4"Man, this really blows."
Eric felt his eye twitch at Kelso's comment, glancing up at him in the rearview mirror of the Vista Cruiser. His spindly fingers gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, but he bit his tongue. Eric had endured the past seven hours of unrelenting insults, his stomach in knots and ill-bred replies burning his throat. Kelso was right, and he knew it. They all were. He couldn't believe his mom had signed the six of them up without even suggesting it to him first, and he felt extremely guilty given that Kitty had single-handedly destroyed the summer before their senior year.
Donna, who sat to the left of him, squeezed his thigh lightly. He exhaled sharply at the touch, his heart lightening. Donna hadn't said a word the entire trip to Camp Winnipeg, but had given small gestures of support throughout the journey. Eric was extremely grateful that Donna, of all of them, wasn't berating him and didn't seem mad in the slightest.
Admittedly, she most likely didn't have an issue being anywhere as long as she wasn't at home. Bob and Midge's arguing had only gotten worse the past few weeks, and she had been spending an increasing amount of time at Eric's house. The pretty redhead leaned on Eric's shoulder, flipping Kelso off without turning around. Hyde scoffed from behind Jackie, who sat on Donna's other side. "Oh come on, even you have to admit that this is the worst possible place to spend the summer," the curly haired boy leaned forward, placing his hands on Jackie's seat to look up at the couple.
Donna glanced over at him, and Eric could almost feel her rolling her eyes. "I could think of a lot of worse ways." Her voice was so incredibly sad, so withdrawn, it tugged at the knot inside his stomach. Seeing Donna sad felt like a massive cosmic imbalance. Eric wasn't very good at comforting her, words had never been his strong point in any situation. That's why he stayed silent even then, kissing the top of Donna's head lightly.
"I couldn't!" Jackie piped up a few seconds later, her bell-like voice filling the car. "A dirty lake, a bunch of kids, shared bathrooms? It's just gross." The brunette huffed, crossing her arms and looking exasperatedly out of the window.
Fez, who sat right behind Eric and had fallen asleep several hours ago, woke up due to the commotion. He rifled through the paper bag that he had wrapped in his arms. Eric heard him smack what must have been Kelso's arm, his voice rough from sleep. "Where is my beef jerky you son of a bitch?" The dark haired boy said indignantly, smacking Kelso again. The latter let out a loud "Ugh!" Eric heard some shuffling, and Kelso pulled what must have been the empty jerky wrapper from the floorboard. "You ate them before you fell asleep, idiot," he scoffed, and everyone in the car laughed for the first time in what felt like days.
"It's not like we're actually going to camp, anyway," Donna said lightheartedly when the giggles died down, sitting up when she saw the "Camp Winnipeg - 2 Miles" sign next to the dirt road. "We're counselors. The brochure said there's only like, three adults there and they're all a thousand years old. We'll be able to do whatever we want." She sighed, rubbing her clammy hands on her jeans and nodding, forcing herself to believe her own words.
Donna knew that Eric already felt terrible about the situation. She didn't think he should be at fault; ALL of their parents had agreed to send them to the camp for the summer. The idea that her parents had actually communicated long enough to decide on it was a feat of its own. Bob and Midge had argued every night for a month and a half, and latter was now sleeping in the guest room. The redhead heaved a deep breath as Eric pulled up a small hill and into a large dirt lot.
Jackie rolled her eyes at Donna who flipped the short brunette off in return. The girls got out and stretched, and Donna couldn't help but smile as she gazed out across the champagne tinted view. The setting sun glistened off the expansive lake, casting a soft golden glow across the surrounding trees and campground. There were several docks installed around the water, what seemed to be atleast a dozen log cabins situated across an open, uneven meadow. It was a little hard to make out in the darkened sky, but Donna thought she could see a climbing wall on the other side of the lake.
She walked around the side of the car as the others got out, pulling Eric aside as he stood up. He let her lead him over to the edge of the lot, wrapping her arms around his small frame and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Look how pretty," she murmured, looking back down at the forested valley in contentment. "It's gonna be okay. I think it's a lot better than being stuck in Point Place for the seventeenth year in a row." She smiled up at him, and he returned the gesture without hesitation.
