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After he and Vince set the final plans for the battle of the sexes tournament on Saturday, Joey walks towards the woods, to the lake, enjoying the warmth on his back. 'It sure is nice being out here in the heat. This weekend should be a fun time.'
The two had decided to break the tournament up by breaking the age groups together and leaving the sign-up list outside the dining hall until Friday night. Vince had left to go tack it up but promised Joey he would return for a good swim. Both were exhausted and sweaty after their afternoon sessions with the kids, but Joey would not trade the experience for the world.
Upon arriving at the edge of the lake, Joey rips off his shirt, not even slowing his pace before diving right into the water, resurfacing a few feet away. He hears female giggling and looks around to see a few female campers who probably belonged to May. Joey rolls his eyes but flashes them a smile, causing them to giggle more but none dared to approach him.
"Now, now girls. Run along. I'm sure May will want you all cleaned up for dinner tonight. Leave the poor sexy hunk alone," Maya says, shooting Joey a sexy smile. "I think he has other plans."
The girls shoot her an evil look but leave, knowing better than to cross that particular female counselor. Once they leave, Maya strips off her shirt and dives into the water, suddenly appearing in front of Joey.
"Umm, hi?" he manages to get out, not knowing quite what to do.
"That's all I get? I know we haven't actually done anything but I've seen you undress me with your eyes," she says, getting closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You certainly scorch those clothes off my body."
'It's more like you don't leave anything to the imagination,' he thinks to himself, grabbing her arms and undoing them from where they were. "You must be imagining things Maya. Look, I just came here to cool off and for a swim, not for any trouble."
Maya puts on a pouty look and sulks. "I thought you were the camp's lady man. Am I not enough for you?"
"On the contrary, you are too much for me. Way too much for me."
"Please, don't tell me that you too are enchanted with that twit of a girl Kassandra."
Joey stops swimming away to turn around and look at Maya. "Excuse me? I don't think you heard me right."
"Seth told me all about how freaked out she was just by him slipping his hand under her shirt. She's not the woman that you need Joey."
He could feel the anger building inside him but pushed it aside, knowing that it was not worth it. "You're right. She's much more than that. Something maybe you won't ever understand. If you are so desperate for some action, go back to your Seth. It's obvious you don't mind that twit of a girl's leftovers. He was beneath her and so are you."
Anger flashed from Maya's eyes but was quickly gone. "Fine, have it your way."
He watches as she gets out of the water, grabs her shirt, and stalks off towards her cabin, relief flowing over his body. 'Thank God she left.' Joey begins to swim out and goes under for a little bit before resurfacing, enjoying the feel of being in the water.
Vince chuckles and lets out a whistle. "My, my. I have never seen any guy handle that vixen the way you have just now."
Joey rolls his eyes. "She deserves it. I mean honestly, I don't understand what her issue with Kassie is."
"Right. You mean you can't see why a girl like Maya would hate Kassandra with real passion out of jealousy? I mean, looking at it from Maya's point of view, Kassandra has everything she wants. The guys, the respect, the adoration of her campers. It's just a question of how Maya plans to take it away or rather try to take them away."
Joey clenches his jaw. "Well if I have any say, she won't be given the chance."
Vince hands Joey his towel as Joey gets out and begins to dry himself off. "Here comes the big brother routine. Or, is it something else?"
He looks at Vince with a strange look that passes rather quickly. "I just don't like seeing her get hurt. That's all."
"Right. Well, now that your mood is all sour again, want to head to dinner?"
"I'm not in a sour mood but dinner sounds good."
After Joey throws on a shirt, the pair walks in companionable silence through the woods and towards the dining hall.
"So what's this great news?" Allison asks, sitting down at the dinner table near Caitlin and Kassandra who were already talking.
Caitlin smiles brightly at Allison. "Well, you know how Christian and I have been kind of flirting a lot lately? We're together now!"
"That's great!" Allison responds, hugging Caitlin quickly. "How'd it happen?"
Caitlin shrugs. "It just did. I mean, we were honest and talked about how we felt and we both just wanted to do it, so we did."
"That's really amazing," Kassandra replies. "I hope this camp romance works out better for you than it did for me. In fact, I'm pretty sure it will. Christian is a great guy from what I've seen and from what Jason has said about him."
The two girls look at Kassandra without knowing what to really say. Finally, Allison speaks up and says, "I'm sure that you will one day meet the guy you want to end up with. It will just take time I think. In fact, I bet you've already met him."
"Yeah Kassandra. You've got your pick of the twins. Share already!" Caitlin teases, earning a weak smile from her counselor.
"If you only knew," she responds, getting a distant look on her face.
Caitlin and Allison give each other confused looks but shrug, knowing that Kassandra would express her inner thoughts when she was ready.
"So are you two going to go on an actual date sometime soon or what?" Allison asks, anxious to change the subject.
"Actually, we were thinking if our loving head counselors wouldn't mind, we'd like to go out tomorrow."
Kassie hesitates but nods her approval. "Sure. I can stay in tomorrow."
Realizing their deal, Caitlin immediately apologizes. "No, no. I totally forgot! You go. I am so sorry."
Kassandra laughs. "It's okay Caitlin. Go. I can take care of things and it's fine. Relax."
Caitlin nods her head while a confused look crosses over Allison's face. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," but Caitlin and Kassandra return, puzzling Allison further.
"Okay," she says, leaving it at that. "So Kassandra, what do you say to organizing a team of counselors and junior counselors for this tournament on Saturday? I'm not really any good but I definitely think this going to be a lot of fun."
Kassandra thinks for a little and smiles. "It should actually work out great. There are five people to a team. What do you think Caitlin? Up for teaming up with us to kick some of your boyfriend's butt?"
