Chapter Text
Leon pulled the old door shut behind him, the metal warm in his hands. In fact, everything was warm. Really warm.
So warm in fact, just stepping out of the cabin sent sweat dripping down his back and he shook his head in annoyance. Nobody was a big fan of the heat. That was easy to see.
Violetta and Francesca were already at the main building, plastic bottles of water in their hands. Marco was lingering by them underneath an umbrella and both Braco and Napo ran inside to the air conditioner.
Then Leon noticed the other boys waiting for him, ready to walk whether he followed or not.
“Finally, I thought we’d spend our last three days just standing here and waiting for you,” Diego complained with a glint in his eye. “Or melt in a puddle before you take a step.”
Leon rolled his eyes and they started to make their way inside.
“Wait. Three days left? That’s it?” Andres furrowed his eyebrows.
Nodding, Maxi shoved him in the shoulder gently to keep him walking. “Yeah. Today, tomorrow, and then the next.” He paused to move his hat, the only of the boys with some shade from the sun. “But I don’t think that day will really count since we’re just packing and leaving after breakfast.”
“Wow… it’s gone by so fast.”
“Do you think there's anything planned today?” Broduey asked. He fumbled with something in his pocket and pulled out the flashiest pair of sunglasses that had ever stepped, well, been held in this camp. “Since the show’s done and all… There’s nothing we really have to prepare for anymore.”
Leon pondered the question for a moment, then said, “I’m sure there’s some kind of activity,” with a shrug. “Or something like that. I don’t think they’d let us–.” Something caught his eye and he stopped mid sentence.
“Leon?” Maxi prodded his arm, but soon enough noticed what made Leon stop so suddenly.
There they were. The most unlikely pair in the whole world walking to get breakfast together, as if it was a completely normal thing.
After enough showers to nearly drain out the lake, and 5 bottles of shampoo, the neon pink that had once stained Ludmila’s hair faded to a much duller, and much tolerable color. And contrary to what Leon had seen yesterday, she was now showing it off with pride. Hands on her hips and head held high.
That was normal. Mostly.
But what wasn’t was the redheaded culprit, who caused the whole hair debacle, taking a happy stroll next to her used-to-be-enemy as if nothing had happened at all.
Was the heat getting to their heads that badly?
All five of the boys couldn’t help but stare as the two girls trotted into the building, and then turned to face each other with the same looks of shock.
“We all just saw that right?”
“Yes, Andres.” Broduey put a finger on his chin, squinting a little to double check even though the girls were long gone. “Either we’re all hallucinating, or… I don’t know actually.”
Maxi shook his head. “No, that was real.” He said. “You know, Camila told me one time that if she was ever on any sort of friendly level with Ludmila, then to call an ambulance right away. But… I kind of want to see where this goes.”
The boys all laughed and started walking again. The few minutes they’d stopped left them even warmer than before.
“I guess it’s true then. That sharing a room with your worst enemy can make them your friend.” Diego shrugged and exchanged a glance with Leon who just chuckled.
Soon enough they all grabbed their breakfast and sat at their usual tables, which were just slightly messier than normal.
Last night they’d all partied in the main building until around midnight, just having fun and eating the cake the teachers made in secret. Eventually they all ended up singing, obviously, and went to bed happy.
Now things had calmed down a bit but the room was buzzing with activity. Everybody was curious about what activities, if any, the day held. And the news from last night's show, some kids bickering over the winners but mostly everyone relieving the joyful moments.
Leon, himself, was busy watching Francesca help Angie clean up the alarming amount of spilled flour that had exploded from the kitchen in a big white cloud. Broduey was off to the side, holding a broom but only really giving sarcastic tips.
Violetta, Federico and Natalia were talking quietly by the door, leaning into the wall. They occasionally casted a glance towards Camila and Ludmila who were still hanging out, somehow.
The other boys, except Diego, had gathered at the back few tables, doing… who knows what. Diego was next to Leon, now joining in on watching the chaos in the kitchen.
“Hey, Leon, Diego!” Beto exclaimed as he walked towards the remaining boys. He planted his hands onto the edge of their table, leaning over it. His shirt was dangling dangerously close to a plate drenched in syrup but he didn’t notice.
Diego reached for the plate and pulled it aside, just to be safe. “Hey. What’s up?”
