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Gabriel
I roll my eyes for the millionth time internally at whatever it is Ebony is talking about. She touched my arm and I backed up from her making her hand fall away from me. I have been trying to get away from her all day and she has not taken the hint and somehow seems to pop up wherever I am. She’s not Soul, and I don’t want her touching me. I know she changed the assignments today, but since she is the oldest, Pastor left her in charge and her little entourage is going to back her up so I went along with it, but when Pastor Sullivan gets back I am gonna talk to him.
“Gabriel, why don’t you come to my cabin later tonight?” she asks and this time I fail to hide what I am thinking; my face says it all.
“Um, I don’t think that’s…” I break off because I hear something.
“You don’t think what?” she says, taking advantage of my distraction and pressing herself up against me. I strain to hear what caught my attention, and I am just about to dismiss it when I hear it again, screaming.
“Did you hear that?” I ask, not really expecting an answer.
“No,” she says. I bring my attention back to her, noticing for the first time how close she is to me. I move her away from me as I begin walking back towards the lake with her following me.Where’s Soul? I haven’t seen her,I think as I pick up speed. Just as I round the corner Ebony grabs my hand as I clearly hear the screams, Jason is on the dock screaming for help and pointing out to the lake. I follow his pointing to see Soul surface for a brief second before going back under. Ebony tries to pull me back toward her, and I shake her off so hard she falls on her ass as I take off running, I rip the shirt off over my head. “Get help!” I scream to Jason as I get to the edge of the lake and hurriedly toe my shoes off before I dive in and swim harder and faster than I ever have in my life trying to get to Soul. I searched for her under the water since she never resurfaced, and I have never been so scared in all of my life. I pray harder than I ever have before to find her.God, please direct me to her, please.I swim to the surface, take another breath, and go back down. Finally, I see her. I grab her bringing us both to the surface before I begin the swim to the shore, but I feel a hand and notice Gary and Daniel in a boat pulling me and Soul aboard. I lay her on her back on the bottom of the boat and begin CPR, it isn’t until we reach the shore that she begins coughing up water and I have never been so grateful to be spit on in my life. I pull her up and crush her to me, grateful to have her back and still shaken by how close I came to losing her.
“Thank you,” she says limp in my arms.
“You don’t have to thank me, Soul. I’ll always be there because you mean everything to me. I won’t lose you,” I say to her out loud. Gary, Daniel, and I share a look and I know without a shadow of a doubt what was said on this boat will stay on this boat.
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CHAPTER4
Soul
It is our last night here, and I am shocked I am still here. After my near-death experience, I had to beg my parents to let me stay. They were halfway there when they got the call from Pastor Sullivan. My mother said she needed to come and see me for herself and was utterly shocked that I didn’t want to come home with them. But I was more stunned to see my sister Serenity with them, while our parents were talking with the Sullivans, she pulled me aside.
“Soul, why were you out on the water in the first place when you barely know how to swim?”
“Pastor Sullivan was gone and he left Ebony in charge so she assigned me to the lake activities,” I say. “I think she just wanted to keep Gabe all to herself, she’s made sure to be teamed up or near him all summer,” I say without thinking and immediately slap my hands over my mouth mortified that I said that out loud to anyone let alone my sister.
“Your not secret is safe with me,” she says, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
“Not secret?”
“No boy is writing all of those letters to a girl unless he likes her, Soul, duh,” she says. “Like I said your secret is safe with me just be careful, okay, and if you are planning on doing anything please take precautions, the last thing you want to do is get pregnant and be a teen mom. Trust me they may try to glamorize that shit on TV, but that shit is truly for the birds,” she says, and I stand there my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water at her words.
“Hmm, that bitch. Please close your mouth and grow up, Soul, there is more to life than Bible study, Sunday School, and choir rehearsal okay? And unlike Mom or your church friends, I am going to tell you the truth. I am not going to sit back and let you walk into a situation unprepared,” she digs in her purse and hands me a strip of condoms. “Hide those okay, but if you and Gabe are determined to do anything please use them, sis. Do not let him talk you into sleeping with him without protection, there are worse things than getting pregnant.” Our conversation is interrupted when our parents walk over to tell me I can stay. While my parents are talking to me, my sister slips off and I am curious as to where she has gone, but I eventually get a glimpse of her behind one of the cabins talking to Ebony who looks equally pissed and scared. Finally, it’s time for my family to leave, and my dad pulls me into a hug before my mom pulls me out of his arms and into hers, holding me so tight I can barely breathe. My sister hugged me last, whispering in my ear, “ You shouldn’t have any more issues from Ebony or her crew, and be careful with Gabriel.” I stood in front of the camp and waved my family goodbye, gaining a new perspective on my sister after that day.
I am not allowed to have a boyfriend until I am sixteen, so keeping my friendship with Gabe a secret was necessary also coming to camp so I can see the boy I have crushed on my whole life would have had my parents finding an alternative camp for me to go to and probably never seeing another letter from him. So we have tried our best not to let anyone else know about our feelings for each other or our relationship. I have of course heard of a few kids hooking up here but unlike them, I am terrified of my parents and of getting caught so caution is of the utmost importance to me. Not only is tonight our last night here, but tomorrow is my birthday so I am it’s a no-brainer that I would want to bring it in with Gabe. I triple-check my appearance in the mirror, I have taken my time preparing for tonight, taking a long shower and shaving my legs, and under my arms. Taking extra care with my hair and pull out the outfit I smuggled here, it’s one of my sister's old outfits that is too small for her but is entirely too grown for me to be wearing, but I don’t think my normal baggy jeans or ankle length jean skirt is appropriate for tonight. I look in the mirror one last time and am pleased with my appearance, even though I am still as curveless as a board. I grab my backpack and sneak out of the back of my cabin. I stay in the darkness, taking the path I have taken almost every night since I have been here, by now it’s pure muscle memory but just when I would normally cut to the left I walk further until I am at the furthest I have been from camp. My stomach begins to knot with nerves and fear but I see lights flickering cutting dimly through the darkness and there he is waiting for me. The smile cuts across my face without conscious thought as I pick up speed to get to him. It isn’t until I get closer that I notice he has set up a picnic by the lake. He has a blanket with candles all around it, with snacks and drinks, there is another blanket and a couple of pillows. There is a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a heart-shaped box of candies, a card, and a cupcake propped on the pillow.
“You look beautiful, Soul,” he says, hugging me to him, and the knots have turned to heavy boulders in my stomach.
“Thank you. You look so handsome,” I say, looking down at my feet. I cannot make myself look at him, but I should have known better. He cups my face, tilting it up so I am forced to look at him, just as he leans down to give me a soft kiss.
“Come on, let’s eat some of this food.”
“Okay,” I reply, happy for the reprieve. Kicking off my shoes, I gingerly sit down, careful not to flash him as I tuck my legs next to me and pull the dress down over my knees.
“How did you get all of this stuff?” I ask, picking up a grape and popping it in my mouth.
“I have been stockpiling all summer long, buying a little at a time when we go in town for supplies.”
“Oh, that was smart,” I say, trying to figure out why I didn’t think of that.
“You’re nervous.”
“I am, and I am sad. Once tomorrow comes, our parents will be here to pick us up, and I will have to make do with letters and not seeing you every day. I am going to miss you.”
“I am going to miss you, too. Remember, I am in the same boat as you. My girl is hours away from me, and there is nothing I can do about it,”
