Chapter 2

That night, I couldn't fall asleep right away. I thought about all that had happened that day. Mostly, I thought about Gina. When I thought about her, I was nervous. I knew I liked her but how did she feel about me? I was too shy to tell her that, of course, but I really liked spending time with her. She was pretty and she was fun to be with. She wasn't a tomboy. On the contrary, she was definitely "all girl." Still, she liked doing fun things that I thought most girls wouldn't even consider. I wondered if she was thinking about me at that moment.

I couldn't just fall asleep, not with Gina on my mind. I knew there was only one thing that was going to take care of my problem but there wasn't any privacy in the room. I tried to casually roll over so I was facing the other bed but I had to do it stomach down to conceal my burgeoning erection. When I was facing my parents, I studied them through squinted eyes to try to see if they were sleeping. The whole time I was very much aware of my erection pressed between my stomach and the bed. When my parents didn't move for a few minutes, I figured it was safe to slip away to the bathroom. I climbed down as quietly as I could, all the while trying in the dark to keep from making a sound and making someone wake up. If Erin woke up at that moment and saw me with a hardon, I would positively die of embarrassment. That would be it. I'd never see the sun again. I'd be dead long before morning.

As it turned out, everybody was fast asleep. I crept to the bathroom, my problem erection leading the way. I didn't even breathe until I was safely inside the bathroom. Even with the door closed, I didn't turn on the light because I didn't want to risk waking anyone. With the moonlight filtering through the tiny window, I was able to locate the roll of toilet paper.

It only took a minute or two of thinking about Gina while I stroked myself. When I came, I was imagining that I was lying on top of her as we kissed. That did it. Though I was a virgin, I had a pretty vivid imagination about what sex would feel like. The entire time I was so deep in fantasy that I forgot to worry about someone walking into the bathroom and catching me. I didn't panic until I was finished and realized I had never thought to lock the door. My thoughts were focused on my need to cum instead.

I cleaned up and flushed away the evidence. By the time I was ready to open the door, my erection was completely gone so I could head back to bed. No one stirred as I passed through the room. I was relieved that I didn't have to come up with a lie to cover what I had really been doing in the bathroom. With my nocturnal mission accomplished, I finally rolled over, thinking happy thoughts of Gina until I fell asleep.

The next morning, I was the first one to wake up. I didn't really care if I woke Erin, but I tried to be considerate of my parents as I climbed down the ladder. When I came out of the bathroom, I heard my mother sleepily call my name.

"Morning, Mom," I answered.

"Do you want me to come fix you breakfast, honey?"

"No, I'll get some cereal. I'm fine."

"You're being so grown up today. I'll be down to the clubhouse soon. Don't forget, you're helping your dad at the lake today."

The truth is that I was anxious to meet up with Gina and Manfred. I remembered to be careful about closing the screen door so it didn't slam.

It was a beautiful morning with just a few clouds dotting the sky like cotton balls. With such a clear sky, the day promised to be hot and humid. The delicate early morning forest sounds were like strains of a distant song with the camp otherwise silent that early.

As I crossed the sandy road, I saw Gina coming down the hill. She waved when she recognized me. Instantly I felt my pulse quicken and my stomach tighten. I was excited, nervous and happy—all at once. I hoped I wasn't grinning like an idiot while I waited for her to join me. As I waited, though, I took the opportunity to admire her body.

She was pretty, there was no doubt about that, but in my shyness I knew I'd have to keep that secret to myself. For now, I'd settle for just spending time with her. She greeted me with the prettiest and brightest smile I'd ever seen.

When she reached where I was standing, admiring her, she greeted me with, "Good morning."

I felt my insides squirm when I heard her speak. I had to swallow before I could answer.

"Hi. Want to have breakfast together?" I nervously asked her. I hoped it wasn't too obvious that I had a crush on her.

"Sure. What are you cooking?" she asked with a laugh.

"I was thinking about cereal."

"That sounds nice." Her voice was so sweet. Then, she swept me back to reality. "Have you seen Manfred yet?"

Who cares? "Nah. He's probably still sleeping. The camp is usually quiet early in the morning, except today might be different. We want to get started before it gets too hot."

"Get started doing what?" she asked.

"You know, cleaning the lake."

"Oh, yeah."

I opened the screen door and held it for her, like my father had taught me.

"Thank you," she said.

I followed her inside, enjoying the view.

I put together two bowls of my usual Fruit Loops, found some spoons, and carried everything to the table Gina had selected. I sat across from her instead of next to her so I could look at her. I think she figured that out because she blushed a little when she caught me.

"I can't eat when someone is staring at me," she said with an embarrassed giggle.

"Sorry," I said, my face heating as I suddenly focused on my cereal.

"Just don't be so obvious about it, all right?"

I smiled shyly, feeling like my mother had caught my hand in the cookie jar. I didn't want to scare Gina off; I wanted her to hang out with me.

"So where did you get such a great tan?" I asked her.

"It's because my mother is Indian," she explained. When she saw the surprise on my face, she continued. "British Indian."

I was trying to figure out how to stare at her without her realizing I was doing it when—

With a squeak of the long spring, the screen door opened and closed. Then I heard Manfred's voice. "So that's where you two are."

So much for a little time alone with Gina, I thought sourly.

Manfred went behind the counter and dug in his family's basket until he found something to eat. He joined us at the table and I cursed myself for sitting across from Gina. That meant Manfred had no choice but to sit between us, next to her.

He didn't seem to realize what was going on between us. He was silly and boisterous, anxious to enjoy his first full day of vacation. Gina joined in and I tried to hide my disappointment.

