It wasn’t a planned trip into the woods. I actually didn’t even want to go. Millie and Bobby forced me to go with them. They said there would be alcohol so of course also Billy and Piper came along. They wouldn’t say no to free alcohol. I wouldn’t either but I didn’t exactly fancy an idea of spending my last night of summer break in the middle of the woods. I was a city kitty, figuratively speaking. I have never even seen a campfire. Neither has Piper, for what it’s worth.
I was convinced I would be outsider because I was the only one without a partner. I mean, Millie had Bobby and Billy had Piper. I was a lone wolf. I didn’t want to sit all evening watching them snogging each other. But they had a surprise for me! Some girl from Piper’s school would join us! Phebe whatever-was-her-last-name was apparently free that night and would love to join us.
Piper was the only one who knew the girl. Apparently she was sweet, funny and liked Harry Styles’ song Sign of the Times. That was all we got.
“It’s a good thing! You will have someone to talk with!” had Piper said. I had showed him my tongue like a five-year-old.
So when they day came and Billy and Piper came to pick me up, Phebe was already sitting in the backseat. I stuffed my bag into the trunk and sat in the car next to Phebe.
“Hi, I’m Phebe”, she said and offered her hand.
“Did your parents misspell your name when they gave it to you?” I asked before I could stop myself. Not that I even tried that hard.
Phebe sighed, apparently sick of hearing that. “No, they did not. My name is missing the ‘o’ intentionally.”
“Why, though?” I asked.
“Be nice!” Piper said.
“They wanted something unique.”
“Well they got it.”
“So you don’t like my name?” Phebe asked and raised an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged.
“It’s whatever”, I said.
I really didn’t care. It was an okay name. I had just been curious. How lit would it have been if her name was Phebe because of a misspelling? That would have been interesting, not ‘I like one song by Harry Styles’.
“So”, I said after a long silence. “Are we there yet?”
“Don’t start!” Billy said and turned to look at Piper. “I told you we should’ve let Robin ride with Bobby and Millie!”
Piper turned to look at me.
“Don’t be annoying, okay? There’s nothing I can do if Billy decides to kick you out of a moving car”, she said.
I lifted my hands up and smiled innocently. “I will be as sweet as an angel. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
The car ride took four freaking hours but eventually we ended up in the middle of nowhere and got out of the car. It was that moment when I realised that they had not told me everything.
“Where’s Mils and Bob?” I asked.
“Already putting up the tents”, Piper said. “We should hurry so we can get there before food is ready.”
“You didn’t tell me we had to hike!” I complained.
“Seriously, Robin, I will beat your ass!” Billy said. “Stop complaining and enjoy the nature and – stop making that face!”
I returned back to my normal facial expression and sighed. “Fine. I won’t complain BUT I won’t enjoy this either.”
“I will enjoy on behalf of you then”, Phebe said.
Oh, how lovely! I thought and wrinkled my nose behind their backs. Piper didn’t stood up for me, Billy was annoyed with me and Phebe just seemed impersonal and boring. How great.
We hiked two hours before we finally reached the camp. I saw Bobby and Millie and literally ran towards them and jumped on them, wrapping my arms around them.
“Billy has been mean to me!” I said.
“Snitches get stitches!” Billy said as he walked towards us.
“See?” I said, proving my point.
“Hey, Robin”, Millie said and patted my back. I let go of her and Bobby and stepped back. “Did you complain the whole way here?”
“No”, I said.
“Yes”, said Billy, Piper and Phebe.
I looked at them murderously and crossed my arms. “Liars.”
“It’s your words against ours”, Billy said and grinned evilly.
I narrowed my eyes but Millie stepped in before I could say anything.
“Let’s lit up a campfire and grill some food, yeah?” Millie said and everyone agreed, including me because I was hungry.
While Bobby and Millie prepared our food, Piper, Billy, Phebe and yours truly put up our tents. I had to accept help from Phebe because apparently she knew how to do it and I did not.
We ate, talked, played stupid games like Truth Or Dare? and Never Have I Ever and we drank beer. A lot. By the time it was dark and all that was left from our campfire was dying embers, Piper, Billy, Bobby and Millie had disappeared into their tents. Probably to do something dirty. So it was only me and Phebe without an ‘o’.
We didn’t talk. We didn’t need to talk. The silence was satisfying and listening the dying embers’ rattling as they slowly faded away as darkness took over.
It was beautiful. I had thought that the campfire had been beautiful but I had been wrong.
Dying embers. Dying summer. It was somewhat poetic. I felt like the summer faded away alongside of the embers. Cold air tickled my neck and I looked at Phebe sitting on the other side of the embers. I could barely see her face. I wanted to open my mouth and say something beautiful about dying summer but no words came out. But she talked instead.
