One time, after coming back from the mess hall to bring them food, Ali and Stephanie told me that every time I had left, a girl from one of the other towns kept coming into the tent and was yelling at them. This girl was saying things like, “ your not really sick” and “ Shut-up! I’m getting sick of your whining!” They topped it off by telling me that this girl was shaking the tent. So now, on top of being very sick, they were terrified! I thought, “Terrified in the one place where they should feel safe; at a church camp with girls who are supposedly raised to be compassionate.” This made me angry! The idea that someone would do that to anyone, especially to my friends, made my blood boil. If you know me, you know that I rarely get angry with anyone. So, I decided to see if they were just exaggerating. I waited around a bush while my friends were in the tent coughing, moaning and crying and sure enough, here she came. I was stupefied. She marched into the tent and yelled at them to shut up. I walked over as calmly as I could and stood at the entrance of the tent with fists clenched, I began to give her a piece of my very upset mind.
Her name is Danielle. I said, “You do not have the right to talk to anyone like that. Leave us alone.!” We yelled at each other for a while and I finally walked away. The next day she waltzed up to me with a few of her friends and began to talk trash to me and about my friends. I talked back to her again for forcefully and inside, I was still angry that she was not only bothering them but now, she was bothering me. I began a tirade on her and continued to be stubborn and unyielding to her feelings. So she left crying, and she started telling everyone in camp I threatened her with a rock. So, now I get in trouble with the counselors for not turning the other cheek and talking back to her.
It was now Thursday night and the next day we were supposed to break camp and go home, but at this time and some adults made up their minds to take Ali and Stephanie home because of their condition. We found out later Stephanie had a small case of hypothermia and Ali had influenza. Now I was alone and the counselors didn’t want me in a tent alone too. They thought it might be healthy to put me in a tent with Danielle. They got the bright idea that if we were isolated from everyone else, we might be able to work out our differences. Naturally, the first thing I told her when we entered the tent was “Don’t speak to me”. She then made a remark like “Well, good. I have nothing to say to you anyway.” Those words were the portal to a very, very quiet night. The Anger we had towards each other was feeding off the silence. The next morning the sun rose and we still didn’t talk to each other. We didn’t work out our feelings, we didn’t apologize for inappropriate behavior. We just packed up and went our separate ways. She went home to Agoura and I went home to Newbury Park. When I had gone home and really thought about what had happened I started to feel out of line but to prideful to say anything.
From September to the following July, there were some activities where we would see each other. But my anger for her turned into fear after a while and I tried to avoid her as much as possible. Dirty looks were the only thing we could offer each other now. To me she was a mean and horrible citizen of my county; my stake.
Surprisingly, something different that I had not expected was about to occur.
Saturday, two months before the next Young Woman’s Camp, my mom and I wanted to decorate our pond so we went down to a store to get flowers and things to create a floating craft. Suddenly, I saw her. I looked up- astonished to see a familiar face with a very unfamiliar smile and voice. My jaw dropped, I was scared and trying to avoid her glare. What would make a predator walk away from its prey and make up its mind to not go in for the kill? I thought perhaps the same thing had happened to her because she was as different as night and day. She and her mom were leaving the fabric store as we were arriving. She was actually smiling. There was no avoiding the issue. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want our mothers to know about this quarrel so I smiled back. She started talking to me like a normal human being. It was pleasant. I was confused. She told me, “I’m really happy to see you and I hope we can talk sometime.” Then she said, “I can’t wait for the next Young Woman’s Camp!” Well, gee, neither could I, so I smiled and nodded back. She left smiling and I continued smiling back numbly in bewilderment. My mind was whirling. What just happened? Did that really just happen? My mom then said, “What a great outstanding girl! Are you good friends?” It was then that I told my mom the whole story only this time; I mentioned that she was the girl. The look of confusion clouded her face. “But that didn’t look like an angry ogre, she must have had a change of heart, Jessica.”
At the camp, we bonded and settled our differences. Throughout the entire camp experience, we made friends with all the girls our age for we were in cabins now and that made it easier to do so. We spent every minute telling stories to each other and making jokes. We pulled a few pranks, sneaked hot chocolate from the mess hall in the middle of the night. And we made a pact that when we where 16 years old and came back to camp as the camp leaders we would not let the 1st levels we get to rule over have similar problems.
In conclusion, I must say I never expected at the time that I would ever be a friend with Danielle. I thought she would always be a sworn enemy to me. If it wasn’t for her change of heart and maturity, that I will admit I did not have at that time, who knows what would have happened? We would probably never be friends and still be angry at each other for something so stupid. Now we call each other all the time, we hang out on Saturdays and we go to dances together all the time. We are now planning our camp theme this year because now we are coming back as leaders. We want these girls to have everything we missed out on when we were their age we’ve planned this camp year since the day we first became real friends in the hopes that camp will no longer make enemies but eternal friends.
