori jumped out of the line of water. 

            “Cold, cold, cold,”  Yori muttered to herself, turning the faucet up on a higher heat.  If she had wanted a ice bath, she would have asked for one.

            Brody doesn’t like when people brush his hair out of his face, but does like popping his collar.  He will eat anything and everything as long as its not cherries and his favorite animal is a sea turtle.  Testing the water with the tips of her manicured nails, Yori found the right temperature of water and stepped in once more.  The temperature was okay, but went in and out sporadically and the stream of water was like a hail storm instead of a drizzle like the Drizzle-Nozzle said it would be. 

            Halfway through Yori’s scalp shampoo rinse and her ideas of conversing with Brody, Yori heard echoing footsteps in the sink section of the bathroom.  Then, out of nowhere, a girl with brown curls walked into the shower room with her shampoo and soap.  She had a Blue Man Group blue towel wrapped around her chubby body.  Embarrassed and frustrated that the girl didn’t even hesitate to come into the shower room, Yori tried to ignore the girl and focus on her hair cleansing routine.  She couldn’t get out of the shower without conditioning her scalp and she wasn’t even finished rinsing the shampoo out.  Scrub, scrub, circular motions around the top of the scalp….going to the bottom… Yori thought, closing her eyes and taking deep, reassuring yoga breaths.

            “Can I borrow your conditioner?”  a loud, balking voice echoed off the walls of the shower room.  The girl across the room was smacking her Double Mint gum, scratching her head with her specialized dandruff shampoo.  Opening one eye and scrunching up her nose at the sights she had to see, Yori slid her conditioner out of its wall holder and tossed it to the girl.  Scrambling to catch the bottle, the girl’s hair shook, beating Yori down with freezing water and specks of white dandruff.

            “Geez!  I didn’t know there were snowstorms up here,”  Yori barked, turning off her water, covering up, and grabbing her stuff.  On the way out, Yori grabbed her conditioner bottle before the other girl got to use it, leaving the restroom with a jaw-dropped chubster.            Stomping back to cabin 2A in her towel only, Yori cursed the other girl from depriving her of her second washing of her scalp, muttering to herself all the way past the green curtain where Velvet was just finished getting dressed.

            “Are you okay, Yori?”  Velvet questioned, placing her past year’s counselor cap on her head, snaking her long ponytail through the square in the back.

            “Only got one scalp rinse, on a snowy mountain without a view,”  Yori snapped, throwing her things on her bed and tightening the towel around her body.

            “I…don’t know what that means, but I will let you dress and I’ll meet you outside the cabin,”  Velvet answered, edging towards the green curtain.

            “Just go down,”  Yori said, squeezing the water droplets out of her hair and onto the floor.

            “But we have to register for our campers’ classes together since we’ll be counseling the same girls,”  Velvet replied, lifting back the curtain.

            “Oh, I forgot about the campers,”  Yori admitted, shrugging.  “I don’t know what to register them for.”

            “I have their preference applications that are all pretty similar, so we’ll get an idea about what they all want to do and what the campers are like from these,”  Velvet responded, holding up four pieces of speckled paper.

            “Sounds fine.  Let me dress and then we’ll register the little Bratz dolls for their singing classes,”  Yori replied, finding her comb and very gently and slowly brushing through her tresses.

            “You do know that we don’t even offer choir here, right?”  Velvet asked, wanting to clear up the obvious miscommunication.

            “Camp Song-Song doesn’t offer it’s own title?  Better talk to the PR officer about that one,”  Yori chirped, laughing at the “mistake.”

            “Never mind,”  Velvet said, giving up and walking out.

Thanks for reading!

And remember guys:  What would you like to read?  Write it and if no one else likes it, at least you will! :)

            ABC 123,

                            Maddie

July Writing Craze: Day 3!

What goes on guys?  I hope summer is treating all of you well!  Here is Day 3-Happy reading! :)

Chapter Two: Velvet

A Friend In Need is a Fiend Indeed

            “Do you think she’ll be okay, Brody?”  Velvet asked, picking Yori’s plate off the ground. 

            “Oh, she’ll be fine.  She’s kind of bratty, if you ask me,”  Brody responded, grabbing handfuls of food from the table as Velvet tossed Yori’s utensils.

            “I think she’s just nervous.  I mean, she really doesn’t seem like the camper type,”  Velvet said, filling her plate behind Brody.

            “Not even close!  She’s seems like a Barbie to me,”  Brody scoffed, grabbing a napkin at the end of the line.

            “Oh, cut her some slack.  She didn’t come here on her own accord and she’s still getting used to the atmosphere,”  Velvet proposed, looking around the main field for a bench to sit on.

            “What do you mean she didn’t come here on her own accord?”

            “Her mom made her come here for her college apps, actually Yori said she would rather be tanning than be here.  Wanna sit over by that tree?”  Velvet replied.

