Author's Chapter Notes:
Did you think I'd forgotten you? Of course not! Don't be silly! I've been nit-picking at this chapter for a week. It's sort of ridiculous.
I know this story's meandering along at a pretty slow pace, and that's intentional (read: if you need Jim and Pam together by chapter four, you will be disappointed ;) ). I hope you continue to enjoy, and thanks so much for giving this a chance!
Chapter title from Weezer's "El Scorcho."
I know this story's meandering along at a pretty slow pace, and that's intentional (read: if you need Jim and Pam together by chapter four, you will be disappointed ;) ). I hope you continue to enjoy, and thanks so much for giving this a chance!
Chapter title from Weezer's "El Scorcho."
“Smells delish,” Andy said as he followed Karen, Jim and Josh Porter, Jim’s co-counselor and a second year staffer, through the automatic doors and into the main lodge’s dining hall.
“Michael’s famous ‘welcome to camp’ pancake dinner,” Josh chuckled. Karen laughed.
“I totally forgot the pancake dinner!”
“Filippelli. How could you forget such a momentous event?” Jim asked as they sat down at a table. Karen tapped a finger against her chin.
“Hmm. Not sure. It’s not like I’ve had anything else to think about since last year,” she mused.
Just as Jim was about to reply, his other co-counselor Ryan came in, staring down at the cell phone in his hand. “Hey man, you wanna join us?” Jim invited. Ryan looked up slowly, then shrugged.
“Sure. Thanks.” He slipped his phone in his pocket and fell into the last open seat, Andy having taken up another one with his feet.
“Ryan, this is Karen, and this is Andy,” Jim introduced, gesturing to each of them. “Karen and Andy, Ryan. He’s in Mohawk with Josh and me.”
“Nice to meet you, Ryan,” Karen said, extending a hand. Ryan took it, shaking quickly.
“Hey,” he said half-heartedly, then reached in his pocket again.
Karen shot Jim a discreet “what’s with this guy?” look, and Jim gave her back a smirk. He was glad to be sharing a cabin with Josh this summer; the guy was laid-back and cheerful, and the two of them had struck up a friendship the year before. However, Jim could already tell Ryan Howard would be quite another story. After his chat with Pam, Jim had entered his cabin to find Josh already unpacking and Ryan lounging on the bed Jim had chosen earlier, plugging away at his phone. After introducing himself, Jim tried to ask as unobtrusively as possible if Ryan hadn’t noticed Jim’s luggage placed there. Ryan gave him a look that dripped of his lack of interest and shook his head; Jim, not one to make waves, had agreed to take the bunk above that instead. He attempted conversation but Ryan hadn’t given him much to work with; all Jim had learned was that Ryan attended Michigan, was a business student, and that his father was on the camp’s board of directors and gotten him a job here after a few other opportunities “fell through” (no further explanation given).The only other sound from Ryan in the hour or so that passed had been a lot of clicking and a question about where he could get the best reception on the grounds.
“So, it’s one of our new guys,” Andy stated, giving Ryan a lordly smile. Ryan just looked at him. “Whatcha think of the digs, New Guy?”
“Um…they’re okay.”
“Just ‘okay?’” Andy pressed.
“Pretty much,” Ryan answered. Andy chuckled.
“Oh New Guy. So new. So much to learn.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ryan asked testily.
“What do you mean, ‘what’s that supposed to mean?’”
Jim looked away from the two and out the windows lining the dining room. He saw Pam nearing, and gave her a small wave once she walked through the door. She returned the wave shyly, then looked around the dining room for a seat. He was about to call her over to his table when he noticed Andy using their last chair.
“Andy, move your feet,” Jim said, watching Pam stand there with arms folded across her middle as she searched for a place to sit. Her eyes met with his again and Jim flashed her a “one minute” gesture.
“This place is outstanding,” Andy was telling Ryan through a forced chuckle. “I can’t believe you don’t already love it.”
“I just got here, like, two hours ago,” Ryan said flatly.