With a wide grin, Beto readjusted his glasses. “We’re trying to figure out something to do so you aren’t so bored for the day. Would you be up for another day at the lake?” He looked towards the window. “The weather seems great for it.”
The boys exchanged glances, then nodded.
“Great, I’ll let Pablo know.” Beto informed them and then dashed off excitedly, nearly bumping into Gregorio who glared at him.
And soon enough, Pablo reclaimed his daily position at the front of the room.
“Good morning guys!” He announced, nodding at a flour dusted Angie who stood to his right. “So, since we’re really out of things that we planned, we’ve decided on a chill day at the lake. Again, you don’t have to get in if you’d like but we’re just here to have fun.” He explained.
Angie nodded. “So, once you’re all cleaned up, go back to your cabins and get ready. Meet us in the main field and we’ll make our way over, when everybody is ready.”
Once she finished, the kids all got up and practically ran to their cabins. They got ready as fast as they could and soon met up where they were told.
Everyone was ready to beat the heat, and marched over to the lake on the teachers trail.
The small lake came into sight quickly. A small path had been cleared through the tall grass to the shed off to the side. A few water related items were pulled out, a half-inflated pool floaty leaning up against the wall next to some assorted goggles and nose plugs. There were some other water toys like beach balls scattered around too.
Leon threw his towel down along the sand, under the shade of a tree that wasn’t quite strong enough to stand up on his own. He took a moment to survey the area and then went to grab some goggles.
Apparently, that wasn’t a unique idea. Most of the other students had gone and lined up to grab whatever they could.
“What are you going to do?”
Leon looked over his shoulder, noticing Tomas was behind him, hands in his pockets.
Even two years after the romantic drama events, the two boys had never really recovered to a friendly relationship, not that they were ever friends in the first place. They talked when it was necessary but it wasn’t too hard to pretend the other didn’t exist.
Tomas was a bit more willing to speak, sometimes daring to start a weak and quick ending conversation.
“Uh, swim, probably.” Leon replied, taking a step forward as someone upfront moved out of the way. “What about you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh,” Leon shrugged, turning back in front of him to peer ahead. The line hadn’t moved in a bit and he frowned. “What’s taking so long?”
“Ludmila.” Marco, who was in front of him, replied. “She can’t find the correct goggles, apparently.”
Leon rolled his eyes, sighing. “Great.”
And somewhere in the process of waiting for Ludmila to find the picture perfect goggles (although she only ever waded in the water), Tomas disappeared behind Leon and was replaced with Diego.
“Are you people from Spain all so annoying?” Leon asked jokingly, finally moving with the line again.
Diego chuckled. “Not all of us.” Then he scoured around quickly for any sight of Tomas. Once he concluded he wasn’t nearby, he grinned. “Talking about Tomas?”
“I’m guessing you know all the drama?”
“Know? I could probably recite it all to you.” Diego said.
With a laugh, Leon brushed his hair back. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to like him that much.”
“I don’t either. And neither does my dad.”
The two boys laughed, finally reaching the front of the line. Leon bent down to grab a pair of goggles, and when he looked up, Diego was gone. He just shrugged and headed to the water.
Nearby his spot, Francesca had set up camp too. Her towel was a bit further back from the water but she was kneeling by its edge. She waved, hair pulled back in a loose ponytail.
Leon waved back and went to get in, staying close by.
The water was chilly but felt great with the heat rays beating down. He dove in immediately, peering through the goggles.
Underneath the slightly murky surface, the lake was alive. Long strands of grass reached up towards the sun, rocks buried under dirt and sand. There were a few fish too that lingered in the deep areas that most of the students didn’t dare to stray towards.
Leon resurfaced for a breath, going back towards where he could stand without having to tread water. Francesca had finally gotten in the water and swam over, Camila a bit further behind her.
“Vilu’s helping Angie with setting up a few umbrellas.” Francesca said, diving under the water quickly and popping back out. “In case you were wondering.”
Leon glanced over to the beach area, eyes catching Violetta who was holding an umbrella up, as Angie tried to shove it into the ground. He chuckled, about to reply before Camila butted in.
“Are you gonna join in on the prank war?” She asked curiously, brushing wet hair out of her face. “You did before, right? Weren’t you the one that let a squirrel loose in the cafeteria?”
