Outside, Trent threw David a wave and climbed back into his van. “Back in a few,” he yelled while David shepherded the dripping campers toward the dining room.
Jeff had managed to locate a cupboard filled with towels, and he now handed one to each camper as they entered the room. “Here you go. Head right over there for check-in.”
David entered the dining hall, dripping water from every surface. He stopped next to Jeff and removed his soaking wet jacket. “If a single woodland creature shows up today, I’mquitting.”
Jeff shook with laughter as he offered David a towel. “Nothing like a little monsoon to get things off to a great start.”
Meanwhile,back at the bus, Trent had arrived to pick up the second load of campers. In the time since the rain began, a veritable river of water had spread between his parking spot and the bus, making it nearly impossible to get the campers and their duffle bags across the stream without becoming soaked. Colin assigned himself the role of luggage bearer and carried each camper’s baggage while the campers slogged through the huge, muddy puddle to the waiting van.
The last of the campers in this group, a lanky teen with bright green sneakers, stared at the rising puddle between them and the van. “Soooo… do we wade or build a raft?”
“Just move,” Colin grumbled, throwing the camper’s duffle over his shoulder. He could feel cold water running down his neck, while behind him, Nate’s high, clear voice warbled out: “If one of those bottles should happen to fall …” Colin drew in a deep breath and paused for half a second.OK. So this is hell.He squinted into the rain, his shirt plastered to his skin, and tried to laugh as Nate’s voice echoed behind him. But all he could think of was Joshua—somewhere back at camp, trying to smile through this misadventure. When he reached the van, he helped the camper in through the back door, then handed him his duffle. Trent stood beside him, silent and totally drenched.
“How they doing back at camp?” Colin asked as Trent closed the door.
Trent walked past him and climbed into the van. “Oh, you know: A little wet. A little miserable. I think Josh is just one disaster away from running off to join the circus.” He slammed the van door and drove off, leaving Colin standing, soaked to the skin and snickering, in the pouring rain.
Chapter 12
Day One: Back on Track
Sunday
When Colin, Trent, and Nate walked into the dining hall after retrieving the last of the campers from the broken-down bus, the entire Camp Pride company erupted in cheers. Joshua—perched on a table and grinning—whooped as the drenched rescuers entered while Jeff hurried to their sides, towels in hand.
“OK!” Joshua clapped his hands to gather attention. “Here’s the drill: It’s still raining, so outdoor activities are a bust for now. Everyone has their cabin assignments and knows their counselor. First order of business: Head to your cabins, unpack, change into something dry, and come back here for lunch. If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your counselor, and please don’t forget to tag your luggage!” He glanced outside. “And raincoats might not be a bad idea either.”
David hopped onto a chair, waving his arms. “I have an announcement too! Originally, we planned to serve you delicious—butcold—sandwiches for lunch. But I decided that just won’t do. Vans are on the way with enough hot pizza to feed an army! They should be here within forty-five minutes.”
The room exploded into cheers.
Joshua laughed and joined in. “Let’s hear it for the Professor!” he called, then climbed down and made his way to Colin’s side. He patted the back of Colin’s soaked shirt and grinned. “And yet again, you are a hero.”
Colin scoffed, scrubbing a towel through his wet hair. “I’d rather be a dry, lazy villain sitting in front of a warm fire.”
Joshua giggled. “Go back to the cabin and change. I’ll check on your campers.”
“Have you seen Alex? He’s in my cabin, right?”
Joshua nodded. “I spotted him when he came in, but it’s been chaos, so I haven’t talked to him yet.” He squeezed Colin’s arm. “Go dry off. I’ll make sure he’s doing all right.”
Meanwhile, Nate—somehow the only one who had managed to stay reasonably dry—dashed from cabin to cabin, ensuring that all the campers were settling in without issue. He had already won the hearts of the stranded group by staying with them on the bus, leading rowdy sing-alongs and cracking jokes—many at Colin’s expense. Now, his bright energy carried him across camp, a welcome burst of sunshine despite the gloomy weather.
By the time the campers unpacked and returned to the dining room, the pizzas had arrived. Each counselor sat at a table with his six assigned campers, enjoying pizza and engaging in lively conversation. Joshua peered across the room and saw Colin sitting next to Alex. He was gesturing as he talked to the campers at his table, and Joshua saw the entire group burst into laughter, including Alex.
After lunch, ongoing team activities were announced, and campers jumped at the chance to be part of their favorites. Colin’s baseball team came together fast—Alex among the first to sign up. Nate’s writing group filled instantly. Jeff’s hiking crew grabbed their terrariums. Joshua’s group counseling elicited a few groans—but he held out hope for later once theycame to know him, and each other. Each camp counselor sat at a different table, chatting with the campers about their activity, laughing and teasing the campers and each other about the chaos of the morning. The mood had lifted considerably as the warmth of hot pizza and dry clothes worked their magic.
Colin leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head with a groan. “Well, that was a hell of a start,” he mused, glancing at Joshua, who had perched on the edge of the table, listening to the chatter around him.
Joshua smirked. “You mean rescuing a bus full of stranded campers in the pouring rainwasn’thow you envisioned Day One going down?”
Colin huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “Not exactly. But hey, if I ever need a backup career, I’ll add ‘soggy luggage handler’ to my résumé.”
Across the room, Nate was dramatically reenacting their heroic bus retrieval, arms flailing as he described Colin wading through ankle-deep mud, lugging a huge, overflowing duffle. His audience was enthralled, laughing at his theatrical storytelling.
Joshua nudged Colin’s knee with his own. “Look at that,” he murmured, nodding toward Alex. The boy was still quiet, but he wasn’t withdrawn. He sat among his cabinmates, listening to Nate’s story, engaged, laughing, and even unwinding enough to speak to the camper seated closest to him. Joshua’s chest tightened at the sight—not just because Alex was laughing, but because the laughter seemed easy and natural.
Colin followed Joshua’s gaze, feeling warmth settle in his chest. “Yeah,” he said softly. “That’s good to see.”
