Chapter 4: New Beginnings

It had been a long time since I last went to a party, but at least this time I didn't have to worry about what to wear. Sneaking out wasn't a problem as some people preferred to shower before bed and no one questioned me when I headed off towards the communal bathroom.

While I wasn't scared of the dark, it was unnerving to walk naked through the trees, especially when I stumbled on the roots that randomly crossed the path. Katie was waiting and flashed me a radiant smile.

"I'm glad you came," she whispered as I drew near.

"Sorry I'm late. I've never tried to walk through camp in the dark before."

"Yeah, you'll get used to it. Let's get inside before one of the teachers notices us."

With that Katie took off towards the main hall. I didn't like sneaking around, but her eagerness made it feel like an adventure.

Inside the dining hall we found a small party of about 40 people hanging out, almost half of whom were counselors. The tables had been pushed to the side and music was playing off someone's iPod. They couldn't turn the volume up too much, but with most of the lights off the room felt intimate.

Unlike the dance on our first night at camp, it was just people from Rosemount and everyone was nude. It was a little disturbing how all of the guys, especially Darrell, perked up when Katie entered the room. But she made it clear that I was her date for the evening.

"Want to dance?" Katie asked, pulling me towards the center of the room.

"What? Now?"

"The counselors wanted to give some of us a break between schools and thought it would help if we 'practiced' tonight so that we're ready for tomorrow's welcoming dance."

"But I hardly know how to dance."

"Exactly! That's why I invited you."

With that, Katie spun herself into my arms and then set about teaching me to dance. As the night progressed I became more relaxed reveled in how her nipples grazed my chest when she danced close. Most of the music was 80's or slow songs, but occasionally a hip hop song came on and Katie seemed to enjoy grinding against my erection. While we mostly danced with each other, Katie encouraged me to dance with a few others, but I think everyone knew I was 'hers' for the night.

As it grew late, I was pleased to see Janice wait her turn to dance with me.

"Mind if I cut in?" Janice asked as the song ended. When Katie nodded, she flowed into my arms.

After dancing nude with Katie and a few of my classmates, it felt natural to dance close despite the fact that her breasts were pressed against my chest. While sensual, Janice wasn't trying to flirt and it was easy to keep the conversation going as we flowed around the dance floor.

Glancing behind us I was annoyed to see Darrell grinding up against Katie. I really didn't mind Darrell as a person, after all we rode rodeo together and were both on the Wrangler All-Star Team. But I didn't like how he looked like such a natural on the dance floor and how Katie seemed to be hanging on his every word.

"Dude, relax," Janice urged, massaging my shoulders. Noticing the direction of my stare, she added, "Katie always flirts with Darrell."

"I know," I glowered.

"She's flirted with Darrell since freshman year yet has never gone out with him. In fact, I think you're the first guy she's ever asked out on a date."

"We're not on a date."

"Of course not, and you're not jealous, and she's not glaring at me every time we dance too close."

"She's been glaring at us?"

"Chuck, you're focusing on the wrong things. Camp is about having fun. Katie likes to flirt and wants to try new things, but she came here with you and she'll leave here with you. Now do you trust her, or are you going to keep glaring at her and ruin our dance?"

With a sigh I realized she was right. "Sorry, I..."

"No problem, so how's it going?"

"I still miss Claire and today has been confusing as hell, but otherwise things are just fantabulous." I tried to change the topic. "What's it like being a counselor?"

"It's so much fun! We get to do all the camp activities, but the rules are more relaxed and the teachers let us stay up as late as we want."

"Cool, are there any special perks?"

"You mean aside from seeing you naked?" she teased. "Well, there's a hot tub in the counselor's clubhouse."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it makes skinny dipping a lot more fun," she hinted. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but most of us keep a discreet eye on the pool if you want to go skinny dipping."

"No way!"

"Well, all of us were campers and my favorite night at camp started off in the pool. So if you stick to the shallow end we probably won't kick you out."

"Wow, that sounds like fun."

"It was," Janice agreed.

Glancing towards the large clock mounted on the wall, she grew thoughtful. "I really like the new Chuck," she murmured, pulling me close. "But I think there's someone else who wants the last song."

"Is it really last song?"

"Not officially, but it's getting late."

As Janice predicted, Katie eagerly reclaimed her spot in my arms. I was relieved when I noticed that Katie's eyes never wandered towards Darrell. As the counselors started playing a series of slow songs it only seemed natural for us to dance closer until we ended up gently swaying in the middle of the dance floor.

Katie leaned up as the music slowly faded and gently kissed my lips. It was tender yet left me longing for more. When she reluctantly pulled away I suddenly felt guilty as memories of Claire came rushing back.

"I shouldn't have done that," she sighed, pulling away but still holding my hands.

"You should have done that a long time ago," I whispered, but inside my thoughts were in turmoil.

"What?"

"I said we should probably head back."

"Yeah," she murmured, considering my words. "It would probably be best if we were just friends for now, but after camp..."

She didn't say it, but her face promised more when I was ready.

"I'd like that," I agreed as I took her hand and guided us towards the exit.

"Me too."

Shaking my head, I wasn't sure what to feel as I watched her walk away. It had been a very long and confusing day. I'd had fun with Katie, but I missed Claire. And to think a whole new school will show up tomorrow. I shivered in the chill night air as I trudged back to Boy's Camp.