Eric felt overwhelmed by his love for Donna, as he did more often than he felt was normal. She was doing her best to make him feel better. Her kind words and the fresh air instilled new resolve within him. He turned and peppered some kisses across her face and neck, a series of giggles erupting from her. The pair exchanged a look, which was so surprisingly intimate Eric almost felt they shouldn't be doing it in public. Donna flashed a smile, her cheeks reddening, and Eric felt his heart was going to completely burst out of his chest.
"Damn, Jackie, how many bags did you pack?" Kelso's voice rang out across the nearly empty lot. Eric rubbed his eyes, watching as the tall brown haired boy struggled with Jackie's numerous pink bags. She made a face at Kelso, setting up each of the bags he dropped.
"Michael, stop tossing my bags around like that! They're expensive, you can't just handle them like you do Pam Macy," Jackie's voice rose an octave, as it usually did when she spoke to him. "We're here for two months. What am I supposed to do, repeat outfits? I don't think so!" The small brunette turned away from Michael. Though they had been broken up for months now, she still got a small pain in the pit of her stomach every time she looked at him.
It was just a slightly different feeling than she got when she was around Steven, the same pain but with butterflies beating their wings against the pit in her stomach. He was so rarely nice to her, but when he was? It felt so... good. There was no other way to describe it. The curly haired boy stood a few feet away from her, his sunglasses pushed to the top of his head as he surveyed the land. Jackie walked towards him on tip toes, nudging him playfully.
He shoved her back gently, a small smile coming across his face. Jackie beamed back at him, coming up short for words. He raised an eyebrow at her, imploringly. She tried to think of what she came to talk to him about. Blank. His hazel eyes looked so green in this light. He issued a low "Okay?" and turned on his heel, walking back to the Cruiser without another word.
Jackie felt like smacking herself. The only person on this planet who could leave her starstruck, for whatever reason, was Steven Hyde. She didn't even understand why she liked him. He was greasy and rude... and cute as could be. Jackie smoothed her white button down, tossing her hair behind her shoulders and taking a deep breath. Straightening her posture, she turned, walking over to where the rest of the group had already gathered their own luggage.
She grabbed one of her suitcases and two of her bags, making pleading eyes at the passing Donna to help her with the final two. The tall redhead rolled her eyes, sliding her own duffel bag over her shoulders and snatching up Jackie's overstuffed luggage. Before she could say anything, a silvery voice sounded from behind her.
"Hey! Welcome to Camp Winnipeg!" Donna turned and was met with a tall, wiry figure just a few feet away from her. The boy's dark eyes were framed by thick lashes and heavy brows, crinkled by the lazy smile that sat on his oddly handsome face. The stranger tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, the breeze blowing through the unbuttoned green shirt he wore.
Donna was taken aback by his sudden appearance, and evidently so was the rest of the gang. The shocked silence that followed as they all stood around awkwardly caused the new arrival to clear his throat uncomfortably, shaking his chin length black curls from his face. "Um, you guys are the new camp counselors right? I'm Wesley Dawson, the Senior counselor?" He stepped forward and reached a timid hand out, glancing down at it and back at the group.
Fez was the first step forward, shaking Wesley's hand enthusiastically. "Finally! I am Fez," he shifted his bags. "You are the only brown person I've seen since coming to this country," he laughed, looking out at the still quiet group and leaning into Wesley. He covered the wrong side of his face to hide his next words, something that made Donna giggle in the midst of her nervousness. "I was beginning to think there was some sort of conspiracy going on, if you know what I mean."
Wesley laughed in response, wrapping an arm around Fez and visibly relaxing. "Hey man, you're not wrong! I've got a couple stories for you," The boy winked, "We'll talk later, alright? " he clapped Fez on the shoulder and stepped away, extending both his arms in open greeting to the rest of the group. "Listen, the campers don't come until the morning, and the only other people up are the counselors," His smile was warm, and he pulled what was obviously a hand wrapped joint from his pocket. "Are you cool?"
