Chapter Text
JACKIE
This was going to be absolute shit.
Jackie would curse Sylvia Smith - her mother's stupid friend - all summer long for opening her stupid mouth about this stupid summer camp for stupid kids and their stupid need for counselors.
Okay, so yes, Jackie was pissed. But who could blame her? Jackie, like any normal teenager, had real plans for her summer before senior year. She and Shauna had agreed: they would go to parties and the beach and drink and listen to music and apply to Rutgers. Sure, she also had plans with Jeff, but those weren't as important. And because of Sylvia fucking Smith and her unemployed ass, Shauna would now be doing all that with someone else, probably Taissa and Van, while Jackie would be stuck for four weeks being responsible for a bunch of thirteen-year-olds with people she didn't know. Fuck them. And it didn't get any better: her uniform was a bright - and probably illegal, honestly - shade of orange.
"It won't be that bad, Jax." Shauna tried to cheer her up. Shauna had to drive her because: 1. her parents were useless; 2. Jackie couldn't drive to save her life; 3. Jackie insisted it would be one of their only moments together that summer; 4. Shauna usually didn't deny her anything. "You're really good with kids. They usually love you, and you pretend not to, but you usually love them, too. Don't think I forgot that last Easter you completely left me for Seth." Seth being Shauna's eleven-year-old cousin.
"Yeah, but that's because Seth is the best.'"
"You love Javi too." Shauna pointed out.
”I mean, of course?" Jackie said as if it was obvious. "Javi is like our love child. He is nerdy and artistic like you, and really charming like me, and popular like both of us. He could very well have been our child."
”Right." Shauna laughed. "So you know two children and love two children with all your heart. Got it." Shauna nodded and Jackie rolled her eyes. Yes, Shauna was right: she did love children, but whatever. That was not the point.
"Yeah, but... I had plans! We had plans." Jackie reminded her. "Aren't you upset about that?"
"We have a three-month vocation, Jax." Shauna reminded her. "Your camp time is only four weeks. We'll have time when you get back."
”But you're going to have all the fun without me." Now Jackie was pouting and Shauna laughed even harder.
"I promise I won't."
"But what about our Rutgers application? We were going to work on it this summer." Shauna shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Shauna had been acting weird for a while now. Every time they talked about Rutgers or Jeff or soccer or anything else really, Shauna would get upset and angry, and Jackie really didn't understand. She could ask, and she was going to, but she was definitely not going to do it while they were on their way to be apart for four weeks. But when she got back? Definitely!
"We'll have time." The answer was given in a strange tone, and Jackie just decided to let it go. They were getting close to the fucking summer camp anyway.
"Look." Shauna apparently decided to leave it as well. "I just know you're going to love it, Jax. I know I'll come pick you up in four weeks and you'll be crying about how much you're going to miss the kids and the other counselors and the lake." Jackie sighed. Yes, probably Shauna was right. She usually was when it came to Jackie.
“Okay." Jackie was still frustrated and Shauna smiled softly.
"And I will miss you every day." She added, in one of those glimpses of the old Shauna that would eventually appear: before she was so angry all the time, before she started acting like Jackie was an inconvenience half the time. Jackie smiled. You know what? Maybe this time away would be good for them; maybe Shauna could think about their relationship a little while she missed her, maybe it would help. They passed the camp entrance sign and Jackie nodded, a little less frustrated. Shauna had that effect on her: she could always bring her back to her senses.
”Yeah, okay." Jackie moved in the passenger seat, checking herself in the car's passenger mirror and fixing her hair. "So that's it: I'm going to have to be the best counselor this camp has ever had, apparently."
"I'm sure you will, Jax." Shauna smiled, parking near other cars, in front of a large cabin-style house. "Your hair looks good already."
”But it has to be perfect, Shipman." Jackie winked in her direction and Shauna rolled her eyes with a smile. "Look, I'll miss you too." Jackie confessed. "And when I get back, we are going to enjoy the rest of the summer together. Just you and me and no one else."
"Okay." Shauna smiled.
"Right. Until then, I have to babysit some kids while looking awful in orange." Jackie pointed to the cabin. "Bye, Ship. Make sure Jeff doesn't cheat on me, please." Jackie joked and Shauna gagged, resulting in a coughing fit. "Shit, are you okay? I was just kidding! This is not your responsibility and Jeff would never cheat on me." Jackie tried to reassure.
"Sure." Shauna scoffed and Jackie frowned.
"What does that mean?" She didn't want to pick a fight with Shauna, but she had been so unbearable for weeks now.
"Nothing." Shauna sighed. "It's nothing, okay? I'm just really going to miss you." And then she suddenly seemed honest again, as if she really would miss Jackie. What a confusing woman!
”Yeah." Jackie nodded, deciding once again to let it go; in four weeks she would fix whatever this was, but not now. "Bye, Shipman. I'll call you every weekend."
