~ Luigi's POV ~

When I wake up, I notice that it's still dark out and that everyone else is still asleep. I turn on my phone to realize that it's barely even 4 a.m. I decide to simply sit and think for a few minutes. Six days have passed since that time I stayed up late to meet up with Daisy. So, that's like... Six days since the last time I had a proper conversation with her.

Ever since that night, it's as if I lost all confidence around Daisy. I can't even maintain eye contact with her or say hi. I just leave whenever she's there, and I know that it's obvious to her and to our friends. I feel bad about it though, because she didn't even do anything wrong. I bet she thinks I'm pissed at her when in reality, that's so far from the truth. But I guess she'll have to keep thinking that for now because there's no way I'm letting her know the real reason why it's so hard for us to be friends.

I am in love with Daisy.

Do I love too quickly? Maybe I do. But she's the first girl who I've admired this much. She's just so different. She has imperfections but to me, she's freaking perfect. So maybe my feelings for her developed gradually over this month. But that night. Damn, that night. It took my feelings to a whole new level. Before, it was a crush. Now, it's more than that. I felt so close to her that night. I love her.

Literally everything makes her special in my eyes. Her constant energy, from morning to night. Her orange hair that barely passes her shoulders and always seems to be messy, yet it looks really nice anyway. Her summer tan, and the freckles on her small nose. Her bright blue eyes that are full of hope and positivity whenever she talks to someone. The way she laughs loudly without being embarrassed of it, and how she throws her head back when she's laughing especially hard. Her ability to be one of the funniest friends I've met, while still being serious at the right times. Her motivation for herself and for those she loves to achieve their goals. Her smart mouth and sassiness, which are hardly ever considered rude. Her great amount of confidence that influences others. And the way she pulled me in for a hug that night just felt so perfect. I could've stood like that with her for hours. I still think about it often, remembering the feeling.

But she'll never know these thoughts of mine, even though she knows me pretty well now. It wouldn't matter to her anyway. I'm just a friend to her. I could be at least a best friend by now, but it's too late for that too. I mean, I can't even speak to her. We opened up to each other, but now we're bound to be strangers. I'm sorry Daisy, I really am. You don't deserve this.

I hate how I'm such a coward. Now what if someone else gets close to her, closer than me? What if they fall in love with each other? I would've missed my chance once again. A girl I admired would've ended up with someone else once again. I know I need to shape up, or else I will really have no progress anywhere.

I see the look that Daisy gives me from time to time nowadays, barely lasting a second before she turns away and continues laughing with friends. But, it's a look of sadness and confusion. It literally says, "what did I do wrong? I miss talking to you". It hurts to see that look on her face, because what is happening now is all my fault. And this is the moment when I realize, I'm being selfish. I'm isolating myself because that's the easiest thing to do for me. And I'm doing it even though it makes her feel bad. But that isn't how you treat someone you love, you're supposed to do what benefits them. Sure I might not be able to be with her, but I still care about her a lot and I still want to show it.

So, I have an idea. I'm going to get over my selfish cowardice. I'm the one who's dragging this friendship down, and I will be the one to bring it up again. Today, I will change things. I promise that to myself and to Daisy. I finally go back to sleep, feeling motivated to do the right thing soon.

~ Toadette's POV ~

"Dettie! I have an idea!" Peach says cheerfully, shortly after Daisy leaves the cabin. I'm not sure where she went though.

"What?" I ask.

"The morning is ours! We have an hour before breakfast. Let's hang by the lake and get tanned," Peach suggested.

"Umm, do you really think we should?" I reply hesitantly.

"Why not?"

"It's a bit early... Plus, I've gotten tan already." Peach's eyes widen.

"Dettie, that's ridiculous!" she states. "You might be even whiter than I am."

"I don't know," I shrug.

"You don't have an excuse. Now quickly, let's change into our bikinis," Peach pulls me up to my feet. "You don't even have to put effort into looking nice, we aren't seeing anyone."

"Fine," I give in. Within five minutes, Peach and I are prepared to tan and we leave the cabin.

