chapter one: camera shy
five years ago.

The loud blaring of the car horn wakes Paul out of his sleep, he immediately shoots up from his position in his sleeping bag. Next to him, his best friend, Javi, who is groaning.

"Storms here, guys! Let's go!" Kate runs around, trying to get everyone up.

"Nah, Nah, it can't be. God, I went way too hard last night" Javi groans.

"You go hard every night" Paul said, his blue eyes scanning Javi up and down.

"Javi, C'mon!" Kate exclaimed, pulling the sleeping bag over the befreckled boy's head. Before Kate could do the same for Paul, he stood from his sleeping bag, spreading his arms in a stretch.

"Oh, come on–" Javi complained, his head peeking out of the sleeping bag as he turned to get up. Paul nudged him with his foot.

Soon they all started getting up and setting up for what's to come, Paul giving everyone their morning pats on the backs, intentionally messing with Javi's hair and putting him in a headlock. Roughhousing, the usual. Paul's eyes weren't on Javi, even if he was giving the shorter boy the nuggie of his life–it was on Jeb, who was by the cooler.

"You need a water?" Paul asked, walking off to the cooler, his hand reached in the same time Jeb's did. Their hands touch, Paul flushes, a slight pink hugh on the lanky boy's cheeks. He goes around Jeb's hand grabbing Javi a water before chucking it to the boy.

"You're younger than me, I should be taking care of you" Javi groans, catching the water.

"Debatable" Jeb and Paul said at the same time.

Javi moves to his little lawn chair, surrounded by beer bottles and hard lemonade. He takes sips of his water while looking at some gadgets.

"Has anyone seen the trash bags?" Addy asks. Paul nods his head to right beside her. "I swear if your head wasn't screwed on you'd lose it." Paul laughs.

"Har, Har" Addy gives him the finger, but Paul doesn't necessarily notice, because his eyes are on Jeb and Kate.

"Jeb, are you sure you're recording? I don't see a red light."

Jeb flips the camera over to make sure, "Yeah, we're recording." He confirms

"Okay," she says excitedly. "Dont make me laugh, stop it" she said, trying to be serious.

Paul tunes out most of Kate's introduction, focused on making sure the polymer tops were tight enough, but he got distracted when Addy piped up to the camera.

"Diapers," Addy whispers, "tell 'em its the same stuff they use in diapers."

Jeb turns the camera towards Addy, in turn, Paul as well since he was looking for a better screwdriver.

"It's non-toxic," Addy piped up shyly.

Paul didn't have another screwdriver, he had looked around damn near everywhere. Praveen comes up from behind with his computer.

"The doppler doesn't show a storm until the afternoon"

"Well data doesn't see what Kate see's, remember?" Addy says, busying herself with cleaning up their campsite.

"How about Kate see's a few more hours of sleep?" Javi said, "That might work." earning a smack to the back of the head from Paul, who wasn't even looking at him.

"You gonna keep starin' at Kate all day or are you gonna help me collect this data?" Javi whispered to Paul, earning Javi another smack on the back of his head.

"Ow! Jesus–I was just sayin–"

"Shut up Javi." Paul almost had the mind to hit him a third time, but kept his hands to himself. Javi got distracted quickly anyway.

"Praveen, what are you doing?" Javi asked the boy who was using Dorothy as a makeshift desk.  "Dorothy's not a desk."

"Is it my go or your go, Javi?" Paul asked, since both of them were data collectors, there was no reason for two of them to be on sight all the time, so the other would go with the crew during the storm.

"Yours" Javi said.

"Come on guys, get in, get in, get in!" Kate rushed, trying to get everyone in the frame of the camcorder she was holding. Paul stayed off to the side, he's always been a bit...camera shy.

"Come on, Paul" Kate prompted, trying to get him to make his way over with the rest of the group.

"Nah, i'm alright Katie." He said, waving it off.

"C'mon Kate– you know he's camera shy" Said Jeb, sending Paul a wink. Paul sent him one back, with a small flush on his cheeks. He looks away for a second, at the storm brewing, trying to distract himself from the weird feeling in his stomach, butterflies? Nah, that can't be right

⚡︎

Paul tunes out Javi throwing up, while holding his hair. "You really are an idiot, drinking the day before a storm, you're dumber than a box of rocks."

"And your're–"

Javi starts dry heaving.

"Uh huh" Paul said with a laugh.

"alright girl scouts, time to hit the road!" jeb shouted from the van.