The Camping Trip

By: Greta Morgenweck

The wind blows through my bright red hair as I rub my arms attempting to diminish the goose bumps while the wind whistles past in only a breeze. My body is only covered with a thin tie dye bikini. I stand while setting my arms over my stomach, peering over the edge at the 20-foot drop that looks like a million feet down. Cautiously stepping over the rocks to Wren, I look at him and say, “ ready?” He nods while I grab his hand and we take that step off the cliff. My stomach feels as if I just took off in a plane. In an instant we fall into the water. As we come up gasping for air, we swim to the rugged boulder we have to climb to get back up to the cliffs. 

We are on the North side of the lake and the dam is roughly a mile away from us. It is 89 degrees. The pebbles and sand on the cliff burn as our bare feet quickly walk over to peer over the edge once again. I stood next to Wren as Kate and Ben jumped off. Wren was a foot taller than me but weighed less than my thigh. He stood there, arms crossed, trying to hide the unnoticeable bumps on his arms and flat stomach.  

Ben and Kate were always along for the ride. Kate was just under five feet with a slim waist, but too filled out for a small bikini. She had blue eyes and shimmery blonde hair. Ben has broad shoulders, a goofy smile with oversized glasses, and a GPA that would make Stanford want him. 

“ Dang, I wish Mia could’ve come.” Wren says.

“ Yeah, definitely.” I say with resentment. 

“ You know Ella, you're such a great friend, you’re like a sister to me!” 

I smile and nod because if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. 

“ I am soooo tired, can we leave?? Pleaseeee,” Wrens says in a whiny voice. 

Ben laughs and says,”Get in.” 

After this you would’ve thought the day was over, but it only began as we started driving to a camp spot on the South side of the lake, called Deer Creek. 

Kate’s hair reached to the end of her back and dripped all over the backseat of Ben’s car as she put it up in a messy bun. Wren sat in the front as always. Ben started driving to Wren’s car in town before heading to Deer Creek so he could drive too. I sat next to Kate in the back as my shoulder length hair drizzled red water down my chest and collected in my belly button. 

Wren got out and hopped into his car as I crawled into the front seat.

A ‘85 Blazer is in front of us that Wren is driving as we start our journey. The mountains are becoming closer to arm’s reach and fewer houses are appearing along the way, while Tame Impala rings through my ears. I turn my head to look in the back and Kate is curled into a ball fast asleep. Ben’s right arm is leaning on the console and the other arm is on the steering wheel while his hand is tapping to the beats of his favorite album.

At around two hours in, Wren called us and asked if we could pull over for a minute. We stop for him to call Mia right before we lose service. 

After this we finally arrived and drove over a bridge to enter Deer Creek. 

As we step out of the car there's not a soul in sight and the only sound is the water flowing and birds chirping. 

I can’t help but look up at the mountains that used to seem a million miles away that we’re now sleeping at the edge of. We all ran over to the creek right away. The smell of pine trees and wildfires fills the air. The sunset borders the mountains and the sky is a mix of orange and blue. We jump from rock to rock through the shallow water. After our side trip to the creek, we went back to the campsite. 

“ So here’s the wood and lighter fluid, coal and stuff to make a fire. Who wants to?” I ask

Wren and Ben go silent.

Kate laughs and says, “Uhhh do you guys even know how to make a fire?” 

“ Well you see- not really.” Ben says. “ I don’t camp.”

“ I’ve watched one be made in a movie.” Wren says as a joke but no one laughed.

“ I guess I will do it myself because the men clearly can’t.” Kate irritably says as she grabs a piece of kindling and throws it in the pit.

“ Why don’t you guys make yourselves useful and go set up the tents you brought?” I say while rolling my eyes. 

Wren and Ben leave for a few minutes to go set up while Kate and I build the fire.

Wren comes back over and nervously says, “ So what if I told you I forgot the stakes?” 

“ God Wren, I asked you to bring one thing and you can’t even do that!” 

“ I’m sorry, my mom packed it for me.” Wren defensively brings into the conversation.

“ It's whatever, try to find a solution because I am trying to make a fire that you obviously can’t be trusted with.” I angrily say and point towards the tents. 

As the night settled in and both the tents were set up with no rain coverings or stakes. Ben and Kate decided to sleep in a tent together and Wren and I got the other one.

 I lay awake staring at the stars as the sound of Wren snoring is in the background and the smell of his cologne fills the tent. 

I turn my head and look at his crisp jawline and spotless face and then turn back to watching the night sky as a shooting star passes. I fall into my own dreams.

I sit up and quietly move to the zipper of the tent. I pull up the zipper and look back after it moves up every inch to make sure his eyes are still closed. I step out and hear a crunch of a leaf. Crap, I hope no one heard that. I slide on my birks and go for a walk by the creek. 

Why did Wren compare me to his sister? What was wrong with me? Why doesn’t he think of me the way I think of him? 

A pine cone falls from a tree and lands behind me. I turn around and get chills. Why am I scared? And why am I not enough for Wren?

I walk back toward the tents and the full moon above me is the only light and all I can think of right now is everything he has taken from me. 

I see that rock against the tree just about the size of my hand. Big enough.

I picked it up. I turn it around and observe it. Perfect.

With the tent still unzipped I slide off my shoes outside and step in.

I look down at Wren peacefully sleeping on his back. I think he’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever met, but that mindset changes quickly as my vision becomes a blur of his lips on hers, and his hands on her waist, all so wrong. 

My hands are shaking but that doesn’t stop me from bashing the rock down onto his head and it feels like water as blood splashes onto my face. The momentum of the blow throws my arm back and his body jolts.

 The way he had me wrapped around his finger and only wanting me when it was convenient for him. I throw my hand down again holding the rock as he makes a sharp inhale. His face is getting more and more unrecognizable. 

Who does he think he is? Why did he think he could just do that to me with no consequence for his own actions? My vision gets more blurred as the warm tears run down my cheek. I take my left hand and wipe off the mix of sticky red and transparent water. Even his blood smells like cologne. 

Another splash of blood hits my face after a strong blow and I fall out of the haze and look down at my hands. My fingers become weak and the rock falls out of my hand that is covered in red.

Wait what the- 

I fall back in the tent realizing this isn’t a dream and hear leaves and grass behind me as I quickly turn around to see Kate holding Ben's arm from behind as she has her hand over her mouth.

 I look back at Wren's motionless body and then slowly tilt my head down to see the red water dripping down my chest and collecting in my belly button.