"Okay, we can't waste a single minute. I'm running there, and you better do that too," Peach tells me. Then, she breaks into a run. Wow, she is pretty fast.

I have no choice but to run as well. She's still far ahead of me though. And while running, I collide with someone and we fall down hard.

Once my vision clears, I get surprised to see that I had run into Toad.

"S-s-sorry," I stutter. I feel very awkward all of a sudden. Toad just shakes his head and stands up.

"Watch where you're going, you're wasting my time," he glares at me. "I have places to be at, you know." Toad then runs off, stepping on my leg in the process. I'm still on the ground, and I bite my lip to stop myself from crying out in pain.

I pick myself up and shake the dirt off my arms and legs. Tears well up in my eyes, but I don't let them fall. I mean, I basically asked for this to happen to me.

I had this really snobby attitude towards Toad for awhile, especially in that one time when he tried to make conversation with me during breakfast. After that, I felt so guilty. But, I can't exactly do anything to fix the situation now because Toad is reciprocating my behavior. I miss my brother. We haven't been on good terms for almost three weeks already. When will this finally end?

Then, I remember that Peach is probably at the lake by now, waiting for me. I push these thoughts aside temporarily, and start running again. I can only hope that time will resolve my conflict with Toad.

~ Koopa's POV ~

Diddy, Luigi, Yoshi, and I are walking to the dining pavilion for breakfast. Luigi seems to be zoning out, so we leave him be. But, suddenly he turns to us with a hopeful expression.

"I'm gonna talk to Daisy again," he tells us.

"Well, it's about time!" Yoshi grins. "You know she misses you, right?"

"Shut up," Luigi's face goes red.

"Well, I'm glad you are," I tell him. "You can't throw away your friendship now."

"Yeah, I know," Luigi replies. " I want to make things right. I'll try talking to her in private because, like, I have to apologize and stuff."

"Good job, Luigi," Diddy pats Luigi's back. "We wish you luck."

Once we arrive at our usual spot in the dining pavilion, we set down our stuff. Daisy and Mona aren't here yet.

"Oh crap," Luigi suddenly says.

"What's wrong?" I instantly ask.

"I left my phone charging in the cabin," he answers. "I'm gonna get it, I'll be right back guys."

"No, don't," Yoshi stops Luigi. "You need to be here when Daisy comes."

"I'll get it for you," I offer.

"Thanks, Koopa," Luigi says. I stand up and head back to the cabin.

On my way there, I pass a large group that consists of my brother, Birdo, Boo, Dixie, DK, Pauline, Toad, and Wario. I get slightly confused though, because Boo seems more sociable and talkative than what I'm used to. Bones is still the same as usual. It's kinda sad though, because he looks out of place. Then again, it isn't like he's even trying. He's just standing there, acting bitter to everyone... Including Boo? This is really weird. Maybe I should ask either Bones or Boo about it sometime.

"Hey, Bones!" I call out to my brother. Everyone in the group turns to look at me, some of them wave. I wave back. Bones just gives me an annoyed look before turning away again.

Yup, that's the brother I know.

~ Rosalina's POV ~

Right after lunch, all of us campers are called to assemble in the forest clearing. That's where all camp meetings are held. We all sit on the long grass and as usual, I sit next to Tiny.

"Today, we will inform you of a traditional Camp Tanooki event that takes place during the fifth week of each year's summer camp," Elaine, my cabin counselor, begins. "For us here it will be held on August 1st, which is this Saturday."

"We call it... The Gold Leaf Wars!" Adam, the counselor of Cabin E, states. "So, what are the Gold Leaf Wars?"

"They're a series of eight different games played in the course of one day. The eight games are a running race, a biking race, a swimming race, Capture The Flag, a scavenger hunt, soccer, volleyball, and Tug Of War," Natalie, the counselor of Cabin B, explains. "Us counselors have divided you all into two teams, Team Fire and Team Water. Since there are 21 of you, Team Fire will have one more member but don't worry because that does not give the team any sort of advantage or disadvantage. If you are in Team Fire, stand next to Nick. If you are in Team Water, stand next to Stephanie."

