Page 7

TWO

ASTER

“Aster!” My name was shouted from behind me, and I spun around to see Kaila and Sandy gleefully sprinting in my direction.

“Hey, Aster! Wait up!” They were both laughing and smiling, dressed in our camp uniforms, which consisted of tight white t-shirts that read counselor on the back and had the camp’s logo printed on the front.

Of course, you couldn’t forget the tiny, high-waisted, bright red athletic shorts that seemed to make all our asses look like perfect peaches.

They must’ve been Willie’s idea, considering what a damn flirt he was.

And as cute as the uniforms were, I personally always felt a little too exposed and awkward in them.

It left little to the imagination, and all of my tattoos and scars were on full display.

My tattoos being seen wasn’t really a big deal, but the thing about them was they concealed my past. My scars were more visible reminders of things I wanted to forget.

And I didn’t want anyone seeing those. They weren’t cute.

Whereas Kaila, with her bold glasses and piercings, was cute.

And Sandy, with her gorgeous dark skin and curly auburn hair, well, the two were both just babes.

Thankfully, Willie was right. We did mesh.

You see, they also had tattoos, and rocked these alternative and edgy looks more so in the spectrum of my own.

Kaila had this caring and free spirited attitude with split hair that was half brown and half black.

Sandy, well, she had this sweet and innocent front she wore like a mask, but truthfully, she was just as rebellious as the rest. And she didn’t give a shit about what anyone thought.

When she wasn’t playing nice, she’d speak her mind loud and proud.

I really admired that about her. And the two weren’t just gorgeous, they were confident, which only added to their attractiveness.

Kaila ran up to me first, her hair tied up into two messy buns on top of her head. She wore the biggest smile that made her glasses scrunch around her freckled nose. “Guess what we scored?” She winked and stuck her tongue out as Sandy joined her.

“What?” I asked with a smile.

The two exchanged a naughty look before Sandy reached her hand out to me and revealed their score. “Ta-da!” she sang.

I eyed the pack of cigarettes in her palm and couldn’t help but smile “No shit!” I grabbed them and pulled one out for myself.

“How the fuck did you get these? I thought Nurse B had this place on lockdown?” We all giggled, and they both grabbed a cigarette for themselves.

Kaila pulled out a clunky lighter and lit each of them one by one.

We leaned against the trees and inhaled the smoke.

It was nice to just live in that moment and chill.

Fuck, it tastes so good.

It had been a few days since I first arrived at Camp Redwood.

Not only had I grown to really like these two, but I had formed relationships with the whole staff, including Nurse B, who made it crystal clear that drinking and smoking were off limits to the staff—among other things.

Nurse B was exactly as Willie had said. She was old school.

And boy, did she have this place on a tight leash.

Everyone had curfews and a never ending list of rules.

But of course, no one seemed to really follow them.

The three of us walked from the cabin down a dirt path through the woods and towards the lake as we smoked.

Every night, the counselors would get together after curfew and sit around a giant bonfire near the edge of the lake.

It had become this weird but relaxing ritual.

Tonight was extra special, as it was the last night before the campers arrived, and we wanted to celebrate.

Which, thanks to these two, was already off to a great start.

“So.” I exhaled a cloud of smoke with a giant grin. “You going to tell me how you two kleptos got these?” I asked while I waved the lit cigarette in the air.

Kaila grinned and pointed to Sandy. “Yeah, Sandy! Why don't you tell Aster all about how you got those!” Sandy rolled her eyes and the two laughed. “Oh no, don’t let that innocent smile of hers fool you, Aster. Our sweet and precious little Sandy here isn’t as innocent as we all think.

Are you, Sandy?” She nudged Sandy’s shoulder.

The two giggled and messed around as we all continued to smoke and make our way to the lake.

“No, she sweet talked ol’ Willie into slipping her that pack.

Someone hiked her shorts up a bit and stood a little taller just for him.

Pretty sure it even came from his own personal stash! ” Kaila teased Sandy.

Sandy’s cheeks turned bright red. “You’re acting like I threw him down and fucked him into handing those over!” Sandy playfully snapped. “All I did was talk to him. I mean, I guess I might have persuaded him a little.”

“Mhm.” Kaila crossed her arm and smacked Sandy’s ass. “Lots of persuasion back here.”