Tuesday - Day 5 of 8 at camp, September 16th
Katie sat with me at breakfast the next day, but the mood was strictly platonic. As the meal progressed Katie gave little hints that she'd be interested in more, but was willing to wait until after camp. She seemed eager to prove that we could be 'just friends.' I still wasn't sure how to feel towards her, but it was nice to have someone I could be completely open with.

Steve joined us in the cafeteria as the meal wound down and held up his hands for our attention. It wasn't long before all other conversations stopped.

"Today we're going to talk about leadership," Steve's voice rang out. "In a few hours we'll be joined by a fresh group of campers from Marshall High School and this time it'll be your turn to serve as mentors. I want all of you to be successful, but it's going to take some work.

"Be ready to deal with the unexpected and to manage your mentee's expectations. If possible, under sell and over deliver. But be cautious as if you find yourself with a difficult mentee you need to do the hard hours early or you may never have another chance during the few days you'll spend together at camp.

"Most of you now have some dating experience, but nothing guarantees your mentee will respect that. Even after the last few days, it's possible that your mentee is more experienced than you. Don't assume that your mentee will automatically defer to your judgment; you still have to earn their respect.

"Finally, realize that you're not here to meet a life partner and that you will be leaving in three days. Your job as a mentor is to ensure that your mentee gets the most out of their camp experience. I know this is a huge challenge, but the instructors and I are here if you need some advice.

"Good luck!"

With that, the counselors broke us into small groups to discuss 'leading without authority.' Defining the mentor/mentee relationship sounded difficult and it was our responsibility to quickly figure out whether the mentee would prefer an authoritative approach or more subtle guidance. It was interesting to hear Gregg talk about his experience as a mentor and how to subtly guide your mentee's behavior.

Through the course of the conversation I was shocked to learn just how much social norming affected campers' behaviors. The counselors kept stressing how important it was to point out and frown on any negative behavior before it could escalate into a real problem. It made me think back to my first time in the communal shower when the girls waited until I met their eyes before including me in the conversation.

I was daydreaming about all the subtle ways Claire had guided my actions when class seemed to end early. Steve then announced that the counselors would be offering an unofficial lecture on what they really learned at camp.

My curiosity grew when I noticed that Gregg was protectively holding some books.

"Alright people, let's be honest: At camp they teach you about sex ... and then you learn about sex. In my hand is a text copy of 'The Unofficial Guide to Sex, ' affectionately known as, 'What I Really Learned at Camp.'

"It's not publicized, but these texts are available in the library for your perusal and are constantly evolving. Sex can be very intimidating, but one of the purposes of camp is to make it less mysterious. I urge you to explore this book and to ask any of the counselors should you need some personal advice."

Gregg knew we were all eager to check out the books, but made one last request.

"If you feel inspired, I encourage you to submit a new article."

With that he distributed the books around the room. There weren't enough to go around so Katie joined my table and we shared a book. She kept pointing out the positions she enjoyed and seemed to linger on the stories like, "At first I didn't know he was interested and then he took forever to seduce me, but it was worth the wait!"

Subtlety definitely wasn't Katie's strong point, but the advice articles were a welcome distraction and helped me realize that I now had knowledge worth sharing. I still wasn't sure how I'd manage my mentee when we met in a few hours, but I looked forward to passing on Claire's legacy.

Marshal High School had driven a long way to camp and arrived after lunch. I couldn't bring myself to be one of the people greeting the bus. While Chuck the Chunk may be gone, I had no intention of competing for attention with the 'hunks' in my class.

Once the Marshal students arrived and finished class they immediately invaded the Green. It was almost comical to watch their eyes bug out as they stared at us. Some of the girls even checked me out. It felt weird to have so many clothed people staring at us and I could see why Claire wanted to get away from all the attention.

"Were we really that obvious?" Katie asked as she joined my bench.

"What?" I stammered, startled but pleased to have company.

"I mean look at them! I think I saw one actually drooling."

"Yeah, but you have to admit it is hard not to stare," I leered, openly ogling her.

"Oh please, if I wanted compliments I'd go talk to the newbies."

"Yeah, I mean we're so much more mature now after three days at camp."

"Whatever," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "So have you found your mentee?"

"Not yet," I replied. There was something about her voice that warned me to be cautious.

"Well, she's the girl with the short, straight, brown hair just over there."

"Hmm," I murmured, following the direction of her stare.

"She looks cute."

She said it mildly, but there was an edge in her voice.

"Jealous?"

"A little, but envious is more like it."

Her response surprised me. Before Claire I'd never met a girl who seemed interested in being more than just friends and I really wasn't sure what to do. The new girl was cute, but this was Katie.

"We don't have to do anything."

"Don't you dare!"

"What?"

"Don't you dare risk ruining her week because you're worried about making me jealous."

Her glare was ferocious, yet her voice almost made it sound like she was trying to convince herself as much as me. Talk about confusing. There was no reason to rush into a new relationship, but ... this was Katie.

"I wonder if it's this hard every time a new school arrives."

"Probably. I know Brandon seemed a bit off our first day together, but he still tried to teach me as much as possible."

"Yeah, Claire was the same."

The conversation faded as we both lost in memories. After Steve's speech I almost felt like I owed it to my mentee to be at least as good of a mentor as Claire had been. Yet so much had happened in the past few days that I was still struggling to catch up. It was several minutes before Katie broke the silence.