Hyde and Kelso both stepped up to him immediately, and the former lifted his mop of hair to reveal two of his own wraps tucked behind his ears, nodding and laughing. "Hell yeah man, lead the way. Oh, uh, I'm Hyde, this here's Kelso."
He nodded towards the three others, who still hadn't spoken and stood in a cluster on the other side of the Vista Cruiser. "That's Forman, Donna, and the little squeaky one is Jackie. Alright, let's go." Wesley nodded, sidling over to the other trio and taking a bag from each of the girls.
The new arrival fell in beside Donna as they walked, who kept a shy silence during the small trek down to the campsite. She noticed Eric glaring at the wiry boy throughout the descent, and her stomach lurched as it usually did when Eric was about to make a fool out of himself.
When they arrived in the clearing, Wesley gave them a short series of directions. The girls set of cabins lay to the far right of the meadow, the boys to the left, and the showers in between. Across the archery clearing was the mess hall, arts and crafts cabin, and the staff housing, as well as the infirmary and storage shed.
He finished off by asking to escort the girls down to their cabin, since he had their heaviest bags. Just as Donna was about to accept his offer, Eric practically launched himself between them, shaking his head. Donna's brows furrowed, and she thought that she heard Jackie stifle a laugh.
Eric extended his arm towards Wesley, clearing his throat. "Actually, Dawson," His voice was full of venom. "I'll take their bags, seeing as Donna's my girlfriend and all." The dark haired stranger looked puzzled, but handed Eric the bags nonetheless. He glanced over at Donna before replying, "Okay, man. Meet us down at the dock after you guys settle in." Donna wanted to scream in embarrassment, feeling her face heat up almost instantly. She avoided Wesley's eyes and turned towards the girls cabin, definitely hearing Jackie's laughter in her ear that time.
She heard Eric's shuffling footsteps behind her, struggling with all the bags he had taken on, and her anger made her legs move with the speed of light, meeting the door a few seconds before the other two. "Go inside, Jackie, I'll be in there in a second," The redhead sat the bags down on the small patio and crossed her arms, and the look she gave him made Eric wish he could just die on the spot.
Jackie looked between the two of them, not even trying to hide the wide smile on her face. "Um, no! No way I'm missing this," she walked over and sat promptly on a stray folding chair, crossing her legs and raising her eyebrows. Donna rolled her eyes, walking towards Eric and pulling him to the side of the cabin.
"What the hell was all that, Eric? How many times do we have to talk about the whole macho man thing?" Her voice was low and shook with irritation. The boy looked back at her incredulously, gesturing broadly to the other end of the clearing where the rest of the group was crowding into the boys cabin. "What the hell was all THAT, Donna? He's had his eyes on you since he stepped foot in that parking lot!" He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head slowly, visibly losing confidence the longer Donna stared at him. Donna hadn't even spoken to Wesley, Eric realized. Not one word.
Donna genuinely couldn't believe him. Every time they seemed to be at a good place, the gangly boy threw a tantrum or said something dumb that just completely turned her off from him. She issued a deep breath, leaning back against the cabin's wooden wall.
"Eric, are you going to act like this for the next two months?" She didn't look at him, and he returned the favor. "We're all in this camp together. Wesley is going to be here all summer, just like us. Are you going to try mark your territory every time I have to talk to him?" Her least favorite trait of Eric's was his view on gender roles and masculinity. She tried to cut him some slack, seeing as his father was the hardass of Point Place, but fuck. She didn't need him to treat her like the new toy in the sandbox every time she interacted with a guy. Especially because his voice still cracked whenever he raised his voice.
Eric bit the inside of his cheek, as he did every time he and Donna argued. He knew he wasn't overreacting, not about the attention Wesley paid her atleast. He knew the way that Dawson kid had looked at Donna, because that was the way everyone looked at Donna. It seemed like she never really grasped how beautiful she was. Even now, in the weird dusk lighting, her green eyes stood out in a way that still made Eric uneasy in the best way. Or maybe he was just about to throw up.