“Andy,” Jim tried again, a little anxiously.
“Um, yeah – two hours in which you should have already discovered how awesome it is here!” Andy told him, then turned to Jim with an expectant look. “Am I right or am I right, Tuna?”
“Yeah, I don’t care. Can you move…” But Jim trailed off as he saw Pam crossing the dining room, having been joined by a young woman with dishwater blonde hair and a serious expression. They took a seat with a few other newbies.
“What was that, Tuna?”
“Never mind,” Jim sighed, sitting back. Karen eyed him questioningly.
“Everything all right?”
He nodded slowly. “Yep.” Pam wasn’t sitting alone. That was all that mattered, really.
A minute later Michael – much to Oscar’s apparent chagrin – hopped up on the head table and clapped his hands. “Okay! Hey everybody! Before we start chowing down, it’s a camp tradition to stand and sing grace before every meal. So…” He mimed standing and the rest of the staff followed suit. “This is one of our standards – it’s really easy, and if you already know it, sing along! If you don’t, clap along!”
“Michael,” Oscar said in a warning tone. Michael tct’ed and rolled his eyes.
“Yes, thank you, Oscar,” Michael said as an aside, then turned back to the group. “Or if God isn’t your thing just…stand there.”
Now Angela tct’ed from her spot next to Oscar.
Jim smiled as Michael launched into the camp classic “God Is Great;” he could’ve sung this in his sleep.
“All right! Head on up to the counter and grab some grub!” Michael invited once they’d finished.
Jim and Karen volunteered to retrieve the platters of pancakes, bacon and sausage from the counter that separated kitchen from dining room. Jim smiled as he took food from Phyllis Lapin, the camp’s head cook and mother hen for years.
“Hey Jim!” she said warmly.
“Hi Phyllis. How are you?”
“Oh, fine. It’s so good to see you again!”
“You too.”
“I want to catch up later, at the mixer…save me a dance?” Phyllis asked coyly, then sent an afterthought of a smile Karen’s way. “Oh, hi Karen.”
“Hey,” Karen returned as Jim chuckled.
“Of course I will,” he promised Phyllis, who sent him on his way with a wink.
“She’s never liked me,” Karen said as they headed back to their table. Jim shrugged.
“I’m irresistible and you’re competition. What can I say?”
Karen rolled her eyes.
Dinner passed with lots of catching up between the four returning staff members. They each tried to encourage Ryan to join in the discussion, but he seemed content with one or two word answers and sullen looks at his pancakes. During a reminiscence that had Karen, Andy and Josh laughing, Jim took an opportunity to glance Pam’s way. She was next to the blonde, looking a little overwhelmed. When he realized who was across from her, he had to stifle a laugh – there sat Kelly Kapoor gesticulating wildly as she talked, no doubt about news she’d recently seen on Perez Hilton’s site or something similar. Kelly had been the camp’s program director last year as well, and no job could have suited her better – Kelly had a minimum amount of responsibility with the campers, spending her afternoons planning and her nights “hosting” each evening’s activities, something she did with the greatest of enthusiasm. Jim wondered if she was in Pam’s cabin. He didn’t know if that made him feel more or less worried about his new friend; Kelly’s exhuberance was enough to make anyone feel intimidated.
Once dishes were cleared, Michael got everyone’s attention again. “All right, my minions, it’s time for some introductions. Y’know, your name, what you do, where you’re from – the 911.” Michael grinned. “Let’s start up here at the head table.”
Oscar stood first, giving a small nod to the staff. “Um, hello. I’m Oscar Martinez. I’m the camp’s business manager. I live just down the road, in Wyoming.” He took a seat.
“Gracias, Oscar,” Michael said, then pointed at Angela. She cleared her throat.
“I am Angela Martin. I’ve been the head nurse for the past six summers. During the year I reside in Kentwood, Michigan.” She sat back down abruptly.