"Okay." Shauna nodded and pulled Jackie into a hug. "I'll be waiting."
Jackie enjoyed the hug before getting out of the car. Shauna stayed there for a while while Jackie walked to the cabin. She turned around and waved goodbye to Shauna before going inside.
The cabin was really... campy. Not in a bad way, just a lot of wood. This seems to be the main cabin, with lots of big tables and a stage. It was cute. At one of the tables, an older blonde woman was sitting next to four people who looked about her age, so she approached them.
“Hi!" The blonde greeted her with a smile. "I'm Hannah, I'm the camp director. Are you Natalie or Jackie?"
”I'm Jackie." She introduced herself with what she hoped was a charming smile. "Nice to meet you, Hannah.
"Nice to meet you too, Jackie. You can sit down. We are waiting for you all to be here so we can start the orientation process." Jackie nodded and sat down next to a really pretty girl. She had brown skin and long dark hair, big eyebrows and dark eyes, she was wearing a pink blouse and a smirk.
"Hi Jackie. I'm Fatin."
”Nice to meet you, Fatin." Jackie smiled at her.
“I guess you came alone too?" Fatin tried. "These three are already friends, apparently." Fatin pointed her head in their direction. Across the table, two boys and a girl. The first boy had really nice hair and a flirtatious grin, he was cute. The other one, sitting next to him, was a little blonder and also a lot more emo; he was serious and gave off Natalie Scatorccio vibes. The girl with them was also blonde; her hair was messy and short, her eyes were absurdly blue, and she was really pretty, too.
”Hello." The serious one said. "I'm Jonathan, this is Steve..." he nodded at the boy, who gave her a big smile. "and Robin." Robin waved at her.
“And you've already known each other?" Jackie tried to understand, they nodded.
"Yes." Robin said it, she had a nice voice too. "Steve wasn't sure about leaving his kids alone for the summer, so we came along."
"Your kids?" Jackie's eyes widened, Steve denied with his head, but Robin was fester to anwser .
“Oh, yeah. He's a father of six."
“Six?" Fatin denied with her head. "You're fucking with us."
"She is." Steve said at the same time Robin said she wasn't.
"It is important that we are careful with our language around the children." Hannah said gently.
“Fuck, sorry." Fatin apologized and Jackie laughed. "I mean, I'm sorry!"
"It's okay Fatin." Hannah smiled and the sound of the door interrupted them. Jackie looked back and honestly could not believe her fate. Approaching the table was Natalie Scatorccio, in her bleached hair, leather jacket and combat boots.
"Natalie, hi." Hannah smiled, and then their eyes met.
"What are you doing here?" Jackie and Nat said at the same time.
NATALIE
Jackie fucking Taylor. Unbelievable.
So yeah, Nat accepted the job as a camp counselor. She needed a summer job, and playing with kids sounded a lot better than her other options: washing dishes or waiting tables. Plus, working at a summer camp would give her a good reason to be out of her house for four weeks, and that was as good as it got. Natalie would take random kids over her drunk mother any day. But Jackie Taylor was definitely not in her summer plans.
“Uh, so apparently we know each other." The girl sitting next to Jackie said with an excited smile.
"Yeah." Jackie frowned. The others watched as Nat tightened the strap of her backpack. "Nat's on my soccer team."
"Yours, huh, Cap?" Nat raised her eyebrows, Jackie sighed. Damn, Jackie was so obnoxious!
“Ours." She corrected herself. "We're on the same soccer team."
"Buzz, buzz, buzz." Nat scoffed and took the only available seat: next to Jackie. Fuck that and fuck her too. Four weeks of Jackie fucking Taylor.
"Okay..." Hannah clapped. "Now that we are all here, we can begin. You are the whole team because we don't have many campers this year. We will have 70 campers between the ages of twelve and fourteen. Every morning during breakfast I will give you the chronogram of the day and you will be able to decide who is going to do each chore, but basically after breakfast we have two options of activities and after lunch we have a more general activity like soccer, volleyball or lake time. In the evenings we have movie nights, talent shows, campfires and treasure hunts. This is supposed to be fun for the kids, but I really hope you can have fun too and enjoy your time together and your time with us." Hannah seemed like a cool lady, Nat decided.
She had never actually been to summer camp because they cost money and Nat's family could not afford it. This summer would probably bore Jackie Taylor to death because she had definitely been to camp every summer with Shauna, but it would be fun for Nat. It would be the first time she had been to one, and even better, she would be getting paid for it. Nat had made up her mind: Jackie Taylor was not going to ruin this for her.
"You guys have a cabin to yourselves." Hannah continued. "There are three rooms, so you will have to share. I'll take you there and leave you to get to know the camp, the kids won't be arriving until later today."
They all got up to follow Hannah to their cabin, three of them going in front, while Nat, Jackie and the other unnamed girl fell a little behind.
