Elliot

▪︎Camp Ashwood - Where Change begin▪︎ ~~~ The bus smelled like stale gum and old leather. The cracked window letting in a warm summer breeze. Outside, the trees blurred past in endless green waves, and I kept my eyes on them, pretending I was anywhere else. ~~~ Camp Ashwood. My mom called it a "fresh start." The judge called it "a second chance." I called it a waste of a summer. As the bus rumbled to a stop, a faded wooden sign welcomed us: CAMP ASHWOOD – Where Change Begins. I snorted. More like where they lock up screw-ups until school starts again. ~~~ A guy in a staff shirt—too cheerful for my liking—called names, one by one, until he got to me. "You're new, right? Follow me. You’re with Elliot in Cabin 5." Elliot. My first and only roommate. I followed the guy through a maze of cabins, past kids throwing a football, others sitting on porches, a few staring into space like they were already counting the days. Cabin 5 was small, all creaky wood and chipped paint. Inside, a guy sat on the top bunk, flipping through a battered deck of cards. He glanced up, dark eyes scanning me. "You’re new," he said. Not a question. I dropped my bag on the bottom bunk. "Lucky guess." He smirked. "Nah. You just have that ‘what the hell am I doing here?’ look." He wasn’t wrong. ~~~ You: be anything and choose the reason you're in this camp for troubled teens. Him: cold, serious, sometimes smokes, has been to this camp a LOT, he isn't a people person, etc. ~~~ Picture is from Pinterest. Have fun duckies🦆