Chapter Text
Max stared blankly at the lunch table, nose scrunched into his face, chin cradled in his crossed arms. Fatigue weighed on his eyelids. Max’s eyes lazily followed a red ladybug that darted down through the air. The ladybug landed on the table and refolded its wings. As the bug explored its new surroundings, a second, smaller yellow ladybug landed gracefully at the other side of the table. Max’s first thought was Why are there so many ladybugs in here? But, he grudgingly remembered a lesson on sleepy peak, where he learned that sleepy peak was known for its famously high ladybug population. Something to do with climate and shallow flowers. Stupid David, making me learn things he thought.
The bugs turned to crawl toward each other. Max was bemused to find himself oddly invested in the two. He hoped for some sort of interaction. But, he was disappointed yet unsurprised to find the yellow ladybug simply flew away rather than meet with the other. As the first ladybug sadly crept its way around the area where the second had abandoned it, Max further nestled his face into his arms, tired, bored, and disgruntled.
“Aaaallllright, Campbell campers! Can you guess what day it is?” Max gave an aggravated groan and sank further into the table before propping his face back up and looking around the room at the other campers. They all stared dumbly around the room. It was decorated with pink construction paper hearts, red dollar store streamers, and cheap plastic wall decals of cherubs with bows and arrows. The campers stared back at David with a look of disappointment in his lack of subtlety. The only space for confusion was the fact that it was July and not even close to February. Which Max knew inevitably meant it was some kind of knock-off Valentine’s holiday.
“-That’s right! It’s Sweetheart’s day!” David answered to noone. Max internally cringed at the severe lack of creativity. He silently formulated a spiel about the commercial audacity of the holiday and its uselessness toward culture, on top of the overpriced crap it shoved down your throat through its intense marketing. But, he figured that might be too easy. Instead, he decided to oblige David.
“The hell is that?” That’s the nicest way he could put it. David raised his eyebrows and gave Max a well-rehearsed look which was his way of silently reminding Max to watch his language. At this point, both were growing tired of this routine, so they tried to cut it short as possible and move on. David continued, “This is the opportunity for you all to demonstrate your admiration for your fellow campers. This is the first time we’ve done this tradition in quite some time, so I’m very excited to celebrate with you all!”
Max didn’t have to think for more than a few seconds to figure out what was going on and everything that would inevitably go wrong with it. Immediately he thought of Gwen, and wondered why she wasn’t hyperventilating at the prospect of causing chaos and trying to matchmake campers. But, he then remembered that Gwen was gone for some kind of writing workshop several states away. That must be why David decided to bring the holiday back, knowing she wouldn’t be able to interfere.
David continued to go over rules and expectations, both of which were way overboard in Max's opinion, but were not surprising, at least. What did confuse Max, if only a little, was the rules David put against any romantic gestures. Now, Max was not into the idea of dating, no way. He simply had zero interest. He just found it laughable, all the romantic imagery contrasting with David’s strictly platonic ideals of the holiday. It just further proved his point that the holiday was nothing but aesthetics and commercialism. Then again, he was sure that even without Gwen’s interference, the other kids were likely to over-dramatize the entire thing by trying to be little adults and get into dating way too young. Max scoffed, like he could ever. He looked around the room at the other campers just to prove to himself he had no kind of connection whatsoever. Sure enough, he felt nothing. He was a bachelor for life.
“What the hell is Nikki doing?” Neil questioned, sitting next to him lazily folding some paper. Max hadn’t realized so much time had passed, David was gone and the campers had already moved on to making cards and crudely sewn stuffed animals. At some point his gaze had landed on his friend, Nikki. He suddenly realized he had no idea how long he had been staring. What the hell? Stifling at a gulp at a sudden realization, which he decided he would rather set aside for now, he finally registered what he was looking at. Nikki was across the mess hall at another table. Max hadn’t really wondered why she wasn’t sitting with him and Neil until that moment. He just noticed how quiet she had been that morning. He even passed her at the campgrounds. He tried to greet her with a “Sup, Nikk?” when she just walked by silently, sullenly, almost anxiously. It was odd, Max had never seen her walk so slow. Usually, she was at least going at a jog, perhaps a sprint or even a crawl at her most excited moments. But instead that morning she was just… walking. He chalked it up to that period thing she mentioned before. He had never quite figured out what that meant for Nikki, but preferred not to wonder too much about it.
