Hey guys, this is my first attempt at a story so please be kind! I’m open to feedback, please let me know if I don’t post this correctly, thanks!
Prologue: It was completely dark. It must have been 3 or 4 in the morning. The 12 year old girl squirmed in her tent, her bladder pulsating needing relief, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave her tent. Outside she could be attacked by an animal or bit by any number of insects. How do people do this, she wondered. Bringing themselves to feel comfortable enough to relieve themselves in utter darkness without knowing what surrounds them. Not only that, but it’s a potentially messy endeavor. Squatting in the wrong spot you could end up with wet shoes and pants. Not to mention the question of what to with the toilet paper. She was stuck. She hated camping. Growing up in the mountains you’d think she’d enjoy the outdoors more but she found it nothing more than an excuse to be dirty while running the risk of getting hurt. She hated her mom for making her come out here. Minutes passed and her need to go became more and more urgent. After around 30 minutes, the pressure became too much and she succumbed to her body’s natural need to urinate. Peeing all over herself, her sleeping bag and her tent.
Chapter 1:
Growing up, Carly was a shy, nervous girl. Constantly worrying about what people thought about her probably led to the reality that people didn’t think about her at all. A quiet girl in the back of class, she never really was able to make friends or ever feel a sense of belonging. But it wasn’t because she was ugly. She wasn’t hot either though. Standing at around 5’3”, she was short for the average 18 year old, but she had a face most would describe as cute, not hot. She had straight teeth, a smaller nose, and dimples when she smiled. Her hair, which she recently cut to have bangs, made her feel like a Hispanic Zooey Deschanel. Her love of singing and watching indie movies made this comparison even better she thought. Unlike Zooey however, she was a bit on the thicker side. She wouldn’t say she was fat, but despite her small height she definitely wasn’t fitting into anything labeled small. She knew this probably came from her diet consisting of at least one Starbucks Frappuccino a day and junk food paired with her loathing of anything athletic or outdoors. This resulted in her thighs not having any gap, and her lower belly protruding about as far out as her breasts. Luckily for her she was naturally curvy, so while she had a bit of a belly and thicker thighs, her wide-set hips still gave her an hour glass shape.
Carly wasn’t sure where her anxiety and low drive came from. Maybe it was that her father left at a young age, but that felt like a cop out. In her mind, while she didn’t have a father there to support her, at least she didn’t have a father making her life harder. She had heard way too many stories of abusive fathers that simply not having one put her in an above average father situation. Maybe being an only child held her back socially. Although she was close with her cousins, and even closer with her mom as a result. In family situations she wasn’t nearly as shy or as anxious as she was in school, but she was still more reserved. In reality she felt she had no one to blame but herself.
Going into her senior year of high school Carly was at a crossroads. She didn’t have the GPA or SAT to warrant going to college, but didn’t have any idea of a job she’d want to go into either. If she stayed on her current track she’d end up working a dead end job she’d get no joy out of the rest of her life. Knowing this, she entered her summer in a way she hadn’t ever before. She had a goal. One goal. To try new things, pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Some things would be easy, like ordering something other than chicken tenders when going out to eat. Others would be harder, going out of her way to socialize and make friends. With her childhood drawing to a close, it was clear she couldn’t spend her summer binge watching Greys Anatomy and eating Cheetos like she had for the past few. The first test came up just a couple weeks before school had finished as her mom posed a question. Her family would be camping for a week and a half at Yellowstone National Park and her mother asked if she’d like to go with them. Knowing her daughter’s dislike of the outdoors and nature she expected a no from her. But Carly’s desire to push herself to do new things drove her to accept the invitation. The first week of June they’d be making the 7 hour drive up to the campground. 10 days of tent camping, the only running water or electricity coming when they’d drive a half an hour to the shower area every 2 to 3 days. She’d be joined by her mother, grandparents, and her aunt and uncle along with their 2 daughters. It was a trip she wasn’t looking forward to, but she knew she had to do it.
