My Romance Life System

The green kayak was upside down in the shallows. It was a monument to Jake's failed attempt to identify a turtle. He was already on the small beach, collapsed in a shivering heap on the sand. Ruby waded out of the cold lake behind him and squeezed the water from her long hair. Kofi and Nina climbed out of the yellow kayak, their legs stiff.

"Well, this was a complete and total success." Nina crossed her arms, surveying the scene. "Operation: Intrepid Kayakers has officially ended in a tactical retreat. And significant dampness."

'This is a mess,' Kofi thought. His eyes moved from the overturned boat to Jake. 'They're soaked. We need to get them dry before they actually get sick.'

"I'm so sorry, guys." Jake's voice was a moan from the ground. His teeth chattered. "I just got so excited. I thought it might be a rare subspecies."

Ruby shook her head, an exasperated smile on her face. "It was a painted turtle, Jake. We have them in the pond behind my house. Now my shoes are full of lake water."

"Alright, new plan." Nina's voice cut through the apologies. "Operation: Don't Die of Hypothermia is now in effect. Jake, stop being a dramatic mess and get up. Ruby, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just cold." She wrung out the hem of her t-shirt.

"We need to get you two back to the cabins." Kofi looked at the two kayaks. "The green one is full of water. It'll be too heavy to paddle like this."

He walked over to the overturned boat. He grabbed one end and with a grunt, flipped it right-side up. A cascade of lake water sloshed onto the sand. The kayak was surprisingly light now that it was empty.

'He just… handled that,' Nina thought. 'No complaining, no panic. He's surprisingly competent when he's not overthinking things.'

"Okay, here's what we're going to do." Kofi's voice was calm and steady. "Nina and I will take the yellow kayak. Jake, you and Ruby will take the green one. We will paddle slowly, and Jake, you are not allowed to lean for any reason whatsoever. Understand?"

Jake scrambled to his feet. He gave a weak but determined nod. "No leaning. Got it. I will become a statue of perfect balance."

"Just try not to fall in again." Nina herded Ruby toward the now-empty green kayak. "And for the record, this entire incident is going on your permanent performance review."

They got both kayaks back into the water without another problem. Jake and Ruby paddled with a slow, careful precision. Their earlier lack of coordination was gone. Kofi and Nina fell into their easy rhythm, their paddles dipping into the water in a quiet, synchronized pattern. They led the small, damp convoy back toward the main shore. They passed a canoe where Thea was leaning over the side, her sketchbook open. She was drawing the reeds along the water's edge, completely oblivious to the near-disaster that had just unfolded.

---

The walk from the boathouse to the cabins was damp and quiet. Jake was wrapped in a towel Kofi had produced from his bag. He walked with his shoulders hunched, humiliated. Ruby seemed to have already moved on. Her conversation with Nina about manga art styles was a welcome distraction.

Kofi walked beside Thea. She clutched her sketchbook to her chest.

"Did you get some good drawings?"

"…I saw a kingfisher." Her voice was a quiet murmur. "It was very blue."

'She's talking more. That's good.'

They reached the girls' cabin first. Nina paused at the door and turned to the boys. "Okay, you two have exactly one hour to become dry and presentable for the barbecue. Jake, that means you have to find some soap. I am not sitting next to someone who smells like lake water and regret."

"I'll find some." Jake's gaze was fixed on his soggy shoes.

Nina, Ruby, and Thea disappeared into their cabin. Kofi and Jake stood alone on the gravel path.

"I really messed up, didn't I?"

"You tried to identify a turtle and fell out of a boat." Kofi's tone was matter-of-fact. "It wasn't your finest moment, but it wasn't the end of the world. Ruby was laughing."

"That was a pity laugh. The kind of laugh you give a puppy that just ran into a glass door."

"Maybe. Or maybe she just thought it was funny. Now let's go before Mark eats all the snacks."

An hour later, a freshly showered and significantly less damp group made their way to the main lodge. The air smelled of woodsmoke and grilling meat. The large, open space was already crowded with students. They got food from the long buffet tables—burgers, hot dogs, and an assortment of salads.

While they were looking for a place to sit, Kofi spotted them. Across the room, at one of the larger picnic tables, sat Jessica and her friends. She saw them at the same time. Her eyes locked onto Thea for a fraction of a second before a cruel, dismissive smirk touched her lips.

Nina saw it too. Her hand immediately went to Kofi's arm. 'Not now. We are not doing this now.'

Thea went completely still beside him. Her entire body tensed.

'She's shutting down,' Kofi thought. 'I have to get her away from them.' He put a hand on her back, a small, steadying pressure.

"We're sitting over here." His voice was calm. He led them to an empty table on the far side of the lawn, as far away from Jessica as possible.

They ate in a relative quiet. The easy chatter from before was gone. Jake finally broke the tension, his mouth full of potato salad.

"So, if you had to build a civilization using only the items on this plate, what would you use the hot dog for?"

Ruby looked at her own plate with a thoughtful expression. "The bun could be shelter. The hot dog itself… maybe a battering ram?"

"See? This is why you'd survive the apocalypse. You think strategically."

Across the lawn, Yuna sat alone at a small, two-person table. A book was open in front of her. Her food was untouched. A few feet away, Ren was in a quiet conversation with one of the teachers, his back to the other students. Neither of them looked at each other.

Ren and Yuna had once been the undisputed stars of the school's kendo club. Two years ago, an incident during a full-contact practice match had ended Yuna's competitive career and shattered their friendship. Ren had broken her arm with a poorly controlled strike. It was ruled an accident, but the guilt had been a quiet poison. He had quit the club the next day, and they had not spoken of it since.

Nina watched her two friends talk about their apocalyptic hot dog civilization. Her gaze drifted over to Kofi, who was quietly explaining the difference between ketchup and barbecue sauce to Thea.

'Okay. This is good. We're a team. A weird, dysfunctional team, but a team nonetheless.'

She took a bite of her burger.

"This place is too loud." She announced it after she swallowed. "After this, we're going for a walk. To look at the stars. It's a mandatory team-bonding activity."