Emilie took in a deep breath of the fresh California air as she pushed open the door of her car. Long, bare legs swung out of the vehicle and as her shoeless feet hit the soil she felt a sense of relief flow through her. This place was a home away from home and she couldn’t be happier to be back. The drive had been extraordinarily long from Michigan to Camp Liberty but she’d given herself a week to do it and a whole list of things to see along the way. She stopped on the side of the highway just outside Denver, Colorado and lay on the bonnet of her car to stare up at the expanse of stars above her. She’d done this most nights until the chill got too much and she resorted to stopping at the nearest rest place. The sun had only just risen up over the high trees of the camp as she popped her trunk and threw her rucksack over her shoulders. The rest of the bags could wait until later when everyone else arrived and she could be bothered to unpack. She knew she’d have to wait a while until everyone collected together but she could occupy herself with a wander. So Emilie did what she was best at: she threw a soccer ball down by her feet and strolled aimlessly, keeping the ball close as if it was second nature. She made short work of wandering by the lake and skirted by the cabins, giving the occasional nod to people as they appeared. She knew plenty of the people here and although Emilie had her moments of selfish meanness, she was a very kind hearted young woman who just happened to like to get her way.
Her experiences at Camp had been nothing but positive to put it simply. She buzzed off social interaction and when the heat got too much she was totally down for seeing bare legs from the pretty girls. Some of the guys were hot too but they weren’t really her type. For a long time she pondered over the people around her and those she’d met last year. She wondered how much fresh blood there would be this year and her hopes rose a little at the thought of finding some new beautiful chick to make her challenge. She may have seemed self absorbed by pondering so much over the females in her life but she thrived from the chase. It was part of her competitive nature that went hand in hand with physical activities.
“Thirty three, thirty four…” She whispered as she watched the ball bounce off her foot again and again. She sometimes had to remind herself how far she’d got because not everyone was great with numbers, right? Numeracy had never been her thing because all she needed to know was how many balls she could knock in to the back of a net.
When her phone buzzed loudly from inside her pocket and she finally checked the time she was surprised to see how much time had passed. She also noted she had multiple messages and instantly a grin spread across her soft cheeks. Alek was a very close friend of hers from the blue cabin and the two found it easier to make trouble. He was a brilliant friend and she had a habit of constantly fluffing his hair in an admiring manner. He was a handsome chap and if he could make her grin and abide with her mild bouts of hyperactivity then that was all she cared about.
TO: Aless-damnbro.
Hello my King. I’ve been venturing the land since dawn! Just kicking a ball at some trees. Where art thou?
She laughed at herself for a few seconds before scrolling to her other message. Her laughter changed from soft and happy to a sharp bark when she saw both the name and the content of the text.
“Babe, huh?” She commented aloud before leaning back against a nearby tree and trapping the ball beneath her foot. Her and Ash had encountered some interesting interactions last year. She was exactly what Emilie liked: a hot challenge.
TO: Ash the Grey. Butt 9/10.
Oh hi sweetie. I thought you’d do better things than kick it. Still it’ll only be in your dreams…like I am usually. So yeah, I’m ready for whatever you’ll press against me.
After she sent the message she laughed to herself some more. Ash certainly was an interesting character. Not that Em wanted her like that at all. She was just…something to work towards. Speaking of things she had to work towards she decided that she could send another message. To Alex; the girl she frankly couldn’t stand in her own team so much of the time. Well she could stand her because that body and those eyes were something else but they didn’t exactly read from the same page. It was a shame Alex could be such a bitch.
TO: My hateful admirer.
You won’t have missed me but aren’t you glad we get to spend so much time together again?! Can’t wait to hear you chat absolute shit about your so called ‘sports’ again. Oh, and I have several new sports bras to wander around in.
After reading over the text two more times she sent it and placed her phone away once more. She’d occupied herself enough and she was sure more people had arrived. She could bump in to anyone but first she made her way toward blue cabin to lay eyes on home away from home once more.
Mathius grunted as he pushed himself up off the hard ground then lowered himself straight back down. Push-ups were part of his morning routine as well as pull-ups, crunches and staggered sprints. Even if he wasn’t currently in training then he couldn’t let his body or mind slip. He had to keep everything on form because heck, looking this good did not come easily. His burly chest met the floor twelve more times before he moved in to a kneeling position and ran his hands back through his light hair. Slight sweat stains were visible on his grey shirt and without a second thought he tossed it from his body and headed back in to the cabin to find another. He hadn’t moved his stuff in until about twenty minutes ago and it looked like a few people had already settled. He finally settled on one that hung loosely around his sides and revealed his broad shoulders to the world. He was not bothered by exposed skin and never had been. Just as he made to step outside the cabin once more his phone buzzed and a soft snort escaped his mouth. He had a text from Audrey and it wasn’t exactly a smile that crossed his face rather than a smirk. He respected their team leader and he respected her long legs and looks more. Okay, perhaps there was more to her than that but he wouldn’t admit it. They’d had their moments together and he didn’t want to seem totally rude but he hadn’t thought of her in a while before he’d returned to camp from his whole year away back at home in Texas.
TO: Audrey. Red chick.
Sup. Yeah, got in to California last night but stayed at a motel then came in this morning. Cabins are looking sick as ever. You back?
He continued to text as he stepped out of the cabin and crossed the grounds towards the main hall. He didn’t know who’d be around yet and there were plenty of people he didn’t want to see but a few he wouldn’t mind coming across in the time being. It was just a way to occupy himself, right? Matt moved with a clear authority and swagger in his step. It just came with the territory he assumed he possessed. He by no means ran the camp but he wasn’t afraid to be vocal (and physical) toward other people to assert himself. Challenges were his thing because he’d never back down from them. Anyone that did was just a wimp and he hated wimps. When he neared the main hall he let out a heavy sigh, bothered to see how bustling it was. People were moving in most directions both inside and outside. He stopped, watching people come and go around him. . Then someone shifted and he laid eyes on Madison moving toward the hall. She was another of his conquests at Camp. She was sweet and good looking; there when he needed her for whatever reason but there were plenty more fish in the sea.
As he made to go inside he heard a shout and recognised the voice instantly. Jackson. Mathius rolled his eyes and tried not to storm right over to him and tell him how much of a pain he was – even if they did share a team colour. He’d never much adjusted to him. After clenching his fists he bumped by one of the people nearby and moved inside the bustling main hall to see if he could locate anyone worth seeing.