15. Fifteen
Fifteen
Xavier
My night with Toni on the water was the only thing that sustained me through the days that followed.
The feeling of her pussy squeezing my cock, the way her ass felt in my hands as I fucked her, and the way she finally came apart for me, with soft keening mewls.
I was desperate to repeat the experience, but it was too dangerous.
Ever since his recent return to the property, Francis had taken his stalker act to new heights.
He was everywhere. Even during programs. The next morning, I’d swung by the docks after the second picked program, only to see that insane speedboat, turning in circles around the edge of the docks and swim area with Francis at the wheel.
Yesterday, while overseeing an intense game of capture the flag during Drop-ins on the Activities Field, I’d caught him, out of the corner of my eye, as he paced the length of the beach for the duration of the free swim Toni was busy lifeguarding.
I also watched as the other guards’ eyes went wide when she blew the final whistle, and he basically manhandled her out of the guard chair, dragging her away by the elbow.
I longed to stop him. To put an end to him right then and there. Just like I’d been longing to do for months. The only thing that stopped me was Toni’s pleas. She was terrified of what fresh hell that might unleash.
“At best, he’ll kill you,” she said, “At worst, he’ll kill everyone. Or my father will.”
Initially, I hadn’t been convinced, not until last night.
Hidden, as we usually were at the back of her cabin, she’d explained about the gun.
The gun she swore Francis carried, concealed on his person, twenty-four hours a day.
Even here. No way would I risk my wild girl–or fuck, even any of the other idiots around us.
If something happened to one of the kids, well, Toni would never forgive herself. Or me. So that stayed my hand.
Not that it stopped my mind from spinning out of control all on its own.
This morning, I’d woken up alone, as usual, in my own little cabin, and despite the warm July we’d been having, I was chilled.
At some point during the night, I’d kicked the blankets off my cot, and they were now strewn all over the floor, which was already covered in the camper files I’d been slowly collecting.
Not that my search was going all that well. Rachel was far too common of a name.
The same old nightmares about my sister continued to plague me. The ones from that day, of searching for her, screaming her name over and over again in the hopes that she’d appear. She never did, not in real life, nor the dreams. Now, it wasn’t only her name I screamed, but Toni’s, too.
That fear and dread stuck with me all morning.
Worries about my girl, or what Francis would do if he ever caught us together, made my pancakes turn to cardboard in my mouth.
But I also couldn’t help myself. Staying away from Nettie was impossible, and I would take any risk to spend just one minute listening to my wild girl laugh or feeling her lips on my skin.
Which was exactly what I was doing today.
Taking a risk to see my girl because I needed her.
Usually, late afternoons were quiet. After the lunch and the free period of drop-in activities, kids spent the rest of the time before dinner hanging out in the cabin groups.
This meant cabin leaders and junior program staff were occupied, but the rest of us were free to use this time however we needed to.
Often, I spent the time in the small supply shack at the far corner of the activities field, re-inflating soccer balls or checking the state of the climbing ropes.
Other times, I was doing fucking laundry.
The mesh jerseys the kids used during team sports stunk up the space if they weren’t washed at least once a week.
There was also just the straight up planning, which sometimes required all of us non-counselling staff to work together, whether to organize camp-wide games or special events, and traditions like section campfires or the all-along-marathon.
Today, after coaching an hour-long volleyball game on the small sandy court sandwiched at the end of the beach, I was now edging my way toward the Village.
Until I noticed Brennon exit the office, leaving the door open and the space dark behind him.
Tucked behind one of giant maples that bordered the Centre Circle, I waited until he was gone before moving towards the office.
Brennon and I hadn’t spoken more than two words to one another since staff training.
Even in staff meetings, he refused to meet my stare. But I noticed he did meet Cole’s.
Regardless, I had to take any opportunity that came my way to scan the camper files, even if it meant cutting into my time with Toni.
She would understand. My wild girl was just as invested in my search as I was, especially if it meant confirming our suspicions that Holly’s disappearance last summer was connected to Rachel’s.
The office was deserted. Yet again. It was hard to believe how easily I’d been able to access Jack’s office lately.
