As I continued searching Jack went for help, returning with Cherri and Brian and a bunch of kids from my class who'd been waiting for me. I flipped chaotically from one place to another, coming back to the first not remembering if I'd looked hard enough. Jack organized us, splitting us into pairs and we fanned out along the lakeside. We started at the top of the camp and worked our way along. Perhaps someone had returned the vest to my cabin. I told Jack and he said: No, let's finish here first.

We took two hours. The light had started to fade when a fourteen year old girl called Annie shouted from beneath a stand of trees. I ran toward her, Jack and Cherri behind me, ducking beneath overhanging boughs. The trees grew down to the waterside here, some with their roots stretching out, branches touching the water.

Annie pointed beneath the surface. "There's something down here."

I leaned on a branch, peering into the lake. Hardly any light reached the water beneath the tree cover, but something showed under the surface, something light, and as I stared I realized it was my notebook, fallen open, floating half way between the lake bed and the surface. I didn't hesitate, plunging in, wading out as cold water rose to my chest. I ducked beneath the surface, eyes open, and retrieved the notebook, kept looking and glimpsed the vest on the bottom, weighted down with camera and lenses, lifting at one side where cans of film made it buoyant. I dived down, grabbed and missed, kicked down again and reached it.

My hair plastered across my face as I waded back out, notebook in one hand, vest in the other. Jack and Brian came to help me, taking an arm each though I hardly noticed. We ducked up through the trees, came out into a perfect evening and I dropped the vest and scrabbled around. The camera was full of water and I twisted the lens off and let the body drain. The 50mm lens had leaked water. I heard liquid slosh about inside as I shook the lens. The 35mm was damaged as well, but I had left my longer lenses in the cabin. I pulled the spoiled film out and stuffed it in a trashcan. Only when I surveyed the pieces scattered over the bench and discovered the ruined notebook containing all my notes going back over ten years did I lose it completely. Silent tears filled my eyes, trailed my cheeks and dripped onto the soggy pages and smeared ink. A lot of my life had been in those pages, a lot of memories, stupid numbers to most people but every scrawl meant something to me.

"Hey, babe, it's okay." Cherri knelt, put her arms around me and pulled my head onto her shoulder. She stroked my wet hair, lifted my face and kissed my eyes. "Can anything be fixed?"

"I'm not sure." My voice hitched. "Some. Not this."

"We'll get him for this."

"Who?"

"You know who. Greg. We'll pay him back some way."

"It might not-"

"Who else could it be?"

Jack and Brian hovered nearby. The kids and other helpers had all vanished. I'd have to find the girl who discovered my vest and thank her.

Cherri was right. Greg had done this. I'd hoped things might smooth over between us, but obviously he wasn't ready to let go yet.

"Why, Cherri? He's going out with Sara now. Why's he still picking on me?"

"Because he's a shit and a bully and he thinks he can. Well, he's not met anyone like me before. No-one messes with my friends. No-one."

"Leave it, Cherri. This stuff can be fixed. Most of it."

She stared into my face, no backing down in hers.

I dismantled the Nikon and laid the parts out in my room in the hope they'd dry out enough to be usable. Otherwise I'd be forced to use the cheap Praktica's supplied for the students. I couldn't tell if the 35 and 50 lenses would ever be okay. As they started to dry moisture remained trapped between the glass, a thin fog clouding them. At least I had the two longer lenses safe.

Cherri sat across from me on the spare bed, saying nothing, watching my fingers work. She stayed while I stripped out of my wet clothes, too stunned to worry about her seeing me naked, and when I dressed in another pair of pants and cotton shirt she laughed and said, "Christ, Dan, don't you have anything else to wear?"

I made a sound, half laugh, half cry. "I got a linen dress."

"Then why not wear it?"

"Keeping it for a special occasion."

"What special occasion?"

I shook my head. "Dunno."

"Saturday."

"Saturday what?"

"Special occasion. I'm gonna tell Brian he's driving us into town. We'll go paint the town red... or pink at least. We'll make a foursome. Me and Brian, you and Jack. Say yes, Dan."

"What if Jack-"

Cherri's laugh interrupted me. "Fuck, Dan, have you seen how he looks at you, those puppy dog eyes?"

"Really?"

Cherri rolled her eyes. "You don't realize what a babe you are. Jack's gonna come with us. You could get him to do anything you wanted."

I shrugged and Cherri laughed again, a dirty chuckle. "If you want him to do anything, that is."

I glanced at her. "Are you and Brian...?"

"Me and Brian what?" Her mouth turned up on one side.

"You are, aren't you!"

"Are what?"

"Ha. Don't play coy with me, Cheryl Redmond. You and Brian are doing the dirty thing. You are, aren't you?"

"Are we that transparent?"

"No. Not Brian. But you are."

"I've changed my mind. Go back to being blind, Dan." Cherri bounced to her feet, short skirt bobbing, hair bouncing. "Now, I'm completely starving. Let's go eat."

