troop back toward camp, up a long hill that had seemed
a lot easier on the way down. By the time they got back, they were hot and
tired and even hungrier.
Unfortunately,
Brandi hadn’t made much progress on the fire. In fact, she hadn’t made much
progress on anything. Her own tent was still flat as a pancake and Paige didn’t
even see her tent. With a sigh, Paige, directed Jess toward the fire, giving
her instructions on how to feed it and, making sure the kerosene was well out
of reach, she went over to help Brandi.
“Everything
okay?” Paige squatted down next to the blonde, who sat in the middle of her
flat tent with her knees up, arms crossed, face buried in them. “Need some
help?”
“Oh
no, I’m fine.” Brandi sniffed, lifting her head and wiping at her tear-stained
cheeks. “Just peachy. Everything is just grand.”
Paige
frowned at the blonde’s tears. She couldn’t fathom the reason for them.
“What
happened?”
Brandi
sniffed and pointed toward the trees. Paige followed her direction and her gaze
fell on something she instantly recognized. It was her own tent, caught high up
in a tree, tangled in the branches.
“How
in the hell…?” She blinked in surprise, looking back at Brandi, trying not to
throttle her.
“I’m
sooo sorry,” Brandi wailed, burying her face in her hands. Her words were
muffled and interrupted intermittently by sobs. “The wind took it! I ran after
it, but I couldn’t catch it in time. And then… and then…”
“Then?”
Paige prompted, staring at her tent caught in the tree, seeing the giant hole
in the side that definitely shouldn’t have been there.
“Then
I tried to get it down,” Brandi wailed. “I tried climbing and I did this!”
She
held up her hands, ripped to shreds by the bark.
“And
then I fell and did this.” Brandi turned her leg to the side, showing her a
decent sized gash on the side. “So I tried using the tent poles, but they got
caught. And then… your tent ripped…”
Paige
watched as the girl started sobbing again, uncontrollably this time. She was
clearly, completely overwhelmed and the other girls were starting to notice.
Without their fearless leader, Paige feared they would have anarchy on their
hands. Besides, while Brandi clearly had bitten off more than she could chew
with this trip, she didn’t deserve to be sitting in the middle of the woods
crying about a ripped tent and a lackluster campfire.
“Okay,”
Paige soothed, putting her hand on the girl’s arm. “It’s okay. We’ll fix it.”
“Paige,
I’m starving!” Jess skipped over toward them, complaining the whole way.
“Jess,
listen.” Paige stood, screening her view of the sobbing Brandi. “Go in the
cooler and get the hot dogs. You and the girls start cooking, okay? I’m going
to help Brandi get her tent up and we’ll be right there.”
Jess
cocked her head, frowning, but she didn’t question her sister’s instructions.
“Come
on,” Paige said, holding out her hand to the blonde. Brandi’s nose was red from
crying, her cheeks streaked with dirt. “Let’s get your tent set up.”
It
didn’t take them long, with Paige’s instruction, to get the little two-man pup
tent up. It wasn’t as nice as Paige’s, but it also didn’t have a giant hole
ripped in the side. She didn’t know what she was going to do without a tent all
weekend, but she’d cross that bridge later.
“I’m
really, really sorry about your tent.” Brandi looked mournfully up into the
tree. “I’ll pay you back for it.”
“Do
you have a first-aid kit in here?” Paige asked, going through Brandi’s gear.
“Of
course,” she scoffed, holding her hand out for the bag. “Here.”
Paige
handed it over and Brandi produced a hard-backed first-aid kit complete with a
red cross on the front and a Girl Scout logo in the corner.
“What
are you doing?” Brandi asked as Paige crawled into the two-man tent.
“Get
in here,” Paige called.
“I’m
so sorry.” Brandi
a lot easier on the way down. By the time they got back, they were hot and
tired and even hungrier.
Unfortunately,
Brandi hadn’t made much progress on the fire. In fact, she hadn’t made much
progress on anything. Her own tent was still flat as a pancake and Paige didn’t
even see her tent. With a sigh, Paige, directed Jess toward the fire, giving
her instructions on how to feed it and, making sure the kerosene was well out
of reach, she went over to help Brandi.
“Everything
okay?” Paige squatted down next to the blonde, who sat in the middle of her
flat tent with her knees up, arms crossed, face buried in them. “Need some
help?”
“Oh
no, I’m fine.” Brandi sniffed, lifting her head and wiping at her tear-stained
cheeks. “Just peachy. Everything is just grand.”
Paige
frowned at the blonde’s tears. She couldn’t fathom the reason for them.
“What
happened?”
Brandi
sniffed and pointed toward the trees. Paige followed her direction and her gaze
fell on something she instantly recognized. It was her own tent, caught high up
in a tree, tangled in the branches.
“How
in the hell…?” She blinked in surprise, looking back at Brandi, trying not to
throttle her.
“I’m
sooo sorry,” Brandi wailed, burying her face in her hands. Her words were
muffled and interrupted intermittently by sobs. “The wind took it! I ran after
it, but I couldn’t catch it in time. And then… and then…”
“Then?”
Paige prompted, staring at her tent caught in the tree, seeing the giant hole
in the side that definitely shouldn’t have been there.
“Then
I tried to get it down,” Brandi wailed. “I tried climbing and I did this!”
She
held up her hands, ripped to shreds by the bark.
“And
then I fell and did this.” Brandi turned her leg to the side, showing her a
decent sized gash on the side. “So I tried using the tent poles, but they got
caught. And then… your tent ripped…”
Paige
watched as the girl started sobbing again, uncontrollably this time. She was
clearly, completely overwhelmed and the other girls were starting to notice.
Without their fearless leader, Paige feared they would have anarchy on their
hands. Besides, while Brandi clearly had bitten off more than she could chew
with this trip, she didn’t deserve to be sitting in the middle of the woods
crying about a ripped tent and a lackluster campfire.
“Okay,”
Paige soothed, putting her hand on the girl’s arm. “It’s okay. We’ll fix it.”
“Paige,
I’m starving!” Jess skipped over toward them, complaining the whole way.
“Jess,
listen.” Paige stood, screening her view of the sobbing Brandi. “Go in the
cooler and get the hot dogs. You and the girls start cooking, okay? I’m going
to help Brandi get her tent up and we’ll be right there.”
Jess
cocked her head, frowning, but she didn’t question her sister’s instructions.
“Come
on,” Paige said, holding out her hand to the blonde. Brandi’s nose was red from
crying, her cheeks streaked with dirt. “Let’s get your tent set up.”
It
didn’t take them long, with Paige’s instruction, to get the little two-man pup
tent up. It wasn’t as nice as Paige’s, but it also didn’t have a giant hole
ripped in the side. She didn’t know what she was going to do without a tent all
weekend, but she’d cross that bridge later.
“I’m
really, really sorry about your tent.” Brandi looked mournfully up into the
tree. “I’ll pay you back for it.”
“Do
you have a first-aid kit in here?” Paige asked, going through Brandi’s gear.
“Of
course,” she scoffed, holding her hand out for the bag. “Here.”
Paige
handed it over and Brandi produced a hard-backed first-aid kit complete with a
red cross on the front and a Girl Scout logo in the corner.
“What
are you doing?” Brandi asked as Paige crawled into the two-man tent.
“Get
in here,” Paige called.
“I’m
so sorry.” Brandi
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