It was 2 weeks after school ended for the summer, and we were all gathering around in our ABUs. Our instructor, we call Chief V, was trying desperately to get all the cadets under wraps and getting our transport all sorted out. My friend Austin was getting nulled by the wait we had to endure because our driver was running late. We were supposed to leave hours ago and be there by 9, Chief said. Feeling bored out too I decided to wait in the van and stay away from the morning heat. After some time of throwing a tennis ball across the seat with Austin, my other pals hopped on board.

Evan, Jason, Bryce, Trevor, Nathan, Abdul, and J Lon came piling up into the van. We were packed and about ready to go, but Chief still said we weren’t ready to leave yet. So we talked in the van and kept making jokes to each other laughing casually. Then all of a sudden, Evan starts playing with the fire extinguisher in the van. In seconds a big cloud of white fills the van. It smelt like something left in the fridge for way too long. In quick response we rush out quickly and Chief never saw, but we told her about it after camp.

An hour later we finally set off to go to camp. Chief said she was now our driver and got in the driver’s seat. The trip was almost fine but J Lon kept passing gas on our way to camp. I couldn’t fall asleep on the way even though I was tired, but the excitement of going to a Marine base camp was overpowering my tiredness. Couple more hours later we finally reach the gate, after laughing and probably distracting Chief a thousand times. We were cleared to go through by the Marine guard, and it was another long drive through the vast stretch of the base.

After another while, we reach the quonset huts we were staying in. Evan I chose the bunk next to the power outlet, and fast. I got the top bunk and he got the bottom bunk, and the top bunk was the worst. I made my sheets extra tight so I wouldn’t fall off or feel like it. On one side of the bunks were lockers for the bunks on the other side, but my bunk didn’t have that, so I had no fall protection. Jason had that fall protection but in the middle of the night, I heard him say ouch. The next morning he told us a poltergeist threw him off the bed, and that is the accepted story. We laugh about it and head on with the rest of our day.

We did the obstacle course the next day, and as we were pulling up to it, Abdul blurts out a quote we still repeat today. “Hey Chief look at that playground!” He exclaims in a cocky attitude. We laugh it up, and get out of the van. Abdul volunteered to demonstrate since he wanted to join the Marine Corps and felt great about himself and so we let him. Chief sounded off, and he went rushing towards the first obstacle... He couldn’t do it. Or in the least not as fast as he said he was going to. So from that day on, when we are sitting in the van, someone will say “Hey Chief look at that playground” at the most random time and we’ll laugh about it seemingly endlessly.

Halfway through the week Abdul says he has to leave prematurely. So we head down to the post exchange to drop him off with his dad. He told us not to mess around in front of his dad, then Trevor says “Even though you bragged about the playground?” Abdul told him to shut up in that friendly passive aggressive way, Trevor never said anything after that. So we park in front of the exchange, and since Abdul’s dad wasn’t there yet, decide to look around in the exchange while Chief does her personal shopping. About 2 or 3 hours later, Abdul’s dad says he is there. We meet his dad and he is this giant man with biceps bigger than Jason’s head. He looks like he is made of literal steel. Chief and Abdul’s dad talk for a bit, but no one mentions the Playground thing.

After Abdul is gone, we start heading back to the base. We missed dinner during this but that didn’t matter since we were having a good time. I start falling asleep for no apparent reason but I woke up when we were very close to base. All of a sudden everyone flies up in the air rapidly, and we get be bounced back in our seats. That whole time Evan, Jason, and Bryce were laying in the back of the van on the floor sleeping. They were woken up and we just tell each other how amazed we were about that giant pothole.

We get close to the gate and Chief tells them in the back we have to sit down actually. So they do, and as we pull up to the gate, you would see us all sitting at attention. The marine guy asked Chief for her military id, and she give to him. With a quick glance he looked at us and told us to pull forward. We did so, and meanwhile Trevor is the only not sitting down, in fact he was laying down where the front passenger seat would be. The Marine guard looked through the front right door window at Chief’s id, then at me and the rest of us sitting down. Then he looked down at Trevor who was on his phone not minding the Marine. He asked him was he was doing, so Trevor got up and sat in a seat. After pulling away and being cleared, we start bursting in to the loudest laughter at what just happened. Chief told us to quiet down and listen. She told us we have to sit down from there on, and have seatbelts on.

After a couple more days, we go back home. Through the time of getting from the base and getting back to the school, I fall asleep. Until halfway when Nathan wakes me up and tells me to listen. After listening for whatever, I start hearing something that sounds like music. Jason asks me if I like the song he is playing. Then I realize he is playing a Minecraft song. I yell at him in total questioning on why. Just why. He didn’t stop playing Minecraft songs ‘til we got back to school where my dad met with Chief and asked her about camp. My dad just looked at me and my friends and laughed after listening to Chief. So  I said goodbye to Chief and all my friends from the van, and I went home.

Getting home I then started thinking about the time me and my friends had. It was great and rewarding. It was like bonding as brothers, but just as a group of 9, with Chief being our mother who keeps everybody in check. J Lon’s gas, Abdul’s attitude, and Jason’s Minecraft songs were the things that brought us together. We all want to go next year but Bryce couldn’t he already graduated. With that, I end my short story of bonding friends, and having a good time.