”Hi, Natalie." The pretty girl smiled. "I'm Fatin."
"You can call me Nat."
"Right, Nat." Fatin nodded. "So you are friends?"
“No." They answered together again, Fatin raised her eyebrows.
"Okay.so are we enemies? I feel a little tension."
"No." They denied together this time.
"We're... colleagues." Jackie tried and Nat laughed. Who even uses that word?
"Sure, Cap."
"You keep calling her Cap." Fatin pointed, and Jackie's bright grin appeared at the possibility of talking about herself.
"She's the captain of our team." Nat explained.
"Are you any good?" Fatin looked curious, and this time Nat was also proud to talk about their team, because yes, the Yellowjackets were really good.
"We are amazing!" Jackie said first. "Last year we finished second in the state."
"We were so close to going to Nationals." Nat made a gesture with her fingers.
"Fucking East High." Jackie rolled her eyes and Nat joined her. They lost the finals last year and it still hurt.
"But it's okay because we were mostly juniors and they were all seniors." Jackie pointed.
"Yeah, we'll definitely win this year." Nat agreed. "1996 is our year, Cap, I'm telling you."
"Oh, I know that." Jackie nodded. Fatin looked amused. "Are we scaring you?" Jackie asked and Fatin laughed.
"A little bit, yeah. I'm a musician, so the jock thing is..." Fatin denied with her head.
"I'm not a jock!" Nat defended and Jackie laughed.
"You are a jock, Nat. Wearing a leather jacket instead of your letterman doesn't make you less of a jock."
"Makes you look cool, tough." Fatin offered and Nat grinned.
"It does, doesn't it?"
Hannah stopped in front of their cabin and they all stopped in front of her.
"Well, this will be your home for the next four weeks. I hope you can enjoy each other's company. I'll leave you to it."
Hannah left and they entered the cabin. The front door was built into a porch with two couches and yellow lights. Nat liked the aesthetics inside and out: the walls were made of dark wood with large windows that let in the sunlight. The first room was a living room next to a small kitchen and three doors, presumably to the rooms they would share.
"So I thought me and Steve would share one room and you guys decide what you want to do with the other two." One of the boys - not Steve - said. "I'm Jonathan, by the way." He introduced himself to Nat, who nodded in his direction in greeting.
"Well, you two know each other, would you like to share?" Robin asked Nat and Jackie, and they exchanged quick glances before refusing.
"No."
"I think we should take the opportunity to meet new people." Jackie, who was much better at this lying thing than Nat, justified. Nat knew what the five second look between them meant for both of them: let's not push it.
"Okay." Robin nodded. "Want to pair up with me then, Natalie?"
"Sure, why not?" Robin looked kind of cool. Nat liked her hair, and she definitely looked a lot more like someone who could be her friend than Jackie Taylor.
"So I guess it's you and me." Fatin winked at Jackie, and Nat could see those two as friends friends, too. If Jackie was ever allowed to have friends other than Shauna, that is. They all agreed to meet in the living room in fifteen minutes to explore the camp while it was still empty.
So that was how Nat Scatorccio found herself, wearing a horrible orange shirt, pulling her hair into a bun in front of the mirror, waiting for a bunch of thirteen-year-olds in a room with a - definitely - queer person she didn't know.
"So..." Robin began, lying on one of the beds. "What's with you and the prom queen over there?" Nat shrugged.
"Nothing, really." Nat sat in her own bed and stared at Robin. "She's captain of our soccer team."
"And you want to be captain?" Robin tried to understand the apparent conflict, Nat laughed.
"God, no." If Nat Scatorccio ever became the captain of the Yellowjackets, for whatever reason, things would definitely have gone to hell in a handbasket. Nat had to be honest: Jackie was their captain. Jackie and no one else. Nat couldn't quite put her finger on why, but Jackie was made for it. She was the only one who could stop Shauna from - probably - murdering people with her anger issues, or put Mari in her place when she was being too much of a bitch, or deal with the awkward atmosphere that hung in the air when Lottie made weird predictions about the future of their games. She was also one of the few people in the room who had any patience for Laura Lee's faith, and could always laugh at Van's jokes, even when they were made at the wrong time. She respected the Yellowjackets enough to ignore Taissa's bullshit about her own way of being captain, and she knew all the names on the JV team, and she could do all that while still paying attention to Misty. So yes, the Yellowjackets were Jackie's team, and Nat had nothing against that. "No, Jackie's really good at that, managing people. She always seems to know how to handle any situation. I just... I don't know, we never really get along. Nothing specific happened, we are just very different people, I guess."
"Hm." Robin nodded. "I mean, it's nice to hang out with people who are different from you. Steve's my best friend now, but at first? To me, he was just a rich jerk with really good hair."
"Jackie could definitely be defined in those exact words." Nat joked, Robin laughed.
"Yeah, I mean... you don't really seem to think that, because that's not even close to what you said about her." Robin pointed out.
