Camping With Travis

8. SHE FIGURED IT OUT?!?

Travis

Lacey hands me a ball of tinfoil.

"Enjoy!" she says with that little fake smile plastered on her face. When she turned around to look at me for the first time this morning, I had a three second glimpse at the real girl. She looked soft, gentle, easily wounded.

And if I was completely truthful with myself, incredibly beautiful. I had thought so when I watched her vlog, until I listened to her talking that is. This morning, however, when I had walked up behind her and called out, she turned to look at me and there was all of the beauty without the attitude. I saw it there, and I was pretty much a goner.

Then The Lacey Mitchell showed up and the spell was broken. Trouble was, the damage had been done, I wanted that sweet version and all day I had been hunting for her.

But damn if she had buried that girl deep, cause I couldn't find her.

"What is this?" I ask as I roll the foil ball in my hands. It's still hot.

"Dinner," she says with duh moron implied in her tone.

"Got it. But what is it?" I'm not used to weird stuff on trips. And so far everything she brought has been freaking weird. Twinkly lights, blow up couches, cute little utensils, and now this. Where's the trail mix? Where's the fish I caught earlier with its eyeball staring at me? I want my camping trip back.

"It's a veggie pocket. After Mac showed me how to clean the fish, which by the way was disgusting. Don't ever make me do that again. Anyway, I added the fish first, then covered it with mixed veggies and a simple garlic seasoning. Totally healthy, and fresh!"

She sounds like an informercial, one of those commercials that pretends to be a tv show. With nothing else to eat, I shrug and open the packet. It smells pretty good, and it actually looks decent. But damn if she had to pack a ton of crap to be able to camp this way.

Thirteen bags, of which Miss Princess only carried four, a quarter mile hike at a thirty degree incline. It doesn't sound like much, but with nine bags strapped to me, it was hell.

I could see Mac and Joe just trying to hold back the laughter when we got to the camp site. They had warned me she would be high maintenance, but we hadn't even gotten to the site and she was a pain in my ass.

"How am I supposed to-" I start to ask but she shoves a fork in my hand before I can finish.

"Thanks."

"Now, take a bite and tell me what you think," she says. I look up to see she has a video camera pointed at me.

"What's this?" My face is probably all scrunched up in confusion. Mac and Joe left right before dinner, so the video was done for the day, or so I thought.

"I need a reaction shot for my vlog on easy but elegant camp dinners. Now, take a bite."

Not trying to be a jack-hole on camera, cause I don't need that kind of reputation, I go ahead and obey. I really want to choke, or spit it out, or hate it and declare that she is the worst camp cook ever. But I can't because it's hella-awesome. So instead of choking, I say this:

"Mmmm, dang that's good!"

So much for putting Miss Princess in her place. I just inflated her ego a thousand fold.

"Really? You like it?" she asks with just the hint of a girly squeal in her voice. I half expect her to start jumping up and down. Lucky for me, I dial down the enthusiasm.

"Um, yeah. Not bad." I say with a level tone. I can't keep freaking over her stuff or it'll be the end of my rep for sure.

"Oh. Glad you like it then," she says, squeal gone. Lacey turns the camera off and puts it away, thank goodness. The two of us finish eating, mostly in silence.

Dinner had taken a dang long time to make, and it's already pretty late. I put my fork in her make-shift little sink washing set-up and start to head to the tent.

"It's pretty late, and we start early tomorrow. Let's head to bed."

"Aren't we going to wash up first. I need to clean the make up off and use my moisturizer."

"Princess, welcome to roughing it," I say and toss a baby wipe over to her. "Glam it up and get some sleep."

I'm not sure I'll survive another day and a half with this one.

^^^^^

Trouble so soon, Trav? I wonder what's going through Luc's mind right about now...

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