“See why she’s our little tight ass?” Michael laughed. Angela made a disgusted face, and Jim was surprised to see Dwight made a face as well, although his looked to be one of…was it pride? Michael gestured to Dwight next, so before Jim could decipher the expression it was replaced by one that was unmistakably stern.
“Dwight Schrute. Camp groundskeeper and safety-slash-nature expert-”
“That isn’t part of your title,” Michael stated.
“Nevertheless. I live here, in the small cabin near the lake. My residence is. Off. Limits.” Dwight fired a glare Jim’s way. He gave Dwight a salute. “My cousin Mose also lives there. He has no official title, but he is of great help to me, and you’ll find he is unusually fast-”
“Okay, right. Enough.” Michael waved him off. “All right, so, next I’d like to have all our activity leaders come on up and introduce themselves,” he continued.
The three at Jim’s table stood and walked to the front, forming a line next to Michael.
“’Sup, CWS!” Andy, first in line, started immediately.
“Wait,” Michael interrupted, his brow furrowed, “we’re missing someone.”
Everyone looked around silently, and suddenly Jim heard a soft “oh!” issue from a few tables away. His head jerked in the direction of the sound, and he felt his own eyebrows raise immediately as Pam hurried to stand next to him. She gave him a rattled look as her cheeks rapidly turned pink.
“Hey,” he managed to whisper, more than surprised. This shy, nervous girl was going to be an activity leader?
“I, um, I forgot…I’m the arts and crafts leader,” she whispered back as Andy began singing his introduction.
“Well. Your nametag doodles make a lot more sense now,” he replied, for lack of anything else.
“Yeah.” Pam smiled just a little, as did Jim. His cheeks started to heat just a little as he realized he was smiling not at her slip-up, but at the idea of how much time they’d be getting to hang out this summer.
They heated a little more when he turned his head away from Pam and caught Karen looking at them curiously.
****
“So? What do you think?”
Pam was broken out of her daze by Kelly’s excited question. She glanced around the screenhouse and nodded.
“It looks great,” Pam told her. Her roommate for the summer nodded knowingly.
“I know, right? I only had, like, two hours to get it all set up after Michael’s meeting, but I think it looks pretty awesome,” Kelly replied.
Pam nodded again. A giant pink banner reading CWS Get 2 Know U Mixer in sparkly purple paint hung on the far wall. Most of the chairs had been cleared away from earlier, with only a few against the walls. Bunches of balloons had been placed strategically around the perimeter of the space, and streamers crisscrossed the ceiling. Across the room a huge decorated dessert table was set up, covered in treats and anchored by a giant punch bowl.
What was almost more impressive was in addition to setting all this up, Kelly had found time to change into a stylish new outfit and redo her hair and makeup since dinner. Pam had thought she’d made an effort changing from shorts to a skirt, and taking her frizzy hair out of its ponytail.
“So are you guys having fun?” Kelly asked, taking a sip of punch.
“Uh huh,” Pam answered as cheerfully as possible. Kelly looked to the young woman at Pam’s side.
“Yes,” Brenda answered in a businesslike tone.
Most of the staff was in the middle of the room dancing or chatting, but Pam had been sitting with her other co-counselor since they’d arrived. Pam couldn’t have cast two bigger opposites as her roommates had she tried. Where Kelly was chipper, talkative and a little flighty, Brenda Matlow was serious, quiet and more than driven. She was studying for a master’s in special education at Grand Valley State, in addition to a second bachelor’s in physical therapy. She’d stuck close to Pam since they’d met a few hours ago, but didn’t really seem interested in talking much. Kelly, on the other hand, had only met Pam at dinner, having been busy planning tonight’s event earlier, but had already offered Pam a crack at her closet whenever she liked and suggested they hang out over their weekends off. Pam wasn’t sure how to interact with either of them yet. She’d been doing a lot of nodding.
“So who all have you met?” Kelly asked.
“Um, a few people. Well, you guys. No one else, really,” Pam told her. That doesn’t sound pathetic, she thought.