Leon laughed at the memory. “Well, that was Ludmila’s idea. I just happened to be around, with a bunch of peanuts.” He grinned. “And… I haven’t thought much about it yet. I probably will.”
Camila smirked. “Any ideas? Fran and I are–hey!”
Splashing the other girl, Francesca stopped before any plans were revealed. “We’re doing something .”
“That’s all I was going to say! That we're a team! You didn’t need to soak me.”
“You’re already wet. Plus, he doesn't need to know.” Francesca responded, glancing towards the beach again. “I don’t think Violetta has a partner for it yet.”
Leon nodded slowly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
And he did.
After watching Angie and Violetta try and fail to get the first of the three umbrellas into the ground, Leon climbed out of the water and went to help. Mostly, he wanted Violetta’s help in pulling off a prank, but was also getting a little tired of watching them struggle.
He waited for Angie to leave, then turned to Violetta.
“Fran and Cami think you don’t have a pranking partner.” He said, shoving the end of the second umbrella into the sand. “They just told me to go ask you.”
“Well, little do they know.” Violetta laughed. “I might be a bit biased, but I’m pretty sure you have the best idea.”
Leon smiled. “And the best partner to pull it off with.” Then he looked out at the lake again. “We have to be careful though. If Francesca and Camila teamed up already, their prank is going to be a pain.”
“Do we have everything to do ours?”
“Yeah. We should, I–where did he get that from?”
Leon looked out at the lake, where Diego was now floating in the middle in an old kayak. Napo and Camila were sitting in the back of it and waved excitedly.
Violetta chuckled, meeting Leon’s gaze. They both burst out laughing and shook their heads.
“Well, like I was trying to say. It’s all in my bag.” Leon continued, glancing over his shoulder again, then back at the umbrella.
“Perfect.”
After a pause for lunch outside and multiple other chaotic water activities that followed, most of the students were resting on the beach and preparing to head back. Leon had just shaken the sand out of his towel when there was a scream.
Over by the teachers area, Jackie was standing up. The back of her shirt was soaked and she whipped her head around. The remnants of a water balloon laid by her feet.
Leon caught a quick glimpse of Gregorio who ducked down behind an old dusty basket full of water balloons. He laughed to himself, watching as another balloon was launched and landed right next to Pablo.
Then Leon noticed two people crouching down by the shed.
Federico and Diego had gotten their own bin full of the watery explosives and were whispering to each other. They waited until Gregorio was distracted, then each launched one at him.
Gregorio jumped up, revealing himself and knocking his basket over. This caught the other teachers attention and in turn, they each picked one up and threw it back at him.
Leon, along with a lot of the other students, jumped up and ran over too.
Braco had managed to creep through the chaos and start filling another bin with even more balloons, leaving them open for anybody to grab. Leon took a few, running when a balloon splattered on his back.
He threw one in the general direction of Tomas, hoping it would land.
It did and he laughed, running to join Violetta and Francesca who were taking cover in secret behind a tree.
“Team?” He asked, dropping a few more weapons to the ground as a peace offering.
The girls exchanged glances and then nodded.
Sometime through the chaos, the three students had gained Angie on their team and were rapidly firing at the group of Natalia, Andres, Tomas and Beto, who were out in the open.
A hurricane of water balloons shot across the field.
Jackie’s team, which consisted of her, Camila, Broduey and Maxi all went running towards the water while Diego, Federico and Ludmila ran the opposite way.
Napo, Braco, Marco and Pablo, who may have grouped together because their names all ended with o , were by the shed. Braco was still supplying everyone with balloons and his teammates stood nearby.
“Okay, guys,” Angie started, panting. “When I count to three, we move to that tree over there.” She pointed across the field. “We’ll stay in the grass. Once we’re there, we’ll have a better aim at the shed.”
“You want us to take out the other team?” Violetta asked and Angie nodded.
Leon grinned. “Then we’ll have all of the balloons and have the upper hand.
“Wait, do we run on three or before three?” Francesca asked.
“On three,” Angie assured her, peering out. The other teams were busy firing at Jackie's, pushing them almost into the water. Well, Broduey and Maxi were in the water. Angie looked back at the kids. “Okay. One, two, three!”
The group darted through the grass, each taking a different path to stay hidden. They made their way to the shed and met on the left side.
“Okay, one of us just needs to run and get Braco out of the way.” Violetta said.
