have vivid dreams too," Jess admits. "I think it's a teenage thing. Rite of passage and all. Especially for kids like us. Our minds are so active when we sleep. We're working out a lot of shit in our subconscious, you know?"
I snicker. "Some rite of passage. Can't I just, like, have to toilet paper someone's house or clean a bathroom with a toothbrush like they do in fraternities and sororities?"
"Nah," she says. "Hazing like that got outlawed years ago. Teenagehood is sheer torture. We just have to deal with it. Sooner or later, we'll be out of it and be adults in the work force trying to pay our mortgage, take out the garbage, feed our kids and get them to Scouts and soccer. We'll worry and stress about bills and pray we won't get laid off from our jobs, all the time wishing we were teenagers again."
She's got a point.
"Go back to sleep, Jess. Sorry."
It's not long before my roommate's soft snore sounds in the room.
I stare at the clock; it reads 1:11 a.m., 4:11 a.m. back home. Sleep does not come quickly ... or last long.
Before I know it, Ms. Morning Person, Jessica Spencer, is bouncing off the walls like she's had about ten 5-Hour Energy drinks.
"Good mooooorning, Kendall," she sings out. "It's a beautiful day in the mountains with the sun shining and the trees waving to us."
I crack my eyes open. "Are you on some sort of mood-altering medication?"
"Fresh air, baby, fresh air. I've grown up with the smog of the LA area. You've got to give me this."
"Whatever," I say with a snicker. I swing my feet around and drag my East Coast ass out of bed. Jess is already showered, madeup, and dressed to go. I forgo a shower and drag the brush through my unruly, tangled curls. I throw on a woven tank top and my jeans after I brush my teeth and spray a little Secret on. I follow Jess out of the cabin and up to breakfast, wondering what exactly the day will bring.
"What am I smelling?" Harper Puckett asks when we all enter the large kitchen.
Chris is hard at work at the stove, oven mitts covering both her hands. "You kids sit at the table and help yourself to coffee, juice, or whatever."
Evan Christian, Ricky, and Carl all tromp in and join us at the table. I'm so not a coffee drinker, but following last night's lack of slumber, I'm going to need all of the caffeine I can get. I pour the thick black liquid into a mug and dump about five teaspoons of sugar in before topping it off with maybe half a cup of cream. Ahhh ... there, now that nasty, bitter coffee taste is covered up.
"Everyone sleep well?" Chris asks.
A couple of the guys let out grunts and I just sigh.
Chris smiles wide. "Oh, you Easties will adjust. And the mountain air will be amazing for you. Really clears your head"
For now, I'll settle for feeding my stomach.
We all sit at the long table and pass around Chris's culinary creation of sausage-egg-and-cheese bread pudding. It's soft and creamy and exactly what I need to get the day going. Maddie, Erin, and Harper are deep in a discussion about some girl at their high school who e-mailed them about some drama that's going on ... I can't keep up. Evan Christian and Carl are talking about who believes in the Loch Ness monster and/or Bigfoot. Are they serious? Ricky and Greg both seem half asleep, and Micah and Jess are discussing what's on each other's iPods. I shovel in the egg-and-sausage mixture and reach for seconds, wondering where Patrick is this morning.
No, no ... don't think about him.
Willowmeana and Talking Feathers, as reserved as both of them are, have their heads bent together and are chatting quietly. Everyone is already beginning to pair off, even before we've had our first meeting with the counselors. Is this why we came here? To hook up?
Of course, that leads me back to thoughts of Patrick. And memories of my dream.
That kiss felt so real.
Then again,
he's
real.
I need to get him out of my head. I need to get my head in the game. Focus on why I'm here and what I'm doing.
"So who's
I snicker. "Some rite of passage. Can't I just, like, have to toilet paper someone's house or clean a bathroom with a toothbrush like they do in fraternities and sororities?"
"Nah," she says. "Hazing like that got outlawed years ago. Teenagehood is sheer torture. We just have to deal with it. Sooner or later, we'll be out of it and be adults in the work force trying to pay our mortgage, take out the garbage, feed our kids and get them to Scouts and soccer. We'll worry and stress about bills and pray we won't get laid off from our jobs, all the time wishing we were teenagers again."
She's got a point.
"Go back to sleep, Jess. Sorry."
It's not long before my roommate's soft snore sounds in the room.
I stare at the clock; it reads 1:11 a.m., 4:11 a.m. back home. Sleep does not come quickly ... or last long.
Before I know it, Ms. Morning Person, Jessica Spencer, is bouncing off the walls like she's had about ten 5-Hour Energy drinks.
"Good mooooorning, Kendall," she sings out. "It's a beautiful day in the mountains with the sun shining and the trees waving to us."
I crack my eyes open. "Are you on some sort of mood-altering medication?"
"Fresh air, baby, fresh air. I've grown up with the smog of the LA area. You've got to give me this."
"Whatever," I say with a snicker. I swing my feet around and drag my East Coast ass out of bed. Jess is already showered, madeup, and dressed to go. I forgo a shower and drag the brush through my unruly, tangled curls. I throw on a woven tank top and my jeans after I brush my teeth and spray a little Secret on. I follow Jess out of the cabin and up to breakfast, wondering what exactly the day will bring.
"What am I smelling?" Harper Puckett asks when we all enter the large kitchen.
Chris is hard at work at the stove, oven mitts covering both her hands. "You kids sit at the table and help yourself to coffee, juice, or whatever."
Evan Christian, Ricky, and Carl all tromp in and join us at the table. I'm so not a coffee drinker, but following last night's lack of slumber, I'm going to need all of the caffeine I can get. I pour the thick black liquid into a mug and dump about five teaspoons of sugar in before topping it off with maybe half a cup of cream. Ahhh ... there, now that nasty, bitter coffee taste is covered up.
"Everyone sleep well?" Chris asks.
A couple of the guys let out grunts and I just sigh.
Chris smiles wide. "Oh, you Easties will adjust. And the mountain air will be amazing for you. Really clears your head"
For now, I'll settle for feeding my stomach.
We all sit at the long table and pass around Chris's culinary creation of sausage-egg-and-cheese bread pudding. It's soft and creamy and exactly what I need to get the day going. Maddie, Erin, and Harper are deep in a discussion about some girl at their high school who e-mailed them about some drama that's going on ... I can't keep up. Evan Christian and Carl are talking about who believes in the Loch Ness monster and/or Bigfoot. Are they serious? Ricky and Greg both seem half asleep, and Micah and Jess are discussing what's on each other's iPods. I shovel in the egg-and-sausage mixture and reach for seconds, wondering where Patrick is this morning.
No, no ... don't think about him.
Willowmeana and Talking Feathers, as reserved as both of them are, have their heads bent together and are chatting quietly. Everyone is already beginning to pair off, even before we've had our first meeting with the counselors. Is this why we came here? To hook up?
Of course, that leads me back to thoughts of Patrick. And memories of my dream.
That kiss felt so real.
Then again,
he's
real.
I need to get him out of my head. I need to get my head in the game. Focus on why I'm here and what I'm doing.
"So who's
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