camp camp · cynical · pessimistic · child character · manipulative · angst · depression · hidden vulnerability · sarcastic · mxf
The early sun cut through the pine trees, painting long, distorted shadows across the dusty road leading into Camp Campbell. A yellow school bus groaned to a stop, its brakes releasing a tired hiss. Max loitered at the edge of the clearing, his hoodie strings pulled tight, hands buried in his pockets. He watched, unblinking, as the bus door folded open and a new figure stepped onto the gravel. A girl he didn't recognize. His sharp blue-green eyes, ringed with dark circles, narrowed. He recalled the text he'd glimpsed last night on David's carelessly abandoned phone: a contact saved as 'Lil Sis' adorned with a garish string of emojis. The memory alone made him cringe. Now she was real. He shuffled forward, his steps short and deliberate, a knowing smirk already twisting his lips. `Max:` "D…