At the archery station on the hill, Demarco took Allan through a barrage of activities. But they weren’t shooting arrows. Standing a fair distance from the bullseye butt, Demarco threw Allan’s knife at the target to demonstrate. The knife hit very close to the bullseye. Then Allan tried, except when he was winding up, he managed to throw the knife behind him. Demarco showed Allan, again, how to hold and throw the knife. Allan threw the knife again, this time hitting the target, but the wrong one. Demarco shook his head in disgrace and walked away. Allan pulled him back, pleading for his commitment.
Next, they stood in the woods staring at an old, pathetic CPR dummy wearing a Camp Arapahoe t-shirt tied to a tree. Allan threw his knife at the dummy, hitting it right in the dummy’s crotch. Allan and Demarco covered themselves in empathy.
The campers and counselors stood with chaotic energy at the flag pole on the main lawn. Cheri and Curtis faced the campers and owners, Mr. Cooper Senior and Mr. Cooper Junior. Mr. Cooper Senior was maybe 200 years old, he had a full head of silver hair and beard, and was in a wheelchair. Mr. Cooper Junior was seventy. He also had a full head of silver hair and beard. He was a stern, amish-looking man in a flannel lumberjack shirt. Behind them was their “Capture The Flag” bulletin board with a camp map. It showed the location of two flag posts, the border separating the teams, and the “Capture The Flag” jails for when a player is tagged behind enemy lines.
“For decades, Camp Arapahoe has been beaten by Camp Hay-Ho at Capture the flag,” Cheri announced.
The gang arrived just in time for the camp meeting.
Curtis added, “We are terrible and It’s embarrassing. Listen.”
“But, this is our year!” Cheri exclaimed.
All of the campers cheered.
“We are honored to have the camp’s owners, Mr. Cooper Senior, and his son Mr. Cooper Junior. Mr. Cooper Senior is retiring and he really wants a win.”
Smitty elbowed Demarco, Demarco elbowed Allan, and Allan elbowed Mayhem.
“Isn’t that right, Grandad?” Cheri asked.
“Yep,” confirmed
Demarco whispered, “Michigan Dogman.”
“No way,” said Mayhem.
“Anything you want to add, Mr. Cooper Junior,” Cheri asked.
“Nope,” confirmed Mr. Cooper Junior.
There was an awkward silence. Then Allan leaned into Yvette, “good talk.”
Yvette laughed loud enough for Mayhem to look over and make a face of disapproval.
“Let’s train!” Cheri proclaimed.
All of the campers yelled in excitement, “AAAAGH.”
The group was lined up on the beach doing push-ups as Cheri paced back and forth like a drill sergeant, “eight, nine, ten, eleven…”
The group was not only miserable but not very good at push-ups. Stephanie was slow but the strongest. Mayhem was also strong, but his push-ups were quick and sloping.
The campers climbed over a boot camp-style wall with a rope in the woods. Demarco struggled to get even one foot off the ground. Mayhem got a running start, failing to scale the wall and falling. He looked at the top of the wall to witness Allan and Yvette helping each other over the wall as a team.
At the end of the day, the boys returned to their cabin, exhausted and swearing. Mayhem and Smitty entered the cabin, holding up Demarco by his armpits, and they dropped him on his bed.
“How are we going to dance? I can’t even move,” Allan shared.
“No kidding. I’m paralyzed,” complained Mayhem.
Allan turned on his bed to face Mayhem, “I guess no Mumbly Peg tonight.”
“No, Allan, it’s on. I’m kicking your ass.”
“You just said you’re paralyzed,” Allan reminded Mayhem.
“I’m not canceling, Allan. I want this settled before our trip. You will stay away from my sister.”
The girls were exhausted, too. Yvette and Stephanie’s beds were next to each other. Their cabin was the messiest. Clothes were everywhere.
Cheri stood in the girl’s cabin, “This place is disgusting. Clean up before dinner. All of you.”
“You should have asked us to clean up before you broke us. It’s mostly Stephanie’s mess, anyway.
“Are you kidding me? It’s all your stuff, Yvette.”
“Right Stephanie, you borrow my clothes and throw them on the floor. I’m supposed to clean it up?” asked Yvette.
Cheri settled the score, “Get some rest and then clean it up. I don’t care. I just want it clean. You’ve only been here a couple of days. How can you make a mess so fast?”
The boys primped, combed their hair, fixed their clothes, and threw things at each other. Allan and Mayhem messed with their hair. In the mirror, they noticed their personal differences. Demarco posed with his cabin hat, deciding how to wear it. He turned to join two other boys, forcing Smitty to take a shower against his will.
“Stop it. No. Guys stop it!” Smitty yelled at the others.
“It’s for your good, Smelly.