Tessa sat in the backseat of Amanda LaRusso's SUV, her feet swinging with excitement as Amanda parked near the main cabin. Anthony had been at camp for a week, and though she'd never admit it, she missed him. He was loud, annoying, and always had something to say, but he made her laugh. After all the chaos of the summer karate war, she could really use a good distraction.
Amanda turned off the car and smiled over at Tessa. "Ready to go find him?"
Tessa was already unbuckling her seatbelt. "Yeah! Before he gets lost or something."
Amanda laughed as they stepped out of the car and joined the rush of camp pickup. The place was alive with shouts and movement—kids hugging their friends goodbye, counselors trying to wrangle the stragglers, and parents juggling all sorts of forgotten gear.
But Tessa barely noticed any of it. Her eyes were locked on one thing: finding Anthony.
Not far from the cabins, Anthony stood in the middle of a group of boys, talking animatedly with his hands flying through the air. His camp T-shirt was way too big, and his baseball cap was barely hanging on. Whatever he was saying had the other kids laughing, nodding along like he was telling the most important story of their lives.
Tessa grinned and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey, Ant!"
Anthony's head whipped around at the sound of her voice, and his face immediately lit up. "Tessa?"
Before he could say anything else, the boys around him turned, eyes widening as they looked at her.
"Wait, that's Tessa?" one of them asked.
Another nudged Anthony. "Dude, this is the girl you kept talking about?"
Tessa raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips. "You talked about me?" She grinned, her voice teasing. "Wow, Ant, you must've really missed me."
Anthony's face turned bright red in an instant. "Shut up."
One of the boys elbowed Anthony playfully. "Nah, man, own it. You made her sound like some kind of karate assassin."
"Yeah," another chimed in, grinning. "We were expecting, like, six feet tall, breaking trees in half with a single kick."
Tessa raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Sorry to crush your dreams."
The first boy squinted at her, sizing her up. "You sure you can actually fight?"
Tessa tilted her head slightly, her smirk growing. "You sure you wanna find out?"
Anthony groaned loudly, dramatically throwing his hands up. "Oh my god, please do not challenge her—"
But it was too late. Tessa took a single step forward, and the boy immediately stepped back, his eyes wide.
The group burst into laughter.
"Dude, she didn't even do anything, and you flinched," one of them wheezed.
"Bro, she didn't even touch you!" another boy laughed.
The last one shook his head, still grinning. "Honestly, Anthony, I think she might actually be that assassin you've been hyping up."
Tessa shot Anthony a sly look. "So, you've been talking about me a lot, huh?"
Anthony's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, and he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Not like that!"
The first boy laughed. "Come on, man, you made her sound like a total legend."
Tessa smirked, enjoying the moment. "Well, I am a legend."
Anthony couldn't help but give her a small, fond smile, though he quickly looked away, trying to hide the blush creeping up his neck. "You're not wrong," he mumbled.
Amanda finally reached them, ruffling Anthony's hair. "Alright, you two, Anthony, grab your things. It's time to head home."
Without missing a beat, Anthony grabbed his duffel bag and shoved it into Tessa's arms with a grin. "Since you missed me so much, you can carry this."
Tessa recoiled instantly. "Ew, no thanks." She pushed it right back at him. "I'm not carrying your disgusting camp laundry."
Anthony let out an exaggerated sigh but slung the bag over his own shoulder as they started toward the car. "Man, one week away, and you're still bossy."
Tessa smirked. "And you're still a nerd."
Anthony shot her a teasing look, his face flushed, though his grin was playful. "At least I'm not a bossy nerd." He nudged her lightly with his elbow, a little more gentle than usual.
They walked side by side, Anthony eagerly launching into his camp stories—how he got second place in a canoe race even though his partner spent half the time paddling in the wrong direction, how he and his cabin tried to sneak extra desserts from the dining hall but got caught when someone knocked over a tray of pudding, and how he almost caught a fish but lost it at the last second. His voice was full of excitement, hands moving wildly as he spoke, and Tessa could tell he was playing up the details just a little. But every so often, his eyes flickered toward her, like he was making sure she was laughing along, like her reaction somehow made the stories even better.
By the time they reached the car, Tessa was giggling, Amanda was shaking her head, and Anthony—despite all his complaints—was clearly happy to be going home.
Amanda started the engine, but before she could pull out, Anthony suddenly leaned forward, his tone suspiciously urgent. "Wait! Tell me Sam didn't mess with my high score while I was gone."
Tessa smirked, drawing out the moment with a dramatic pause. "Oh, she didn't mess with it," she said, watching his anticipation grow. "She ruined it."
Anthony groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "Unbelievable. I step away for one second—"
"More like a week," Tessa corrected, grinning.
"Same difference!" Anthony shot back, shaking his head. "I'm gone for a minute, and she goes and ruins everything I worked for. Hours. DAYS. Gone."
Tessa shrugged casually. "She was quick about it, too. Barely hesitated."
Anthony groaned loudly, slouching over against the window frantically.
Tessa burst into laughter as Amanda sighed, and Anthony spent the entire ride home ranting about the injustice of it all.
authors note!
I kinda love their friendship! hoping to write more of them :)
peace and love to ya, daisy