The worst thing about Eric's outbursts were that he always knew when he was ruining something. It felt like he literally stepped outside of his body and watched himself destroy any given situation. Just a few minutes ago was no different, and he really didn't know how to defend himself against Donna's question.
His biggest fear was Donna leaving him. When Eric had thought of the bad parts of this place, he never factored in that they'd be around new people, in a completely new environment. Donna would thrive. She's always yearned to be out of Point Place. Eric silently cursed his mother once again, and when he finally opened his mouth to respond, Donna put up a hand to silence him. "Just leave me alone for tonight, I don't have the energy to argue with you." The resignation in her voice had returned, and Eric's already heavy stomach dropped to his feet. She walked back around the cabin without another word, leaving Eric to wallow in his own shame.
Donna grabbed the rest of the bags and lead Jackie inside, flipping on a rather dusty light switch and looking around the long room. Five metal bunk beds lined one wall, and two of them were already adorned with a few pictures and claimed by suitcases on the mattress. "I guess there's just four of us, then," Donna mumbled, still in a bad mood from her fight with Eric.
Jackie leaned in to look at some of the pictures, making a face and walking around to claim the last bunk. "These blankets are so... icky," The brunette murmured, pulling the throw down to reveal clean white sheets. "Atleast they had the courtesy to change the bedding. It's just ugly." She sat on the edge of the bed, sighing deeply. "This really sucks."
Setting her bag on top of the bunk next to Jackie's, Donna shrugged. "It's not gonna be that bad," she couldn't hide the small smile in her voice, and Jackie flung around to stare at the green eyed girl. "Of course you think that, that dirty guy couldn't stop looking at you," She crossed her arms, laying back on the bed. "So you get two guys who want you, and I get zero! In what universe does that happen?"
The redhead tossed a pillow at Jackie, lightening up just a little. "He's not dirty, you bitch," Donna laughed, tying her loose hair back at the base of her neck. "And he wasn't looking at me. God, I can't get over Eric acting like such a child!" She sat on the edge of Jackie's bed, covering her face with her hands. "I'm so embarrassed."
Jackie clutched the pillow to her chest, sitting up and leaning against the cabin wall. "You should be embarrassed, not necessarily because of what just happened but because you're dating Eric to begin with," she made a face at Donna, and both the girls fell into a small fit of laughter.
They spent a few minutes unpacking their stuff. Each bunk had a large chest at the foot of the bed, which easily fit all of Donna's belongings. Jackie had to pull the spare one down to her corner of the cabin, and even then she still had almost two full bags leftover of skincare items and makeup. She huffed when she finished, nodding towards the door. "Ready?"
Donna nodded, following the brunette out of the cabin and down the path to the lake. They met with Kelso and Fez a little ways down, who were accompanied by a buff blonde guy who spoke in a thick southern accent and an extremely curvacious brunette with curls down to her waist. "Hey! Welcome to Camp Winnipeg," the blonde drawled, tucking his arms behind his back and nodding to Jackie and Donna in turn. "I'm Ryan, and this is Cherry. She's one of your roommates!"
Jackie thought that Ryan seemed way too enthusiastic about the entire situation, but he was handsome and dressed nicely, so she didn't say anything about it. He reminded her of a Ken doll, his white shorts cuffed to hug his muscular thighs and a blue tank top that matched his eyes standing out in the dusk lighting. The girl, Cherry, smiled at them before opening her arms for a hug. She wore what seemed to be just a piece of fabric tied around her waist as a skirt, and a white crop top that Jackie thought looked rather trashy. She put a hand up to stop the hug, making a face at the girl.
Surprisingly, Cherry responded with indifference, shrugging her off and rolling her eyes. "Okay, weirdo," she murmured, turning to hug Donna instead. The redhead laughed softly at the stranger's comment, which made Jackie's cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She didn't like this Cherry girl one bit. The brunette crossed her arms and kept walking down the uneven path, aggravated and anxious to be around Steven again.
