Page 14 of Kayak Girl

Elle fidgeted, seemingly uncomfortable with the question. She mumbled a half answer, her words scarcely audible. “Well, it’s, um, you know, just broken van things.”

Strange—I thought to myself, puzzled by her reaction. I decided not to press further, fearing I might have touched on a sensitive topic. To lighten the mood, I changed the subject. “How about kayaking? How long have you been into it?”

At the mention of kayaking, the floodgates of chatter were flung wide open. Elle’s eyes danced with excitement as she told me all about her adventures on the water. She eagerly shared the make and model of her kayak, the different places she’d paddled so far, and everything in between. As she spoke, I found myself captivated by her delight, her face glowing with passion for her hobby.

“I love how kayaking allows me to connect with nature and explore places that would otherwise be inaccessible,” she said, her green eyes reflecting the crackling fire. “There’s just something so freeing about being out on the water, you know?”

I nodded, understanding her sentiments perfectly because I too enjoyed kayaking.

“Speaking of kayaks,” Elle continued, “it’s funny that you referred to me as Kayak Girl yesterday. It’s actually my Instagram handle. Did you know that?”

I chuckled. “No, I didn’t. I’m not really active on social media. I just didn’t know what else to call you.”

Her laughter joined mine.

“Well, I’ve been documenting my journey on Instagram and a personal blog, both titled Kayak Girl.”

“Cool. You seem sporty. Are you into any other sports?” I asked, eager to learn more about her.

She shook her head, a wistful smile playing on her lips. “Not really. I’m flattered I appear sporty—growing up, I was a total nerd. My PE coach used to joke that the only thing I could catch was a cold.”

“Really? That’s hard to believe. I was the opposite; I thrived on sports,” I said, a fond memory of muddy fields flashing through my mind. “Especially football. It definitely kept me out of trouble as a teen.”

I watched Rick amble over with another snack for the fire. My eyes flicked to Elle, curious to see if she’d noticed his movements too. Turns out, she was way ahead of me. She was waiting for me to look at her. The moment our eyes met, a wave of laughter erupted between us, no words needed.

After our laughter faded, Elle’s attention drifted back to the flickering flames, and I followed suit, the warmth of the fire mirroring the warmth in my chest. Lost in the fire’s glow and my thoughts about tonight, I flinched when her fingers gave my elbow a gentle squeeze.

“Football, huh?” she asked, a playful tilt to her head. “Ever score the winning goal, or what do you call it… a touchdown?”

“In American football it’s called a touchdown. And yeah, I had the honor once or twice,” I replied. “But enough about me. I want to hear more about the nerdy version of you. Ever hack into the school computer or build a robot?”

Elle’s laughter bubbled out of her, bright and infectious. “Well, there was this one time I built a paper Maché volcano for science class. My teacher gave me instructions for the reaction—baking soda and vinegar, you know the drill. But I ignored her instructions because I wanted it to be an impressive demonstration, so I tripled the recipe. Let’s just say the classroom turned into a volcanic disaster zone, and I was cleaning up the mess for several hours.”

I raised my eyebrows. “A rebel and a nerd, huh? Interesting combination.”

She nudged me, her eyes twinkling. “What about you? Any embarrassing sports stories?”

“Plenty,” I admitted, chuckling at the memories. “Once, I tried to show off during a football game. I went for a fancy kick, one that involved a back flip, aiming to impress everyone. Ended up flat on my back, and missed the ball completely. The crowd didn’t know whether to cheer or laugh.”

Elle giggled. “I wish I’d seen that.”

“Nah, I’m kinda grateful you didn’t witness my teenage stupidity.” I grinned. “So, besides causing volcanic eruptions, what other unexpected talents do you have?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, her eyes reflecting the depth of her imagination. “Well, I don’t know if I’d call it a talent, but I used to write poetry. I guess I love the idea of words holding more than they seem.”

“That’s fascinating,” I said, genuinely interested. “I’ve always been more about the literal, the practical. But I admire that kind of creativity.”

Elle just smiled.

I smiled too, content to have experienced the talkative Elle I’d witnessed all evening. Her bubbly chatter was just like everything else about her. A contradiction. There were moments she looked you dead in the eye, full of cheeky confidence, and other moments her shyness seemed to consume her. It intrigued me. I didn’t want our time together to end, but I’d caught Elle stifling a yawn for the second time. Stretching, I felt a mix of reluctance and responsibility. “Guess it’s time for bed,” I announced, pushing myself up from our cozy spot.

Elle looked relieved, and I made a mental note not to keep her up this late tomorrow. I felt somewhat responsible for her since I was her co-leader.

“Yeah, I’ll also call it a day. I’m so tired,” she said with a laugh as she stood. Her fingers fumbled with the zipper of my hoodie.

Instinctively, my hand shot up, halting her. “Keep it,” I insisted. “Consider it on loan until after summer camp.” The rebellious part of me liked the thought of her wearing my hoodie for the next few days.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to your room.”

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