That fuckwit was missing in action more than ever before, but even Brennon and Riley seemed to be spending a lot of time away from their desks.
Not surprising, in Riley’s case. As a junior, he was probably helping with cabin programs, or, more likely, he was too busy fucking Abbi’s brains out.
Brennon’s frequent absences made less sense, but as my eyes scanned over the top of his desk, I had to wonder how he ever did anything given the fucking state of it.
There were papers strewn everywhere, and about six different pens–all with the ends chewed to bits–littered across the various stacks of paper.
The urge to sweep every last bit of mess into the trash had me rolling my shoulders and pushing past his space towards Jack’s open door.
Thanks to the windows at the back of Jack’s office, daylight filtered in, allowing me to see every inch of the space clearly.
Three large filing cabinets took up one whole corner of the room.
Because Jack was a dinosaur when it came to record keeping, and because the internet out here was so shitty, he always made sure there were printed copies of every camper file ever.
Fuck, mine and Toni’s were probably in those same cabinets.
But I wasn’t focused on our history right now.
The last two times I’d gotten in here, I snaked files from the centre cabinet, but the records I’d pulled had been too recent.
This time, I opted for the one, closest to the corner, guessing that it held the older records.
I crouched down, bouncing on my heels and just as my fingers hooked around the cool metal handle, a door behind me creaked open and slammed shut. I burst to my feet and spun, planning to make excuses to Riley, or Brennon, or Jack. Instead, I was greeted by Stephanie’s smiling face.
“Xavi,” she squealed, her use of my nickname rankled. I didn’t mind when Toni, Bren, or Cole called me that, but no one else. Even my mother and father referred to me exclusively by my full name.
“What are you doing in here?” She asked, walking to the edge of the open doorframe and leaning against it. She was still smiling, but her eyes were darting around the room, searching for any clues for my presence here.
“Waiting for Jack,” I answered, “I needed to talk to him about maintenance for the climbing wall, but of course, he’s nowhere to be found.” I rolled my eyes and shrugged.
That seemed to do the trick as she nodded, and her eyes refocused on me. I was still fixed in place near the corner, but Stephanie started to move, crossing the threshold and walking towards me. Beams of sunlight streaked the floor, her shadow breaking through them as she got closer.
“I’ve been missing our runs this summer.”
“Oh, yeah?” I muttered, looking around her for the easiest route out of here.
Only vaguely listening, Stephanie’s voice sounded mostly like white noise.
Although I did make out some bullshit about how hard she was forced to work and how the youngest of the Land Elites were too slow to keep up with her during training.
My attention only snagged back on her words when she moved, stepping even closer to me, “You were the only one who could ever outpace me.”
“I outpace everyone.”
She licked her lips and smiled. I tried to step around her. She stepped with me. I stepped back. She stepped forwards.
It was like a bad dance. The words ‘Fucking move’ were on the tip of my tongue, but I was saved from being my typical rude self by another slap from the door and the appearance of an out-of-breath Brennon.
His blue eyes took in the scene, then he growled, “Xavier…” He dragged out the end of my name, “Come here.”
Happy for a reason to get the fuck out of Jack’s office, I darted around Stephanie, who whined, “But Xaviiiii…”
“Fuck off, Stephanie,” barked Bren as he opened the door behind him and pointed for her to get out. She grumbled, but headed toward him and the door, while I leaned back against his desk, happy to stay out of her path.
As she stormed past him, she spat, “I liked you better when you were fucking with the Barrett bitch.”
Her mention of Toni made me want to push her out the door. Or maybe down the stairs. Brennon just cast half smile at her that only turned her face more sour.
“That’s okay. I never liked you at all,” which he followed up with a Brennon special, laughing right in her face. I couldn’t help but chuckle, too, as she stormed off, huffing as she went.
With her gone, it was just Brennon and I.
Alone. For the first time since he decided to act like a little bitch last August. Our eyes met and the small, shared moment of laughter at Stephanie’s expense died.
He began to play with the piece of metal stapled through his lower lip.
Fiddling with it for a few more seconds, he finally spoke, “We need to talk to you.”
“Who’s we?”
“Cole and I.”
“Since when are you and Cole a ‘we’?"