Donna stuck her hands in her pockets after letting go of Cherry and stared after the girl she loosely considered her best friend, sighing deeply. She thought that she should follow her, but opted instead to introduce herself. She couldn't spend all summer coddling Jackie. "Hey," she smiled, shaking Ryan's hand. "I'm Donna, and that's Jackie," she nodded down the path. "Don't take it personally, she'll warm up sooner or later." Kelso murmured something that sounded suspiciously like "Don't hold your breath."
Ryan nodded, and Cherry rolled her eyes playfully, tugging on Kelso's arm. "Come on, you guys! Everybody's waiting for us," the tall boy followed her down the path, making some sort of sneaky comment that made her giggle. Donna was left with Ryan and Fez, who seemed to be spending an unusual amount of time in observatory silence.
She started her own trek down the dirt path, tuning in and out of the boys conversation behind her. The new environment and new people were starting to get to her. She felt extremely out of place all of a sudden, estranged from Eric and Jackie and now sandwiched between her two friends who had already fallen in with someone new.
They came upon the docks right as the sun finally sank below the horizon. Donna could just see the outline of a handful of people seated in a circle on the lake's sandy shore, situated on a series of blankets and towels. She straightened as she walked up to them, seating herself on a spare blanket between Hyde and Wesley.
The latter smiled and passed his newly lit joint to her, something she accepted without hesitation. Donna tried her hardest to avoid Eric's gaze, which was almost impossible as he sat directly across from her, his light eyes reflecting the flame in a way that made Donna's skin crawl. It seemed like both Eric and Jackie were boring holes into her, though they both averted their eyes every time she dared to look back.
They passed a few joints around amidst a thick cloud of smoke and conversations, Donna so immersed in the banter between Hyde and Wesley that she didn't even hear the new arrival come upon them.
All eyes were on her immediately. She had to have been at least 5'10, and her thick curls added four inches to that. Her dark umber skin reflected the moonlight in an ethereal blue sheen. When she smiled, her full lips framed flawless white teeth, and Donna thought she saw the flash of a jewel on her canine. Her tank top read "Power To The People" in hand-painted orange letters. Donna didn't even think she was real at first, maybe a mirage or the product of strong weed.
"Valerie! Come sit down," Wesley motioned to the space between Donna and Hyde, who both looked extremely starstruck by the girls sudden arrival. Valerie waved to everybody and kissed Cherry's head on the way by, seating herself promptly in the last empty space. Hyde opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. The girl looked back at him expectantly, but leaned away when nothing ensued.
Wesley went around the circle introducing everybody, making a few jokes and easing some of the tension around the fire. Once they had all been acquainted, the dark haired boy stood up and stretched, motioning towards the still lake. "Since everybody here besides me, Cherry, and Val are new, you guys should know that it's traditional for the counselors to skinny dip on the first night in camp. You don't have to!" He added hastily, throwing his hands up in defense before anybody could respond.
He glanced down at Donna, offering a shy grin before sliding his shirt off his shoulders, beginning the descent down to the shore. Both Cherry and Valerie stood up and followed him down the sand, laughing and pushing each other around.
The entire gang, and Ryan of course, were left staring at one another from across the fire, silent as could be. Kelso spoke up first, not taking his eyes off the girls distant forms. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going," and without another word he tore his shirt off, practically sprinting after the trio. "Hey Cherry, wait up!" He called, falling over himself in his efforts to remove his pants.
Ryan followed suit, tugging Fez along (who didn't seem at all reluctant). Eric shook his head, crossing his arms, "I don't think so." Donna looked to Hyde, who had a familiar mischievous look on his face. He glanced at Jackie, who made an indignant "Ugh!" sound. "Surely you're not going to go skinny dipping with a bunch of strangers, Steven," the brunette groaned. Hyde sighed, standing up and unbuckling his pants. "Look Jackie, either come or don't," and he stalked off to the water, where everyone else was splashing about and the sand was dotted with discarded clothes.
This left Donna alone with Jackie and Eric, who were both shooting daggers at her from across the fire. "I'm gonna do it," she said definitively, averting her eyes from the duo and standing up. As she stepped towards the lake, Eric sprung up and blocked her path, followed promptly by Jackie.
