“Well, you are dragging me to a scare camp for a week, so maybe.”
“Fair. But if you do, I’m never letting you live it down,”
I roll my eyes and zip up the bag. It looks heavy. Maybe I don’t need all the underwear. No, no, I definitely needed them. You can never bring too many pairs of underwear.
“So, tell me the point of this again?” I ask, for the millionth time. No matter how many times I hear it, the plan still sounds insane. If it weren’t for my therapist’s urging, I wouldn’t even be considering it. I’d be on a beach with a margarita in my hand and an obscenely large beach hat on my head, pretending I’m some rich, tragic character in theWhite Lotus.
But no, my demented friends have it in their heads that a scare camp is the ultimate girls’ trip. They’re determined to be the final girl, and I’m determined to find myself a new group of friends after this. Not really, I love these bitches to pieces, hence, my reluctant packing.
“You know why. It’ll be fun, you’ll see. Plus, Stephanie got us a discount, so it’s nonrefundable and I don’t want to be out $500.”
“Right,” I say back, wincing. Stephanie works at a travel agency and has the inside scoop on what destinations are the best and most affordable to go to. Which happens to be the reason we are able to take so many girls trips together.
Money in this economy is tight, and I know my friends have all been feeling the repercussions of it. This trip is our indulgence. A treat to ourselves in these dark times. Only, I hate getting scared. I’m a notorious chicken when it comes to scary movies and haunted houses. My friends though? They live for this shit. And because I love them, I’ll figure out a way to deal with it.
Plus, my therapist insisted I go, saying a little immersion therapy would be good for me. Face my fears and all that. Gag.
“Next girls’ trip, I get to pick the location,” I say, trying to get my backpack on my shoulders. It’s just as I thought. Way too heavy. There’s no way I can carry this around for hours while being chased through the woods.
I open the thing back up and rummage around, wondering what I can take out.
“You better be ready. We’re going to be there in five,” Audrey says.
“Dammit.”
I guess I could take out one of my books. Three should be enough, right?
“Tell me you aren’t bringing a ridiculous amount of books again,” Audrey chirps in my ear knowing me all too well.
“She’s not going to have time to read!” I hear Faye off in the distance.
“What exactly qualifies as a ridiculous amount?” I ask, looking over everything. I guess I could narrow it down to two.
“Anything more than one. We’re going to be in an active scare situation, at all times! You really think you can curl up comfortably with a book and your head lamp light.”
“It’s a reading light!” I exclaim. “How else can I see the words in the dark.”
I hear laughter from the background.
“You look like a coal miner,” Faye says sounding muffled. Which is answered by a few more background laughs.
No matter how long we’ve been friends, sometimes I feel like an outsider in my own group. I wonder if they’re still friends with me after all these years out of habit rather than actually liking me as a person. But maybe I’m just being grumpy from a long shift at the nursing home and little to no sleep.
“We’re pulling in! Let’s go, Lydia.”
“Fine, but I’m bringing ONE book,” I say, tossing out the extra two and promising them I’ll be back to read them another time.
“I love your nerdy ass, Lydia. Now let’s go!” Audrey says as I hear two loud honks from outside and in my eardrum.
“I’m coming! I’m coming!” I say, hanging up on Audrey and taking one last look in the mirror. Five minutes away, my ass.
I’m wearing a black tank top and fitted gray jean shorts that have frayed edges on the bottoms. It comes just a few inches shorter than where my fingertips land, and if I were still in school, they would send me to the principal’s office for sure. But it’s hotter than a demon’s butt crack out there, and I don’t wantto be drowning in my own sweat. I tie my hair up into a ponytail, leaving my two blue highlights out in the front framing my face.
While I brought a pair of black flip flops just in case, I decide to go with a solid hiking shoe and thin, breathable socks since we’re going to be doing a lot of walking.
When I get to the car, or rather van, I’m greeted by Faye standing outside of the vehicle, leaning up against it looking like she just stepped out of a magazine. Her vibrant red hair gleams in the summer sun, and her bronzed skin shimmers as she spots me and starts running.
“Bitch! I gotta pee, what took you so long?!” She shrieks.
