The Ropes Course

Once again, undedited. My chapters for a little while will have some mistakes, and I'm sorry for that, it's just that one of my editors is in her final year of collage, and taking a lot of HARD classes and is having trouble even uploading her own stories, and my other editor is just like me, has sports and highschool to worry about. So, it's either upload normally with mistakes or upload when they can edit... and I think you would all stop reading if I didn't update normally so...

Here's the new chapter, hope you like it. :D

Worry crossed over Landon’s face as Owen’s dark figure neared the dock. I motioned for him to go under the dock and he did so, slowly gliding through the water. By the time Owen was at the edge of the peer, he was out of sight.

“What are you two doing out here?” he asked looking down at me.

I turned to face Gavin, unsure of what to say. “Uh, we decided to take a swim. That’s why we’re in the water,” Gavin said with a snotty tone.

Why was he acting like that? Owen hadn’t done anything. “Well you should be back up watching the movie with everyone. Who gave you permission to come down here?”

Before Gavin could give the cook more attitude, I bumped in. “I’m sorry it was my fault. I wanted to come down by the lake, so Gavin came. And I’m a counselor so, I guess I gave him permission.”

Owen pressed his lips together in frustration. It was true, I am a counselor. So shouldn’t I be able to do what I want? I mean, I know I was younger than the other counselors, but still.

“Very well,” he finally replied. “But just make sure to check with me if it’s okay next time.”

I nodded my head in his direction. Although Owen seemed suspicious, he just sighed and turned around. “Okay, well I’m going to go check on Landon. You two get dressed and back to the game room.”

Owen turned around and headed back up for shore. Panic surged through me and I looked down under the dock to see a paranoid expression on Landon’s face. It was one of those times where he squished up his face and looked all cute and constipated at the same time.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned to Landon. “Shit, he’s going to be so mad. Wait, Mia go and distract him to I can get back in time,” he said creeping towards the shore.

I was just about to agree but then remembered who I would be helping. “No,” I stated flatly.

“Fine, but when Owen finds me out of my room, he might just give me more kitchen duty. Which means more time with you, so I don’t mind,” he said coolly, stepping out of the water and onto the beach.

Sighing, I wadded into shore and pulled myself out. “Only so I don’t have to see your face every morning," I scowled before running after Owen in my dripping clothes.

I caught up to the cook in no time; he had heard me coming so he turned around. “What’s up?” he asked looking over my wet appearance.

Oh crap. What was I supposed to say? “Uh, the sky.”

Wow, was that the best I could think of? Owen gave me a funny look before letting out an awkward chuckle. “Nice one, but really, what’s up?”

“Potato’s,” I finally spit out, searching my mind for some sort of explanation. “I mean, yesterday when we were making those mozzarella sticks and little potato patties, I cooked them wrong. Well I sort of got a few complaints from the boys about them being undercooked, so I was wondering how land should I have them in the oven for?”

As I let the words slip from my mouth, I didn’t really think about how stupid they sounded. Did I even cook the potatoes? Just as I was about to give up and tell him why I was really there, he replied.

“Wow, you really are into cooking. Uh, I usually cook them for a good twenty minutes, maybe longer. Is that helpful?”

Owen’s gorgeous eyes starred back at me as I thought about what to say next. “Yeah, helpful right. Thanks so much,” I decide on.

He nodded his head and stared to turn around when I noticed Landon creeping up the stairs to his cabin. “Wait no!” I shouted, my voice ringing out over camp area.

The cook jumped backwards holding a hand to his heart. “What?”

Studying his uneasy expression, I sighed. Wow he probably thought I was a crazy girl. I looked back voer his shoulder to see that Landon was now safely I his cabin.

“Uh, have a good night,” I stated lamely smiling up at Owen.

He sighed, rolled his eyes and turned around. “Get some sleep Mia, you seem a little off.”

Without another word, he strolled along, not knowing why I had really just distracted him. Uh, since when did I do favors for Landon?

**

“Uh, yeah go fish,” I stated looking across my bed at Gavin.

He eyed me up before reaching down and grabbing a card from the mixed up pile. After examining it, he sighed.

“Do you have a queen?” I asked already knowing the answer. I saw him pick the card up last turn. Gavin thought to himself before shaking his head.

“Go fish,” he stated with a smile on his face.

I looked at him suspiciously. I could have sworn I saw a queen. “Liar!” I shouted reaching over and grabbing his cards.

There, like I had seen was the queen of clubs. “Hey!” he complained reaching over for his hand.