Sandy laughed. “Look, I just used what God gave me. So what if his eyes wandered and his pants got tighter? I got exactly what I wanted and didn’t have to do shit for it. So I ask…” She exhaled a big cloud of smoke. “Where’s the crime in that?”

Kaila rolled her eyes, and I snorted. “Fuck, Sandy.” My head snapped towards her with a grin. “Willie? Really?”

Sandy stopped us. “It wasn’t like that! Willie is just—no. I mean, he’s old! I just did what I had to do to get us some cigarettes. That’s all! It’s not like I’m fucking him.”

Kaila and I exchanged a look. “Sure.”

Sandy shook her head. “Look, I was just having fun. It’s summer and we're stuck in these woods. Might as well enjoy ourselves a little. Besides, it’s not like there’s much to pick from out here.

I sure as hell ain’t going to spend my time listening to damn Doug. ” Sandy walked ahead while she smoked.

Kaila grabbed my hand and walked beside me as we followed Sandy. She leaned close and whispered in my ear, “She says he’s old, but she’s totally banging him.”

“Has she really?”

Kaila nodded. “Of course, Willie is a major fucking flirt and will tap anything that looks in his direction. Poor Sandy didn’t stand a chance.

” She blew a mouthful of cigarette smoke.

“I just hope that she’s careful. You never know what you’re getting mixed up with when it comes to older men. Especially married ones.”

“Married?” I looked at Kaila. “Willie’s married.”

She shrugged. “He doesn’t wear a ring, but he has this weird tan line on his finger.

” She held up her left ring finger. “Plus, he gets these weird phone calls all the time and always needs to go into town for some bullshit errand only to come back miserable and cranky. Sounds like marriage to me.” From my experience, she wasn’t wrong.

“But hey, maybe I’m wrong. All I know is Sandy and I have been friends since preschool.

She’s never really fallen for someone like him before, and I don’t think she knows what she’s doing.

I just hope he doesn’t break her heart.” I looked ahead at Sandy.

Her and Kaila’s history stretched so far back, and yet they still accepted me as their friend.

I had created this strong attachment to them, this pull I hadn’t felt in a really long time.

They were my friends. And all I wanted to do was protect them.

“You could always kill him,” I said coldly.

Kaila shot me a look. “What?” She blinked.

“If he hurts Sandy.” I stated with no emotion. Kaila eyed me as I inhaled a mouthful of smoke before exhaling. “You know? You could always just kill him. Willie.”

Kaila watched me closely before busting out in laughter.

She laughed so hard, she coughed and nearly choked on her cigarette.

“Fuck, Aster!” She smacked my arm playfully.

“I almost thought you were serious there for a moment!” She laughed and dragged me by hand as we ran to catch up with Sandy. “Come on. Let’s go!”

Yeah… Me too.

As we stepped past the final layer of trees, a loud, obnoxious voice boomed straight at us.

“Well, look who finally decided to join us!” Doug shouted.

Solomon, Doug, and Rodney were sitting around and had already started the bonfire.

Doug stumbled around the fire with a beer already in hand.

His long dirty blonde hair framed his face well, and he would’ve been attractive, if it wasn’t for his shitty personality.

“In spite of your rudeness, I greet you!” He sloshed his dramatic words.

God, he was already wasted. “Welcome ladies, to our last night of freedom!” Solomon rolled his eyes and shook his head as Doug nearly fell over trying to drink his beer.

Solomon was a couple years older than the rest of us and boy, did he look it.

He had a perfect tan and ocean blue eyes that contrasted his strawberry blonde hair.

Unlike the others, he had a bit of facial hair, which only made him look older than he was.

“Jesus.” Rodney shook his head as he watched Doug make a fool of himself.

He was the same age as the rest of us but was pretty chill and quiet.

He seemed to really latch onto Doug, despite their opposite personalities.

“Come on, Doug,” he groaned. Rodney’s dark skin nearly glowed as he sat next to the bonfire.

Doug ignored him and waddled over to Kaila. He got a little too close for comfort and tried to talk to her. “What do you say, Wicked? Want to sit next to me? I can keep you warm with my body.” He tried to wink but ended up just blinking both eyes. Hell, he couldn’t stand still enough to even focus.

Kaila scoffed. “No chance in hell, Dirty Doug.” She barely pushed his chest with her index finger, and Doug nearly fell over. “And I told you to stop calling me that.”