Laughing, Caitlin nods her head. "Of course! Girl power and all! So the three of us, plus May. Who is going to be our fifth?"
"Vicky?"
Allison shakes her head. "I overheard her talking with Maya about joining a team with her. Who knew that would eventually happen?"
"Really? I totally would never have pictured Vicky to be the type to hang with people like Maya," Caitlin observes. "I mean, Maya is a total, well, loose woman, is the best term for her. Besides, I thought you guys hung out in the beginning together."
"We did. I don't know what happened."
"Maybe it's not what it seems," Kassandra supplies. "Anyway, why don't we ask Hillary what she plans on doing?"
Caitlin smiles. "Sound like a plan Stan!"
May comes running over with a huge grin on her face. "Guess what!"
"What?" the three girls ask in unison.
"Andrew just came by, sought me down, and brought me the most wonderful bouquet of wild flowers I've ever seen! He is so sweet!"
"Aww…"
Kassandra is the first to speak. "So, do I take it that you agreed to see him tonight?"
"As soon as I can find Hillary and ask her to cover, yes! I cannot believe it. He is just such a sweetheart and right on the heels of something ugly too."
"You deserve it." Kassandra gives May a huge hug. "You've gone through enough heartache and men who don't know a thing about being romantic!"
"Let's not go there, shall we?"
Caitlin and Allison let the comments slide right by them but smile with delight. "So," Caitlin begins. "Are you going to ask Hillary right now because we need to ask her and you about something."
"Hmm, sounds big," May remarks but nods. "I'm heading over to the cabin. She should be there right now."
"Let's go then," Allison says, starting to walk off in the direction of the Rabbit cabin.
'Wow, I have never seen these girls with bigger smiles on their faces,' Kassandra thinks, taking in the huge grins both Caitlin and May had on their faces. 'Now those are the type of expressions I wonder if I'll ever have. The type that means you are stricken with the fallen hard in love bug. One thing is for certain, these mixed feelings of mine will never go away. Time has already proven that!'
"So you finally did it," Jason remarks, staring at his junior counselor. "You finally snagged her and now are hitting up me for some romantic ideas about tomorrow night. You must be psyched Christian!"
Christian nods his head. "Yes but I am so nervous! How do you do it?"
"Do what?" Jason asks confused, taking aim at the red ball towards the edge of one of the pockets on the pool table. Satisfied when the red ball drops in, he straightens and looks over at his opponent. "Do you mean play pool because I don't know if I can help you there!"
Christian rolls his eyes as he missed the striped ball he was after. "I meant dating amazing women and being so romantic. Don't you find it exhausting?"
"No, because if you find the right woman, you'll want to do everything in your power to keep her happy and to improve your relationship. Besides, it's not like I've been lucky in love here mister." After sinking in the last solid ball on the table, Jason takes aim at the 8-ball. "I mean, you probably thought the same thing about me last year when I was going out with Valerie but look how that turned out."
"How did it turn out?"
Jason shakes his head. "Horrible. She cheated on me and didn't have enough respect to be upfront about it. She treated me like crap. She even used me to get things she wanted. For example, she almost got kicked out last summer from being a counselor before we got together for being caught drunk with some other people. Mind you, this was before we were an item. She knew I had pull so she seduced me in ways to get me to beg Kathy not to send her home. It worked, she stayed, but I should have known then what I think some other counselors were thinking about where that relationship was going."
"Ouch, I'm sorry about that. I didn't know."
"Not many did." Jason laughs bitterly. "That is, besides two of the most important people in my life. I heard Kassandra warn me about her and even Joey but I just wouldn't listen. I could not entertain the idea at all that Valerie, my wonderful girlfriend, would be that devious and cruel intentionally. I wish I had listened."
Christian gives Jason a sympathetic smile after missing yet another striped ball. "You three have always been really close huh?"
With a nod Jason confirms the observation. "We're like these three musketeers. Sure, there's a lot of love-hate dynamics but we always look out for one another, no matter what."
"It must be hard with this love triangle that had developed now then."
Jason scratches the felt of the pool table as he looks up at Christian. "What are you talking about?"
He shrugs but says, "If it is not obvious to you three, it is obvious to the rest of the camp. You and Joey have developed a thing per say for Kassandra but neither of you know what to really do with it because you are fighting yourselves."
"Come again?"
"You and Joey both like her in a different light than the way you have before. I know about that kiss Jason you shared with her but I also know the way Joey has been looking at her. You are both struggling because you don't know how she feels and you want to protect her still but this time from yourself."
After closing his mouth, Jason shakes his head. "I believe that if the entire camp can see this, we are in some big trouble."
"So it is true?"
"I can only speak for myself and you know how I feel. She's my best friend besides Joey but yea, there have been other feelings involved lately. I've agreed to give her time to sort things out so all I can do is sit and watch."
"Then that's all you can do," Christian returns. After sinking in the 8-ball by accident he exclaims, "All right, you win. I've had enough of this stupid game. Told you that I wasn't any good!"
"True but you also told me you'd never ask a certain new girlfriend out."
Christian chuckles. "True. All right, you win. But anyway, back to this situation."
With a shake of the head, Jason dismisses the topic. "There's nothing left to say but that time will tell where the answer to this situation lies but I'm not going to be the one to speed it up. I want Kassandra to make the choice that is the best for her, whether it is to give me, Joey, or some other guy a chance, granted that it is not Seth."
"That's big of you. By the way, have you seen him lately?"
"Who, Seth?" Christian nods his head. "No, I try to avoid him when I can. He gets under my skin too easily just by being in my eye sight."
"Gotcha. I can understand. Well, are you ready for some dinner?"
With a nod of agreement from Jason the two exit the counselor's lounge and head over to the dining hall where Jason could already smell they were serving roasted chicken. 'Yum!'