Page 6 of It Starts With Summer

Icouldn’tsleepatsummer camp.I tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position on the narrow bunk bed.All the uncomfortable things came into sharp focus, and I couldn’t stop thinking about them.The bed was lumpy and too hard.The cabin had a musty odor.It was way too quiet.There was a weird scratching outside that I was sure was some sort of animal.

I was utterly out of my element.

Fluffing my pillow, I rolled onto my side.The creak of the bed echoed through the cabin, making me self-conscious of every little movement.Was this what people meant when they said the silence was deafening?I didn’t think I’d ever been anywhere this quiet, and I couldn’t stop focusing on it.

I’d grown up in a narrow townhome in San Francisco’s bustling Sunset District, in a big, noisy family.The city blended into a steady sort of white noise — my siblings, my parents, the cars and trucks outside, even the sirens.In college, I’d lived in a crowded dorm, then an apartment on a busy street.

This silence was weird, it amplified every little sound.Someone coughed, and it startled me.Someone started snoring, and it echoed through the quiet cabin like cannon fire.

But I could tolerate it, couldn’t I?It would just take some getting used to.

I was here for my career.I was hoping to gain experience that would help me land an internship with a fascinating field study project at a remote site.They wanted students with experience camping and working in the outdoors, because the remote study site had rustic living conditions.My friend Aiden had convinced me that this would be the perfect summer job to gain that experience.

I was losing confidence in his advice, but it wasn’t like I could back out now.

I thought of my small but organized apartment back at Stanford, where I had the perfect bed with the perfect number of pillows.I had tried 47 mattresses before landing on the one that suited me just right.And the apartment was organized.Everything had its place, and everything was orderly and controlled, just how I liked it.Camp, on the other hand, was chaotic and unpredictable.I knew I’d figure it out with time, but my co-counselor, Parker, had no appreciation for order.Or checklists.

I hadn’t slept at all, or if I had, it was in such short spurts that I didn’t notice — I was awake when the sky slowly started to lighten, when the sun peeked through the useless curtains that only half-covered the windows.When the bell went off, my roommates started to stir.Stiffly, I dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom, where I stared at the dark circles under my eyes.

I brushed my teeth and trudged back out into the chilly cabin to find some warm clothes.Why was it so cold?It was June, for fuck’s sake.

A throat cleared, and I peered across the room to see Ben watching me with a sympathetic smile.Ben was the most appealing of my co-counselors from a friendship standpoint.I wished I’d been paired with him instead of Parker, who was my opposite in every way.Ben wasn’t a scientist, I didn’t think, but he had a stack of books at the end of his bed bigger than my suitcase, a sure sign he was a fellow geek.And probably a fellow introvert.

“Rough night?”he asked.There was something soothing about Ben’s presence.I couldn't quite put my finger on why.Was it the way he’d taken care of Sutton and protected Parker, or was it something more innate?

“Yeah, just… not used to all this,” I admitted, rubbing my eyes.“I never thought of myself as a city person, but I am.It’s freakishly quiet.Where are the wailing sirens and car horns honking in the distance?”

Ben laughed.“Well, I’ve never lived in a city, but I’ve helped campers deal with this.It takes a few days to adjust.”He hopped down from his bunk and dug through his pile of books, pulling out a thick novel with gorgeous cover art.

“Do you read?I think you need to take your mind off of listening to the wildlife outdoors and worrying about what it might be.”

“I wasn’t worrying… much.”I was a terrible liar.

“Well, it was a squirrel, so there was no need to worry."He handed me the book."But this one will hook you in.This series is my go-to when I need an escape.As long as you're okay with queer stuff.”

“Mages of Aleron,” I read, studying the ogre on the cover, who was facing off against a man.Or an elf.

“It’s got love, drama, ogres, humor, adventure, and some kick-ass action scenes.”

I took the book, tracing my thumb over the embossed letters on the cover.It was comforting to know someone else here had interests other than sports and outdoorsy activities.I offered him a small, grateful smile, my dimples making a rare appearance.

“I’m not gay,” I said.

“Neither am I,” Ben said, winking.“Trust me, you’ll like it.It’s addictive.Those two are the funniest couple.”

I raised an eyebrow.“Worth a shot.Better than not sleeping, right?”

“Anytime, man.”He clapped me on the shoulder before heading off to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face in the icy cold tap water.Only the showers, which were in a separate building, had hot water.Didn’t they know about on-demand water heaters?A small water heater tucked under the bathroom sink would have been a simple luxury and not expensive.Perhaps the owners of the camp enjoyed making other people suffer.

What was the fun of roughing it just for the sake of roughing it?

I reminded myself that I was here to learn about roughing it, and that I should find a way to have a better attitude about it.The field study project would be a dream come true.

I watched each of my three roommates get ready.My gaze lingered on Parker, who was so sure of himself as he laced up his hiking boots.He was handsome — he reminded me of a young Chris Hemsworth, or a surfer.Or Chris Hemsworth when he was surfing.He had scruffy, shoulder-length blonde hair, thickly muscled arms and shoulders, and a few tattoos.He was cool and popular, outgoing and funny.

At Stanford, I'd made a point of avoiding guys like Parker.The frat bros like him irritated me, and at worst, they were bullies and assholes.But if he was friends with Aiden Yamada, he couldn't be all bad, right?Aiden was new to the biology department, but we'd had a project together for our conservation ecology class, and I'd been surprised by how much I liked him.Logically, I knew that a person's outward appearance and style choices didn't tell me their whole story, but avoiding the athletic, handsome white boys tended to work in my favor.

There'd be no avoiding Parker, though.

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