Ray slumped onto his childhood bed, his controller slick with sweat, the screen's glow the only light in the room.
It had been two years since she left—his high school sweetheart, gone like smoke. Now it was just him, a half-empty beer, and the steady hum of his PC fan.
He'd gotten jacked—push-ups, late nights, anything to burn off the restless energy—but who cared anymore?
Outside, summer crickets screamed. Inside, he scrolled through Snapchat, his thumb hovering over a girl's story.
He didn't send anything. Just watched.
Then his mom knocked.
"Camp tomorrow. Pack your stuff."
He stared at the screen. "Fine."
"You're done fighting me?"
He let out a quiet breath. "What do you want me to say? That I won't go? You'd just make me anyway."
"True."
Then she left.
Ray stared up at the ceiling.
Camp. People. Girls.
The night passed slowly. For a long time, he couldn't sleep, lying there staring into the dark while his mind spun.
Would camp really be so bad?
Morning hit like a slap.
He woke buzzing with a strange kind of energy and rolled out of bed before he could overthink it.
Shower first. Hot water, soap, quick shave. Deodorant, fresh T-shirt, jeans. Simple.
Ray grabbed his bag, stepped outside—sun too bright—and slid into the back seat.
His phone lit up.
"Summer Camp" group chat—20 unread messages.
Some idiot named Jake had already typed:
Yo Ray, you bringing condoms or what?
Ray muted the chat instantly.
No way. He knew the drill—memes, dumb jokes, endless spam.
They all had to be 21 to sign up for this camp, and Ray could swear they acted more like high schoolers.
He closed the app, leaned his head against the window, and watched the house shrink in the mirror.
Three hours.
Real life.
No escape.
A voice broke through the haze.
"We're here, honey," his mom said.
Ray opened his eyes slowly.
Trees everywhere—tall pines, a winding dirt road, and a wooden sign:
Camp Willow Creek.
People his age were already milling around—laughing, hauling bags, arguing over coolers.
Ray stepped out of the car, slinging his backpack over one shoulder.
His mom gave him a quick hug. "Have fun. Call if you need anything."
His dad tossed the keys onto the front seat. "We'll take the train back. Car's yours for the month."
Ray frowned slightly. "I told you I don't need it."
"Take it anyway," his dad said. "You might change your mind."
They started walking toward the small station down the road.
Ray stood there for a second, then glanced back at the car. The keys were still sitting there, catching the light.
He hesitated.
Then he reached in and grabbed them.
Just like that, he was alone.
Palms sweaty. Heart thumping harder than he expected.
Someone yelled from across the clearing.
"New guy! Over here!"
A tall dude—probably Jake—waved from near the fire pit.
Ray walked over slowly, like every step might break the moment.
He smirked, rolling his shoulders back like he used to before stepping onto the wrestling mat.
"New guy, huh? Just because you got here an hour before me doesn't mean I'm the new guy."
Jake laughed, loud and confident, and clapped him on the back.
"Fair enough. But you're still fresh meat, bro. I'm Jake. Want a beer?"
Ray nodded without hesitation.
Guys were easy.
No nerves. No pressure.
He followed Jake toward a cooler sitting in the shade.
Nearby, a girl with dark hair in a tank top glanced over and smiled.
Ray felt his pulse kick.
That was different.
"Hey, I'm Mia."
Ray turned.
Short black hair. Freckles across her nose. A faded band tee and cutoff shorts. She tilted her head, studying him.
"You look a little lost," she said with a teasing smile. "Need help finding your cabin?"
Ray blinked. "Yeah… yeah. Cabin. Right."
"Stop trying to suck Ray's dick already!" Jake shouted toward her.
"Shame you didn't get that treatment last year, Jake," she shot back with a smirk, briefly grabbing Ray's arm.
He shifted his backpack, trying to play it cool.
Mia laughed softly. "Relax. He's just an asshole. Come on."
She turned and started walking down the dirt path toward the cabins.
Ray followed, trying not to stare too obviously at everything—the trees, the cabins, the people laughing nearby.
"You're new, right? I didn't see you here last year," she said over her shoulder.
"Yeah."
"Relax," she said. "It's gonna be fun."