"Donna, you're going to get naked in front of a bunch of strangers, not to mention The Three Stooges over there?" Eric cried, his eyebrows knit together. "You didn't even let me see you naked until we'd been together for a year!" Donna stepped back from him. These were the moments that Eric disgusted her. She tried to blame his outdated ideals on Red, but she knew without a doubt that Eric should be old enough to not think he was entitled to her body.
Jackie nodded vigorously to his words, saying something Donna couldn't hear through the blood rushing in her ears. "Eric, everyone's doing it. Apparently it's tradition. You're the one who doesn't want to," she crossed her arms tightly across her chest, sturdying her stance and glaring at Eric. He huffed, looking around angrily and avoiding Donna's eyes. "You can't do it. I forbid it, and that's final!" His voice cracked on the last word, but Donna was too mad to find it amusing.
"You forbid it?" She questioned, her voice low and ice cold. Eric regretted what he said the moment he said it, but he it was far too late to take it back. The pale girl stepped close to him and shook her head, her arms still crossed off. Yet another barrier between them. He straightened his back, his hands firmly on his hips and a bated breath hanging in his lungs.
"I don't really give a damn what you forbid, Forman," Her voice remained steady, and she was eye to steely eye with Eric. "You don't own me. I'm not your property. And as of now, I'm not your girlfriend either. Now, let's have a wonderful fucking summer, okay?" She offered the fakest smile possible, shoving roughly past Eric and Jackie.
Eric's stomach felt like it had turned itself inside out, leaving his lungs empty and his head spinning. He had fucked up. He had fucked up so incredibly badly. Jackie looked out at the lake and then shook her head, making a face. "Great job, Eric! Now, it looks like we're the weirdos, and Steven's out there skinny dipping with God damn Aphrodite!" Eric couldn't even process what that meant.
He stormed up the hill and into the boys cabin, going into his chest and changing his clothes. After turning off the light he climbed into the top of his bunk- everybody got their own, except for Fez, who had to bunk with Ryan. Eric covered himself up to his eyeballs with his blanket. The urge to cry suddenly became overwhelming. The images playing in his mind were due to a way overactive imagination, but he knew that some of them were entirely plausible, and likely being realized just a few hundred feet away.
The hot tears fell across his cheeks before he could stop them, and although he willed himself to sleep as hard as possible, Eric's brain would not shut down long enough to let him drift off.
His thoughts circled on Donna, and the possibility of having to sit idly by for the rest of the summer and watch her fall for someone else was swirled across his brain like oil in water.
He loved her too much to let that happen, he decided. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.
...
Donna was neck deep in the dark water, stark naked and giggling uncontrollably. The eight teenagers were all playing a game of marco polo, but it had soon become evident that neither Kelso nor Hyde could swim very well. The boys flailed about on their turns, splashing around loudly and blindly.
She jumped when she felt a large hand close around her extended arm. Turning slightly, she was met with Wesley's warm brown eyes, smiling in relief. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, tossing his wet hair back, "I kind of heard what happened." He looked away shyly. "I'm also sorry if I caused any problems. Sometimes I can be... overly friendly, I guess." The water droplets on his thick eyelashes were iridescent in the pale moonlight.
Ignoring the slight shiver in her spine, Donna shook her head, focusing intensely on the light reflected on the still water. "It happens more than I'm prepared to admit," she sighed, wanting more than anything to submerge herself in the water and stay there, suspended, forever. From the corner of her eye, it looked like Wesley nodded, the laughter of the others fading to background as Donna let herself sink deeper into the dark lake.
Time passed. It could have been hours, or minutes, Donna didn't know or really care. There, drifting in the cool water, she felt true peace for the first time in months. No arguing filling her ears, no anger evident on her cheeks. All she could hear was the gentle pull of the undertow and the distant laughter of her friends. She tried not to allow herself to think about Eric. She would have a good summer, with or without him. Maybe it would be better to be apart for awhile, relearn each other as friends.