"Okay, maybe her hair isn't that good." Nat joked again.
"Sure that’s it"
"Anyway, we should go." Nat looked at herself in the mirror once more before turning to Robin. "I want to see the camp before the kids get here."
"Yeah, let's go."
JACKIE
"So is she Italian?" Fatin asked and Jackie frowned.
"How...?"
"She is, right?" Fatin smiled. They shared the space in front of the mirror.
“Yes." Jackie agreed, leaving the mirror to Fatin and continuing to unpack.
"That's hot. What's her last name?" Oh, fuck. Okay, so... Jackie didn't know how to pronounce Nat's last name. She took French, not Italian.
"Natalie something catholic Scatc... Scart... You should really just ask her." Fatin laughed.
"You don't know?"
"I mean, I can write it." Jackie offered, because she had written a lot in when strategizing for the team.
"I'll ask her." Fatin waved her hand and Jackie nodded. "And yours?"
"Taylor." Jackie replied as she finally did what she had postponed: put on the orange shirt. "Yours?"
”Jadmani. That's Indian. Did you get the pronunciation?" Fatin asked with a smile, in a provocative tone. Jackie rolled her eyes.
“I did, Jadmani."
"That was perfect, Jackie."
"Ugh." Jackie dropped the shirt she was wearing on her bed. "I look absolutely awful in orange."
"Girl, who doesn't?"
"Fucking Natalie." Jackie said under her breath, watching through the window as Natalie left the house with that Jonathan boy to light a cigarrete. Natalie had this thing that was so obnoxious: she always looked pretty. Not "I just spent an hour in front of the mirror" pretty, but "I wake up like this" pretty. Her hair was always wild and yet perfect, and she almost never wore makeup, except for the black eyeliner, and she still looked straight out of a magazine.
"Right." Fatin was suddenly behind her. "Maybe you should stop staring at fucking Natalie through the window and let's join her outside."
"Yeah."
They joined Natalie outside while the girl was at the end of her cigarette.
”Hey, Nat." Fatin called out and Nat stared at her. Their eyes crossed briefly and Jackie was still not one hundred percent cool about spending so much time together without the other Yellowjackets.
Jackie was their captain, so it was her job to get along with everyone, and she was doing a pretty good job (except with Taissa, actually), but Nat was always just so... out of reach. Jackie could tell that Natalie liked being part of the team: she was one of their best players, and she showed up at every team meeting at each other's houses (well, they were mandatory, but she always looked like she was having fun). Nat was close with, oddly enough, Lottie and Laura Lee. Jackie herself was always with Shauna, but when Shauna was busy with Taissa and Van, Jackie usually hung out with Mari. So their paths rarely crossed at Yellowjacket events, but they always did in practice because they were the team's striker duo. Laura Lee and Lottie always practiced together - they were the center back duo - Shauna and Taissa worked together in the midfield and Mari was everywhere because she was their number 10, their playmaker. So in practice, everyone had their duo and Natalie was hers, and that was the moment they got along perfectly. God knows why, but they worked really well together when there were no words involved: just soccer. They could always find each other on the field and Jackie could blame the fact that Nat was definitely in the top 3 players of the team, but Jackie also blamed their dynamic a bit. They were good together.
So, who knows? Maybe this summer they could learn how to get along with each other using real words. Jackie hoped they could. Nat was cool. Jackie always thought so when she watched her from a distance. Nat didn't care what anyone thought: she was so completely herself. Jackie was even a little jealous. So yes, maybe it was a good thing that Nat was with her this summer.
“What's your last name?" Fatin's question knocked Jackie out of her head. "I asked Jackie, but she couldn't pronounce it." Nat snorted and Jackie blushed a little.
"You can't say my name, Cap?" Nat looked at her. "That makes a lot of sense, actually. You're a last name girl, and you always called me Natalie. Made me feel special for a second."
"A last name girl?" Jackie crossed her arms over her chest. "What does that even mean?"
"You call your best friend Shipman." Nat pointed. "You also call Lot by Matthews."
"So what is it?" Fatin asked again, and this time Nat looked at her.
"It's Scatorccio." Okay, yeah, so arrest her! Jackie could NOT say that. "Try for me, Cap?" Nat was full of jokes today. Fatin stared at her with a grin.
"Yeah, Cap."
"It's Scartoccio." Jackie made a face, because that was wrong again, and Nat laughed with Fatin. That was when Steve and Robin decided to join them, and Jonathan came closer too, so Jackie was partially saved.
"We'll try again later." Nat put a hand on her shoulder in a false gesture of comfort. Jackie realized that it was probably the first time Nat had touched her off the field.
"So!" Steve clapped his hands together. "Where do you want to start? The lake? The place where the kids will hide to hook up? A place with a view where they'll hide to smoke a joint?"
"Do they have to hide somewhere?" Jackie asked and Steve nodded with a smile.