"Mario," Nick, the Cabin C counselor, starts.

"DK," Stephanie, the Cabin F counselor, says.

"Peach."

"Bones."

"Bowser."

"Luigi."

"Koopa."

"Toadette."

"Rosalina."

"Waluigi."

"Boo."

"Dixie."

"Birdo."

"Daisy."

"Diddy."

"Pauline."

"Wario."

"Yoshi."

"Tiny."

"Mona."

"And lastly, Toad," Nick finishes.

By now, Birdo, Boo, Bowser, Diddy, Koopa, Mario, Peach, Tiny, and Wario were all standing next to me. We are the members of Team Fire. I suck at sports so I hope I don't bring my team down, but I'm interested to see how this Saturday will go.

"Your respective counselors will tell you about the schedule over the next few days. The objective of the Gold Leaf Wars is to make sure your team gets the most points from winning the games. The winners will get first dibs at all meals for two weeks. And also, a MVP of each team will be announced... They get bragging rights. If you have any questions, just approach any of us counselors. That is all for now. Good luck on Saturday, and you may now return to your cabins," Adam, the Cabin E counselor dismisses us.

I am walking back to my cabin alone when a pair of hands grabs my shoulders from behind. It doesn't startle me, however. I don't even flinch.

"Oh come on, Rosie," the owner of the hands, which turns out to be Mario, says. "You're such a killjoy. No jump or scream?"

"First, I don't scream. Second, that stuff doesn't work with me. Do it to someone else," I state.

"Whatever. But hey, we're on the same team for Saturday. Aren't you sooooo lucky?" Mario grins.

"Sure, you can go ahead and think that," I can't help but laugh a little.

"Well just try to look hot that day, okay?" Mario smirks. I sigh, feeling my face heat up.

"Shut up," I mumble.

"Wait, you won't even have to try. Okay Rosie, let's talk later," Mario messes up my hair with both of his hands and pokes my cheek before heading his own way.

Can I be friends with him? Maybe... But, I just want him to stop that flirting business with me. Doesn't he know he has other girls after him that he can focus on? Doesn't he know I am not one of them? I'm the most awkward girl around. He knows that, right? Therefore, I can't deal with his behavior. It's just so foreign.

I hear a faint giggle from behind me and I turn around to see that it came from Tiny, who is smiling and wiggling her eyebrows at me. She mouths to me, "see, he totally likes you". I just want this craziness to come to an end...

~ Diddy's POV ~

After my cabin members and I endure a hike for three hours, I meet up with Dixie at the dining pavilion. We planned it after that announcement that was made about the Gold Leaf Wars.

"Oh, you're REALLY sweaty," is how Dixie greets me, followed by a laugh.

"Yeah. I bet you can't even handle a three-hour-long hike... Uphill!" I joke.

"Hmm, maybe," Dixie shrugs. "Anyways you're excited for the Golden Mushroom Fight or whatever, aren't you? Sucks how we aren't on the same team though."

"... The what???" I burst out laughing. "Dixie, it's the Gold Leaf Wars. And yeah, I'm looking forward to it."

"I'm not, I suck at sports," Dixie shakes her head.

"Then, why don't you try becoming good at them?" I suggest.

"... Nah," Dixie replies. "They really aren't my thing."

"Okay then," I say. "So, how was your day so far?"

"Same old stuff, I guess?" Dixie then drinks from her water bottle. "Ahh, that is so cold."

"Can I have some?" I ask.

"Umm, I'm usually conscious about letting other people drink from my stuff. But I'll allow you, because of what you just did prior to this," Dixie gives me her water bottle.

"Thanks a lot," I take a long sip ad return the bottle to her. "By the way, this is random but didn't you say that you initially had super low hopes for this camp?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"So, are you still hating it here? Just wondering."

"Umm, I guess I still do just a little. But, Camp Tanooki did end up being better than I thought. I met a bunch of cool people, including you."

"Well, I am pretty glad to hear that. You aren't too bad yourself... Just kidding, you're a great friend."