“Tisk tisk, do we have a cheater on our hands?”

He glared at me. “Uh, how did you even know?”

With a smirk, I laughed. “Well maybe I might have seen your cards but still you-“

“No you’re a cheater too!” he said cutting me off.

Throwing his cards on the bed, he leaped towards me. Although the impact was quite hard, I gracefully stumbled to the floor, Gavin not too far behind. I probably would have been injured if it weren’t for the sleeping bags and pillow on my floor.

“Tickle war!” he screamed grabbing my waist and squeezing it tightly.

I let out an exasperated breath as his hands moved down towards my thighs, which happened to be my tickle spot.

“No, please!” I begged between laugh cries.

This only made the tickling intensify and Gavin started at my other thigh with his other hand. Somehow managing to drag myself away from him, I grabbed the bathroom curtain that was still lying on the ground broken and launched it towards him.

“Take that!” I shouted springing from the ground and towards freedom. Once I flung open the door, I was already down the steps and sprinting after the ropes course.

Knowing that I was just as fast as any of the other guys in this camp, I decided that running was my best option. Some of the boys gave me funny looks as I dashed onto the forest trail and into the woods. Trees flew by, and in a matter of minutes I was at the rope course.

Looking up at the huge obstacle, I saw the nearest ladder and decided to climb it. Foot after foot I lifted myself higher off the ground until I was at the first section, the plank walk. Although I should have been wearing the mandatory harnesses, I took a leap of faith and balanced out onto the little wooded board.

“Can’t hide up there for long!” Gavin’s familiar voice echoed through the trees.

Steadying myself from the sudden slip up, I snickered. “Awh but little poor you is afraid of heights, looks like you’ll have to wait down there all day!”

I knew Gavin didn’t like getting teased about his fear, but he knew I REALLY didn’t like being tickled. “Maybe I won’ go up there, but someone else will,” he warned me.

Rolling my eyes, I finished off the board and made it to the second landing. With a sigh of relief, I looked over to the next obstacle. It looked like monkey bars to the extreme, the extreme part being it was really high off the ground.

“Yeah, and who would climb up here just to get me?” I mocked knowing none of the other boys would care.

“I would.”

Uh, it was Landon.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” I scowled downwards at the jerk. The very hot ripped jerk.

He winked up at me. “You mean look what the cat dragged out. We’re outside Mia, if you haven’t noticed.”

“You know what I meant!” I snapped back immediately.

He chuckled, knowing how easy it was to upset me. “Well don’t worry, I was joking. I’m not that stupid to climb up there with no harness. Don’t die though, that would be a shame.”

Without another word Landon turned back and headed in the direction of the lake. I watched as he disappeared into the trees with a satisfied expression. Leaning forwards, I grabbed onto the first bar and swung over the ground. My second hand easily grabbed the next bar, and I sung across like Tarzan. Except with more than a little piece of cloth over my private area, that would be awkward.

Reaching over, my foot found the next platform and I pulled myself up with a satisfied huff. Rubbing my sore hands on my legs, I looked back down at Gavin. “So, should I keep going, I hear at the end there’s a tight rope. I could probably do it with no harness.”

His eyes grew wide with confusion. “No, Mia that’s too dangerous, what are you thinking? You could get yourself killed, get down here right now!”

Laughing to myself, I looked at the next obstacle. There were about five square platforms help up by ropes on each side. It was like one of those play things at a waterpark where you would grab the rope above and pull yourself across, except it was in the air and made out of wood.

“I was joking dad,” I called down emphasizing the word dad.

Maybe one more obstacle wouldn’t hurt, I could easily cross this one. Taking one more look down at Gavin, I grabbed hold of the rope ahead and swung out onto the first platform. It rocked back an forth for a second and I caught my footing.

Sighing to myself, I reached for the other platform, and made the biggest mistake I could. I came down on the sketchy platform hard, my foot colliding with the creaky wood with just a little too much force. It splintered underneath me, my whole leg breaking through. I tried to hold onto the rope above me but lost balance and let go. All I could to was reach for rope holding up the wooden platform my foot had broken through.

“MIA! Oh God Mia don’t let go!” Gavin shouted up as I struggled to hold myself up.

Finally getting a good grip on the wood and rope, I sighed. “Yes Gavin, because the number one thing on my list today is to let go,” I replied sarcastically.

Ekk, I guess it's a little cliffy. Oh well, Hope you liked it..Oh and one question.

Owen?

Gavin?

Or Ladon?

:D