I stood and walked down to the canteen with her. Going in we met Greg and Sara coming out and he stopped, eying me up and down.

"I heard you went swimming this afternoon."

"You cunt!" Cherri got between us, punching his chest hard with both fists. "You leave her alone or you've got me to answer to."

Greg glanced down at her tiny frame and shivered. "Ooh, I'm scared."

"Good. You should be."

Greg laughed and pushed past her.

"Stick up to him, Dan," Cherri said. "Bullies always back down if you stand up against them."

"I don't want any trouble."

"You might not want trouble, but trouble's what you got, girl. You need to stamp on it right now or he's gonna make your summer hell."

"I'll be okay."

Cherri sighed. "Come on, let's eat." She thought I was a lost cause.

Jack and Brian were already at our table. They'd finished eating, obviously hanging around waiting for us to turn up, and Cherri sat down and told Brian he was taking us all to town whether he wanted to or not. Jack lifted his eyes to mine, shy, and I gave a half nod.

Chapter 13.

The drive into town was ten miles, and I enjoyed every single yard, sitting in back of Brian's car with Cherri, Jack and Brian up front, Jack leaning back and talking to us. Unbelievable scenery drifted past the lowered windows allowing pine scented air to billow in. Brian drove slowly, the twisting mountain road not allowing for anything else, and I was glad he wasn't one of those guys who needed to prove their macho credentials by squealing round every turn.

The town sign for Redwood told us "Pop. 7,000" but I had no idea where they'd all gone, the single main street completely deserted and we could have driven through the whole town inside a minute. Brian pulled up outside a diner with big glass windows and the imaginative name of Redwood Diner above the door. We'd arrived mid-afternoon but we'd all skipped lunch so went inside and sat at a window table, teenage kids the only other customers. The waitress appeared to be about thirteen, but I guess she must have been older. We ordered burgers with fries, extra onion rings for the guys and milkshakes all round. The food came fresh and hot and we ate slowly, relishing something not covered in a pale sauce. It felt good sitting in the sunlight coming through the window, laughing and joking about whatever came into our heads. Cherri and Brian sat on one side, Jack and I on the other: coupled up. Cherri fed some of her fries to Brian, making a show, his hand dropping several times to her thigh. Cherri made no move to discourage him. Jack was a gentleman, still unsure of me, I think.

Before we left camp, when Cherri and I had gone to our room to get ready, I'd been about to wear another cotton shirt and pants and Cherri, standing in just her bra and panties told me no way was I allowed to get away with that, so I wore my one dress, the linen freshly ironed but still creased from the journey down. I had no tights so my legs were bare, lightly tanned after wearing shorts since my arrival. Cherri tied my hair back and caught it in a large wood clip. She told me I should show my neck, it was one of my best features. She also waggled her eyebrows as she stared down into my cleavage and said for sure the boys were going to spend most of the afternoon staring too. All of this as she stood in front of me barely dressed, the heat of her body touching mine, her scent filling my head, the sound and presence of her making me dizzy.

Once Cherri satisfied herself I was ready she dressed quickly, a low cut tank top revealing the edges of a pale blue bra and another of her endless supply of filmy short skirts to display her stunning legs. When she twirled to show me the effect the skirt billowed up to reveal her panties, tiny pink ones that barely covered her ass. I waggled my eyebrows like Cherri had and we clutched each other, giggling as we left the cabin to meet Brian and Jack.

We hung around in the diner until six, ordering pie and coffee, finally walked out and crossed over to the shaded side of the street where a small bar had opened up. Worth a try, but the barman took one look and shooed us back outside.

"I don't want to drink anyway," Brian said.

"I do," Cherri said.

"I got two hot girls to look out for. Wouldn't want to drive off the road."

"Depends what distracted you."

Cherri teased Brian, touching him often, brushing up against him and as we strolled along the sidewalk I couldn't miss the effect she was having on him, the bulge in the front of his jeans obvious. Jack and I were getting on too, and when he took my hand I didn't pull away and let him swing it between us. Cherri winked, slipped her arm around Brian's waist and climbed up to kiss him on the cheek.

"What are we gonna do next then if we can't get drunk?"

"Anything you want," Brian said.

"I don't want to go back yet," Cherri said.

"What about this?" I stopped on the sidewalk so abruptly Jack kept going, tugging his hand free of mine. They turned and came back. I pointed at a ragged poster stapled to a telegraph pole.

"Live music, toniteawhy do people always write thataeight till late. Bar." Cherri read the poster and nodded. "Yeah, let's go dancing." She glanced at each of us. The guys were keen, so I nodded too. It could be fun.

