J A C K

"We're here!" Zach exclaimed happily, as him and Daniel began to jokingly hit each other on the arms out of excitement.

"I know right?! We're finally here, isn't this exciting?" Daniel replied, glancing over at me. He saw my expression and his smile fell slightly, but quickly recovered and turned back to Zach.

"I mean, if you call being stuck at a camp for two months that's guaranteed to be filled with rich snobby girls that come not for the music but to gawk over boys exciting then yes, very." I sarcastically mumbled, causing Daniel to sigh deeply as we got out of his dad's car. His father popped the trunk and the three of us gathered our things, Zach's smile completely gone as if someone just told him horrible news.

Daniel waited to reply as we shut the trunk and quickly said goodbye to his dad, and the moment he pulled out of the camp parking lot, Daniel sent me a sour expression.

"What is your issue, Jack?" He angrily asked, not even catching me off guard. The way he acted just moments before made it obvious he was going to be angry, but I don't care. I came to the camp, didn't I?

"I don't-"

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Daniel cut me off, this time catching me off guard. Sure, Daniel cusses, but it's rare. Which means he must be really angry at me.

"You sit here, and act like this camp is the place you're doing to die at. You act like people here only care about money and people of the opposite sex, which isn't true! I know a girl who barely got lucky coming here. I don't really know her, but I heard of her. People would do anything to get into this camp, and not to just spend two and a half months with their friends or look for boys or girls to date but to actually get into their love for music more. If you forget, YOU were able to afford this camp, like it was nothing. And not to mention even if you were able to afford it you had to pay little to nothing because your uncle pretty much owns the camp! I had to work my ass off all school year to afford it, same with Zach. If anyone is going to be giving attention to girls and such it's you, Jack." Daniel continued, not caring that we were beginning to get attention. "I'm done. I love you, but until you come to your senses and actually listen to us, I'm not going to associate with you. I came here to have a good time and you're ruining it. We just got here not even five minutes ago."

"Daniel, I-"

"No, Zach! He hurts the both of us and I'm sick of it. I'm tired of sitting here and trying to only talk to him about things like this over Facetime. I figured the last time we talked about this he actually understood but clearly I was wrong, and clearly I don't know him." Daniel shook his head. I didn't reply, and Daniel took my silence as an opportunity to just walk away.

Glancing around, I noticed a few people were staring at Zach and I. "What are you looking at? Don't you have anything better to do?" I questioned them, immediately causing them to look away and get back to doing whatever it was they were doing before.

"Jack, Daniel is right, although he isn't handling it in the best way." Zach spoke quietly. "As of right now I don't have any reason to fully ignore you until you come to your senses, but if you do something I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know?" I asked.

"I don't know if I can take it. I might have to leave, just like Daniel." He mumbled, before turning and walking away.

With a sigh I turned, beginning to find a way to the cabin I was put in alone. I know that Zach and Daniel had gotten put in the same cabin, although I didn't get so lucky. Not only did I have to come to this camp, but I also didn't have a cabin with my two best friends, Daniel's angry at me and Zach's close to ignoring me too. Things just keep getting worse, I swear.

I never wanted to be here. I didn't choose to be here. It was all my parents, family, and Daniel and Zach themselves. They didn't listen to what I wanted. They only told me what was 'best' for me and pressured me, whether I needed it or not. No matter how much they would've pressured me I would've never gave in, but I didn't really have a choice.

Trust me, I've tried to talk my parents out of making me come hundreds of times and it never worked. They were stubborn and adamant about making me come here as if it will change my life.

I highly doubt it.

My parents only think that it will change my life because my uncle used to go here, along with both of my parents and their siblings.

It shouldn't be that personal, but it is.

Finally arriving at my cabin, I walked in and saw two boys in conversation in one corner of the room. I noticed there were name tags and such on the beds, probably to keep things in order more so it's less hectic. Every name on every bed I didn't recognize, which in a way I was relieved because if it wasn't Zach or Daniel, I don't really care.

Hopefully, the people next to my bed are respectful and aren't like the other guys at my school. Popular, douchey, rich, and doesn't care about anyone except for themselves.

At the very end of the long cabin next to the small window was a twin-sized bed, my name in thick bold letters at the end. At least it's the end bed, closest to the wall.

It's good that it's by the window because I really like to look at the stars in the middle of the night, so I won't bother anyone by looking out of it, I can just sit in my bed and enjoy the night. At the same time it sucks because once daylight hits, it'll blind me and wake me up.

Setting my bags on the bed I began to unpack my things, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. I'm really hoping these next few months go by quickly, I don't know how I'll get through them if everyday feels eight hundred hours long, and if Daniel's angry at me like this the entire time. Zach's also on the verge of being angry at me, he just has more patience than Daniel.

"Okay, well what do you want me to do about it?" A voice spoke as the door opened then shut again. I looked over to see two people. A boy with short brown hair, hazel eyes and full lips, and a girl with long brown hair, deep blue eyes and a nose ring. They had a resemblance, they could be cousins or maybe even siblings.

