Sunday Morning

“My fucking back hurts,” Brian bitched for the ninth time since waking up on that piece of plywood they call a mattress. He was going to have to get his spine realigned by the end of this. He should sue Mikey and the camp.

“Would you just shut up, it’s not like everyone else slept great,” Mel bitched back.

He didn’t know what was going on but from the looks between her and Lindsay, he would guess there was trouble in Muncherland.

“I have to side with Brian, those beds are going to put me in an earlier grave,” Carl said.

Carl wasn’t one for meeting new people, so he just stuck with them. A few times he looked uncomfortable with their jokes or affection to one another but that was getting less and less. For being an old, straight cop, Brian kind of liked him. He was grumpy and Brian had that in common with him.

“They’re not that bad, I feel fresh as a daisy,” Emmett said, smiling widely at them.

Brian rolled his eyes, he was dead, and this was hell, he knew it. He let his eyes wander around the dining hall. They landed on the blonde counselor. He was sitting with a dark-skinned girl and a tall, built man with a shaved head and a rainbow-colored necklace. Brian had found his next target for the day; he would wait on the twink.

“Did you see what your first activity this morning is?” Ted asked, pushing his gruel around his plate.

Brian did his best not to groan, he forgot they had scheduled activities.

“I have arts and crafts; we’re paired with Cedar and Hawthorn.” Mel said.

“Nature studies with Ash and Birch,” Lindsay said, looking less than pleased.

“Don’t fucking look at me, I don’t have a clue,” Brian said as eyes turned to him.

“We have music appreciation with Elm and Oak,” Michael added. 

“Kill me now,” Brian groaned.

After breakfast he followed his cabin to a clearing far away from all the other activities areas. There was a stump in dead center and surrounding the stump were 12 musical instruments. They weren’t normal instruments that he was used to seeing though.

“I’m glad everyone could make it here. This is musical appreciation and I’m Ethan. Please take a spot behind an instrument but don’t pick it up yet.”

Brian stepped behind a drum looking thing. Michael was next to him behind a box looking thing. This was going to suck and not in the good way.

“Alright, when I point at you, say your name and what you think your instrument is,” the rat faced boy said.

He pointed at Michael and Michael looked down at his instrument before looking back up. “My name is Michael, and this looks like a box.”

Ethan smiled condescendingly at Michael, making Brian want to wipe the smug smile off his face. Only he could make fun of Michael’s stupidity, he had earned it.

“That’s a Chemnitzer concertina, it’s from the hand-held bellows-driven free-reed category. But you are right, because sometimes they are called squeezeboxes. It’s an amazing history but we don’t have time to get into it now. This one is German though.” He then pointed to Brian and Brian saw how the boy’s eyes devoured him.

“Brian. No idea.”

“In front of Brian is a Tan-tan, they are from Brazil and are in the percussion family.”

It was the longest hour of Brian’s life. That was saying something since he remembered never ending church services with his mother. Next, they had an hour free time before arts and crafts. They all met back up in the entertainment lounge, mostly because it had air conditioning.

“How was music appreciation?” Lindsay asked.

“I wanted to gauge my eyes and ears out,” Brian said.

“We didn’t even get to play any of the instruments,” Michael pouted.

“That’s stupid,” Mel said.

Brian hated to agree with Mel, but it was, all they got to do was look at the damned things while Ethan talked. It was mind-numbingly boring.

“How was Arts and Crafts?” Lindsay asked Mel.

“You’re going to love it, Linz. Our instructor was a sweet blonde boy who couldn’t be older than eighteen. He’s so talented but made sure the class was about the students, not himself.”

“Oh, I don’t have arts and crafts today,” Lindsay said a little sadly.

“I only have one question,” Brian said. Everyone looked at him. “Did they at least drain and bleach the pool after the rugrats left? I don’t want to swim around in piss, that’s not my kink.”

“And what is your kink?”

Brian looked up and saw the buff, bald man from earlier. His voice was smooth, and he looked even better up close. He was wearing the Camp Moonlight t-shirt that was at least two sizes too small, showing every muscle on him.

Brian was just about to say something, but the man looked up and his whole face changed. One second it was full of lust then it was full of something else, wonderment if he had to guess. Brian looked to where the man was looking now. He saw his cabin counselor walking in with the young woman he ate with earlier. At first, he thought the man was looking at the girl, after all he could be bi. But the girl split off and Baldy’s eyes followed Blondie.

Baldy’s left without even giving Brian a backward glance.

“Blondie needs to watch out, that’s obsession level there,” Brian said.

“He came into our class too. It was a bit weird. It took Justin a little get him to leave. But it didn’t look like he was uncomfortable with him,” Mel said.

Brian shrugged; it wasn’t his business. Maybe fucking the stalker wouldn’t be a good idea. Bunny boilers weren’t really his type.

Justin smiled as Blue headed his way. He really liked Blue; he was a true friend.

“Hey, is the pool ready to open yet? I’ve had several inquiries,” he asked Blue.

“Yeah, it’s ready for the gate to open. I’ve got the lifeguard schedule. You’re on it evenings from six to seven.”