Donna really missed their friendship.
Sometimes she regretted getting with the lanky, mousy boy to begin with; even though she loved him dearly, being in a relationship with him had unlocked a whole other side of Eric that, to put it frankly, pissed Donna off. It didn't matter now. It would be a little awkward, she was sure, and she could only hope that Eric wouldn't throw another tantrum and ostracize her any further. Wesley was nice, funny, and yes... extremely handsome. He's just friendly, she thought furiously to herself. He's just friendly. He's not paying any extra attention to you.
She emerged from the dark water, and her thoughts, rather abruptly. Hyde had yanked her off the small bit of sand she was grounding herself on, into the cold currents of the deep part of the lake. She screamed, but was submerged in the still water almost immediately. He let her up right after, swimming away as fast as he could and laughing hysterically.
The redhead coughed and shook her head, chasing after the boy. She met Valerie on her way, who she motioned to join her. "Do you want to help me drown him?" Donna laughed, and Valerie smiled, following her gracefully. They both managed to catch Hyde and hold him in the water, justice received. They all fell back in fits of laughter, and Donna watched Hyde move to smooth Val's hair from her face. It was oddly intimate for the usually standoffish boy. In her peripheral, Donna saw movement on the forest line. She recognized Jackie's small frame, moving rather fast and trying to stay out of sight. It looked like she was wiping her eyes.
Donna couldn't understand what would have made her so upset. Was it because she was by herself? Donna knew how that felt. She guessed that Jackie didn't- that is, she had never really been excluded from anything in her life. But that wasn't right! Jackie had chosen not to join them. She glanced back at Hyde and Valerie, who had somehow gotten almost to the middle of the lake by themselves, and turned back to seek out Jackie once more. She was almost to the cabin. Maybe... No. Donna shook the thought from her head before it could fully form. That was impossible.
What felt like a small wave hit her from the back, soaking her once more and taking her breath away. She rounded on Kelso and Welsey, who both looked as innocent and as guilty as possible. She wiped the water from her eyes and shook her head, flipping them both off and splashing them back.
The group went on like this until they were all exhausted. Cherry offered to go get the group towels, which they all gratefully accepted. Donna didn't think any of them were very keen on being naked in front of one another without the cover of the murky lake. Cherry didn't seem to mind, and apparently neither did Kelso, because he followed her without hesitation. Donna averted her eyes, her cheeks reddening.
She heard Wesley before she saw him, and she turned swiftly to meet him. He was against the moonlight now, a dark silhouette. His soft voice seemed disembodied when he spoke. "So, do you think you'll like it here?" Donna nodded softly, looking up at the clear sky. She wasn't lying, either. In the swirling darkness of the cold lake, Donna felt confident that she absolutely would fall for this beautiful place. Wesley's hand brushed hers, and she didn't recoil. A broad smile came over her face, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.
Yes, she thought. I'm absolutely going to like it here.
...
Jackie faced away from the cabin door. She was glad that she had chosen the final bunk, since there was no reason that any of the girls would walk by and see her splotchy, envy covered face. Desolation overtook her for the first time in her entire life as she lay, bundled up in blankets and white sheets. This was even worse than the time her mom had taken a seven month long "business trip" to Costa Rica. Donna was falling into the new crowd way better than Jackie herself was, which would never happen anywhere but here. Not to mention the fact that the only person Jackie could ever admit was prettier than her was situated right in this camp. Just three bunks down, actually.
The image of Steven's affections towards the new girl, Valerie, flashed in her mind. Jackie didn't know why she sat out there for so long. She actually felt kind of creepy, watching the group when they were so obviously unaware she was there, butshe couldn't tear her gaze away from Steven. She knew as soon as that Amazon had stepped onto the beach that the curly haired boy was enamored with her. She had left him speechless, something nobody had ever, ever done before.
Not even me, Jackie thought to herself forlornly.