            “Wow, talk about taking the natural spirit of going to camp for granted!  So basically, you were cheated out of a cabin and four campers for someone who doesn’t even want to be here?  That’s lame, man,”  Brody remarked, rolling his eyes.

            “I guess if you look at it that way…what about by the statue?”  Velvet responded, pointing to the bench next to the stone statue of a bear and raccoon eating pancakes and hamburgers.

            “Yeah, let’s go there.  Aren’t you mad about having to share?  Isn’t the cabin space tight?”

            “Oh, I don’t mind, Brody.  I’m sure she’ll come around; at least she’s trying something new for her.  I mean, obviously she comes from shopping and lounging, so I would think the idea of sports and messy living would be a new and kind of unsettling experience for her,”  Velvet reasoned, not understanding why Brody was pressing the issue.

            “I guess...I bet she comes from more than shopping and lounging though.  She probably comes from a rich dad that makes everything perfect for her.  I bet the first thing she did when she walked in the cabin was spray it with Lysol or something,”  Brody persisted, laughing at his own jab.

            “Brody, it’s fine.  I’m fine, she’ll be fine.  Just leave it alone,”  Velvet concluded the conversation.  Velvet wanted to make the best of her sudden roomie since they’d be with each other for the three weeks coming.

            “All right, all right.  I’m sorry.  So, how did you like junior year?”  Brody gave in, diverting the topic elsewhere.

            “A lot of work, but worth it when I saw the grades I ended with.  What about you?”

            “It was pretty good…my End World Hunger club really expanded.  We were the largest club  on campus,”  Brody shared.

            “No way!  Good for you!  My brail club didn’t really expand this year, but my afterschool non-profit made over 10,000 dollars throughout the whole year.”

            “Hey, that’s pretty cool—“

            “What is?”  someone behind Brody interrupted, before smacking him on the shoulder.  Brody turned around to see his best guy friend, Matt.

            “Matt!  There you are, man.  Couldn’t spot you for shi—“

            “You better get used to not saying that for when the campers arrive,”  Velvet sung, chewing on a piece of cheesy bread.

            “That must be Velvet,”  Matt said, smiling.  “How have you been?”  Velvet stood up and hugged Matt hello.

            “I’ve been fine, how about you?”  Velvet asked, sitting back down and crossing her legs.

            “Good, good.  I’m anxious to get back home though,”  Matt said, taking off his baseball cap, sticking his hand through his knotted up head of brown curls and scratching underneath all the hair.

            “Already?”  Brody asked, scooting over for Matt to sit down.

            “I’m so close to putting the final finish on my second computer,”  Matt said, replacing his hat, balancing it as carefully as he could upon his mop.

            “You’re building computers?  What happened to your frog testing?”  Velvet asked, swiping a bundle of crumbs from the corner of her mouth.

            “They’re not colorblind.  Literally, all I need is six pad screws for the motherboard and I’ll be done.  Do you think I could get them off geeks.com?  I probably could; they’d be cheapest there.  Harold’s sight sold them for $59.99, but I could probably get them for like…”  Matt trailed off, enveloped in his own mumbled-under-the-breath words that only made sense to him.  As Matt thought and went through the files in his packed brain, Velvet turned to Brody.

            “Here comes Yori,”  she said, popping her head to the side to indicate the direction she was coming from.

            “Do you see the smile on my face, Velvet?”  Brody asked flatly, his mouth in a straight line.  “Tell me where it is, ‘cause I don’t see it.”  Velvet laughed out loud and smacked Brody’s shoulder.

            “Shh!  Be nice,”  Velvet commanded, smothering her laughing smile.  Brody stuffed down a chuckle, as well.

            “Velvet.”  Yori looked quite put off.  She was wearing a new shirt that was not stained, but her annoyed expression remained the same.  “Where can I find a phone that works?  My cell phone isn’t connecting.”

            “Oh yeah, cell phones never work all the way up—“

            “Where is a phone that works?”  Yori repeated, her voice still level and precise, her face still miffed.  Taken aback from the interruption, Velvet’s smile faded and she pointed to the office by the parking lot.

            “Hi!”  Matt perked up.  “I’m Matt.  Nice to meet you.”  Matt stood up and stuck out his hand toward Yori for her to shake.  Yori distinctly looked at the hand, turned her head, and strode away to the office.  “What did I say?”  Matt asked.

            “Still think she’s just nervous?  Will she really come around, Velvet?”   Brody asked.  Velvet didn’t say anything; she just looked at Yori stalking away, wondering what could have made Yori so upset.  She couldn’t be that uneasy, could she?

            “Anyway, the motherboard should only cost like 40 bucks, guys.  I would say that’s pretty reasonable, wouldn’t you?”  Matt went on, totally disregarding what had just happened.

            “Yeah, Matt…it’s super,”  Velvet responded, defeated.

All right!  I'll see you all tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

And remember guys:  "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart" -William Wordsworth