“Thanks, I’ll put it down on my notebook. So…have you asked this mystery man out yet?” Justin asked.

Blue had a crush on someone, and it was driving Justin crazy. Blue also worked with Uncle Dan in Pittsburgh like Justin. He was in school to be a Registered Nurse. Blue was one of the most caring and decent people he knew, whoever this mystery man was, he was incredibly lucky.

“No, haven’t gotten up the nerve yet. But the stud at the pool table might be a welcomed distraction.”

Justin turned slightly to see the pool tables. Once he saw Brian there, lining up to take a shot there was no doubt who Blue was talking about.

“No sex,” Justin said, laughing.

Blue laughed with him. The no sex rule was Uncle Dan’s overly hopeful idea to have this closest to a child’s summer camp as possible. He remembered his summer camp though; he was sure that his counselors were hooking up right and left.

“Oh, I’ve heard something that is a little distressing and was wondering what you think,” Blue said.

“Sure, what is it?”

“You know I don’t like to speak bad about people, but I’ve had a complaint about Ethan. I was wondering if I should tell Uncle Dan.”

Justin tensed up, just like he did every time Ethan’s name was said. “What’s going on? Who complained?”

“Well, I don’t feel right sharing who it was, I hope you understand.”

“Of course.”

“He just said that last night after dinner Ethan approached him and hit on him. The guy turned him down and didn’t think much of it until this morning, he said that he came back after breakfast to grab something out of his duffle bag and Ethan was there in the room messing with his stuff. It’s not Ethan’s cabin, he had no reason to be in there.”

The unease in Justin’s stomach began to grow. He was now aware what a sick bastard Ethan was but there were others not in the know. “That does sound like something that you need to report to Uncle Dan,” he said honestly.

Blue nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I just hate ratting on Ethan, makes me feel like a tattletale.”

“You’re not, you’re doing your job to keep everyone safe, just remember that.”

Justin had just gotten done with his shift as lifeguard and didn’t have anything else to do for the night until head count at lights out. The six to seven lifeguard shift was the best because dinner was at a half past six. That meant as soon as the last person left the pool, he could shut the gate and lock it up. Daphne would have his dinner waiting for him when he got to the dining hall.

As he was taking the short cut behind the cabins, he heard a noise. It was moaning, loud moaning. At first, he thought someone was in pain, so he slowly made his way from where the sounds were coming from.

It was still pretty light out because sundown didn’t usually happen until after eight around this time of year. Because of that he was able to see the show that was being put on for anyone to see. There was Brian Kinney in all his glory fully dressed except for his cock that was out, not that Justin could see it. That was because it was buried in Blue who was moaning loudly.

He had known that Blue wanted Brian but deep down he kind of hoped Brian wasn’t that easy. It looked like he had been wrong to assume that. Feeling stupid for his little crush on Brian, he turned and headed quickly back to his cabin, not feeling like dinner anymore. There were more than enough counselors in the dining hall already.

He buried his face in his pillow as he screamed into it. It would figure the first guy he felt attracted to since that night and that man got around. There was also the issue with Blue, he hoped he didn’t get his heart broke; he was so tenderhearted. He wasn’t Justin’s type, but Justin had wished he were when he got to know him. But you can’t make someone have feelings for another. Just like you couldn’t choose who your attracted too, if he could it wouldn’t be the gorgeous man fucking his friend up against a tree that Justin had drawn under before. He would no longer be doing that.

A little while later he felt a hand on his back, rubbing circles. He figured it was Daphne, she always knew when he needed her.

“It’s alright, just let it out,” a familiar, kind voice said.

For a split second he tensed up when he realized it wasn’t Daphne but calmed instantly when he realized it was Uncle Dan.

Turning around to see him, Justin wiped the tears away from his face. “Sorry,” Justin mumbled.

“It’s fine. Tell me, what’s wrong? Has someone hurt you?” Uncle Dan asked, his protective mode intact.

“Nothing, no one hurt me. I did this to myself.”

“Hmm…”

“Really, I’m fine. I just got a stupid crush on one of our campers, he’s gorgeous. It just turns out the fantasy I was running through my head was just that…a fantasy.”

“Oh, Justin, one day you will find someone to treat you like the prince you are. Until then, you just concentrate on yourself. You are still so young and have been through so much. Pain makes art meaningful, or so I’ve heard.”

Justin smiled; he had told that to Uncle Dan once. “Thanks.”

“So, tell me about who this young man is who’s turned your head.”

“It’s stupid, he’s way out of my league.”

“Impossible. Well, have your secrets. Ms. Chanders has informed me that you haven’t eaten. I’ve instructed Rodney to keep the kitchen open for you. Go on now, you know how he gets about being late watching his stories.”

Rodney the camp cook was the only one in the camp, besides Uncle Dan, that was allowed electronics. His cabin was next to Uncle Dan’s and he had a television and old vcr hooked up to it. He recorded soap operas during the week and would binge them on the weekend.

“Fine, I wouldn’t want Rodney to go after me the with the rolling pin again.” He had accidently cut the power to Rodney’s cabin at the conclusion of an excessively big cliff hanger.