Page 7 of Dollface

My body shivered as a soft breeze blew past. I couldn’t wait to get to the cabin and change out of these wet clothes. I wondered if I’d be sharing a cabin with anyone else before the campers arrived. “Thisbe—Nurse B mentioned other staff. Who else is here?” I asked.

Willie adjusted his grip on my bag. “Let’s see. There’s Solomon, he’s the most senior camp counselor, aside from yours truly, of course.” Willie winked. “He works in the woodshop mostly and then helps out with things like archery and other sports. Kaila and Sandy are the counselors you’ll be working with. They’re pretty chill, and I have a feeling you’ll mesh well with them.” Presumptuous. “Oh, and then there’s Wolfe, Doug, and Randy. They’re the other counselors. So, including you, there’s six counselors, Thisbe, Solomon, and myself. Oh! Can’t forget good ol’ Beatrice.”

“Beatrice?”

Willie nodded. “Beatrice. She acts like one tough son of a bitch, but deep down, she’s an old softy. And I mean deep, deep,deepdown. She's in charge of the kitchen all summer. Her and Thisbe actually go way back and have been working here for, I’d guess, almost thirty years?” Such a long time. “But that’s everyone.”

Wow. Only ten people running an entire summer camp out in the middle of nowhere.

We approached a lone, dark cabin. “Andthisis you.” He raised the lantern and revealed the cabin number. “Lucky number thirteen.” Since when was thirteen lucky?

Willie handed me my bag and walked past me toward the cabin. The porch squeaked and creaked as he walked around and opened the front door. It was dark inside. Too dark. Willie noticed my hesitation. “It won’t bite you.” He grinned.

I stepped closer and clutched my bag. “Am I the only one staying here?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Kaila and Sandy are bunking with you. I’m not sure where they are, but I’m sure they’ll be back soon.” He handed me the lantern and stepped out of the cabin and back onto the path. “Sleep tight, Aster. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

Willie began to whistle and walk down the path back towards the administration cabin. I stood there with the lantern and my bag and stared deep into the dark cabin. Rows of empty bunk beds lined either side. I could see the other counselors’ belongings and felt better knowing they’d be returning at some point. The wind rustled, and the distant sounds of branches snapping made me jump. I rushed inside and shut the door behind me.

Fuck, I need to stop letting these woods mess with my mind.

I held the lantern high and stepped further inside. The other counselors had chosen beds to my right, so I turned to my left and tossed my bag on a lower bunk. Before I knew it, my exhaustion had hit me like a ton of bricks. I fell onto the dusty, thin mattress pad, and I kicked my shoes onto the floor as I rolled over. The bed was stiff, but oddly comforting. I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept in an actual bed, even one as crappy as this. God, I had missed it.

“Goodnight, Ozzy,” I whispered aloud. “I love you. And I’m sorry.” A single tear rolled down my face and onto the bed as I drifted into a deep sleep.

I’m so sorry.

TWO

ASTER

“Aster!”My name was shouted from behind me, and I spun around to see Kaila and Sandy gleefully sprinting in my direction. “Hey, Aster! Wait up!” They were both laughing and smiling, dressed in our camp uniforms, which consisted of tight white t-shirts that read counselor on the back and had the camp’s logo printed on the front. Of course, you couldn’t forget the tiny, high-waisted, bright red athletic shorts that seemed to make all our asses look like perfect peaches. They must’ve been Willie’s idea, considering what a damn flirt he was. And as cute as the uniforms were, I personally always felt a little too exposed and awkward in them. It left little to the imagination, and all of my tattoos and scars were on full display. My tattoos being seen wasn’t really a big deal, but the thing about them was they concealed my past. My scars were more visible reminders of things I wanted to forget. And I didn’t want anyone seeing those. They weren’t cute. Whereas Kaila, with her bold glasses and piercings,wascute. And Sandy, with her gorgeous dark skin and curly auburn hair, well, the two were both just babes. Thankfully, Willie was right. We did mesh. You see, they also had tattoos, and rocked these alternative and edgy looks more so in the spectrum of my own. Kaila had this caring and freespirited attitude with split hair that was half brown and half black. Sandy, well, she had this sweet and innocent front she wore like a mask, but truthfully, she was just as rebellious as the rest. And she didn’t give a shit about what anyone thought. When she wasn’t playing nice, she’d speak her mind loud and proud. I really admired that about her. And the two weren’t just gorgeous, they were confident, which only added to their attractiveness.

Kaila ran up to me first, her hair tied up into two messy buns on top of her head. She wore the biggest smile that made her glasses scrunch around her freckled nose. “Guess what we scored?” She winked and stuck her tongue out as Sandy joined her.

“What?” I asked with a smile.

The two exchanged a naughty look before Sandy reached her hand out to me and revealed their score. “Ta-da!” she sang.

I eyed the pack of cigarettes in her palm and couldn’t help but smile “No shit!” I grabbed them and pulled one out for myself. “How the fuck did you get these? I thought Nurse B had this place on lockdown?” We all giggled, and they both grabbed a cigarette for themselves. Kaila pulled out a clunky lighter and lit each of them one by one. We leaned against the trees and inhaled the smoke. It was nice to just live in that moment and chill.

Fuck, it tastes so good.

It had been a few days since I first arrived at Camp Redwood. Not only had I grown to really like these two, but I had formed relationships with the whole staff, including Nurse B, who made it crystal clear that drinking and smoking were off limits to the staff—among other things. Nurse B was exactly as Willie had said. She was old school. And boy, did she have this place on a tight leash. Everyone had curfews and a never ending list of rules. But of course, no one seemed to really follow them.

The three of us walked from the cabin down a dirt path through the woods and towards the lake as we smoked. Every night, the counselors would get together after curfew and sit around a giant bonfire near the edge of the lake. It had become this weird but relaxing ritual. Tonight was extra special, as it was the last night before the campers arrived, and we wanted to celebrate. Which, thanks to these two, was already off to a great start.

“So.” I exhaled a cloud of smoke with a giant grin. “You going to tell me how you two kleptos got these?” I asked while I waved the lit cigarette in the air.

Kaila grinned and pointed to Sandy. “Yeah, Sandy! Why don't you tell Aster all about how you got those!” Sandy rolled her eyes and the two laughed. “Oh no, don’t let that innocent smile of hers fool you, Aster. Our sweet and precious little Sandy here isn’t as innocent as we all think. Are you, Sandy?” She nudged Sandy’s shoulder. The two giggled and messed around as we all continued to smoke and make our way to the lake. “No, she sweet talked ol’ Willie into slipping her that pack. Someone hiked her shorts up a bit and stood a little taller just for him. Pretty sure it even came from his own personal stash!” Kaila teased Sandy.

Sandy’s cheeks turned bright red. “You’re acting like I threw him down and fucked him into handing those over!” Sandy playfully snapped. “All I did was talk to him. I mean, I guess I might have persuaded him a little.”

“Mhm.” Kaila crossed her arm and smacked Sandy’s ass. “Lots of persuasion back here.”

Sandy laughed. “Look, I just used what God gave me. So what if his eyes wandered and his pants got tighter? I got exactly what I wanted and didn’t have to do shit for it. So I ask…” She exhaled a big cloud of smoke. “Where’s the crime in that?”

Kaila rolled her eyes, and I snorted. “Fuck, Sandy.” My head snapped towards her with a grin. “Willie? Really?”

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