"I don't know, if you talk to her it won't be as bad. Aubrey will get mad at me if I do it, she'll think I'm like... against her or something." The girl replied. "If you go talk to M, then she's less likely to be angry."

"How? Because she'd be mad at me instead of you?" The boy turned to the girl, raising an eyebrow.

"Kind of, yeah." The girl shrugged as she crossed her arms. "No, but seriously. You're a dude, if you talk to her and such then worst comes to worst she'll just shrug it off. She's changing her, Griff. And I mean genuinely changing her not only into someone she's not, but someone she doesn't want to be."

"She sounds like a shitty friend then, just tell her yourself," I spoke before my mind could stop me, but I'm not really bothered. She came in, bothering this kid about someone and wanting him to get into their drama.

Not that I know the kid, but I definitely wouldn't want to be in that position.

"Kind of agree with the curly-headed boy on that last part. Either let Aubrey do what Aubrey wants or let her know you're bothered with it." The boy agreed, and I couldn't help the tiny smirk that came over my face as I was right.

"Well I don't like what Aubrey's doing, it sucks. And I can't just tell her because we all know how that would end." The girl sighed.

"I don't," I replied.

"Okay well you're not in this are you?" She questioned, raising her eyebrows at me.

"I mean, you're the one that came in the cabin talking about this girl to where anyone can hear you. I just spoke my opinion." I shrugged, turning back to my things. I began to unpack my bags, but the girl didn't let the conversation go.

"Do I even know you?" She asked.

I sighed, shutting my eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at her again. "No. No, you don't. At least I don't think so. Do you?" I asked, and a goofy smile appeared on her face.

"You know, I think I like you, with that attitude of yours. Although, I really don't appreciate you eavesdropping in on my conversation with my brother." She replied, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Maybe you shouldn't speak so loud then."

"Okay, I was thinking that I liked you but you're beginning to get too sarcastic. That's my job, broski." She pointed a finger at me.

"Good thing we're not friends then." I shrugged.

"You really have no filter, do you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'd think you'd have noticed by now, but clearly not." I sighed, going back to unpacking my things and putting them away in the tiny drawers.

"I'm the one that's supposed to not have a filter, there can only be one." She spoke as if it were a competition. I don't even know this girl.

I looked at her for a moment, the two of them were super familiar now that I think about it. I don't know where I remember them from, but it's from somewhere. Just as I was about to say another witty reply, Zach walked through the door. He stopped, his eyes widening as he saw the unknown annoying girl.

"You know this isn't some stupid competition, right?" I asked as I finally said the reply I was going to say before, ignoring Zach's weird reaction to her. "Be annoying and sarcastic all you want, I'll do me and you do you. If you really have that much of an issue with it, maybe stay away from me?" I sent a fake smile to the girl as I grabbed my phone and shoved it in my back pocket.

I quickly shoved my bags underneath my bed and walked out, Zach quickly following behind me with even wider eyes than before.

"What was that?" He immediately questioned, and I rolled my eyes. What did I do now, can I not get a break?

"What was what?" I asked, putting my hands into my pockets.

"The way you were talking to her, you-you know her?" He asked, reaching out and stopping me from walking any further.

"No, I don't. I heard her talking about someone and gave her some advice, then it turned into her and I having a little banter back and forth, that's all, and that's that." I mumbled. What was his deal?

"What-what advice, was it about a boy?" He asked, his cheeks growing redder than they normally already are.

"No, dude. About some girl named Amanda, or was it- was it Allie? Hell, I don't know. What's your big deal with her anyway?" I asked, taking my hands out of my pockets and crossing them.

"Why don't you have feelings?" Zach asked, ignoring my question.

"What?"

"You- you act like you don't have feelings. You act like you don't care about others' feelings and you only care about yourself." He spoke, mirroring my position and crossing his arms.

This isn't the Zach I know. Zach is harmless, nice, and wouldn't say anything to hurt a fly or cause drama. He hates confrontation, and I don't think I've ever seen him angry before. So this was definitely new.

"I don't act like that, I care about you," I muttered, hating the fact that he's talking about this in the worst place possible. We were starting to get attention, the second time today in the time span of an hour.

"No, you don't Jack! You only care about yourself and what you want." Zach spoke, his voice cracking. "That- that girl? The one you were so mean to, that's the girl. The one I mentioned to you on Facetime. She never did anything to you, I know she didn't. But you're just being the way Daniel said. It hasn't even been an hour, man!"

"I had no idea, Zach." I defended. "If I knew that this was the girl I would've-"

"No! You're clearly not getting it. Whether it was her or not you shouldn't have been an asshole. You know what? This isn't worth my time okay just- just talk to you later." Zach wiped his cheeks, walking past me and away from all of the attention.

Well, not only have I lost both of my best friends in the time span of an hour, both times it happened in front of a crowd and I know for sure I'm going to be the talk of the camp on the first night here.

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edited: september 10th, 2019