“I know”, she whispered and smiled, lowering her gaze back to the embers.
I was convinced I would be outsider because I was the only one without a partner. I mean, Millie had Bobby and Billy had Piper. I was a lone wolf. I didn’t want to sit all evening watching them snogging each other. But they had a surprise for me! Some girl from Piper’s school would join us! Phebe whatever-was-her-last-name was apparently free that night and would love to join us.
Piper was the only one who knew the girl. Apparently she was sweet, funny and liked Harry Styles’ song Sign of the Times. That was all we got.
“It’s a good thing! You will have someone to talk with!” had Piper said. I had showed him my tongue like a five-year-old.
So when they day came and Billy and Piper came to pick me up, Phebe was already sitting in the backseat. I stuffed my bag into the trunk and sat in the car next to Phebe.
“Hi, I’m Phebe”, she said and offered her hand.
“Did your parents misspell your name when they gave it to you?” I asked before I could stop myself. Not that I even tried that hard.
Phebe sighed, apparently sick of hearing that. “No, they did not. My name is missing the ‘o’ intentionally.”
“Why, though?” I asked.
“Be nice!” Piper said.
“They wanted something unique.”
“Well they got it.”
“So you don’t like my name?” Phebe asked and raised an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged.
“It’s whatever”, I said.
I really didn’t care. It was an okay name. I had just been curious. How lit would it have been if her name was Phebe because of a misspelling? That would have been interesting, not ‘I like one song by Harry Styles’.
“So”, I said after a long silence. “Are we there yet?”
“Don’t start!” Billy said and turned to look at Piper. “I told you we should’ve let Robin ride with Bobby and Millie!”
Piper turned to look at me.
“Don’t be annoying, okay? There’s nothing I can do if Billy decides to kick you out of a moving car”, she said.
I lifted my hands up and smiled innocently. “I will be as sweet as an angel. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
The car ride took four freaking hours but eventually we ended up in the middle of nowhere and got out of the car. It was that moment when I realised that they had not told me everything.
“Where’s Mils and Bob?” I asked.
“Already putting up the tents”, Piper said. “We should hurry so we can get there before food is ready.”
“You didn’t tell me we had to hike!” I complained.
“Seriously, Robin, I will beat your ass!” Billy said. “Stop complaining and enjoy the nature and – stop making that face!”
I returned back to my normal facial expression and sighed. “Fine. I won’t complain BUT I won’t enjoy this either.”
“I will enjoy on behalf of you then”, Phebe said.
Oh, how lovely! I thought and wrinkled my nose behind their backs. Piper didn’t stood up for me, Billy was annoyed with me and Phebe just seemed impersonal and boring. How great.
We hiked two hours before we finally reached the camp. I saw Bobby and Millie and literally ran towards them and jumped on them, wrapping my arms around them.
“Billy has been mean to me!” I said.
“Snitches get stitches!” Billy said as he walked towards us.
“See?” I said, proving my point.
“Hey, Robin”, Millie said and patted my back. I let go of her and Bobby and stepped back. “Did you complain the whole way here?”
“No”, I said.
“Yes”, said Billy, Piper and Phebe.
I looked at them murderously and crossed my arms. “Liars.”
“It’s your words against ours”, Billy said and grinned evilly.
I narrowed my eyes but Millie stepped in before I could say anything.
“Let’s lit up a campfire and grill some food, yeah?” Millie said and everyone agreed, including me because I was hungry.
While Bobby and Millie prepared our food, Piper, Billy, Phebe and yours truly put up our tents. I had to accept help from Phebe because apparently she knew how to do it and I did not.
We ate, talked, played stupid games like Truth Or Dare? and Never Have I Ever and we drank beer. A lot. By the time it was dark and all that was left from our campfire was dying embers, Piper, Billy, Bobby and Millie had disappeared into their tents. Probably to do something dirty. So it was only me and Phebe without an ‘o’.
We didn’t talk. We didn’t need to talk. The silence was satisfying and listening the dying embers’ rattling as they slowly faded away as darkness took over.
It was beautiful. I had thought that the campfire had been beautiful but I had been wrong.
Dying embers. Dying summer. It was somewhat poetic. I felt like the summer faded away alongside of the embers. Cold air tickled my neck and I looked at Phebe sitting on the other side of the embers. I could barely see her face. I wanted to open my mouth and say something beautiful about dying summer but no words came out. But she talked instead.
“I know”, she whispered and smiled, lowering her gaze back to the embers.