Leon looked over at the boy. His other teammates had been distracted and were so occupied defending themselves from the other teams, that they didn’t notice the one waiting right on top of them.
“I’ll do it.” He offered, taking a few balloons. “Cover me though.”
“Got it.” Francesca nodded, aiming to throw.
Leon took a deep breath and then ran towards Braco. The poor boy was just happily filling up another bin for his team, humming as if he didn’t see the chaos happening right in front of him.
He didn’t know what hit him. Until the water splashed all over his shirt and he yelped.
Attacking again, Leon fired as many balloons as he could until Braco had no choice but to flee, yelling in his language.
The rest of his team looked around, confused. And then they were attacked by Leon’s and forced to leave the shed behind.
“Yes!” Angie exclaimed, grabbing more balloons from the alarming amount the other team had left behind. She, and everyone else attacked with their new-found advantage.
Their glory only lasted a few minutes until Leon noticed the other teams weren’t attacking each other, and only them. The girls slowly started to realize too and looked at each other.
“They’re all staring at us.” Francesca whispered.
Leon picked up a few more pieces of ammo, handing one to Fran and one to Violetta. “Then we’ll scare them off.”
Unfortunately, that technique did not work and the other teams advanced easily, everyone ending up at the shed and sending them into another full fledged war.
The sun had started to set now, the sky turning various shades of pink and blue. The heat was finally dying down as well and both students and teachers found themselves running out of energy.
Although exhausted, nobody backed down until the last balloon had finally popped.
Everybody was soaked to the bone. There weren’t any real winners, despite what Ludmila declared. They were all panting for air, but laughing.
“As much as I’ve enjoyed this past hour,” Pablo started, picking up a basket. He waited until everyone's attention was on him, then continued. “I’m exhausted and we need to pick up the plastic from the balloons. Afterwards, we can go and have dinner.”
The kids groaned.
“Do we have to pick it up, now?” A voice, sounding like Broduey’s, asked.
Beto nodded. “It may rain soon, so yes.” He replied. “We’ll all help too. It’ll be done as quick as… uh…” he stopped. “As something fast.”
He was right about both things. They did pick up pretty fast, but it also started lightly drizzling.
After the lake and the land surrounding it were free of plastic, everyone took off for their cabins to change into something dry.
Leon had slipped into another pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He was drying his hair with a towel, ruffling it up into its usual shape when Andres sat down on his bed too.
“How do you think the fish get back into the water after it rains? Do they know when it’s going to stop?”
“What?” Leon stuttered. If he’d been standing, the question would have knocked him off balance. “Say that again.”
“When it stops raining, how do you think the fish get back to the water?”
“They don’t leave the water.”
“Of course they do!” Andres exclaimed, like Leon was the dumbest person in the world. “How else would they move from pond to pond?”
Every sensible word left Leon’s brain. That tended to happen when he was around Andres. He just stared.
“I don’t know what this conversation is, but I heard fish and that’s making me even hungrier than I already am.” Broduey joined in, slipping into his shoes and raincoat. “I’m gonna head to the cafeteria with or without you guys.”
“You like fish?” Maxi asked, wrinkling his nose. “Weird.”
“Not weird!” Broduey protested. He opened the door. “You’re the weird one.”
Diego laughed and headed out. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s you.”
For bringing that up, Broduey ended up being the one to hold the door open. Leon was the second last to leave and he caught Broduey’s questioning glance.
“Not a chance.” Leon told him and Broduey rolled his eyes.
The boys ran through the rain to the building, setting their coats on one of the various hooks by the doors. They got their dinner, tacos, and sat in their usual seats as always.
Surprisingly, the cafeteria now seemed relatively calm. After the crazed events earlier, everyone was tired and their hair was still damp.
Pablo waited until everyone had finished eating to start the evening announcements.
“As you all know, tomorrow is our last full day.” He began loudly. “And as always, we’ll keep advising you to spend a little bit of time tomorrow packing. The bus won’t wait very long for us on our last day so we’ve got to be out of here by 11:00, no dilly dallying around.”
The kids nodded.
“ And , it’s become quite a tradition here for tomorrow to be a prank day, correct?”
That sparked a little energy in the room as everyone nodded, more intensely.
Pablo smiled. “I know you guys love doing this, and we do too. But we just want to remind you guys of the rules.”