"Oh, thanks," Dixie grins. "Means a lot, coming from you."

Dixie and I are pretty close at this point. She might the closest female friend I have at this camp. Well... That's actually a tough choice between her and her sister, Tiny. Pretty ironic, I know. I really enjoy spending time with both of them, it just sucks how my friendship with Tiny has to be a total secret.

Speaking of secrets, there's something I kinda really want to tell Dixie. I would trust her enough to tell her. But no matter how tempted I am to tell her, I won't because she can never know.

Letting Dixie know this secret could pretty much ruin everything.

~ Pauline's POV ~

At night, Rosalina, Tiny, and I sit on the floor of our cabin and share a bag of chips. We're just talking about random stuff and having a few laughs.

But suddenly, I notice something stuck to Rosalina's ankle. It looks like a folded post-it note.

"Umm, Rosie, what's that on your ankle?" I ask.

"... What?" Rosalina looks surprised when she notices what I'm talking about, as if she didn't know it was there. She picks up the note and unfolds it, reading silently for a few seconds. Then, she stands up to throw it.

"ROSIE!" Tiny holds on to Rosalina's legs so that she can't move. "What is it???"

"Something to forget about," Rosalina states.

"Please let us see it," Tiny says. "Pauline and I are practically your best friends here."

"Fine, but don't freak out," Rosalina gives in. Tiny immediately snatches the note out of Rosalina's hand, and I move closer to her so we can read it together.

It says ";) -M". Despite the note's format, anyone in this camp would already know everything about it by taking one short look at it.

"What even?!" Tiny exclaims. "A wink face from Mario??? Damn, Rosie!"

"Please shut up," Rosalina takes the paper back from Tiny and throws it away for real. I can tell she doesn't appreciate that note.

"When were you going to say something about it?" Tiny questions.

"I didn't even notice that he gave it to me," Rosalina answers. "I have no idea when or how he put it there. Now, can we seriously stop talking about it?"

"Fine," Tiny sighs.

"Thanks," Rosalina responds before giving me a look of pity. I did not expect that.

"Look, it's okay," I tell her. "Can't have anything against you because it isn't your fault."

Okay, it was honestly rather difficult to say that. But hey, it was the right thing to do. I would probably feel guilty if I got pissed at Rosalina just because Mario seems to want her. Well, I'm really interested in Mario. Hopefully I can get closer to him. And hopefully, Rosalina knows that she is pretty damn lucky.

"Anyways, guys," I change the subject. "Can you give me some nice, cute, romantic teen fiction reading ideas? I might consider reading more often once I get back home."

"Oh, I would be more than glad to!" Tiny smiles.

I really wish I could be with Mario, or at least get closer to him. We could've had an adorable summer relationship like what I looked forward to experiencing in Camp Tanooki. But, the most I can do now is be open-minded about the situation because the last thing I want to be known as here is mean.

... Yeah, I know it has been three months since the last update. I'm not dead, okay? And I am SO sorry for updating so slowly in the past year. 9th grade was really the busiest school year for me. It was the best and worst one so far. Well, I'm about two weeks into my summer break as of now. I start 10th grade in the first week of August, so I hope I can update more often for now. I also hope the quality of my writing hasn't gotten worse. So in the three months I was gone, this book became one year old. It was first published on May 16, 2015 if I'm not mistaken. And damnnn, I have officially been on Wattpad for THREE YEARS. My anniversary was on June 9, I think. Also, thank you all so much for the constant love you give this book. I'm quite surprised that not all of you gave up on waiting. I appreciate your patience a lot. So with that being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's like more than 3,000 words long, but I wanted to avoid giving you guys a short chapter that was written with minimal effort after making you wait three months. I would appreciate some feedback, too. Well, I really wanna enjoy my summer and not be stressed for once because I seriously needed a break from school. So, let's hope it doesn't pass by too quickly. I swear, it's so weird to think of myself as a 10th-grader... Anyways please add, comment, vote, etc. Thanks!

- pinkandpeachy