"Oh, Jackie. Have you never been to summer camp?" Jackie shrugged.
"No, actually." Nat looked at her with raised eyebrows in surprise.
"You've never been to summer camp, Taylor?"
"No." Jackie had never been to summer camp because her mother would never let her spend four weeks away from her control freak ways. "Have you?"
"No." Nat denied.
"Has anyone here besides me ever been to summer camp?" Steve asked and no hands went up. He denied with a disappointed shake of his head. "Well, I guess that officially makes me the head counselor.
"That's not a thing, Steve." Robin rolled her eyes at him and he smiled with his perfect teeth and perfect hair. He reminded Jackie a little of Jeff, if Jeff had any real personality.
"But it can be." Steve guaranteed, and Jackie glanced at Nat, who was watching them with a smile. Nat seemed... relaxed out of Wyskayok, which made a lot of sense. Wyskayok was hell. Jackie loved being there because Jackie loved her team, but she hated the hell out of that town.
”Okay, head counselor" Jonathan said this time. "Show us the lake and all the hiding places, since you're the expert."
"Indeed I am." Steve nodded. "Then let's go!"
The camp was nice. Steve showed them the hideouts first. There was really a place with a view that would be really nice to smoke a joint e a spot next to the lake that could be a hooking up spot. The lake was their final destination and it was really beautiful. They sat there for a while when Nat showed them a joint.
"Does it have to be in that particular spot or can it be here?" she joked.
"I think you should ask the boss." Fatin said and Steve grinned.
"I allowed it to be here."
"So how did you guys end up as counselors?" Steve asked before taking a hit of the joint Natalie had passed him.
"I'm grounded." Fatin said first. "That's my punishment."
"Uh." Robin wiggled her eyebrows. "What did you do?"
"I exposed my cheating father."
"For your mom?" Nat asked, seeming interested.
"Sort of." Fatin nodded and took the joint from Steve. "But also like... for the whole town?"
"What?" Jackie couldn't stop herself.
"Jeez, how?" Nat echoed, and for a second they exchanged that look they all shared when someone brought a hot topic to the Yellowjacket table at lunch. Excited and curious.
"I mean..." Fatin shrugged and handed Jackie the joint. Jackie didn't usually smoke, but she didn't not smoke either. She smoked a few times, mostly at parties and mostly, curiously, with Nat. Nat was the person who always had weed, and at many parties the Yellowjackets ended up around her to smoke. It was like the moment Natalie reserved for the team at parties, she usually hung out with Keyn Tan and Travis Martinez. But when they were having their moment? They smoked and laughed about the baseball team and their need to try and show off for the girls, they laughed about Randy Walsh thinking he had a chance with any of them - he picked one for the party to try and hit on, but he never got it with any of them; they all laughed when it was their turn, except for Shauna, Shauna always got pissed and that turned into a joke too - they commented on their last or next game, they had real fun. "I found out he was cheating on my mom with one of his students, he is a college teacher. I saw them making out in the car and I got so mad that I just took a bunch of pictures of it. First I showed them to my mom and she got so mad at me. She should be mad at him, but she got mad at me. So I got mad at her and I put those pictures up in front of her church on Sunday.
"God, no." Steve denied with his head. Nat laughed so hard. Jackie was really surprised, that was... brave, to say the least.
"So they weren't exactly happy about it." Fatin commented, and Jackie passed the joint to Jonathan, who was sitting at her side. "We got home, they became the talk of the town, and I was sent here for four weeks to, and I quote, 'rethink my shitty attitude and learn how not to be a brat.'"
"Jeez." Robin laughed.
"Yeah, that makes Robin's thing really lame." Steve pointed at her and Jonathan laughed.
"What's Robin's thing?" Nat asked and Steve shrugged.
"She couldn't stay away from me." Robin rolled her eyes and they laughed.
"So are you guys, like, a couple?" Jackie found herself asking and this time they all laughed like they all knew something Jackie didn't.
"Really?" Fatin asked her.
"What?" Jackie didn't get it! What was wrong with the question?
"Jackie is really bad at the queer thing." Nat said and Jackie frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"Oh, Steve was too." Robin pointed out. "He also tough I was straight." Steve made a guilty face and Jackie was confused.
"What? I was just... supposed to know?" Jackie asked and Nat grinned.
"Only if you could actually recognize a queer person, cap. It's not your case." Natalie explained and Jackie scoffed.
"I can recognize a queer person, Natalie." Nat grinned and raised her eyebrows.
"Oh yeah? Please tell me who the queer people are in our girl's soccer team, Jackie."
"Oh, I bet at least six, man." Jonathan guessed. Jackie didn't know where the joint was anymore because she was really concentrating on her answer. She knew about Tai and Van, but from what Natalie said, they weren't the only ones. Jackie couldn't really think of anyone else, so she would have to make some bets.
