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[right][sub]Location: The Lodge w/ other Counselors —> The North Pole Christmas Tree
Featuring: Nick Walters
Mentions: None[/sub][/right][hr][indent][indent]It didn’t pay well, the kids were little shitheads, and the cabins were cold. And yet, Nick kept coming back.

He only went the first time because of memories talking about it with his father, and he wanted to try it out. After that? He managed to convince his best friend to tag along with him, and Nick was all in on Second Horizons. For five of the six years he’d attended, Nick had been the blue counselor, but this time? He was trying something different. Nick had decided to request the Pink Cabin — sure, it wasn’t his normal vibe, but he’d had a feeling when he was writing his sheet that it was time for a change. Maybe he’d like it there. ‘course, he figured that Andi kid was coming again, and they were a little extra from time to time.

He’d been in this same spot for five years now, listening to the camp director give his little spiel before he walked away to his office and the counselors were sent out of the Lodge and off to the North Pole to greet the kids who had shown up. A couple of the counselors were already gone and waiting at the airport for the fly-ins, but Nick managed to weasel out of that job once again. To him? Listening to the Director ramble on for a few minutes in a pre-camp hype speech was better in every way than sitting in a bus with entitled campers whose parents spent too much to get rid of their kids for the winter. Not that Nick knew anything about bad parents.

[b]“Nicky boy, what’s the number one rule of Second Horizons?”[/b]

Nick was brought back to reality by the Director speaking directly to him, and he cleared his throat. [color=#12a568]“Uh, you know I don’t like being called that, right? Because I’ve been pretty clear about it for six years… okay, okay, whatever.” [/color]When the Director rolled his eyes,. Nick decided to brush it off, a gentle reminder that older people didn’t really care how he felt or what he wanted to be called. Okay, whatever. [color=#12a568]“The first rule is not to bother you unless there’s a life or death emergency [i]BECAUSE[/i],” [/color]Nick spoke up, prepared to give the rest of the answer before the Director even had a chance to interrupt him, [color=#12a568]“Second Horizons is your paid vacation home.”[/color]

[b]“That’s correct.” [/b]

Of course it was correct. Nick had to wonder if it was just for show, or if the Director really thought Nick didn’t remember these conversations. It was the same thing, every goddamn time. Nick knew what was coming next, it was going to be the ‘second rule of Second Horizons. Why even wait? Nick should have given him the answer without even waiting.

[b]“And, Nicky boy, what’s the second and final rule of Second Horizons?”[/b]

[color=#12a568]“Ain’t gonna be no fuckin’. Right? Satisfied?” [/color]Nick answered, rolling his eyes. No matter how many times the Director said it, that rule was almost always broken. Hell, Nick himself had a tendency to break it, but it wasn’t his own fault. He didn’t get it, but damn near everyone who applied to Second Horizons tended to be pretty hot. And what was he gonna do? [i]Not [/i]flirt? That wasn’t really an option here. [color=#12a568]“Permission to be dismissed, Captain?” [/color]He asked, and the Director shook his head.

[b]“Look, you guys just don’t cause problems for me and I won’t bother you. I hired you because your resume leads me to believe you’d make a pretty good professional babysitter. Those kids in your cabins are collectively your problem. Not mine. If they [i]become[/i] my problem, then [i]we’re[/i] gonna have a problem. And I want a very problem free winter holiday.”[/b]

That was understandable. Who didn’t want a problem free holiday season? Hell, Mike was spending Christmas here, and Mike had a family. Nick had… well, there was that gremlin kid, and Nick was pretty sure her family would let him hang out at her house if he didn’t feel like intruding on the Carters, but all in all… Nick liked it here. This was his family — for the season, anyway. As ragtag as the counselors were, Nick liked more than a few of the longtime campers. A lot of the time, their families didn’t want them for the holiday. Nick definitely understood that on a personal level.

[b]“That being said, I hope you enjoy your time here as well. We got a good thing going here, and I’d love to keep it that way. Just remember, I’m watching you. Always watching you. Like…”[/b]

[color=#12a568]“Roz from Monsters, Inc?” [/color]Nick suggested, but he was ignored. Why was his best material always ignored?

[b]“Like Santa Claus. I know when you’ve been naughty and I know when you’ve been nice, so you better be good for goodness’s sake. Or however that stupid song goes. Now go stand by the Christmas tree so you can meet your kids. Merry Christmas.”[/b]

Nick shook his head, but as the Director dismissed them, he was happy to be out of the Lodge. Weirdly enough, Nick didn’t really like it in the Lodge — too comfortable, it took away from the idea that Second Horizons was a ‘camp.’ There were already too many resort-esque features for Nick, like the pool room and the sauna. But, to his credit, the Director spared no expense. As he stepped into the brisk, cold air of a Washington morning, Nick pulled out his phone and typed out a text message to his co-counselor:

To: [color=#c37f58]Kim Benson (counselor)[/color]
[color=#12a568]Boss freaking out, where are you w/ kids??[/color]

[color=#c37f58]5 mins.[/color]

[color=#12a568]Wait, are you texting while driving? Don’t do that.[/color]

Nick shook his head and dropped his phone back into his pocket as he wondered if he’d drawn the short stick, as far as cabin counselors went. Maybe he should have stayed in blue… No, wait. He needed positive thoughts, right? Positive thoughts. Plus, there were a ton of campers he had to meet at the Christmas tree. Then, they had the big group bonfire, then the smaller bonfires by the cabins… why did they have two bonfires? Nick didn’t know the answer to that either.

To: [color=#c37f58]Kim Benson (counselor)[/color]
[color=#12a568]I’m at the tree in a bright pink sweatshirt. You can’t miss me.[/color]
[color=#12a568]Seriously, I would be a liability if we were in a stealth mission.[/color][/indent][/indent]