“Ooo, okay. Let’s go get something to drink – you can see everyone better from over there. I’ll point out the people I know and give you the scoop,” Kelly invited.
“You already have a drink,” Brenda pointed out. Kelly set her cup on an empty chair.
“Not anymore. C’mon.” She grabbed Pam’s hand and pulled her across the theater to the refreshment table. Brenda seemed uninterested but tagged along, taking a seat next to the table. As Kelly ladled out punch and gossip, Pam employed the ever-useful nodding as she tuned out. Her eyes drifted from Kelly to the rest of the room, stopping when she found Jim. He was laughing with another guy and the brunette…Karen, her memory supplied. Pam watched as she shoved Jim playfully and he gave her a mock-reproachful look.
“How about them?” Pam blurted before she could check herself.
“What? Who?” Kelly asked, appearing only slightly irritated that Pam had cut her off mid-explanation.
“Oh,” Pam said, putting on a confused look, “um, them. I mean…I think her name’s Karen? And um…”
“Karen and Jim?” Kelly clarified.
“Right,” Pam said, hoping she didn’t sound too interested, because she wasn’t. Interested, that is. It was just that he was only other person Pam actually knew.
“Oh, okay, yeah. I can totally tell you about them.” Kelly took a step closer, looking as if she were about to spill national secrets. “So Jim’s been here for, like, a million years, and Karen for two, I think? Whatever, that’s the boring part. Anyway, they kind of, had a thing last summer? Like, they didn’t hook up-hook up, but you could totally tell they were about to. I mean, they flirted with each other all the time, and were always cutesy and stuff. I’m sure you can tell. I mean, look at them.”
Pam did. They just seemed friendly. Then again, she’d never been a good judge about that sort of thing.
“Omigod, Pam, you’ll see them together, like, every morning. You’ll tell me if there’s sexual tension and stuff, right?” Kelly pleaded. Pam narrowed her eyes.
“Why will I see them every morning?” she wondered.
“Oh that’s right, Michael hasn’t explained that yet. All of you activity leaders? You do a little skit or something every morning at breakfast to tell everyone what you’ll be doing in each of your activities that day. I do them too, for my activities, but at dinner. So yeah, you guys get together to plan those out. It’ll just be you four, so you can, like, keep an eye on Karen and Jim and fill me in on what’s up with them. Oh hey, we should totally give them a nickname!” Kelly suggested, clapping eagerly.
“…What?” Pam was distracted, not just by the history of Karen and Jim and the reconnaissance request, but the rather daunting fact that she’d apparently be performing every single morning.
“A nickname? Like Brangelina? They could be…Jaren? Kim?”
“Oh…yeah, maybe,” was Pam’s only response, because Jim was coming their way. He gave them both a smile.
“Hi Kel. Fellow activity leader,” he greeted, stressing the last two words in a teasing tone. Pam grinned, rolling her eyes.
“Hi.”
“Hey Jim,” Kelly chirped. “What’s up?”
“Not much. Thought I’d check out your spread here.”
“Grabbing something for Karen, too?” Kelly asked innocently, while giving Pam a meaningfully arched eyebrow.
“Um, wasn’t planning on it.”
“Thanks, Halpert.” Karen appeared at Jim’s side. As she reached out for a cup, “Mambo No. 5” began playing. “God, could this music get any cheesier?” she asked, laughing.
“Omigod, I know! Michael insisted on using his iPod for the music,” Kelly lamented, then took Karen’s arm. “Will you come with me and see if we can sneak up there and change it?”
“Sounds good,” Karen agreed, and the two left for the sound system behind the stage. Jim glanced at Pam after they’d left.
“I like cheesy,” he admitted, shrugging.
“Me too,” Pam seconded.
“A little bit of Ji-im, sipping punch; a little bit of Pa-am, standing there,” Michael sang as he danced by, pointing at each of them, “a little bit of…that girl, on a chair…”
Jim and Pam exchanged a look.