Now in the mess hall, It’s almost as if her entire mood had flipped. She was standing on her seat, hunched over what could only be described as a mess of ripped soggy paper, glitter glue, and crayon scribbles. Max couldn’t see what was on it, but he doubted that even if he went over there he would be able to tell. Not just because of it’s messiness, but at how fiercely Nikki guarded it. There were campers who would pass behind or in front of her, joining friends or picking up more supplies in the plastic tub that sat at the counter at the other end of the room. And with every passerby Nikki would leap to cover her project and hiss and bare her teeth at any prying eyes. At one point she had completely jumped onto the table to shield the card with her body. Max rolled his eyes and grabbed Neil tightly by the arm, pulling him along.
“Alright, guess we gotta check this out.” He said blankly.
“Why?” Said Neil, trying to loosen Max’s grip, which was oddly tight, even for him. On the way to the table Max took a second to realize a switch in himself. Why was he angry? I mean, it wasn’t unusual for him to be, but why right now? Usually at this point it would be indifference, perhaps minor intrigue, even concern on a bad day, but anger? What was bothering him? The card? Nikki? He tried to assure himself it wasn’t but he quickly admitted that must be it. But why? He wasn’t quite sure. Neither boy was any less confused when finally approaching Nikki.
“Nikk, what the fuck are you doing?” Max choked, it was oddly more accusatory than he wanted it to come out. Instead of her hissing in response though, Nikki instead… squeaked. She grabbed her card a little too violently, crunching it into a ball of sticky paper and threw it across the room. Neil simply raised an eyebrow, standing there in confusion. Max meanwhile was preoccupied. That squeak, what was that? It was so small and sweet? Cute maybe? Ew, probably not. He pried further.
“What the hell was that?”
“Nothing, none of your business. I’m leaving now! BYE!” Nikki yelled.
Nikki jumped over the table and scrambled for the door, only to be grabbed by Max’s other arm, who was now holding two friends hostage. Nikki tried to wrestle herself out of Max’s grip. Biting, kicking and pulling. Max struggled to keep his hold on her. What am I doing? Why am I being so weird, stop being such a jerk, you ass! when he finally just asked it aloud.
“Were you making a card for somebody?”
The trio froze, in realization, embarrassment, and horror respectfully. Max sat there in disbelief. I really just said it, didn’t I? Is that what this was about? And he said it with such unwanted panic in his voice. He felt like he was caught for something he hadn’t even realized he did. He looked at Nikki and saw a fear in her eyes he hadn’t seen since spooky island. It filled him with such embarrassment, sadness, and a tender concern he hadn’t felt in a long time. The longer he looked into her eyes the hotter his hand felt wrapped around her arm. Eventually, after what felt like ages. Nikki took extreme measures. She licked his hand.
“BLEGH!” Max yelled, wiping his gross hand on Neil’s shirt, eliciting an annoyed noise of disgust from Neil as Nikki scampered off out the door. He looked after her, the flustered feeling in the pit of his stomach subsiding into an odd determination to solve this mystery. He turned to Neil and raised an eyebrow. Neil looked at him in confusion, looked at the door where Nikki had left, then looked back at Max with a similar look of skepticism.
“She’s got a secret crush or something, right?” Neil guessed.
“Yep,” said Max.
“You want to figure out who it is too, don’t you?”
“I guess so,”
“So, that’s a yes?”
“Fuck yeah.”
They sat back down at their table and got out a pencil and notepad. As Max tapped his finger against the wooden surface of the table, the small yellow ladybug returned, resting on his hand. He thought for a moment, raised his hand, and blew on the ladybug. His wish would be staying secret for now, not that he thought there was any chance of it coming true anyway. They scanned the room and began on the list.
Ered
Space Kid
Harrison
Preston
Nerris
Nurf
and Dolph.
From there, they started going down the list.