After breakfast, I enjoyed stealing glances at Gina as we cleaned up the dishes. When we were done we walked down to the lake. After draining all night, it was now just a big hole in the ground, a narrow stream of water running along the deepest part. The flow disappeared into the drain opening, making a small sound. The raft was sitting on the bottom, looking like a sleeping animal.

"It looks so different today," Gina said.

Behind us, I heard the sound of metal banging together. I looked up the hill and saw some men pushing wheelbarrows full of rakes and shovels. People were drifting down in small groups.

No one really liked the annual chore, but everybody doing it together made it almost kind of fun, and we knew we'd be mostly done by lunch. Aunt Susan showed up, wearing bikini bottoms like some of the other women.

Indicating Gina and me with his hand, Manfred said, "At least you two won't get in trouble for getting your clothes muddy," repeating Gina's comment from the day before. I heard a few of the grown-ups chuckle.

My dad arrived and took charge of getting everybody organized. The men slopped off into the lake bottom to carry off the bigger pieces of winter debris, small logs and larger tree limbs. Some of the women were using rakes and shovels to pile up the muck. Others filled wheelbarrows with the muck and dumped it away from the lake. The kids, like us, were delegated to picking up the countless twigs off the bottom.

The lake had a sandy bottom for the most part, but the deep part under the big tree was muddy. It wasn't very hard work, but it was dirty. Gina worked as hard as Manfred and I did.

At first, I tried to pick up the sticks in her path to save her the work. She saw what I was doing and just changed direction, thwarting my efforts. When she came to a big branch, I offered to help her carry it. She carried her end of the burden, showing me she wasn't just there for moral support or because her parents said she had to help. She was helping out as much as anyone else. She didn't beg off because she was a girl and she didn't go help some of the mothers with preparing lunch. She spent the morning down in the muck with us. If I had been in her position, I'm not so sure I would have done what she did. I saw more in her after that. I gained a lot of respect for her that day.

I also enjoyed watching her out of the corner of my eye. It was because I liked looking at her, not just because she was a girl. Before meeting her, I enjoyed watching all the pretty teenage girls. After meeting her, I was watching only Gina.

By lunchtime, we were almost finished and we were very muddy. Some of the women had gone up to the clubhouse earlier to put together sandwiches and drinks for lunch. When my dad announced lunch, everybody headed up to the clubhouse. It was a slow walk. The heat and fatigue were wearing us down. People lined up to use the hose, or the shower on the other side of the clubhouse, to rinse off before going inside. Streams of muddy water ran off the deck and into the sand. The three of us waited our turn for the hose.

When we were next, I offered to hold the hose up like a shower for Gina. She rewarded me with a smile.

"Thanks. I want to rinse my hair, too," she said.

I stood there like a butler, holding the hose for her. It was self-serving. I had an excellent excuse to watch her naked body up close as she cleaned up. I was so preoccupied that I didn't realize it when she finished. I was still staring when she took the hose out of my hand. She spoke up when she saw the confused look on my face.

"I'll hold it for you, now," she explained.

"Oh, yeah. Right." Then, a moment later, "Um, thanks."

Standing under the stream of cold water, I saw her shake her head as she muttered, "What a goof."

When I was done, Gina handed the hose to Manfred and stepped aside.

Speaking in a high pitched tone, Manfred asked, "Paul, hold the shower for me, please?"

I turned to him and playfully scowled. I helped my friend, though. Once we were all done, Gina led the way into the clubhouse.

Our mothers also made us scrub our hands before we got to eat. Like at breakfast, the three of us shared a table. Gina pointed out her younger sister, Leah, who was sitting with Erin. They were chatting animatedly, laughing and motioning with their free hands as they ate sandwiches. Gina's older sister was flirting with some of the older guys, including Susan's sons.

I was hungry after all that work. Manfred looked to be in the same state. Gina ate more than I though a girl would, but she didn't wolf down her food like we did. She ate like a girl, I guess. I tried once again to watch her without her noticing. Manfred's comment outside told me he knew what I was up to, so I also had to hide my true intentions from him.

I was having a hard time watching Gina and not letting either of them see what I was doing. I was playing a game where the reward was being able to watch Gina. Her delicate features were a wonder to behold — the way she held her sandwich and took dainty bites, how the smooth skin of her neck moved when she swallowed. Her hair was still damp but it bobbed as she moved.

As we ate, we caught up with our hunger and slowed down enough to talk. We had to talk over the general murmur (punctuated with occasional laughter) that filled the room. Manfred was talking about what we could do after we finished at the lake. Gina was open to just about anything and I was trying to act like I was keeping up with the discussion as I stole surreptitious glances at her.

I finally realized that I could watch Gina better if I actually took part in the conversation, especially if I was talking to her. I didn't want to ignore Manfred and make him feel left out but at the same time I wanted Gina to pay attention to me. Manfred caught on to what I was up to and let me know it.

He started picking up on my questions and interjecting some of his own. Every time I asked a question, he jumped in with things like, "So, Gina, why do you think Paul is so interested in whether you like to watch football?" or, "I was wondering the same thing just this morning. How long have you had short hair?" He was starting to aggravate me so I tried asking him about the music he liked. He didn't let me off the hook, though. He responded with, "Rather than talk about who is my favorite group, let's hear who Gina likes best."

At first I ignored his attempts as I tried ever harder to engage Gina in conversation with me. I started to suspect something was up when a tiny smirk appeared at the corners of her mouth. When I finally caught on to what Manfred was doing, it must have showed on my face. Gina and Manfred couldn't hold back the pent-up laughter any longer. I blushed so hard that my face must have glowed from the heat. To her credit, Gina didn't act bothered—just amused at my antics.