Angie had taken her place next to him and started to speak. “The most important one, is not damaging the camp property. No painting something on a wall, or leaving a chair out in the rain. We have to keep this place just as we left it.”
“And no doing pranks that will harm people or the environment.” Jackie added, on Pablo’s other side. “Please be respectful of each other and the nature around us. No permanent or embarrassing jokes that could make someone upset. We’re just here to have fun, and would hate to take that away.”
The tone of her voice sent the kids nodding once again in agreement. Nothing too bad, got it.
“And that’s it!” Pablo concluded. “Please, come to us if you have any questions at all. This year has been one of the best that the camp has had, and I’d like to keep it that way.” He glanced at the time. “After this, you’re free to do whatever but don’t linger outside for too long, please. I’m sure you’re all exhausted anyway.”
The kids fell into soft chatter once he was done. Most kids were gathered around Beto who was doing a dramatic retelling of the water balloon battle, from his imaginative point of view.
Leon glanced over to the wall his table was by. There were photos from each year the students stayed at the camp. His gaze automatically flicked to the last one and he smiled at the memory.
“When do we do that?” Violetta’s voice sounded from behind him. Her eyes were fixtured on the photos in amazement.
Looking over his shoulder at her, Leon pointed to the date. “The last day.” He explained. “We all get together before leaving.”
Violetta smiled a little. “I didn’t think I’d grow so attached to this place. Now I don’t want to leave.” She sat on the other side of the table. “Is that weird?”
“Not at all.” Leon assured her, then looked outside at the rain. “It’s supposed to stop pretty soon. Are we still meeting up when it’s dark?”
“If it means we can set everything up without anyone seeing us, then yes.” Violetta replied.
After eating, most of the students went back to their cabins. A few lingered behind in the main building but left at 10:00. It had stopped raining, the sky now clear and the moon bright.
It didn’t take very long for everyone in Leon’s cabin to fall asleep. He laid in his bed, phone in his hand and waiting for a text from Violetta.
It came through about 10 minutes later.
“They’re asleep,”
“Great. Meet me in 5.” Leon sent back and crept out of bed. He grabbed his bag, and snuck out of the cabin.
5 minutes later, he was by the railing of the main building with Violetta.
They were crouched down, pulling small speakers out of Leon’s backpack and turning them on, then connecting them to his phone.
“So, how are we doing this?” Violetta whispered, flipping another one on.
Overall, they had about 9.
“Tomorrow, either in the night or the day, maybe both, I’m going to just play some creepy sounds over them.” Leon said. “I can connect to one at a time too and do each cabin.”
Violetta grinned mischievously. “These are battery powered, right?”
“Yep.”
“Okay. Should we hide them now?”
Leon nodded. “I’ll put one by each of the cabins, one in the main field and maybe one on the deck too. You’ve got inside right?”
Violetta picked four up. “Yep. One outside the teachers rooms, in the kitchen, and then the cafeteria. One extra too. Is that good?”
“Great.” Leon replied, scooping his up. “Meet back here when you’re done.”
The two split up into the night.
As silent as could be, Leon darted from cabin to cabin. Underneath the small roof overhangs was a very dark corner that had enough of a hole to hide a speaker in. He did it to all three buildings.
After, he hid one underneath the picnic bench in the middle of the field, and the last one up on the deck by the door.
A light flipped on inside the cafeteria and Leon hid in between the windows. Was that Violetta? What was she doing?
Instead, he vaguely saw Angie. Violetta was at her side and the two went into the kitchen, returning moments later with glasses of water.
Smart.
Leon crept off the porch and waited for Violetta to come back out.
She had a wide grin on her face, meeting him at their original spot.
“I got one into Angie’s room too.” Violetta whispered, clapping her hands excitedly. “She heard me outside her room and woke up so I just told her I was thirsty but the kitchen door was locked.”
Leon nodded approvingly. “Quick thinking. Everything's hidden out here too.” He stood up, grabbing his now empty bag. “Nice work, prank partner.” He offered his hand.
Violetta took it to stand up, and then hugged him quickly. “Nice work.” She repeated and then let go. “Goodnight. Don’t let the creepy sounds bite.”
Chuckling, Leon waved and headed back to his cabin.
He went to bed, excited for the pranks and chaos that tomorrow held.