On the Strawberry Moon - 8. Chapter 8

It was winter and that meant it was the gang’s traditional odd camp time.

They set up in their usual place in the field but Ronny was showing Robert how to do smores properly without it burning up.

‘You’re definitely coming again next year,’ beamed Ronny as he stuffed his face with more food.

Billy laughed and nudged Oscar, who was holding his hand. They were all sat around a fire that had took them hours to get going.

‘Listen to the sounds of nature,’ smiled Daz as she closed her eyes. It was silence, the fire crackled, there was not even an owl hoot.

‘Yeah, I get what you mean, it sucks,’ Sammy retorted getting her phone out. ‘Let’s get on our good friend Spotify.’

Daz frowned at Sammy before shaking her head and smiling.

‘Right, so, going to click on random list and go,’ declared Sammy putting her phone down.

Immediately Valerie came on.

‘Okay,’ Tom smirked and rolled his eyes. ‘No, no.’

Sammy gave a mischief grin and turned the music up, ‘What’s up, slugger?’

‘This is overplayed and overrated.’

‘Well, sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the waters,’ bellowed Sammy.

Tom laughed and covered his ears, mimicking screaming.

‘Since I’ve come on home well my body’s been a mess,’ Sammy got up stamping around, laughing. She pulled Daz and then Robert and Ronny up.

‘Stop making a fool out of me!’ Daz joined in, dancing around their fire. ‘Why don’t you come over.’

‘Valerie!’ everyone had started singing.

Kalum laughed and Robert noticed. He nudged Sammy and pointed over to him and his brother.

‘We don’t dance,’ laughed Jasper, holding his hand up.

‘Valerie!’ sang Ronny and Daz started hopping around.

Kalum smiled, watching them. He watched Robert dancing, smiling and laughing. Robert was having a genuinely good time.

Kalum imagined himself getting up to join. He imagined taking Robert by the hand, and just dancing with him. Letting his body just move to the beat naturally, tapping his feet, waving his hands, just looking like a right idiot but not giving a damn. Letting himself just move and dance freely.

But he just smiled, sitting still and kept watching the gang have a good time.

***

Kalum woke up, he felt groggy but the pain in his bladder woke up.

Rolling over in his sleeping bag, he saw his brother. Kalum was still. He held his breathe. Then he heard Jasper’s soft snoring and relaxed.

He rolled back onto his back and stared upwards in the tent.

His bladder was yelling at him at this point. There was no way he could hold it in until the morning. For his bathroom schedule with Jasper.

Slowly and quietly, he crept out of his sleeping bag, keeping his ear alert for Jasper’s snores to change or stop. Holding his breath, he grabbed his phone and unzipped the tent and crawled out.

He didn’t want to turn the light on his phone just yet, so he walked around the familiar shadows, his eyes adjusting in the dark.

He managed to get the nearby camp toilet and saw there was a light already there. Ah, one of the guys must be in there.

Then he heard cursing and instantly recognised the voice.

Turning on his own phone light, he shone it through.

‘Robert?’ he smiled, quietly, as not to scare him.

Robert looked up from his phone about to open the cubical door, ‘Ah good timing. My phone is about to die, I didn’t charge it enough.’

‘That sucks,’ Kalum laughed, whispering.

‘Indeed,’ Robert smiled at him. ‘Can you shine the light into the cubical? Don’t worry, you can have your back to me, just can’t see a damn thing.’

Kalum smiled and nodded, doing as asked.

‘So,’ Robert said, as Kalum could hear him relieving himself. ‘You don’t like dancing.’

Kalum was glad he was back to him and it was in the dark so Robert couldn’t catch him grimacing.

‘Hate it,’ he echoed back to Robert.

‘Right,’ Robert paused.

Kalum waited for the push. Waited for Robert to mentioned the hotlines again, to talk about Jasper.

But Robert cleared his throat and said, ‘I’ll just wash my hands then I can hold the phone for you.’

‘Please.’

It was quiet between the boys. The only sounds were of running water and papers towels being pulled out to dry hands.

Kalum was relieved Robert wasn’t pushing him today. Maybe he got the message? Or maybe it was just not the time or place?

Kalum looked out the open door. Nature was deadly still. It was weird compared to home. No cars, no people. Just silence.

***

It had been a few days since the camping trip. One of the girls in the care home, Lana, wanted to straighten the boys’ hair.

She had them sat next to each other and began straightening their hair much to the amusement of both the twins.

She placed the straighteners down on the table in front of them when she heard her name being shouted.

‘I’ll just be two minutes, guys,’ she smiled rushing out the room. ‘Don’t go anywhere!’

In an instant Jasper snatched up the straighter, he stared at them before grabbing Kalum’s arm and placing the hot straighteners onto his wrist.

Kalum bite his tongue hard and yanked his arm back.

‘Why do you keep ignoring me?’ Jasper asked, amused. Placing the hot tongs back down on the table. ‘I said don’t talk to the fag. Billy said he heard yous in the field.’

Scorching pain seared up and down Kalum’s arm, he held it tight, trying not to cry. He looked down to see deep dark marks merging on his wrist. He held his wrist to his chest.

‘Right, guys’ Lana was bouncing back into the room. Kalum immediately hid his arm, the pain throbbing all the way up to his shoulder.

‘Sorry about that, here we go!’ she smiled, reaching for the straighteners. She went first to Kalum’s hair. Kalum couldn’t help but wince as the hot tongs went near him.

She laughed and gave a gently touch to his shoulder, ‘Oh sweets, I’m not going to hurt you! Honestly, you’re in the arms of a professional!’