"Right." Jackie sat up straight. "So obviously Tai and Van." Nat nodded and Jackie thought hard about her next move. Melissa looked pretty gay in that hat. "Melissa."
"Good one, Cap." Nat admitted and Jackie smiled. "Keep going."
"Yeah, sure." Sure. There were plenty of others, apparently. "Like..." Could it be Lottie? She had never had a boyfriend, and Jackie had never seen her kiss a boy. But Lottie was so girly and Jackie had never seen her kiss a girl either. But it definitely wasn't Shauna, and it couldn't be Mari. So, like Laura Lee? No, she was a Christian. Misty was boy crazy, everyone knew that. Akilah? She had a thing for Travis. Gen? Maybe. Probably. "Gen." Jackie offered and Nat whistled.
"You go!"
"So were in..." Steve counted his fingers. "Four."
"That's it?" Fatin asked, and Nat laughed.
"Definitely not."
“Okay, but are we like talking about suspicions or facts?" Jackie asked.
"Well, if we're talking about facts, it's seven, but if we're talking about suspicions for me, it would be nine."
"Wowza." Jackie could never guess seven! "Ok... I'm missing three here. So... Lottie?"
"Lottie." Nat nodded, watching with a smile as Jackie's eyes winded. Steve raised a fifth finger.
"Lottie's a lesbian?"
"Yup." Lottie Matthews was a lesbian. That was... unexpected and strangely logical. She was way too close to Laura Lee, but Jackie always said they were really good friends, like she and Shauna. But maybe they weren't what would make a lesbian out of....
"Laura Lee."
“That's on my suspicions list, but not on my safe list."
"I don't know who else." Jackie confessed and Robin laughed.
"Dude, are you really not going to say Nat?" Jackie stared at Robin. If Nat was queer, Jackie would've known... Right? No. Why would she? They didn't really talk, so how could she know?
"Are you?" Jackie asked, and for the first time since they had first seen each other in the main cabin a few hours ago, Nat seemed nervous.
"Yeah." Nat nodded and looked away from Jackie's eyes. Okay. So Nat was... lesbian? Probably bisexual. Yeah, that made sense.
"Congratulations, Nat." Jackie smiled and Nat laughed, a little embarrassed (probably for Jackie). Jackie blushed, because... why congratulations? Fatin slapped her hand to her forehead. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I mean..."
"It's cool, Cap.” Nat interrupted her.
"I'm taking you're straight." Fatin pointed and Jackie shrugged. Yes, she was pretty straight. She and Jeff had been together for three years. Sure, they broke up sometimes, but they always got back together. And Jackie liked spending time with her team more than she liked spending time with him, but that was just because Jackie put her friends first. She also didn't really like making out with him, but that was normal. Women didn't really like that kind of stuff, right? So yes, Jackie was straight.
"I am. Are you?" If Jackie had to guess, she would say Fatin was straight, but apparently she was pretty bad at that, so she asked.
"Oh, hell no." Fatin denied. Jackie really needed to work on that skill. "I'm bi. I actually have a girlfriend."
"Really?" Robin smiled. "That's cool.
”How is she like?" Nat asked and Fatin smiled very big. Jackie smiled back, she really seemed to like this girl.
"Her name is Leah." Fatin told them. "She's like... a huge nerd. She likes to read and write and she's like... all grunge and shit. She listens to Tori Amos and some weird indie bands, and she wants to go to school for creative writing." Jackie was a little stunned because all this sounded a lot like...
"Jeez." Nat looked at Jackie. "She's dating Shauna."
"Who's Shauna?" Jonathan asked, clearly high. They were all high, but Jonathan - apparently - was the one who got quiet. Jackie usually got chatty.
"My best friend." Jackie smiled. "She's... well, she's like that, really."
"She's also a little crazy." Nat said and Jackie stared at her.
"Natalie."
"What?!" Nat put her hands up and gestured innocently. "She is. She likes to throw punches. She got a yellow card every game we ever played and like... five red cards.”
"She's passionate." Jackie defended and Steve and Robin laughed. Okay, maybe passionate wasn't the right word.
"Sure." Nat nodded. "She also kicked Bobby Newman in the balls last month."
"Uh." Jonathan whistled.
"He was talking shit about me!" Jackie defended Shauna again, because it was true. Bobby Newman had called her a whore in front of a group of baseball players, and Shauna had walked up to him and kicked him right in the balls. The only reason she didn't get beaten up was because Jeff and Nat stopped Newman and the other basketball guys: Jeff with words, Nat with fists. "And you beat him up that day to defend Shauna, you like to throw punches too, Natalie."
"Yeah, I mean. So I guess I already have half of what it takes to be your friend." Nat said it back, and if they were in Wyskayok, in Lottie's living room, as they usually were, it could start a fight. But there, up on the lake? Jackie just rolled her eyes and smiled.