Perhaps the worst part of it was she couldn't even blame him for being attracted to her. Jackie's superpower of sorts was always being able to pick out some kind of flaw in any single person. To make anybody feel terrible about themselves. It was a necessary trait as a cheerleader and pillar of the school's clique hierarchy. Except, with Valerie, she couldn't find one single issue. Not a blemish in sight. Valerie brought a feeling out of Jackie that she had never felt before. This wasn't highschool, and the tall girl was not a rival cheerleader or unsuspecting classmate. Valerie was a woman in every way Jackie was not.
It was a mix of jealousy... anger? Longing. Jackie felt her eyes widen as she came to the realization that the word she was looking for was staring her right in the face. She was insecure. Insecure over the absolutely stunning girl who had captured Steven's attention within only seconds of meeting him. If Valerie was his type, then it was no wonder Jackie's attempts at flirting had gone unsuccessful. Valerie was all legs and thick curls and dark, beautiful skin. The brunette twirled a lock of her own hair, thinking of it as thin and limp for the first time ever.
Wading through her thoughts, Jackie hadn't even realized that the distant sounds of laughter were nearing the cabin, giggles that sounded like nails on a chalkboard in Jackie's ears. She wiped her face, which was hot with inner turmoil, and stayed as still as possible. The first footsteps inside she easily identified as Donna's, followed by two unfamiliar gaits she knew were Cherry and Valerie's.
"Is she asleep?" The voice was slightly above a whisper, but the melodic tone to it clued Jackie in to it being Valerie. Ugh, Jackie thought in disgust. Does she make her voice sound like that on purpose? She scrunched her eyes closed at the question, not eager to let the other girls know she was conscious. She sensed the redhead leaning over her bed, placing a gentle hand on Jackie's shoulder and tucking the blanket around her neck. "Yeah, she's asleep."
The tender gesture almost made Jackie soften towards Donna. Almost. The girls struck up chittery conversation, mostly over the obscure rules of the camp and the events of the past few hours. Jackie's stomach stayed in a massive knot while the trio got ready for bed. They were discussing Kelso and Cherry for awhile, which the brunette thought would make her convulse had it gone on any longer. Apparently, Cherry had already let Michael get to second base. Go figure.
Valerie spoke up. "So Donna, what's the deal with Hyde?" Jackie's breath hitched. She didn't want to hear this conversation, yet she wanted desperately to hear it at the same time. "You guys have been friends for awhile, right?" Shuffling. Donna's bed creaked behind Jackie.
"Yeah, we all grew up together," There was the undertone of humor in Donna's voice. "It seemed like you guys got pretty comfortable with each other." What did that mean? How much more had happened that Jackie hadn't seen? The girls laughed, softly, she supposed as to not wake her up. "He's very sweet, and intelligent," Valerie responded. "I haven't ever had luck with guys in those departments." More shuffling, more creaking.
Steven? Sweet and intelligent? Those were two things he absolutely was not. The girls were quiet for a few minutes as they all settled in, leaving Jackie alone with her thoughts. Sweet and intelligent. Jackie guessed that Hyde was smart, in his own strange way. He knew a lot about psychology and self awareness, and some really weird facts about both current and past events. He knew how to survive on almost nothing, which earned a small portion of Jackie's respect. She never got bored when he talked.
She had to think a little bit harder on sweet, but when she did, plenty of images flooded her mind. Steven comforting her after the Pam Macy incident. Teaching her to be zen. Showing her how to hit a pipe without destroying her lungs. The way he looked in his tux when he took her to prom, curls laid perfectly. No sunglasses in sight. The beautiful corsage he had gotten for her...
She wanted to cry when the realization hit her. Steven was sweet and intelligent. Valerie hadn't mentioned it, but Jackie knew that the word "handsome" was tacked on to the end of her observations. Of course she was interested in him. She'd be crazy not to be. Jackie suddenly wished, with such intense ferocity, that she had come to this conclusion sooner. She had missed her window. There was no way she could intervene now.
But... wasn't there? What was stopping her? Jackie was never one to back down from anything. She was a Burkhart, and when she wanted something, she got it. The small girl settled in to the stiff mattress, ready for a good nights sleep.
She wasn't going down without a fight.
