Camp Firewood --- Chapter one

                                              *****Chapter one*****


         The tall, thin yet muscular brown haired boy walked into the room and everyone became silent. He was wearing a dark leather jacket and some faded jeans. His collared shirt was popped up. He looked to be the quintessential surfer kid from California however he was a long way from there. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses and since he grew at least a foot over the school year, nobody recognized him. He had known most of these people for two years and yet none of them could recognize him. They all just stared at him. He knew that this year was going to be different but not that different.
He quickly looked around smiled and took off his shades and everyone went back to unpacking their stuff.  Jackson took in a deep breath and started to take it all in. He was finally back at the one place he had missed over the last nine months. Without Steve however, Jackson was going to have to prove himself this year. Nobody took him serious without his friend around. In the years previous, he had won games sure but everyone always swore that it was because Steve had helped him. He knew better. Steve could have helped him whenever he wanted him to but he never did. Jackson could not let other people do his work; it was not like him to. In addition, he would have never heard the end of it from the other six people here.
         They were the camp counselors this summer like the summer before.  They were the same people; the same three boys and three girls; the same elite group of Camp Firewood.  They were the only people who were selected from the top players all over the country to coach eight teams. There were over four hundred applicants each year but only these eight were chosen and once you were in you stayed there until you left for college or for some unspoken reason decided to leave. They all tried to beat each other in games for the last two years. This year would be no different.
Jackson could smell excitement in the air. There was something about the camp that made it different from any other camp in the United States. He loved the game of soccer and this camp enhanced every movement he made on the field. He could run along the beach, play on one of the many practice fields, get lost in the desert and above all play the greatest game on earth. It was like love for a girl, it made life so much better than anything else could. Nothing could touch him when he was playing soccer or for this matter teaching it.
         Jackson swept his thin brown hair from his face and threw the sunglasses onto his bunk. It had his name on it like it had for the last two years. The normal folder was sitting on the bunk. He picked it up and set it down on the table next to his bunk. The folder was much too important to look at now. The bunk next to him was empty. He smiled as he stared at it remembering the last two summers here. They would have gotten away with murder if they wanted to. Jackson and Steve were the best of buds doing everything together including pranks but this time he would be without help or fun for that matter. It was time to get serious and mature a bit; something he had been working on since Steve sent the email telling him he would not make it this year because of his grandmother’s death.
         He had only two weeks to whip his new team into shape before real games started. Jackson had to rely on himself this year. There were no other choices for him. Everyone else would shift off into their own cliques or alone not willing to help anyone else out. Things were going to be great, he knew it. Steve may have won the two tournaments before now but this was Jackson’s year. He would be the last coach standing at the end of the tournament. He would have the best team and all the glory. It was his turn to show his skills to the world. That though was enough to put a smirk on his face.
         He was curious however, about who would replace Steve this year. There was always a replacement coach but there was no way this new guy could ever be as good as Steve.  The new guy would never be able to be as good. Jackson walked over to the bunk, which used to belong to his infamous partner in crime. The name was on the end of the bunk: Cali Mathews. A girl nonetheless.
         “A girl?” Jackson scratched his head.  A girl was going to replace his best friend. A girl was good enough to take his place amongst the rest of the counselors. He could not figure it all out. Sure the camp had girl coaches but each one of them was completely too girly in Jackson’s mind to amount to a good team winning the tournament. Not one girl had won in five years and even there it was not from the United States. All he could do was laugh. At least with another girl around he had less competition for the trophy at the end. Chuckling he walked over to the stereo system at the end of the cabin and put in some music.  The sweet sounds of the trumpet and jazzy trombone played through the cabin as he started to unpack. The rest of the cabin watched the boy walk back over to the bunk. It seemed that this year nothing would be different. Well, nothing but his attitude so far. He seemed calmer this year, as he had grown up a bit.
         “It’s sure not to last,” whispered Brie. “
         He unbuckled his huge red pack and started with the necessities. He pulled out three pairs of cleats, threw them under his bunk, and then pulled out soccer pictures placing them all over the table next to his bunk.  He then proceeded to pick out three jerseys and tossed them folded on a shelf above his bed along with a hat and his sunglasses. The rest was thrown up on top of the shelf above his bunk as the trumpet hit a high note. As the music winded to a trumpet solo Jackson sat down and pulled out his folder. Now he could look at it. The next track started which was a bit slower than the first but still of the same jazzy genre.
         The folder held his schedule and team roster for the next eleven weeks. The first thing he pulled out was the schedule of games. Planning was important when it came to training. In three weeks, all the teams would be traveling to Europe to play in France, Italy and England. If they beat out enough teams and earned up enough points.


COME BACK FOR MORE HERE SOON!