"So you guys are pretty violent on your soccer team." Steve says. "Got it."
"What are you talking about?" Jonathan says. "You guys show up with bruises all the time." Robin and Steve shrugged in sync.
"Okay." Fatin nodded. "So how did the rest of you violent losers end up here?"
"My brother and his friends are coming for the summer." Jonathan explained. "One thing led to another and here we are." Fatin nodded and stared at Natalie.
"My friend Kevyn told me that his sister's camp needs counselors and anywhere is better than home." Nat shrugged. Jackie knew that Nat's family situation was not the best. It was common knowledge, really. "What about you, Cap?" Nat stared at her. "Need some money?" She scoffed.
"A friend of my mom's told her they were looking for counselors and she decided it would be a great opportunity for me to take responsibility for kids and prepare for motherhood." Jackie took in the confused and surprised reactions of the other people.
"Wow." Nat whistled. "Aren't we a little young to be preparing for motherhood?"
"Yeah, tell that to my mom." Jackie rolled her eyes.
"Speaking of preparing for motherhood." Jonathan checked his watch. "We should get going. The kids will be here soon."
Jonathan was right. Jackie was still a little high when the kids arrived. Luckily, her job was not difficult at all: the kids were already divided into cabins, she just had to look up their names on the cabin lists and get them there so they could unpack and settle in. Jackie could do that (she really hoped she could; she was not used to doing things while high).
”You're high as a kite, Cap." Nat laughed at her, standing beside her with a clipboard in her hands, just like Jackie.
"I wouldn't say that, no." Jackie denied.
"Sure." Nat scoffed. "Here they come." Nat gestured with her head at the first kids that started to approach. "See you later?" Jackie nodded with a smile.
"Later, Nat."
Jackie had lost count of how many kids she had directed to their cabin in the last hour. They kept coming and coming and coming with a whole bunch of suitcases and backpacks and purses. They were all excited and loud, and Jackie sobered up when she saw Javi.
"Javi!" The boy smiled as he approached Jackie. "I didn't know you did summer camp."
"Neither did I until last month." Javi shrugged. He chewed on a gun and wore a hat backwards like only he and Melissa did. "I guess Kevyn's sister is coming here and Kevyn told Travis and Travis told my dad and now I'm here. Is Shauna here too?" he asked excitedly.
Javi usually hung out with Jackie and Shauna when he was forced to be at their practices or trips to games, which was every week. So, as strange as it might sound, thirteen-year-old Javi Martinez was Jackie's friend.
"No, just me. Well, and Natalie." Javi smiled.
"Nat's here? Thank God. I was afraid I wouldn't know anyone but Jordan."
"Jordan?" Jackie frowned.
"Kevyn's sister. She's cool, you'll meet her." Jackie nodded.
"Okay, Javi. You should unpack and get ready for the campfire later. Do you know the number of your cabin?"
"Oh yeah." Javi nodded. "7."
"It's over there on the left." Jackie pointed and he smiled at her.
"Thanks, Counselor Jackie. See you later."
”You're welcome, Camper Javi. See you."
Javi went his way and Jackie smiled. Let the counseling begin!
NATALIE
So it turned out that the counselors were responsible for making the fire for the bonfire and none of them knew a thing about making a fire. Jackie, Steve, and Fatin looked like they'd never strayed too far from their own backyard, and Jonathan looked like a momma's boy who didn't have to do anything for himself. So naturally Nat turned to Robin, only to be disappointed when the girl told them she had never built a fire in her life. Nat hadn't either. When she was a child, her father had taken her hunting. It was the only thing he did with her, really. But it was always during the day, they never needed a fire, so she never learned.
It was a little embarrassing for all of them when a defeated Jonathan had to call Hannah to show them how to do it, but they all somehow learned for the next time. And that was the best possible outcome: the kids had a lot of fun. Everyone introduced themselves (Nat couldn't remember half of their names, there were too many!), Javi and Jordan were there and a bunch of Steve's, Robin's and Jonathan's friends. Jonathan played guitar for them while Steve and Robin singed, Fatin promised cello lessons, Jackie charmed everyone and impressed them by telling them about the Yellowjackets and put Nat on the spot when she said - supported by Javi and Jordan - that Nat was one of the best players in the state. She and Jackie promised to organize a soccer game that week, and Hannah told them stories. So yeah, it was fun.
But when they finally went to prepare to bed, Nat had to admit that she was exhausted from the day. She felt the same way when Jackie was on her insane lap regimen - 30 laps for practice. Luckily, Taissa was the one who cut Jackie's crazy pace short. After a shower, already wearing her old Green Day shirt as pajamas, Nat went outside and took a seat on one of the couches on the porch. It was already a hot summer: this was the first moment of the day that there was a breeze.
Nat lit a joint: she couldn't really sleep without it. She was generally happy about the day. When she saw Jackie standing there in the main cabin, she didn't really think that Jackie would be a cool presence at the end of the day, but she was.
