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At the end of the working week, Betsy took the chance to think on her campers. She loved them. Every single one of them. She had taken an oath to protect them, both as part of her duty as camp counsellor and to herself the moment she’d met each of them, and she would die before she actively chose to hurt any of them.
But she had also sworn to their parents that they would complete the camps that they were signed up for, which made for a conflict in her promises on days like today.
All through the week, she had been focusing on a camper a day, giving them each a long fix of their camp. Monday had been Exy camp for Kevin, which it turned out that all of her campers succeeded at, a surprising feat given that she herself knew nothing of the sport. Tuesday was Aaron’s science camp, which had left them with an order of beakers to come in soon after the ones they had either smashed or were melted down. Wednesday was Renee’s art camp, which had been the most peaceful day of camp the entire summer. Yesterday, Thursday, had been Matt’s boxing camp, which left half the campers bruised, though none more so than Neil who it was revealed was very good at starting fights and terrible at ending them (though Betsy supposed that he didn’t need to finish fights when Andrew was by his side to do it for him).
And next in line to fulfil their camp was Nicky, which left her in a tight spot.
“Why?” Kevin had asked when she’d brought it up, one of only two campers at this point who didn’t know, though given the tense look on Neil’s face, it was highly probable that Andrew had mentioned it to him at some point. “What camp did his parents sign him up for? It can’t be that bad, right?”
“Church camp,” said Nicky through a hoarse throat, and Kevin turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, apparently not understanding the significance. Nicky cleared his throat. “Pray away the gay camp.”
“Conversion therapy,” said Andrew with a sneer, tugging Neil closer to his side. “They sent him away to fix him.”
“But there’s nothing wrong with him?” Kevin looked confused down to his very soul. Perhaps that was why Nicky let out a low sob and rushed him, hugging him tightly before Kevin even realised what was happening. “What did I say?”
“It’s just nice to have the confirmation,” mumbled Nicky into his shoulder, and Kevin patted at his back awkwardly.
“There, there?”
Neil pressed his hip against Andrew’s. “Where’s the leaflet for Nicky’s camp?”
Betsy, always prepared, reached into her box folder and pulled out the leaflet for church camp, passing it over to Neil who looked through it with a close eye, pointing things out to Andrew every so often and receiving a nod or a shake of the head in response, sometimes even a whisper.
Finally, he looked back up at her and held it out to her. “We’ve got this.”
Never let it be said that Betsy was a coward. She regularly ventured over to Spooky Island, she had been perfectly willing to physically fight the Wood Scouts to get Neil and Andrew back, and she spent half of her time in the woods where she was almost certain an axe murderer resided. That being said, the idea of having to tell Nicky that there was something wrong with him for being gay didn’t sit right with her, and if her campers had a solution then by god, she was willing to let them do whatever they had to do.
Whatever they had to do apparently meant sitting Nicky down on the ground with Andrew sat on a tree stump above him and Neil on his lap. Betsy rested against a tree nearby, curious as to how things would play out. She often wondered if she was supposed to take a more active role in the camp activities but watching teenagers play at being adults was usually more fun.
“Hello,” started Andrew in a monotone. “My name is Andrew, and I am gay.”
Nicky said nothing. Betsy wasn’t really sure he knew what to say; she sure as hell didn’t.
“Hello,” chimed in Neil and from where she was stood, Betsy could see the way Andrew’s hand tightened against his waist affectionately. “My name is Neil, and I am… asexual? Demisexual? Somewhere in that zone.”
They looked at Nicky expectantly, and he cleared his throat again. “Hello,” he said, his voice shaking either from nerves or confusion. “My name is Nicky, and I am gay?”
“Hell yeah you are,” said Neil with a nod. “And that’s dope as shit.”
“Neil,” sighed Andrew, “what have I told you about trying out modern slang?”
“That I’m adorable and if I ever stop, you’ll cry?”
Andrew nodded and tapped at Neil’s nose. He scrunched it up, leaning into Andrew’s chest more, and though Betsy managed to hold in her coos, Nicky let out a loud ‘aw’.
Andrew snapped his fingers at Nicky. “Bingo. This-” he gestured between himself and Neil. “-is cute as shit, and is not diminished by the fact that we are both boys, correct?”
“Correct?”
“Good.” Andrew nodded. “You’re here today for church camp, correct?”
“Andrew, you know exactly why I’m here,” said Nicky, “we’re cousins. We were literally signed up together. I mean, albeit for different camps, but-”
“So what does the bible say about gay people?”
Nicky’s face fell. “That they’re wrong. That they are unnatural and that they are going to go to hell for their sins.”
“Ding dong, you are wrong,” chirped Neil. “Actually, the bible says that God is benevolent and that he will forgive sinners. He told us to love each other no matter what.”
“But…” Nicky looked, for a moment, more like a child than Betsy had ever seen him look. “But it’s a sin.”
“Love the sinner, hate the sin,” said Andrew. “You are not worth less in the eyes of God simply because you want to fuck men instead of women. God says that you are worthy of love because you are made in his image, and nobody should ever try to force you to be anything other than who he made you to be.”
Nicky was crying. Betsy was doing her best not to interfere with Neil and Andrew’s plan, but the moment the tears started spilling, they looked at her expectantly and she rushed forward to hug him to her tightly, and the way he clung to her dress made something inside her tear apart.
“I don’t want to go back to them,” he finally managed to choke out and Betsy wondered how she could ever have thought that she was prepared for any problems her campers brought to her. “I can’t go back. Please, please, please don’t make me go back.”
“As long as I am alive,” said Betsy slowly, “I will never let you go back there.”
“I’ve been so scared.”
“I know.” She stroked at his hair and kissed his head, and he practically melted into her embrace. “You have been so brave. You’ll never have to go back there again. You deserve to feel safe.”
**
“How many times have you repeated that shit to yourself?”
Andrew froze where he stood and Neil was at the entrance to their tent before he realised, turning around to face Andrew with a calm expression.
“How did you…?”
“I notice things.” Neil stepped forwards. “It applies to you too, you know? There isn’t a single thing wrong about us, or the fact that you’re attracted to men.”
“I know.” Andrew stepped forward too, taking Neil’s hand in his. “I know now, anyway. It was harder when I was younger. But I know there’s nothing wrong with this. There could never be anything wrong with this.”
“I think you might be the bravest person I’ve ever met.” Neil tilted his head as he shuffled impossibly closer. “Well, after Nicky. And Kevin. Oh, and I guess my mum is right up there as well. And Matt literally deals with addiction on a regular basis. And-!”
Andrew kissed Neil once, just quickly.
“Yeah,” mumbled Neil against Andrew’s lips. “You’re right. Everyone here is brave.”
“I didn’t say that.”
He grinned, pressing a kiss to Andrew’s nose. “You didn’t have to. I can read your mind, Drew.”
Andrew chuckled. “That must suck.”
“Nah,” shrugged Neil as he turned and made his way back into the tent, “I get to hear all sorts of flattering thoughts about me and my hair and my eyes and my bum.”
Andrew paused. “Wait, Neil, are you really reading my mind?”
“No,” said Neil, wiggling his eyebrows as Andrew entered the tent after him and saw the way he reclined back on the beds they’d pushed together. “But it’s nice to know that you think flattering things about my bum.” He wiggled his hips too, but then the beds split apart to leave him stuck in the middle. “Andrew, help.”
“No.”
“But…” Neil pouted, sticking his lower lip out and widening his eyes. “How am I meant to kiss you from down here?”
Andrew sighed. Outwitted, yet again.