They stopped outside a small wooden cabin.
Mia tapped the doorframe with her knuckle.
"So every cabin's for two people—mostly guys together, girls separate—unless they run out of space. But you got paired with someone named…"
She glanced at a clipboard by the door.
"…Kate."
Before Ray could respond, the door creaked open.
A girl with long red hair leaned against the frame, arms crossed.
"Yeah," she said. "That's me."
Her eyes flicked over Ray, measuring him.
"Guess we're roommates."
She stepped back inside the cabin.
"Come on in."
Mia grinned. "I'm heading back. Find us later if you want."
Before she could disappear down the path, she leaned in slightly, her voice low near Ray's ear.
"Watch out for her," she murmured. "I heard she gets around."
She pulled back with a quick wink, then turned and walked off.
Kate followed her with her gaze for a second before she disappeared.
Inside, Kate leaned casually against one of the bunks, her red hair catching the sunlight.
"So," she said, "looks like it's just us."
Ray stepped inside slowly.
For a moment, he just stood there, taking it in—the quiet cabin, the unfamiliar place, the girl watching him.
And suddenly, the whole summer felt wide open.
Kate leaned against the bunk ladder, arms crossed.
"So you're the new guy?"
Ray dropped his backpack beside the bed. "I guess so."
A small smile tugged at her mouth. "You nervous?"
He shrugged. "Maybe a little."
Kate shifted her weight, eyes flicking over him.
"Just don't try to jerk off while I sleep," she said casually.
For a split second, her face turned red, the confidence in her voice not quite matching the blush creeping across her cheeks.
Ray blinked.
"What kind of comment is that? You a pervert or something?" he said, then let out a short laugh.
Ray met her eyes. "Fine, I won't. But that goes both ways."
His gaze dropped for a second despite himself. She was wearing a simple white dress—modest, but not hiding much.
"You call me a pervert, then check me out after a minute?" she shot back, rolling her eyes.
Kate instinctively pulled the fabric down slightly, suddenly more aware of herself.
"How do we change clothes?" Ray asked. "I want to get into something more comfortable."
"I'm just going to turn around when you change," Kate said. "While I change, you close your eyes."
"Fair enough," he said.
"Asshole," she muttered under her breath.
Kate turned around, facing the wall.
Behind her, Ray hesitated for a moment before starting to change. He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it onto the bed, then stepped out of his jeans. The cabin floor creaked softly under his feet.
After a few seconds, he stood there awkwardly in his underwear, glancing toward Kate's back to make sure she was still facing away.
Kate kept her back to him, staring at the wooden wall like it had become the most interesting thing in the cabin.
She could hear the quiet rustle of fabric behind her—the sound of his shirt hitting the bed, the faint scrape of denim sliding down. The floor creaked softly as he shifted his weight.
God,
He's such a dick.
Awkward. Quiet. The kind of guy who didn't seem like he knew what to do with his hands.
Her brain was already picking him apart. It always did.
And yet…
For a split second, she almost turned around.
The instinct came too fast. She didn't like that.
Why is he kind of—
No.
Don't even think about it.
"I'm done. You can look now," Ray said.
Kate turned around.
For some reason, the confidence she'd had a minute ago had faded. She paused before fully facing him, her eyes lifting slowly.
He looked different now. More relaxed, maybe. Or maybe the awkward tension from before had shifted into something else.
Kate suddenly felt more aware of herself than she had a moment ago. The confidence she usually carried around strangers didn't feel quite as steady.
Which was strange.
She was used to attention. Girls like her usually weren't the shy ones in a room.
But right now, standing there in the quiet cabin with Ray watching her, she felt a small, unfamiliar flutter of self-consciousness she couldn't quite explain.
Kate stood there for a moment, arms loosely at her sides, the quiet settling back in.
Ray looked more comfortable now, like changing had taken some of the tension out of his shoulders. He still had that slightly unsure posture, like he wasn't completely certain what to do next.
And somehow, that made it worse.
Kate exhaled slowly, glancing away for a second as if trying to collect herself.
Then she looked back at him, that faint smirk returning.
As she stood there, one thing became clear.
This was going to be a long summer at camp.