“Maybe not that cheesy,” he amended and Pam laughed. “So how’s your first day been?” he asked as he snagged a chocolate chip cookie.
“Good. It’s been good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You like the cabin?”
“I do - it’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be!”
“I know. I thought that too, on my first day. But that’s good when you have a few wheelchairs that need to move around. You’re in…Shawnee, right?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
“I thought I saw you leaving. I’m next door, in Mohawk.”
“Oh, awesome.” Pam cringed, thinking she sounded a little overly excited. If Jim thought so his reaction didn’t give it away. “Who are you living with?”
“Um, one of my co-counselors is Josh. That guy in the blue shirt, next to those balloons? And the other one is Ryan – he’s…” Jim looked around, but shook his head after a moment. “I don’t see him. Shocking.” His mouth twisted some. “Are you with Kelly?”
“I am,” Pam confirmed. Jim grinned, as did she.
“Kelly is…something.”
“That’s a great word to describe her.”
“Anyone else?”
“No. Oh!” Pam bit her lip. “Brenda, too,” she quickly corrected herself, pointing behind Jim. He turned some and waved at Brenda. She gave him back a terse smile. Jim turned back around and flashed Pam a wide-eyed smirk as he leaned in for a second.
“She is the life of this party,” he noted in her ear, making her laugh again. She was happy they were getting another chance to chat. Having a conversation with Kelly was much like being swept up in a tidal wave, and trying to get Brenda to talk was as easy as pulling teeth. Just like earlier, and with no effort at all, she had an immediate rapport with Jim. It was nice. “Overall you’re liking it?” he affirmed.
Pam nodded. “It seems like a lot of fun here.”
“It is. Not every day is great, but overall it’s a blast.” His smile was warm and wide as he spoke of camp like this, and it was easy to see he absolutely loved this place. In that moment his adoration made her more certain she’d made the right choice coming here.
“Cool.” Pam looked down for a minute, now unsure of what to say next. Kelly’s tale of his almost-romance kept playing in her head, but she’d hardly known him long enough to mention that.
“You look nice, by the way,” Jim told her, interrupting her thoughts.
“Really?” Her hand instinctively went to her wild hair, and she was immediately embarrassed – she wasn’t fishing for compliments, just surprised by his kind words.
“What? Yeah, you look really nice,” Jim repeated, a bit emphatically, and Pam could have sworn he suddenly looked a little shy.
“Thanks,” she replied softly, secretly pleased. Her eyes flitted down to her skirt again, and she silently apologized for dismissing it earlier.
“You’re welcome.” Jim smiled, looking down for a moment too.
“So…” Now why was she feeling bashful all of a sudden? “Um, Kelly said something about us doing skits or something…?”
Jim nodded as he chewed a bite of cookie. “Yeah. They’re not, like, big productions or anything.” He cocked his head a little. “Lemme rephrase that – Andy attempts to make them into big productions, but we usually overrule him.”
“So what you’re saying is he didn’t pick his activity randomly?”
“Hardly. I think he considers his life one giant American Idol audition.”
“Yet another thing to look forward to.”
Jim smirked. “Definitely.”
“I’ll be voting no on productions. I can’t sing or dance.”
“Well, Pam, you may have to rethink working here. We sing and dance. A lot,” Jim warned.
“In a group?”
“Usually.”
Pam half-shrugged. “That’s not as bad, then. I can disappear in the crowd.”
“C’mon. I bet you’re not as bad as you think you are.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Um, yes. Yes I am.”
“Then I’m making it my personal mission to see you do both this summer,” Jim said.
“No way,” Pam said, shaking her head. “Never happen. I can barely carry a tune and I look like a total dork when I dance.”
“All right, then, it’s official,” he said, nodding slowly.
“What?”
“Now it’s not just a mission,” Jim told her with a mischievous grin, “it’s my highest priority.”
Chapter End Notes:
Yes, that Brenda - it's amazing how many people I had to recruit to people this camp! :)
I swear - if I don't hurry and post this, I will literally edit it to death.
