Chapter 2: Set Up
“Come on mom” said an excited Ethan “We’re going to miss the bus .”
Donna looked at herself in the mirror and then at her watch. “Okay, okay. I’m coming.”
She grabbed her bag and her three stepsons’ camping duffle bags. They threw them into the back of the SUV.
They were going to Scout Camp, and Donna was so excited. Not! She was nervous. Her husband Steve had been nominated to chaperone, but he had been called out of town for work. Hence, the task fell to her.
She didn’t know how to build a tent, let alone navigate the woods. But she was Donna Martin, and she would figure it out.
She had to. She was the adult here.
As they drove, Ethan, Caleb, and Max were abuzz with excitement. They were seniors, after all, and this was their last camp as scouts. Donna just nodded along, her hands clenched on the steering wheel, feeling the weight of responsibility settle onto her shoulders like a wet blanket.
They pulled up in the school car park, the bus was there already and the driver was loading the bags into the hold.
The boys jumped out of the car, grabbed their bags and ran off to join their friends. Donna watched them go, feeling a strange mix of relief and trepidation. She took a deep breath, grabbed her own bag and walked over to speak to the driver.
"Excuse me, I'm Donna, one of the chaperones ," she said, offering him a smile.
He nodded and introduced himself as Tom. "Glad to meet you, Donna.” He said “ we’ve got you down to look after the Blue group” he said handing her a lanyard with a blue tag attached.
Donna looked at the lanyard, “Blue group?”
“Yeah, that’s Ethan, Caleb and Max’s group. They’re a handful but nothing you can’t handle.”
Donna forced a smile, “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
She boarded the bus and found the boys all chatting and laughing, she nodded and walked past them to find a seat by the window.
The drive was long and after a while the boys started to quiet down, the scenery outside was just trees and more trees.
Donna tried to relax, but her mind was racing with all the things that could go wrong. She had never been camping before, let alone in charge of a group of teenage boys.
When they finally arrived at the campsite, the boys were all buzzing with energy. Donna was relieved to see they would actually being staying in cabins tonight before heading off on their 5 day hike tomorrow
"Alright, listen up!" she called out to the boys. They turned to face her, their faces a mix of excitement and mischief. “You need to go and pick up your backpacks and supplies as soon as you’ve stowed your bags in your cabin.
I’m going to go and find the camp leader, get a map and figure out where we’re supposed to be pitching our tents tomorrow,” Donna said, trying to sound authoritative.
“Sure thing, mom,” Ethan said with a smirk, and the three boys wandered off to their cabin.
Donna sighed, running a hand through her dark, messy hair, and started towards the main lodge. The camp leaders were a pair of burly, bearded men who looked like they'd been born wearing plaid shirts. They gave her a map and pointed out where the Blue group's designated camping area was located, approx 12 km away and there departure time was 6.27am.
After the long bus ride to get here, thankfully the boys got themselves packed and organised quickly and were in bed by 9pm.
Donna had taken a cabin to herself, and she was looking forward to a quiet night of reading and preparing for the hike tomorrow.
But as she lay in bed, she couldn't keep her eyes open and quickly fell asleep.
***
“Knock, knock, knock - mom are you up it’s 6 am” asked Max from outside her door .
Donna rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at her watch. “Shit!” she cursed under her breath as she realized she had slept through the alarm.
“I’ll be right out,” she shouted back, already scrambling out of bed and throwing on some clothes.
When she emerged from her cabin, the boys were already packed and waiting for her. She quickly led them to the main lodge for breakfast, hoping to make up for lost time.
After a was quick meal, they set off on their hike.
The route was challenging, with steep inclines and dense forest, but Donna was determined to keep up with the boys. She was sweating and out of breath by the time they reached the campsite, but she hid her discomfort with a smile.
“Alright, men, let's get these tents set up,” she said, clapping her hands together.
The boys eagerly got to work, but Donna could feel their eyes on her as she bent over to grab her tent from her backpack. She tried to ignore the blush creeping up her neck.
“Would you like some help mom?” Asked Ethan, as he hammered the last of his pegs into the soft ground.
“Thanks honey, that would be great” she replied , trying to sound composed.
As Ethan bent over to help her she caught a glimpse of the huge bulge in his shorts, and she nearly dropped the tent poles. She tried to avert her eyes but it was too late, Ethan had seen her looking. He gave her a smirk and then turned to Caleb and Max.
“Hey, you two idiots, help mom set up her tent.” he commanded, and the two boys sauntered over.
Donna felt her cheeks burn as they began to help her, their hands brushing against hers as they worked. “Why don’t you head down to the waterfall mom and clean up while we finish off here?” Ethan suggested, his voice low and husky.
Donna hesitated, but her clothes were sticky with sweat and she did feel grubby. “Okay, sure,” she said, grabbing her toiletries bag and walking away.
As she walked, she could feel their eyes on her, tracing the curve of her hips, the swell of her breasts. She blushed, but there was a flutter in her stomach that she couldn't deny.
The waterfall was beautiful, the water cascading over smooth rocks into a crystal clear pool. Donna quickly stripped off her clothes, feeling the cool air on her bare skin.
As she slipped into the cool water, hernipples hardened