The time was only seven so we walked back to the car and sat inside, this time Cherri and Brian in front, Jack and I in back. Although shaded now the car had been parked in the sun, roasting inside, sweat popping on my skin even with all the windows rolled down. We talked about camp and ourselves for a while and I discovered Brian had finished his first year in college, a year older than the rest of us. He went to Stanford, surprising me when he said he was studying film production. Someone less like a movie person I'd never met. Brian was good-looking enough, but he projected a no-nonsense, mid-western air that didn't match his obvious ambition.

After a while Cherri and Brian started kissing in the front seat and Jack's arm, which had been lying along the back of the wide seat, slipped down onto my shoulder. I watched Cherri's mouth being kissed by Brian, wondering idly what she tasted like, and when Jack's hand touched me I moved toward him, aroused and confused, a strange mood slipping over me. Maybe being away from camp, the novelty of being in adult company with no kids milling around, maybe the emotions I'd been trying to suppress about Cherri, but whatever the reasons I was horny as hell and when Jack moved closer I let him kiss me, and when his hand covered my breast I didn't stop him. My nipple came instantly hard against his palm and he rubbed his thumb across the obvious peak showing through my dress. Nothing was going to happen. We were parked on the side of the street, people walking past on their way to the gig, and after a while Jack and I stopped kissing and cuddled up together, neither of us talking. I felt good in his arms, experiencing the certainty of his strength around me.

More people started passing the car and Cherri said, "I think it's starting soon."

We climbed out, straightening our disheveled clothing and followed others down a side street to what must have once been a barn. Two bikers on the door took five dollars from everyone and Brian paid for us all. Inside the space was already half full, more people arriving all the time. A stage at one end held drums, an electric piano and guitars on stands. Black covered amplifiers hummed softly, lights blinking green and red. To the left of the stage a bar had been set up on wooden tables and we pushed our way through and this time no one asked for ID and we pushed back out with two bottles of beer each and stood to one side as the barn filled. The noise grew louder, voices rising as they were forced to talk over all the other voices and I had to lean in close to hear what anyone said, Brian's lips brushing my ear as he asked if I wanted more beer and I nodded and leaned in to Cherri and said, "This is fantastic."

She turned and put her mouth against my ear. "You and Jack seem to be getting on."

I grinned, changed position. "You and Brian too."

The two beers had given me a pleasant buzz, my body loose, ready to dance, ready to let my inhibitions go.

"I really like him," Cherri said.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "As in really like him?"

Cherri grinned. "Oh yeah."

I needed this. A chance to do something normal, to escape the hothouse confines of camp where I'd been obsessing about this girl.

Brian returned with more beer and I swallowed half my first bottle down so fast suds fizzed out my nose and Cherri howled with laughter just as a bunch of guys walked on stage and everyone moved forward, taking us with them.

A tall man with long hair and dark skin stepped to the microphone. He wasn't traditionally handsome, or even good-looking, but he had that thing, the charisma some musicians have. "Hi, I'm Adam and we're the Himalayans and we're gonna play you some loud fuckin' music tonight."

The moment he stopped the introduction the band came in strong, loud and perfect from the off and Adam sang in a soft-hoarse voice about someone on a beach and the four of us and the three hundred others around us all started jumping wildly up and down.

The band played two hours straight before announcing they needed a drink and would be back in thirty. Rather than disappear back stageaif a backstage existed and they hadn't just been hanging around out back of the barnathey jumped down from the stage and moved through the crowd to the bar. As the singer passed us Cherri caught his arm.

"You were fucking amazing," she said, and kissed him hard on the mouth. He looked surprised, then started enjoying himself.

When Cherri stepped back he nodded. "Thanks."

He moved on to the bar, progress slow as others wanted to say the same thing to him, the remaining band members ignored. He had something special, making it impossible to ignore him.

I'd sweated most of my earlier beer out, my linen dress clinging to my back, nipples showing through the front. Jack pushed up against me, kissed me, his hardness pressing against my belly and I wondered what I'd do about that later. Things were going fast, and I wasn't yet sure I was ready for them to go further.

Brian and Jack went to the bar and Cherri and I stood in the queue for the restroom. She slipped her arm round my waist and bumped against me.

"So are you gonna let him?"

I looked down at her grinning face. "Let who what?"

"Don't play innocent with me, babe. You and Jack. You gonna do the bumpy thing?"

"It's our first date, Cherri."

"So? I let Brian fuck me first time. Enjoyed it, too, both of us." Cherri broke up at the expression on my face, leaned in close and hugged me, lifting her face close to mine. "And from the signs, I think Jack's even bigger than Brian."

"I'm not gonna let him fuck me," I said, enjoying the way Cherri's boobs pressed against mine. I wondered if she was aware how stiff my nipples had grown, didn't care, so wet between my legs, not knowing if that was because of Cherri or Jack of just the atmosphere in the barn.

The queue moved a few paces and we shuffled along, arms still wrapped around each other but half the girls around us were doing the same thing, though I bet they weren't all sharing the same kind of thoughts as me.