Page 18 of Sass in the Grass

Jovian ignored that and asked, “How do you get to go on survival camps?”

Both of them stared at him like he’d grown another head. Finally, Mike choked out, “Survival camps? You?”

“Well, yeah!”

“Dix,” Kathy whispered.

“Oh, well, that makes more sense than Jovian wanting to actually learn survival.”

“Hey! Rude!”

“Be real,” Mike said to him.

Laughing a little, Jovian gave in, “Fine. It’s Dixon.”

Kathy snickered as Mike nodded, but then, when they’d gotten enough laughter from it, Mike explained, “Well, everyone must take the beginning course. It’s no big deal, gives you the basics. You should get your two courses in before the end of the second week. Then, the beginners go on an overnight camp with no food, thin blankets, you know, roughing it a little more than normal, but it’s not bad at all. Then sign up for the advanced courses and if you do that, you can go on the big survival camping trips. They’re three and four nights each and they’remuch more real. You go out with no food or equipment except for a Leatherman.”

“A leather man? Oh my!” Jovian said, wriggling on the bench.

“It’s a multi-tool, like a Swiss Army Knife. But thanks for letting us both know what you’re into,” Mike said, laughing as Kathy was finishing her long, almost silent gasp.

“Oh, right, right. Go on.”

“Okay, anyway, it’s a hard trip. I’m not gonna lie. You get really hungry on the second day, and you are fighting for survival against the other campers. Now, what Coach Dix likes the campers to do is to work together, find food, and stuff like that. Since we’re on BLM land and state forests, we can’t eat the plants or animals, so instead, the camp leaves food around for the campers to find, like they’re foraging.”

Jovian barely heard any of that. “So, I just need to get to the advanced classes to go on these hikes, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, where do I sign up?”

Kathy asked Mike, “When do you think you lost him?”

“After I said he’d be in the woods with Coach Dix four nights?”

“That’s where I figured too.”

Jovian looked from one to the other. “What?”

After Mike explained it again, Jovian ran to the cabin to see when Cabin C was due for their first survival class. It was the following day. Jovian tore through his suitcases to find his cutest outfit and then planned out how he’d look for the class.

“Be cute,” Ci said. “Well, that is definitely something I can do.”

Chapter Seven

Thereweresevenothersgathered in the clearing by the boathouse. All the newbies, like him. Most were from other cabins, except for Alan.

Alan, the other little cute guy. Alan…his possible competition.

Alan smiled over at him as they sat on logs by the extinguished fire. “This is exciting, right?”

“Yeah, exciting. Very,” Jovian said, holding himself back from pulling out the travel mirror from his pocket to check his face again.

When Coach Dixon came over, Jovian sat up, smiling seductively. “Good morning, Coach Dixon,” he said.

“Morning,” he said as he nodded over to Jovian. To the rest, he said, “Good morning, everyone. I’m Cherokee Dixon, butmost folks call me Coach Dixon, or even Coach Dix. I’ll be your instructor for the next two survival classes.”

Jovian clapped along with the rest of the class and then they stopped and listened, though Jovian barely heard the words the man was saying, but he hung on all of them, just hearing that deep, penetrating voice the man had.

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