them. With seven people, it didn’t take
long to unload everything. Set up was another story.
“So you guys ready?” I asked everyone. We were all relaxing in
chairs around the empty fire pit.
“Ready for what?” Kerry asked. We all smiled back at her.
“The Race,” Ryan said.
“You guys are kind of into competition aren’t you?” she asked.
“What gave you that idea?” I smirked.
“The brawl I witnessed,” Kerry stated unnecessarily. “And ‘The
Race’ sounds a little competitive as well.”
“They want to race putting up tents,” Reese told her. “You guys
can count me out. I’ll be the ref.”
• 55 •
AShley BArtlett
“What about the third tent?” Carson asked. “We’ll need to change
the rules.”
I looked at Aus for his approval. He smiled and nodded. “Me and
Aus will do both the small ones.”
“But we get Kerry,” he added. “Three on three.”
Ryan, Carson, and Derek had a very intense conversation with
their eyes. Their tent was more complicated to put up. We were getting
one more player than usual, but also an extra tent. The conversation
must have gone well.
“Done,” said Ryan. “Stakes in the ground. Tops on. Losers blow
up air mattresses.”
“You guys are all losers,” Reese informed us. “I’ll go place the
tents.”
“Your girlfriend’s a bitch,” I said to Kerry.
“Cooper, I kind of like you.” Was that supposed to be nice? “Don’t
make me hurt you.”
We watched in silence as Reese looked around our massive
campsite and chose three promising places. In each one, she placed
a bag with a tent. Then she sashayed back to the truck, found the two
mallets, and handed one to me and one to Ryan.
Calmly, she looked at her phone and waited. “Ready?” We nodded
even though she wasn’t looking. “Go.”
We jumped up and ran. Chairs hit the ground. Derek pushed
Austin. I pushed Ryan. And then we were in the clear. I shoved the
mallet into my belt at the small of my back.
“Kerry, build the poles.” Austin yanked the tent out of the bag. I
gripped the nylon so he could pull. A bag of stakes fell out followed by
a bundle of poles, and we tossed them to Kerry. Austin unrolled the tent
in my direction and we unfolded it.
“Where’s the door?” I asked him. “Where’s the fucking door?”
“Over there.” Kerry pointed. Austin and I each grabbed two
corners and half walked, half ran in a circle until she shouted, “Stop.”
“Here’s the first pole.” She nudged a fully assembled pole on the
ground with her toe. The second was already half done in her hands.
As we fed the first pole through Aus slowly chanted, “Careful,
careful, fucking careful, dude.” Kerry assembled the last pole for the
rain cover. Then she spread the nylon cover out for easy access.
“Is it in?” she asked.
• 56 •
Dirty Sex
“Almost,” Austin told her.
“Done,” I shouted a second later. “Hold the center so we can put
the poles up.”
Kerry did as she was told, carefully stepping in the open door of
the flat tent and lifting with us.
“Are you in, Aus?”
“Yeah.”
I bent the pole in my hands until I could slide the pin into it. “Done.”
“Three minutes,” Reese called out. Behind us, the guys were
feeding their first pole through. They had three times as many poles to
work with. We got our second pole in. All three of us started tying the
tent to the pole. Three corners done.
“I got the last one and the stakes. You guys get the cover.” I
finished tying the final corner and Kerry threw me the bag of stakes.
“Go, go, go,” Austin helpfully suggested.
I pounded the last stake in as they secured the cover. We only had
the stakes for the cover left.
“You get those, Cooper. We’ll start the next one,” Kerry shouted
back as she and Austin sprinted to the next tent.
I glanced over at the guys. They had the poles all in and were
struggling to stand the tent up. Carson, the tallest, was
long to unload everything. Set up was another story.
“So you guys ready?” I asked everyone. We were all relaxing in
chairs around the empty fire pit.
“Ready for what?” Kerry asked. We all smiled back at her.
“The Race,” Ryan said.
“You guys are kind of into competition aren’t you?” she asked.
“What gave you that idea?” I smirked.
“The brawl I witnessed,” Kerry stated unnecessarily. “And ‘The
Race’ sounds a little competitive as well.”
“They want to race putting up tents,” Reese told her. “You guys
can count me out. I’ll be the ref.”
• 55 •
AShley BArtlett
“What about the third tent?” Carson asked. “We’ll need to change
the rules.”
I looked at Aus for his approval. He smiled and nodded. “Me and
Aus will do both the small ones.”
“But we get Kerry,” he added. “Three on three.”
Ryan, Carson, and Derek had a very intense conversation with
their eyes. Their tent was more complicated to put up. We were getting
one more player than usual, but also an extra tent. The conversation
must have gone well.
“Done,” said Ryan. “Stakes in the ground. Tops on. Losers blow
up air mattresses.”
“You guys are all losers,” Reese informed us. “I’ll go place the
tents.”
“Your girlfriend’s a bitch,” I said to Kerry.
“Cooper, I kind of like you.” Was that supposed to be nice? “Don’t
make me hurt you.”
We watched in silence as Reese looked around our massive
campsite and chose three promising places. In each one, she placed
a bag with a tent. Then she sashayed back to the truck, found the two
mallets, and handed one to me and one to Ryan.
Calmly, she looked at her phone and waited. “Ready?” We nodded
even though she wasn’t looking. “Go.”
We jumped up and ran. Chairs hit the ground. Derek pushed
Austin. I pushed Ryan. And then we were in the clear. I shoved the
mallet into my belt at the small of my back.
“Kerry, build the poles.” Austin yanked the tent out of the bag. I
gripped the nylon so he could pull. A bag of stakes fell out followed by
a bundle of poles, and we tossed them to Kerry. Austin unrolled the tent
in my direction and we unfolded it.
“Where’s the door?” I asked him. “Where’s the fucking door?”
“Over there.” Kerry pointed. Austin and I each grabbed two
corners and half walked, half ran in a circle until she shouted, “Stop.”
“Here’s the first pole.” She nudged a fully assembled pole on the
ground with her toe. The second was already half done in her hands.
As we fed the first pole through Aus slowly chanted, “Careful,
careful, fucking careful, dude.” Kerry assembled the last pole for the
rain cover. Then she spread the nylon cover out for easy access.
“Is it in?” she asked.
• 56 •
Dirty Sex
“Almost,” Austin told her.
“Done,” I shouted a second later. “Hold the center so we can put
the poles up.”
Kerry did as she was told, carefully stepping in the open door of
the flat tent and lifting with us.
“Are you in, Aus?”
“Yeah.”
I bent the pole in my hands until I could slide the pin into it. “Done.”
“Three minutes,” Reese called out. Behind us, the guys were
feeding their first pole through. They had three times as many poles to
work with. We got our second pole in. All three of us started tying the
tent to the pole. Three corners done.
“I got the last one and the stakes. You guys get the cover.” I
finished tying the final corner and Kerry threw me the bag of stakes.
“Go, go, go,” Austin helpfully suggested.
I pounded the last stake in as they secured the cover. We only had
the stakes for the cover left.
“You get those, Cooper. We’ll start the next one,” Kerry shouted
back as she and Austin sprinted to the next tent.
I glanced over at the guys. They had the poles all in and were
struggling to stand the tent up. Carson, the tallest, was
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