"Hi." As if she had materialized out of her thoughts, Jackie took the seat next to Nat.
"Holy shit, Cap." Nat took a deep breath. "You scared me."
"Sorry." Jackie laughed, pulled her leg up on the sofa to rest her chin on her knee, and stared at Nat. Jackie was in pajamas, too, wearing black shorts and an old Yellowjackets shirt, and Nat laughed at the sight.
"Do you always wear Yellowjackets shit?"
“Buzz, buzz, buzz."
"Sure." Nat nodded and offered Jackie the joint, a little surprised when she accepted.
“And you're always lurking around like a creature of the night?" Nat laughed.
"What the fuck, Taylor?"
"Do you know what time it is?" Jackie raised her eyebrows and Nat shook her head in the negative. "It's about one a.m. Do you know we have to get up in about seven hours?"
"So what are you doing here?" Nat stared at Jackie as she exhaled the smoke and handed the joint back. Jackie was pretty. Jackie had always been pretty, but now? Away from Wyskayok and Shauna and Jeff? With the yellow lamp highlighting her figure against the woods behind her? She really was pretty.
"I saw you through the window and I remember that you never told me who was the one left on the Yellowjackets' queer parade." Nat laughed.
"You want to take bets?" Jackie shook her head in the negative.
"I have no idea!"
"It's Mari." Nat told her and Jackie was objectively surprised.
"What do you mean it's Mari? How do you know?" Nat shrugged.
"We hooked up once." Nat admitted and Jackie jumped off the couch in surprise like a cartoon. Nat laughed.
"You and Mari?"
"Just once." Nat defended herself.
"When?"
"Tai's birthday." Nat told her, Jackie sat down again and looked at her expectantly. "We played truth or dare and we kissed, like a peck. And then we kissed for real when we went to the bathroom. But I don't really know if she is queer or if she kisses girls sometimes."
"That's not the same thing?"
"Straight girls kiss their friends all the time." Nat replied and she thought about not messing with Jackie because she knew Jackie and Shauna didn't kiss because it would be weird since there was something real there. But Jackie seemed oblivious, or maybe it was just Shauna? Jackie said she was straight after all (not that Nat was one hundred percent sure.) "You and Shauna never kissed?”
"What? No." Jackie quickly denied and blushed. "I mean, we kissed once because neither of us had kissed anyone before, but that was it. No more kissing."
"So you were each other's first kiss?" Nat asked because, well, that was gay. If Nat was honest, she didn't like Shauna all that much, especially the last few months. She was really obnoxious and treated Jackie like shit, anyone could see that. She seemed to be bipolar or something, one minute she was glued to Jackie, barking at anyone who tried to get near her, and the next she was talking like she hated Jackie's company. Nat felt a little cocky: where was Shauna now? Jackie would spend a whole month without her, with... well, Nat. This was not about who Jackie spent her time with, by the way, this was about Shauna's insanity, to be clear.
"Yeah, but for practice." Jackie clarified and Nat hummed. Practice kiss was bullshit, but Jackie had to find out for herself.
"So who was your real first kiss with? Jeff?" Jackie chuckled.
"God, no. Was it Peter Baker at Aaron's Bat Mitzvah."
"Peter Baker as in theater kid Peter Baker? That's..." gayer, Nat wanted to say. "Sweet."
"He really was." Jackie smiled. "But I think he's gay."
"Wow, you got one right!" Nat smiled in her direction and Jackie smiled too, that pretty smile that made Jackie's eyes crinkle a little. "Peter Baker is definitely gay.”
"Remember when Misty was obsessed with him?" Jackie joked and Nat laughed.
"What is it with her and gay men?"
"I don't know."
Jackie was different when they were away from the people they knew. She looked like a real person, not a character. She laughed for real, no fake smiles, she didn't correct her posture every five minutes or fix her hair. Nat always knew that Jackie was just a teenage girl, even when everyone else seemed to forget. Everyone treated Jackie like a royal princess, for better or worse. Even Shauna seemed to forget that her friend was just a person - sometimes she just looked at her that way: the way losers and burnouts look at Jackie, with fierce jealousy. She was never royal to Nat. Even though Jackie looked like a princess, she was just a girl. And here, away from everyone, in her pajamas and high, she looked even more humanly beautiful.
"Maybe we should analyze the depths of Misty's mind tomorrow and really go to sleep, Taylor. We have to get up soon." Nat said and Jackie agreed with her head. They had a busy day tomorrow.
"Yeah." Jackie got up and Nat did the same. They entered the house in silence. Their rooms had doors facing each other and Nat walked to hers while Jackie walked to hers. Nat turned to wish Jackie goodnight, and Jackie was already staring at her with a hand on the doorknob and a smile on her lips. Nat smiled back.
"Good night, Nat.”
"Good night, Cap."